Twenty20 
/ Michael Vaughan / 23 June 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Lasith Malinga claims the most valuable wicket in cricket as he dismisses Sachin Tendulkar in the recent ODI World Cup final
"England may be the World Champions but there have been some changes to the side since that famous victory and if the recent ODI World Cup is any sort of barometer as to where these two sides are in the limited-overs game, we have to side with the tourists at 2.28."
They're the World Champions but an inexperienced captain and the return of a fresh Lasith Malinga to the fore makes Sri Lanka the bet in this match, says Michael Vaughan.
I've talked about Stuart Broad's appointment elsewhere. I think he has leadership qualities and could go far as an international skipper but there's no doubt he has a hell of a lot to learn. Tillekeratne Dilshan will probably miss the match through injury, meaning Kumar Sangakkara will take over and few know the game better than that man. Fresh ideas and inspiration go a long way in this sport but there's no substitute for experience and on that criteria alone, it's very much advantage Sri Lanka.
There are plenty of other reasons to think they might upset the odds, though. At the moment they're a far better limited-overs side than they are Test team and the presence of Lasith Malinga has a lot to do with that. At his best, he's unplayable. He takes wickets at the start of the innings and at the death and even if he's not doing that, he's making it virtually impossible for you to score runs off him quickly. We should also mention Ajantha Mendis. He had a somewhat low-key Test Series but he's far more difficult to pick with the white ball in his hand. Then there's Sanath Jayasuriya. I was a little surprised that he's effectively been given two testimonials in meaningful competitive matches, before retiring for good. But then he went out and smashed 78 off 60 balls against Worcestershire, so the old fella's clearly still got it!
Bristol is an unpredictable wicket and it's one of those pitches where you never really know what a good score is. But it's a small ground and if someone like Jayasuriya, Sangakkara, Kevin Pietersen or Eoin Morgan gets in and starts finding the middle of the bat, we may see some big runs on the board.
England may be the World Champions but there have been some changes to the side since that famous victory and if the recent ODI World Cup is any sort of barometer as to where these two sides are in the limited-overs game, we have to side with the tourists at [2.28].
Eoin Morgan is England's best batsman in limited-overs and has been for a while. There's always the danger he may come in just a little too low down the order to give us a good run for our money but that's reflected in his price, and he's my pick to top-score for England at [6.0].
Recommended bets:
Back Sri Lanka to win at [2.28]
Back Eoin Morgan to be Top England Batsman at [6.0]
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