England vs Sri Lanka Dream11 Prediction: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for the 1st ODI - June 29th, 2021
England face off against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of a three-match series on Tuesday, June 29 at the Riverside Ground in Durham.
The hosts cruised to a whitewash in the preceding three-match T20I series despite losing key batsman Jos Buttler to a calf injury in the first game. Buttler will miss the rest of the English white-ball summer, but Eoin Morgan's men have several capable replacements waiting in the wings.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are in all sorts of trouble. Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella have been sent home for a bio-bubble breach, leaving an already weak team severely depleted. Kusal Perera has a massive task on his hands to turn his side's fortunes around.
England's squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Sri Lanka's squad: Kusal Perera (c), Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Oshada Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Isuru Udana, Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Binura Fernando, Shiran Fernando, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya, Praveen Jayawickrama
Here are three players who can be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the England vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI.
#3 Sam Curran (England)
The Player of the Series during the preceding T20I assignment against Sri Lanka, Sam Curran is in a rich vein of form and is finally being used to a greater extent by Eoin Morgan.
The young all-rounder picked up five wickets in the series and chipped in with two exciting cameos as well, proving his worth to the England team in both departments. He will continue to take the new ball and bat with freedom lower down the order.
Curran is a good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the England vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI.
#2 Kusal Perera (Sri Lanka)
With several first-choice players now on a plane back to Sri Lanka, the batting order is heavily reliant on captain Kusal Perera.
Perera has been vocal about his intentions to play an attacking brand of cricket, but that hasn't been possible in a team characterized by inconsistency and lack of partnerships. He may not be able to score fast, but he will definitely look to fulfill his responsibility as the skipper by batting through the innings.
As the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the England vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI, Perera could return a huge points haul.
#1 Jonny Bairstow (England)
Jonny Bairstow, who usually bats in the middle order for England in T20Is, should return to the opening slot for the 50-over format. We all know how dangerous he is in the powerplay in ODIs.
Bairstow scored an anchoring fifty in the dead rubber against Sri Lanka when Buttler was incapacitated, lending further weight to his credentials as an opener. Known for starting off series in strong fashion, he could take on the Sri Lankan bowling with ease.
Bairstow is an excellent choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the England vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI.