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England will be aiming to go 2-0 up in the ODI series against Sri Lanka on Friday when the two sides meet at Headingley.
Alistair Cook was victorious earlier in the week during his first match as the full-time ODI skipper, with his team performing superbly well to ease to victory in a rain affected contest at the Oval.
A thunderstorm during England’s innings meant that the Duckworth-Lewis method came into play after the match was originally reduced to 32 overs.
Largely thanks to Craig Kieswetter and Eoin Morgan, as well as some quick contributions down the order, England managed to reach a respectable 229-8 in their 32 overs.
Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 121 with James Anderson taking 4-18 on his return to the ODI side. Jade Dernbach also chipped in with a couple of wickets, while the ever reliable Graeme Swann took three.
It was a very convincing England display and an encouraging one for Cook. To see his team hammer a side as good as Sri Lanka will be very pleasing.
However, he will know that things won’t always be this easy. His bowlers won’t always bowl as well as they did and his captaincy will no doubt be tested more and more as the series goes on.
This includes Friday’s 2nd ODI of the series in Leeds. England are likely to name the same side for the match in the hope that a victory can be achieved once again.
A significant influence over the first game was the fact that Sri Lanka had to bat under the lights at the Oval, but this will not be a factor in the second match as it is not a day-night affair.
With the weather set to be good, this is arguably going to be more of a reflection of where this ODI series is headed. The reduced overs, wet conditions and floodlights made sure Tuesday’s game wasn’t a normal 50-over contest.
Friday’s match will be though. It is 50-overs per side, during the day and Cook will need to make sure his team are focused if they are to come out on top.
Sri Lanka will be keen to bounce back of course and show some of their best form. The likes Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara failed to fire in the first game and they will want to put this right.
As for England, the areas they can improve are quite clear. With the game set to be 50-overs per side this time, someone needs to go on and make a big score. Ideally this would be Captain Cook, but someone certainly needs to build on a good start.
The bowling attack on the other hand just needs to produce more of the same. They were excellent on Tuesday and they will make Cook’s job a lot easier if they perform to this standard at Headingley.
You can catch the 2nd ODI between England and Sri Lanka tomorrow from 10.45am.
