Dark clouds have loomed over Kandy this week, with rain sweeping across the Hantana Mountains and remaining covered at the Palak International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!More showers are expected on Sunday, which may affect the T20 World Cup Super 8 match between Sri Lanka and England. If the weather turns good, a spin duel could decide the conflict.England returned to familiar territory earlier this month as they swept Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20I series. The success was reassuring, especially after a poor showing in the group stage, where they finished four points ahead of Nepal, lost to the West Indies by 30 points, then beat Scotland by five points and Italy by 24 points.
England captain Harry Brooke Admitted his team were “too careful with the bat” in the group stages. “We were too careful with the bat. In some situations, we probably could have been a little braver and more confident in the guys behind us to be able to score well,” he said, adding, “We probably underestimated some teams and they played well. Thankfully, we are in the Super 8s.”Sri Lanka’s journey follows a similar trajectory of promise and pause. Comfortable wins over Ireland and Oman set the tone, and the 182-run chase against Australia at this venue also showcased their quality. However, a defeat against Zimbabwe in Colombo hampered their momentum.
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Who do you think will win the Super 8 match between Sri Lanka and England?
For co-hosts, a lot will depend on the opener Pathum Nissankahe scored an unbeaten 52-ball knock against Australia. He scored 199 points in the group stage and topped the scoring charts. Brook believes Nissanka’s form will be a threat and says England plan to remove him early. Where is Mendy?hit three half-centuries in four innings, adding gravitas at the top of the order.However, their bowling resources were dented by pacer Matheesha Pathirana’s absence for the remainder of the match. Meanwhile, Maheesh Theekshana’s six wickets underlined his importance.Dribbling, leg spin Adil Rashid Backed by the pace of Jofra Archer, this remains vital to England’s plans. Rashid has 6 wickets in the tournament, including 2/16 against West Indies, which highlights his threat on the ground. Asked if Jacob Bethel would be fit to bowl, Brook said: “It’s not certain yet, he’s got a pretty big cut on his finger. If we have a way around that, then we’ll bowl him.”
