Sri Lanka vs England Prediction: Kusal Mendis could be the main man

We've made it to the second-phase of the T20 World Cup and despite looking a bit indifferent, England have made it through. Jamie Pacheco previews England’s first Super 8 stage match of the T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka, starting 09:30 on Sunday, February 22 and live on Sky Sports Main Event.   

Jamie is showing good profits this World Cup and has tips at 11/4 and evens ahead of this one...

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Sri Lanka vs England Preview & Team News:

Sri Lanka  

Sri Lanka have been pretty good so far. Yes, they were on home soil on unique wickets they know very well, and yes, they lost against Zimbabwe on Friday with a total on the board they should probably have defended. But there were big positives in the way they beat Australia and put in thoroughly professional performances against Ireland and Oman to get the job done before that loss to Sakinder Raza and co.  

They also deserve credit for getting through without arguably their most important player in Hasaranga, while fellow bowlers Matheesha Pathirana and Eshan Malinga have also been ruled out of the tournament, all three falling foul to injury. 

So they obviously have problems in the bowling department, given those three would all have played, but they're making up for it in other departments.  

Pathum Nissanka's century against Australia was an absolute masterclass in playing the conditions, building the perfect T20 innings, and showing composure. They'll need more from him in the Super 8 stage. Kusal Mendis is also a class act at three, but they don't bat particularly deep.  

England 

The important thing is they're through and with pre-tournament seedings determining which group they're in; the fact that they finished second in their group rather than topping it didn't make a difference. 

There's also an argument to be made for the fact that because every one of their three wins came with moments in the game when they looked in trouble, they showed good fighting spirit to go and win all three. In the process, all of Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Tom Banton and Adil Rashid have stepped up to the plate under pressure, so it's another positive that plenty of players have come good when it mattered, rather than just one or two.  

They do have a problem, though, with openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt being out of form.  

But they're unlikely to change a team that bats extremely deep and also has good bowling options, though it seems Jacob Bethell can't bowl at the moment due to a hand injury.  

Pitch and conditions 

There's no excuse for these two not knowing the wicket here at Pallekele. They did, after all, play three T20I matches just before the WC, England winning all three.  

But even then, it's not always an easy wicket to work out. It can be high-scoring ground, yes, but you can't get all your runs here in big hits. You need to work out the scoring areas, the angles, run the twos and threes and be smart. To an extent, that plays more into Sri Lanka's hands than England's.  

There's a good chance of rain playing its part. Hard to say just how much of a part. After all, Ireland v Zimbabwe was rained off completely here a few days ago without a ball being bowled.  

Match Winner odds 

England are 8/15 with Sri Lanka 6/4.  

England's (short) price can be down to the fact they beat the hosts three-zip here a couple of weeks ago, that Sri Lanka are missing three bowlers and that a rain-reduced match may play into their hands as the bigger hitting team.  

Without knowing the extent to which the rain could affect matters, we're best leaving the main market alone.  

*You can bet on this match and check out all the live Sri Lanka vs England T20 World Cup Cricket Odds over on betfred.com

Sri Lanka Top Batsman   

Nissanka has been the poster boy for Sri Lanka's success in reaching the Super 8s thanks to that brilliant 100 against Australia, but Kusal Mendis has arguably been their best and most consistent batter so far this tournament with scores of 56, 61, 51, and 14. He top scored in the first two games they played and on another day that 51 against Australia could easily have won a top bat bet on him, too. 

For good measure, he was the top run scorer in that series against this very opposition just a few weeks ago and bats at three, so even if the game is reduced in overs, he'll still have a good chance to play plenty of overs. Mendis it is at 11/4.  

Highest Opening Partnership  

With Salt and Buttler struggling - Buttler has just 26 runs in four innings, Salt has 34 - an opportunity lies in the fact that you can back Sri Lanka to have the highest opening partnership at evens.

That man Nissanka has 199 runs in four games, and fellow opener Kusal Perera is dangerous too, so it should arguably be Sri Lanka who are favourites here, not England.  

Jamie Pacheco Cricket P/L 2025: 

• Points Staked: 146 
• Points Returned: 151.7  
• Final P/L: +5.7pts  

Jamie Pacheco Cricket P/L 2026:   

• Points Staked: 22.25 
• Points Returned: 30.08 
• Current P/L: +7.84 

Jamie Pacheco predominantly covers Cricket and European Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out his Cricket Betting Tips, along with those from the rest of the team, at our Cricket hub page...  

Top Price

Available 09:00 04/02 – 05:30 07/02. Top Price/Joint Top Price all teams to win T20 WC with selected bookmakers using Oddschecker for comparison. Max Stakes Vary. Prices may fluctuate. T&Cs Apply.

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New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.