England eyeing to break Nissanka’s running form

2026-02-22 - 04:36

England will target in-form batter opener Pathum Nissanka as a key wicket as Harry Brook’s men prepares to begin their Super Eights campaign against hosts Sri Lanka today at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Match starts at 3:00pm local time. The Sri Lankan opener has been a terrific performer in the tournament, hitting a century and a half century in his last two innings and currently sits among the leading run-scorers of the tournament. He is at the centre of Sri Lanka’s batting plans, making him a major threat at the top of the order and English skipper Brook, speaking at the pre-match press conference, admitted the danger posed by the Sri Lankan opener and stressed the importance of striking early. “Nissanka is on a bit of a heat at the moment, so it would be ideal if we can get him out early,” Brook told reporters in Kandy. “But we just want to go out there and play our best cricket and look to put them under pressure as much as possible throughout.” England had some nervy moments during their first round but arrives here with confidence for the Super Eights after sweeping Sri Lanka 3-0 in a recent bilateral T20I series at the same venue. Brook believes those matches have given his side valuable knowledge of the conditions. “We obviously had a very good series against them here and on this particular ground as well, so we can take some experience from that three-match series and hopefully use that in the game starting tomorrow,” he said. “They are obviously a strong side with a lot of confidence after a few very good wins and if we stick to our guns and play our best cricket, there’s no reason why we can’t beat them.” Brook believes their familiarity with the conditions having played the bilateral series will prove crucial. “We obviously played three at this ground and we’ve got another two coming up, so we can take those experiences and a lot of confidence from playing here and understanding the surface,” he explained. “We’re looking forward to the crowd as well.” Weather, however, could play a significant role in the contest with forecasts suggesting heavy rain in the region. Brook insisted England would prepare for a full match rather than speculate about a shortened encounter. “I think you just have to prepare as if it is a T20,” he said. “Sometimes you can go down a rabbit hole thinking it might be a five-over game and then it ends up being a full T20. If the rain comes, we’ll just have to adapt.” (sundaytimes.lk) (This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)