Sri Lanka is the third best visiting test team in England (after Australia and West Indies), when considering win/loss ratio. Sadly this may be my last chance to say that. We have won 3 and lost 6 tests. Having three more played in next month or so, I'd say that Sri Lanka will have to do extremely beyond their capacity to improve it.
In the mean time Mahela Jayawardena will be happy to have another 50- averaging player in 10000+ club. So far Mahela solely holds the awkward record of averaging 50- with 10000+ runs. Alastair Cook only needs few runs and injury barred, he'll surely get there.
Sanath Jayasuruya has beaten the tropical spin off the coast by creating a whirlwind in his comments of "best bowling side in the world". He wasn't referring to England who has 400+ and 300+ wicket takers. Hope his "best bowlers" will live up to a fraction of master's typically flamboyant whack over all media outlets.
Lahiru Thirimanna averages mere 8.00 in 10 innings against England and still seem to have secured a position for tomorrow. It is the same venue as famous 2014 win, and maybe Angelo will try keeping close to that XI as much as he can.
Typically pre-match interviews are the time that even giants role on ground to be overly humble. But, perhaps insulted by Sanath's claim of "best bowling side", James Anderson already declared that they'll win this 3-0. I thought only M S Dhoni reserves such pre-ordering in world cricket.
James Anderson is the leading wicket taker in the world, whereas Stuart Broad is not far away. England is playing their history's most run accumulator, best wicket accumulator and third best wicket accumulator in one side. Sri Lanka has only two batsmen averaging above 40 to face the challenge, only five batsmen have played more than five tests, Thirimanna being one. Perhaps Rangana's 300 wickets may well be the only celebration among the heartache of a shame.
But against odds... let's hope they'll turn the game in England.
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