England vs Sri Lanka Prediction: England are superior to Sri Lanka

England are playing against Sri Lanka in the third and final match of Test Series at The Oval, United Kingdom on 6th September 2024. Both batting and bowling sides of England are superior to Sri Lanka. Who will win this cricket match?

Ollie Pope, the stand-in captain for England, is really striving to find his form with the willow and would be hoping to make a big impact at Kennington Oval. He has managed scores of just 1, 6, and 6 in the past two Tests. The number 3 batter always has a very important role to play in the performance of the team.

Contrasting this, Joe Root is going through a purple patch and gathered consecutive centuries at Lord's during the 2nd Test. Root was the significant factor in England's comeback into the 1st innings with half of the side falling under 200 runs.

If Pope can rediscover his form in the coming game, England will pose an even stronger challenge to their opponents. There is also a golden opportunity for Harry Brook and Jamie Smith-the lower middle-order batsmen-to seal positions in the Test side for future series, provided they come up with strong performances.

With all the all-rounders, England have a lengthy tail in the batting line-up all the way down to no. 8 Gus Atkinson, who gave a nice reminder of his talent with a 1st innings century at Lord's. The openers, meanwhile, have yet to get a big score but they are capable of one.

The pace trio of Gus Atkinson, Chris Woakes, and Olly Stone is in great form and will prove to be quite effective. The pitch will more than likely help the pacers, and England believe in their bowlers after recent wins.

Ben Duckett, Daniel Lawrence, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir

Sri Lanka, however, will aim to avoid whitewash as they seek to regain some pride. They should have won the previous game but let slip the opportunities. The main reason behind this victory eluding them has been their failure with the willow, and that was most evident from the way they folded over in the first innings of both the Old Trafford and Lord's Tests. Experienced batsman Dimuth Karunaratne will be expected to produce solid displays at the top of the order, having managed only one fifty in the series so far in the second innings at Lord's. Angelo Matthews adds depth in the middle order, and Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva were important players in the lower order. The inconsistency in the lineup is a big concern for captain Dhananjaya de Silva as Kamindu Mendis did look promising in the lower order. The bowlers, though, have been in decent form and can trouble the English batters, and much responsibility will lie with them. Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara will take up the new ball while left-arm orthodox Prabath Jayasuriya is one to watch for wickets.

Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake

Sri Lanka have now lost the series and it is expected that they will change their batting lineup which means either Samawickrama or Kusal Mendis can come in. England are coming in great form with Root going great guns and the bowlers proving difficult to handle for the Sri Lankan side. As per our prediction, the home team for the match is also likely to gain an edge for the match. However, we can't count the draw given the overcast weather during the match as well. Overall, we predict England to be the winners.