Colombo: England are full of confidence at the top of the rankings while a bruised Sri Lanka are at a low point going into their One-Day International series, with both teams looking to build some momentum ahead of next year’s World Cup.
England captain Eoin Morgan said it is a “nice acknowledgement” to be No. 1 in the ODI rankings, but his team’s focus is on the World Cup.
“It’s been quite a long process” well thought out, well planned and I think to a point well executed,” Morgan said of his team’s journey to the top.
“I still think we have along way to go. It has taken three and a half years to get to where we are now, but we are getting into the most important part of what we have been planning towards.”
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, were eliminated from the recent Asia Cup after losing to Bangladesh and Afghanistan and captain Dinesh Chandimal said his team wants to use the England series as a turning point.
“The players are in a good frame of mind,” he said. “If we can end this series on a winning note it will help us go into the World Cup confidently.”
Sri Lanka is currently ranked eighth in the International Cricket Council rankings.
The five-match series begins next Wednesday at Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in central Sri Lanka.
It will be followed by a Twenty20 international and three test matches.
Meanwhile, cricket’s world governing body said players would be briefed about the risk of approaches from “corrupters” during England’s tour of Sri Lanka amid fears of match-fixing.
The International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption chief Alex Marshall said Sri Lanka was the subject of corruption inquiries but the England tour itself was not under question.
“However, I will take the opportunity to brief both the teams over the coming days to ensure they remain alert to the risks from would be corrupters,” Marshall said in a statement.
