"Afternoon everyone and welcome to something you don't come across very often: a game that has little riding on it because England's white-ball team have been playing too well. With their calculated hitting on Sunday, Tom Banton and Harry Brook won the match and spoiled the series. Sri Lanka played much better in that second game, only to find that the weather was not on their side. If they had won, we'd be looking forward to a fascinating finale today."
"Instead the main question is whether England are ruthless enough to complete a whitewash or whether the Sri Lankans can give the scoreline the respectability their efforts deserve. There's a World Cup starting on Saturday and both teams will want to go into it with a win in their sails. As usual in this game of many layers, there are plenty of sub-plots to keep us interested. Can Banton, brought in as a replacemewnt for the injured Ben Duckett, make that No.4 spot his own?"
England's white-ball side has already clinched the series and can complete a whitewash against Sri Lanka as both teams seek momentum ahead of the World Cup. Tom Banton and Harry Brook produced decisive hitting to win the previous match, while Sri Lanka improved but suffered from adverse weather in the second game. The contest contains several sub-plots: whether Banton can claim the No.4 spot after replacing Ben Duckett; whether young Sri Lanka players like Pavan Rathnayeke can maintain form; how Sri Lanka's youngsters will handle England's spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson; and whether bowlers Jamie Overton and Sam Curran can contain runs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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