Daijiworld Media Network

New Delhi, Mar 26: In the next few hours, Group 1 might well be decided, rendering the final couple of games as mere dead rubbers. An England win tonight will not just send Sri Lanka, their opponents packing, but will also be the end of the road for South Africa - a team that started the tournament as one of the hot favourites, only to stumble, both with the bat as well as the ball. In short, England win tonight, they are through. They lose, Sri Lanka and South Africa will breathe a sigh of relief, with Eoin Morgan's men dumped out. It's a big night in Delhi. Which team will smile at the end of it? Hello and a warm welcome to one and all for the massive Group 1 clash between England and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to field

Mathews: 'We'll bowl first. Looks a good wicket. There is a tinge of grass on the wicket and won't change much. One change for us, Shanaka is brought in for Kulasekara. Would have loved to play Senanayake but the conditions are not allowing it. Have to win today to stay alive. Hopefully the boys will stand up. We just have to click as a unit in the batting. One guy needs to put his hand up and give something for the bowlers. We'll still try to enjoy despite all the pressure.'

Morgan: 'Would have loved to bowl as well, simply on the fact that it looks a slow wicket and we don't know what a good score is. Just means that we have to adapt better. Hales is in for Vince. I think the cricket we have played so far has been good. I think if we put up a good show with the bat, it will be difficult for the Lankans. Our coaching staff has been very helpful [when asked about the insights from Mahela]. Sri Lanka are a strong unit and they have missed Mahela and Sanga after their retirements.'

Teams:

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Dinesh Chandimal(w), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews(c), Chamara Kapugedera, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera, Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay

England (Playing XI): Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Jos Buttler(w), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett

The vocation of pitch moaning has had a field day in this World T20. Another slow, low deck will aid the Lankans as they try to shed all their poor form. Brett Lee has had a look at the pitch and thinks it will be a true wicket.

Team News: England decided against playing a third spinner on this wicket against Afghanistan and with Liam Plunkett coming good, might not be making too many changes. Alex Hales missed out on the Afghanistan match with back stiffness, is he fit enough? If so, he should swap in directly for James Vince. Sri Lanka were poor with the bat against West Indies. Lahiru Thirimanne, whose selection was controversial, has struggled for impetus. Will the management bite the bullet and make changes? Will Sachithra Senanayake get a game? More on that at the toss.

Right, how are the preparations going ahead of the big encounter? England have first-hand knowledge of the conditions, having played on this surface against Afghanistan. Sri Lanka are fresh from the break, Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla will be expected to stay low and slow, something that Sri Lanka are pretty well used to, having played games on similar surfaces in Colombo. The spinners will come into play, but the Sri Lankan tweakers haven't been flashy. It should be another 'trial by spin', with the better ones coming out trumps.

* The cumulative percentage of singles, doubles and triples is the lowest for Delhi among venues in the Super 10 - 40.83%.
* The last time England faced Sri Lanka in India in an international match was in October 1989. That match was also held in Delhi and England won by five wickets.
* The last meeting between the two teams in World T20 saw the second and third highest partnerships being scored in all World T20s - 152 by Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan and 145 by Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan.
* Since 2014, Ben Stokes' average of 10.37 is the second worst average for anyone with at least 10 innings in the top seven.
* England was the only team to beat Sri Lanka in their successful World T20 campaign in 2014.
From the stats desk: Before going any further, here's our stats compilation for the day, obviously done by Deepu Narayanan

If England can dare to dream, Sri Lanka have a lot to ponder over. A team firmly in the transition phase, the defending champions were further rocked by the injury to pace spearhead, Lasith Malinga. After a hard-fought win over Afghanistan to begin their title defence, they were duly dismantled by West Indies. They have had a five-day break. Can they recharge their batteries and come firing on all cylinders? For the record, they need to win both their remaining games to have any chance of progressing to the semi-final.

Form guide: As the World T20 progresses towards the knockout stages, it's time for teams to stand up and be counted. West Indies have played flawless cricket and have confirmed their place in the semi-final, leaving three teams, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka, fighting for the other berth. England are in a relatively happy position, knowing that their chances are firmly in their own hands. They failed to defend 182 against West Indies, chased down 230 against South Africa and survived a mighty scare against Afghanistan - before managing to scrape home. They haven't reached the knock-out stages of the tournament since winning in 2010, they can't get a better opportunity than today.

Preview by Prakash Govindasreenivasan

As the pushing and jostling for an entry into the knockout stage intensifies,England and Sri Lanka head into an immensely-crucial Group 2 Super 10 clash in the World Twenty20 2016 at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on Saturday (March 26), with their unpredictable batting line-ups in focus.

England have shown signs of being a top-heavy side with Eoin Morgan, the skipper, constantly praising a line-up that can bat very deep. Against South Africa, their devastating skills was in full display as they chased down 226 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, but that they crumbled rather dramatically on a slower wicket in Delhi against a spin quartet unleashed by Afghanistan comes as a blot on their temperament.

Sri Lanka have played a game lesser but the issues in the middle-order is one they need to sort out at the earliest. Dinesh Chandimal spoke of having observed England's game against Afghanistan and having a few tricks up their sleeve for their opponents, but one would hope this involved straightening out their batting woes. Angelo Mathews will hope his players will be revitalised after a five-day-long break since their previous game and hit England hard on the low and slow Kotla track. The wicket did not offer too much spin but it was enough to rattle England's famed batting order against Afghanistan.

The start provided by Tillakaratne Dilshan will once again be key for Sri Lanka but a lot will also rest on how well the likes of Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews and Milinda Siriwardana deal with England's disciplined bowling attack. For England, it will be about how they find middle ground between their need to play aggressively at the start and adapting to the conditions. The dew factor could play a big role in the captains' decision at the toss but, as recent history suggests, England will be better of chasing.

As it stands, West Indies lead the Group 2 table with two wins in two games, but the table could see dramatic changes at the end of the day, as four out of the five teams vying for the two vacant semifinal spot in action.