I've been a little slow in regards writing about England's series in Sri Lanka. That is partly due to other commitments and partly due to the inclement weather that the England team seem have brought with them on the plane to Sri Lanka. Both the 50 over warm-up games and the 2 ODIs that have been played thus far have been at the very least shortened due to rain interruptions with a result only possible via the dreaded Duckworth Lewis method in the 2nd game from which England came out victorious by 31runs to take a 1-0 series lead. Further delays to England's preparations were then caused this morning when a cobra slithered across the ground where England were getting ready for the 3rd game!

Oliie Stone debuted in the 1st game of the series but due to heavy rain didn't get a chance to bowl until the 2nd match source

Substance wins out over style

England were indebted in the 2nd ODI game to 2 of their senior pros, ODI captain Eoin Morgan who made 92 and Test captain Joe Root who hit 71. The performance of both players goes to show the value of experience in different types of conditions and against various bowling attacks.

There had been calls during the English summer to leave Root out of the white ball side in favour of the more explosive Alex Hales. With England dominating the likes of Australia during their series in May/June and in particular openers Roy & Bairstow getting the side off to a flyer pretty much everytime they walked to the crease then such a change might have made sense. However, we are now seeing the value of Root's class, his ability to nudge and nurdle singles all around the ground and put the bad ball away when it does arrive. He will never possess the power game that the remaining top order batsmen have at their disposal but he is the glue that holds the top order together and his importance to the side should never be doubted.

Since calls for him to be dropped following the defeat to India at Trent Bridge this summer, Joe Root had accumulated 309 runs in 4 games between dismissals - that's some way to answer your critics! source
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Furthermore, Eoin Morgan had suggested prior to the series that he would drop himself if he felt that he wasn't up to the high standards set by the rest of the world's number 1 ODI batting unit. There is no doubt that Morgan's stock as a batsman has fallen in the last few years. This is less to do with age and more a sign of how quickly the white ball game is developing at present. 5 years ago Morgan would probably be able to claim the title of England's most dynamic stroke player with his range of reverse sweeps and flicks as well as the raw power down the ground. Evolution though appears to have caught up with the Irishman with the skills being exhibited by the next generation of cricketers moving beyond the reach of even his dexterous wrists. Of course, Morgan's contribution to the team cannot and should not be measured solely in the runs he scores. His captaincy over the last 3 years has transformed this England team from a laughing stock to the number 1 ranked team in the world. While his batting may be struggling to keep up with modern trends, his leadership style is very much in vogue at present with his laid-back manner belying an ultra-aggressive approach to the game.

Balance of the team

England decided that 3 spinners was the way to go in the first 2 games of the series with the usual suspects of Rashid and Moeen joined by the somewhat mundane left-arm spin of Liam Dawson. Dawson it would appear is something of a favourite of the current England management set-up having come in to fill holes in the side on more than one occasion. For me, he is the archetypal bits and pieces cricketer that England ODI teams have relied on for much of the past 20 years, a selection policy which has generally delivered abject failure. His bowling is ok, his batting is passable but the sum total of his parts doesn't necessarily add up to an effective international cricketer and I'd suggest that as much as anything it's his willingness to be shunted in and out of the team in a variety of situations that continues to get him the nod as opposed to any meaningful return in terms of runs and wickets.

Liam Dawson hasn't pulled up any trees during his England career to date source

With Dawson missing training due to a side strain, England may need to re-shape their attack regardless. Options would include bringing in either one of the Curran brothers or Mark Wood. Personally, I believe that Tom Curran probably deserves another go in the side after a largely successful tour of Australia last winter. With Ben Stokes and even Joe Root able to get through a decent number of overs, Curran could be deployed as something of a wildcard with his box tricks including a variety of slower balls backed up with decent pace when required. Yes, he can go for runs but regardless of the conditions, wickets in the middle overs will always be vital and with England's destroyer in chief, Liam Plunkett missing this series so that he can enjoy his honeymoon then England need to explore other options. As we've already witnessed this summer, the added bonus in selecting either Curran would be the aggression and passion that they bring to the team and i'll bet that older brother Tom would be chomping at the bit to get back into the side and take some of the limelight from young Sam.

Pure aggression - watch highlights of Tom Curran's 5 wicket haul against Australia

Speaking of pace and aggression, let's not forget that England did hand a debut to Warwickshire bowler Ollie Stone. While rain prevented him from getting a go in the first match he was quick to make amends in the second with a brutal delivery that lifted on the batsman and had him fending the ball to the keeper. Getting such pace and bounce out a Sri Lankan pitch is no mean feat and it is great to see that England are working on developing a stable of fast bowlers from which to pick from. Sticking with the equine-themed sayings, I am already planning a post for the forthcoming Test Series that will outline England's need to pick horses for courses if they are to be successful this winter. Stone's performances in the remaining 3 ODI games could go a long way to determining whether he will win a fast Test cap later in the month.

Ollie Stone had Sri Lanka's top order hoping around at the crease with his pace and bounce source

Sri Lanka's top order blown away

Despite playing 3 spinners on what England would have assumed would be a lifeless track, what will have surprised them most is the movement that they found with the new ball. Getting the white Kookaburra ball to nip about on an English green top is tough enough so for Chris Woakes to manage to do it on a dusty Dambulla track was quite remarkable. Woakes skill with the new ball also helped expose Sri Lanka's weakness against it. Let's not forget that this is a team that have just been eliminated from the Asia Cup without registering a win and who are generally struggling to replace the calibre of Sangakarra, Jayawardene and Murali all of whom retired in the not too distant past.

Watch Highlight of the 2nd game here

If England can keep taking early wickets and also balance their side and attacking options in the middle overs then they should be able to win this series comfortably. Despite Sri Lanka's recent on field troubles and with the shadow of corruption looming large over several members of Sri Lanka's Board, it was a good turn out from the local supporters who will be hoping their team can give them something to cheer about!