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Longhorn85
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England face tough Sri Lanka test
England begin a crucial five-day period in their World Cup campaign with a tough Super 8 assignment against Sri Lanka in Antigua on Wednesday.
They expect Andrew Flintoff to be fit to face the confident Sri Lankans.
Flintoff twisted an ankle during the 48-run win over Ireland but has played a full part in practice.
If England need a reminder of how good Sri Lanka are, they only have to think back to last summer when they were whitewashed 5-0 on home soil.
And in paceman Lasith Malinga and spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, they face two of the tournament's leading wicket-takers, with 24 victims between them so far.
It will then fall upon Muralitharan to try and keep England's most dangerous batsmen, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Flintoff, in check.
England can take some comfort from the fact that they have won six of the seven previous World Cup matches against Sri Lanka, the most recent at Lord's in 1999 when Nasser Hussain (88) and Graeme Hick (73 not out) guided them to an eight-wicket victory.
But the current Sri Lanka side are confident they have England's measure if they can repeat the all-round excellence they produced against West Indies last Sunday after a brilliant hundred by Sanath Jayasuriya laid the foundation for a 113-run win.
England begin a crucial five-day period in their World Cup campaign with a tough Super 8 assignment against Sri Lanka in Antigua on Wednesday.
They expect Andrew Flintoff to be fit to face the confident Sri Lankans.
Flintoff twisted an ankle during the 48-run win over Ireland but has played a full part in practice.
If England need a reminder of how good Sri Lanka are, they only have to think back to last summer when they were whitewashed 5-0 on home soil.
And in paceman Lasith Malinga and spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, they face two of the tournament's leading wicket-takers, with 24 victims between them so far.
It will then fall upon Muralitharan to try and keep England's most dangerous batsmen, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Flintoff, in check.
England can take some comfort from the fact that they have won six of the seven previous World Cup matches against Sri Lanka, the most recent at Lord's in 1999 when Nasser Hussain (88) and Graeme Hick (73 not out) guided them to an eight-wicket victory.
But the current Sri Lanka side are confident they have England's measure if they can repeat the all-round excellence they produced against West Indies last Sunday after a brilliant hundred by Sanath Jayasuriya laid the foundation for a 113-run win.
