Daijiworld Media Network

Colombo, Nov 29 : The latest news is that rain has stopped and covers are being removed. Russel Arnold has tweeted: We will not have a 50 Over game today. Only extra half hour available unlike an hour in Day/Night games. So will start losing overs at 10:30.

Meanwhile, both teams are following the tradition #putoutyourbats in the memory of Phillip Hughes. It is drizzling right now and covers remain firmly in place. Weather is expected to improve later in the day. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Toss has been delayed due to persistent rain. Just a reminder, tomorrow is the reserve day for this match. With more rain forecast during the series, Sri Lankan officials have set aside reserve days for four matches of the remainder of the series.

The sun is out and all covers have been peeled off. Excellent work from the Sri Lankan groundsmen, as usual. Play is expected to start shortly

Angelo Mathews: 'We would have batted first as well but that's okay. Yes, we are deeply shocked by what happened. Our thoughts are with the Australian team. No changes to our side.'

Alastair Cook: 'We will bat first. Looks good. Hopefully, we will be able to put up a good score. It is a tough day for all of us. One change for us - Finn comes in for Stokes.'

Pitch Report: 'It is the same wicket as the first ODI. It will be a slower pitch. In the evening, it will spin a bit. Captain winning the toss will bat first,' reckons Russel Arnold.

One change for England: Steve Finn comes in for Ben Stokes. Sri Lanka are unchanged. Ian Bell is playing his 150th ODI today.

Teams:

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kushal Janith Perera, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews(c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Rangana Herath, Dhammika Prasad, Ajantha Mendis

England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook(c), Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler(w), Ravi Bopara, Chris Woakes, James Tredwell, Steven Finn, Harry Gurney

England have won the toss and have opted to bat

There has been a lot of rain in Colombo over the last 48 hours. It has been overcast since morning and the covers are coming on and off. Not sure whether the match will start on time as it has started raining again, disrupting the team warm-ups.

Coming back to the series, Sri Lanka secured a close win in the first game of the tournament. Their batsmen performed exceptionally well, posting an intimidating 317 on board. England had a poor day with the ball but they nearly made it up by batting as well as the hosts, with Moeen Ali registering a fine ton. He was backed up by Bopara, who put up a fighting 65 but the Sri Lankan bowlers ensured that the visitors fell 25 runs short of the required target.

Phillip Hughes death might have cast a dark shadow over the sport but the game continues to go on. Despite the sombre atmosphere on the field in all international games, England will take on Sri Lanka in the second ODI of the series at Colombo. Both teams observed a minute's silence for the deceased batsman and will commemorate Hughes today too.
Preview

After losing five consecutive One-Day Internationals (ODI) in India, a return to the R. Premadasa Stadium (RPS) in Colombo brought much smiles to Sri Lanka. England were second best for the majority of the game and finished that way despite the valiant efforts of Moeen Ali and Ravi Bopara. The teams stay at the RPS for game two of the seven-match series where England would quickly hope to level the scores in a series that could get have see the Sri Lankan monsoon have the last laugh.

England

In the absence of James Anderson, England had a miserable day with the ball, with the seam bowlers all going for more than six an over. Alastair Cook would have been particularly disconcerted with the 17 wides his bowlers gave away. Should Steve Finn fail to recover sufficiently, Bopara, who gave away just 15 in the four overs that he bowled, would hope to get a longer bowl. Their batting, however, has a much more settled look about it. The team would would hope for Cook to break his sequence of low scores along with some runs for the middle-order of Ian Bell, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka will be pleased with Kusal Perera's performance in the first match. The southpaw endured a torrid time in India and as a consequence, the Sri Lankan middle-order was often engaged in rebuilding acts. Jeevan Mendis, with the bat, and Thisara Perera, with the ball, were the other encouraging performances. Even though England got close to Sri Lanka's target, Mathews should not be overly concerned with his spinners' performance, or the lack of it. He has four tweakers in the squad to choose from, to exploit England's traditional frailties against spin.