It would not be a surprise if, at times during this tour of England, Sri Lanka’s bowlers had cast suspicious glances across the dressing room at their batsmen. After all, in three of the four white-ball matches so far, Sri Lanka’s bowlers have had periods of play when they have been on top of England’s much-heralded batting line-up. All of those matches ended in defeat, of course, but had Sri Lanka’s batsmen been able to contribute more, a different result may have been possible. It has been a one-sided tour so far but at least half of Sri Lanka’s team has been operating well.

In the second T20I in Cardiff, for instance, England were reduced to 36 for 4 but were only chasing a paltry 111 which meant they had time to sit in and recover, take the sting out of Sri Lanka’s bowlers and ease their way to the target. Even another 30 runs would have tested them far more. In the opening ODI in Durham, it was a similar story.

After Jonny Bairstow’s initial blitz, Sri Lanka took four wickets for 26 runs and were back in the game. England, however, were never in any real danger because they were only chasing 185. Again, another 50 runs might have made things interesting. In the final T20I, Sri Lanka bowled first and claimed five for 19 at the back end of the innings to keep England’s total within reach. Then they were bundled out for just 91.

Dushmantha Chameera has been the standout bowler for Sri Lanka. He took six wickets in the T20I series, including four in the final game at the Ageas Bowl with a superb collection of slower balls that bamboozled England’s middle order. In between times, he has bowled with real pace. He picked up three more wickets in Durham, having Eoin Morgan caught behind from one that zipped through quicker than the England captain was expecting and then Sam Billings caught at backward point shortly after. Chameera also got rid of Moeen Ali, for 28, but should have had him first ball. Unfortunately, Kusal Perera behind the stumps dropped a crucial edge.

Tall left-armer Binura Fernando has been quietly impressive too, proving difficult for England’s batsmen to get on top of. He conceded just over six runs an over in the T20I series and picked up Bairstow in game one of the ODIs with a ball that cramped him from round the wicket. It was a vital wicket at a vital stage. Fernando remains inexperienced – he has played just six international matches – but appears to have a cool head. Wanindu Hasaranga has not taken that many wickets with his skiddy leg-spin but he has consistently troubled England’s batsmen while seamer Chamika Karunaratne, in just his second ODI, bustled in well during the first 50-over game and has a fantastic domestic record.

Even considering the players England are missing for this series, their batting line-up remains strong and Sri Lanka’s bowlers have done a good job against them. It is a young and inexperienced group. Chameera is 29 but the rest of Sri Lanka’s attack in the opening ODI were 25 or younger. Hasaranga has 22 ODI caps to his name but Fernando and Karunaratne are making their way in international cricket while so too is Praveen Jayawickrama, a promising left-arm spinner who took 11 wickets on his Test debut against Bangladesh earlier this year. He only bowled one over in Durham, his ODI debut, but should get more opportunities to show what he can do in the rest of the series.

Mickey Arthur has spent much of this tour shaking his head at the performances of his batsmen, on and off the field, but he will be pleased with the displays of Sri Lanka’s bowlers. They have done a good job in difficult circumstances and proved they can mix it with England’s batting line-up. They have held up their end of the bargain. Now it is the turn of Sri Lanka’s batsmen to step up in the remaining two matches of the ODI series. If they don’t, there may be more accusing glances heading their way from their bowling counterparts.

The Oval surface is one of the best for batting in the country which should at least give Sri Lanka’s beleaguered batsmen some cause for optimism today. They could not ask for a better pitch to find their form again. The forecast for the game is good, with sun and temperatures in the mid-20s expected although whoever wins the toss will probably want to field first. Of the last eight completed day-night games at The Oval, seven have been won by the side batting second.

Sri Lanka’s options are limited given three players have been sent home for a breach of the COVID-19 protocols in place for this series. For that reason, they may stick with the batting order that played the opening match of the series with the old adage ringing in their ears of ‘you got us into this mess, you can get us out of it’. If a change to the batting is considered, Oshada Fernando is the most experienced option.

Sri Lanka:

(Probable XI) Kusal Perera (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama

England:

(Probable XI) Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (Captain), Sam Billings, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid.