England vs Sri Lanka Match, weather update at Headingley today: Sunshine expected with minimal chance of rain

England vs Sri Lanka Leeds Weather Update, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: England’s campaign got off to a rollicking start as they beat South Africa by 104 runs. While they were surprised by a mercurial Pakistan side in their second match itself, losing by 14 runs, they have largely justified their tag as the favourites for the tournament and are sitting pretty at second in the points table. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are hanging by a thread as they’ve notched up just one win, against Afghanistan till now, with their two washed-out games ensuring that their chances of qualifying remain slim considering their form of late.

[caption id=“attachment_6760791” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sri Lankan players celebrate after beating Afghanistan. AFP[/caption] Friday’s game might seal Sri Lanka’s fate once and for all. England’s recent form, particularly against Sri Lanka should be a cause of concern for the Islanders’ captain Dimuth Karunaratne as England wrapped up a convincing ODI series win in Sri Lanka late last year. England have the depth in their resources in the absence of Jason Roy who will sit out Friday’s game as well, owing to his hamstring tear. Their batsmen are fresh off a run-fest against Afghanistan and it will be a major ask for Sri Lankan bowlers to contain them. The match will take place at Headingley, Leeds which hasn’t hosted a match thus far in this World Cup. The last ODI at the venue was the fifth of the series between England and Pakistan preceding the World Cup where England scored 350+ and defended the same to win by 54 runs. The weather forecast, according to Accuweather looks promising with just 5 percent probability for rain. There will likely be bright sunshine with intermittent periods of cloudiness which will be conducive for batting first. However, historically, Headingley has proved to favour those batting second with 62 percent of the matches won by teams chasing. This could present a dilemma for the side which wins the toss. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here