In a move that has caught many by surprise, England have opted to drop Adil Rashid for their encounter with Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Thursday. This comes after Rashid’s expensive performance against Pakistan earlier in the week, where he conceded 55 runs for just one wicket in eight overs. Rashid has been set aside in favour of Liam Dawson for England’s second match in the Pakistan tri-series, a decision described as tactical.
Besides Rashid’s omission, England have also introduced Josh Tongue, replacing Sonny Baker. Despite losing the toss, England’s captain, Harry Brook, expressed satisfaction with his team batting first. “We were going to have a bat today,” Brook stated. “[The pitch] looks slightly drier, and feels slightly harder. Hopefully, we get some runs on the board and put them under pressure.”
Rashid, one of England’s most seasoned ODI players, is notably their second-highest wicket-taker in the format, surpassed only by James Anderson. Former England skipper, Nasser Hussain, speculated on the decision, linking it to the recent effectiveness of Pakistan’s left-arm spinner, Arafat Minhas. On Sky Sports, Hussain commented, “I thought he’d play just to give him a run of games. I think it’s a tactical one, having seen the way the pitch played and seen how Pakistan’s spinners bowled on it.”
Reflecting on England’s recent performance, Brook critiqued his team’s approach against Pakistan’s spinners, including his own. “We were probably a bit too careful against their spinners,” he admitted. “We’ve just got to learn from that, and look to put them under a bit more pressure.”
On the Sri Lankan side, captain Kusal Mendis chose to bowl first, anticipating that late-evening dew would affect the conditions. Even though prior matches in this tri-series at Rawalpindi have favoured the teams batting first, he remains confident. “The dew will come in the second innings, hopefully,” Mendis expressed.
Similar to England, Sri Lanka made one change, opting for left-arm fingerspinner Dunith Wellalage over legspinner Sachindu Colombage.
Sri Lanka Team: Avishka Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (captain/wicketkeeper), Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.
England Team: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jordan Cox (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue.
