England announce 16-man squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka, George Garton receives maiden call-up
England have announced a 16-man squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting on June 29 at Durham. Left-arm seamer George Garton has won a maiden call-up to the national team after emerging as a mainstay for Sussex over the last few years.
Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer are still missing from action after being unavailable through injuries. Stokes is closing in on his recovery and is expected to feature for Durham in the T20 Blast tournament soon.
Eoin Morgan, as expected, has been named as the captain of the side. Joe Root also returned to the ODI set-up after he was not involved in the limited-overs series against India earlier this year.
Before the ODI series, the Three Lions will lock horns with Sri Lanka in a 3-match T20I series as well, starting on June 23.
England's ODI squad for the 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) Captain, Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), George Garton (Sussex), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)
England's head-to-head record against Sri Lanka in ODIs
Sri Lanka are coming into the series on the back of a 2-1 defeat against Bangladesh away from home in ODIs. The Lankan players are also embroiled in a showdown with their cricket board regarding a pay dispute.
England & Sri Lanka have played numerous closely fought encounters over the years, and there is nothing much to choose from in terms of their head-to-head record in ODIs. Both teams have won 36 games against each other, while one game ended in a tie and two yielded no results.
Even in home conditions, England lead marginally by 16-14 against the island nation in the 50-over format.
The last time the two teams met was at the 2019 ODI World Cup, where the Lankans emerged victorious by 20 runs.
England vs Sri Lanka ODI series schedule
1st ODI: England v Sri Lanka, Tuesday 29 June 2021, Emirates Riverside, Durham
2nd ODI: England v Sri Lanka, Thursday 1 July 2021, Kia Oval, London
3rd ODI: England v Sri Lanka, Sunday 4 July 2021, County Ground, Bristol