England vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup - England in for convincing victory

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 19 Jun 2019

Ralph Staniforth 19 Jun 2019

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Bairstow set to tame Sri Lankan bowlers at Headingley

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Headingley hosts its first game of the 2019 Cricket World Cup with hosts England much fancied to beat Sri Lanka (Getty Images)

England vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup Preview, Predictions, Betting Tips & Live Stream

England will look to continue their impressive start to the 2019 Cricket World Cup as they host Sri Lanka at Headingley on Friday. Jonny Bairstow scored 90 runs in his last match and I’m tipping him to go past the 43.5 run mark once again.

Sri Lanka have failed to impress at the tournament but opener Dimuth Karunaratne has produced the goods. With 97 runs in his last innings he is worth backing at 1.90 to go past the 28.5 run mark.

England Form & Team News

England seems to be getting more impressive by the game. Their last outing against Afghanistan at Old Trafford saw them break numerous records, thanks in the main to captain Eoin Morgan who smashed 148 off 71 balls.

Perhaps even more importantly, Jonny Bairstow hit 90 in his highest score of the World Cup thus far. Bairstow has found his touch after a difficult start to his campaign, scoring over 43.5 runs in his last three innings and 50+ runs in two of those.

England put a mammoth 397 on the board and Afghanistan were never in the game after that. Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers with 3-52 and will be a popular pick to be the best bowler again.

The hosts are favourites at 1.08 but there is more value in the run-scoring market. In the absence of the injured Jason Roy I am tipping Jonny Bairstow to carry the load and score over 43.5 runs at 1.90 and convert that into a score of 50+ at 2.10.

jonny bairstow batting — After scoring 90 in his last innings against Afghanistan, Jonny Bairstow is tipped once again in the run-scoring market (Getty Images)

Sri Lanka Form & Team News

Sri Lanka put in their best performance of the World Cup against Australia at The Oval in their last fixture. It wasn’t necessarily very impressive but they did threaten on occasion. Bowling first Sri Lanka allowed Australia to score big with 334 runs.

In response the Lions started well as in-form opener Dimuth Karunaratne (97) and Kusal Perera (52) took to the Aussie bowlers. Real hope of an upset victory ensued but once the two openers were dismissed Sri Lanka disintegrated and were bowled out for 247.

Sri Lanka are way off the pace at the World Cup and have been given little chance at 8.00 to beat England. There is better value elsewhere with the two teams in such contrasting form.

Dimuth Karunaratne has been Sri Lanka’s form batsman at the World Cup with four scores over 28.5 in his last four innings. I am backing him to score over 28.5 at 1.90.

England vs Sri Lanka Head to Head

England have won six of their last seven ODI matches against Sri Lanka stretching back to 2016.

England vs Sri Lanka Live Stream

You can watch England vs Sri Lanka 2019 Cricket World Cup match with bet365 via live streaming. Please see the terms and conditions at bet365 before attempting to watch the match on your iPhone, iPad, Android device or computer.

England vs Sri Lanka Match Up

England are superior to Sri Lanka in every aspect of the game. The hosts possess numerous match winners within their ranks while Sri Lanka have struggled to put anything of substance together so far at the World Cup.

Dimuth Karunaratne is predicted to carry the load of Sri Lanka's batting once again after his 97 against Australia (Getty Images)

England vs Sri Lanka Key Statistics

England’s Jonny Bairstow has scored over 43.5 runs in his last 3 ODI innings.
England’s Jonny Bairstow has scored 50+ in 2 of his last 3 ODI innings.
Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne has scored over 28.5 runs in his last 4 ODI innings.

Verdict

I am tipping England opening batsman Jonny Bairstow in the run-scoring market to score over 43.5 at 1.90. Bairstow also offers good value at 2.10 to score 50+ runs.

Dimuth Karunaratne has been Sri Lanka’s best batsman at the World Cup so I am backing him to score over 28.5 runs at 1.90.

Best Bet: Jonny Bairstow Over 43.5 Runs @ 1.90 at bet365 - 4 Units

Over/Under Tip: Dimuth Karunaratne Over 28.5 Runs @ 1.90 at bet365 - 3 Units

Value Bet: Jonny Bairstow to Score 50+ Runs @ 2.10 at bet365 - 2 Units