TUESDAY ODI: The Edge previews the series decider between Sri Lanka v England with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
All to play for in Colombo as we have a series decider on Betdaq Betting Exchange. The series is locked at 1-1 after England bounced back from a 19-run defeat in the first ODI to level the series with a smooth five-wicket win on Saturday. It’s been fascinating viewing – Sri Lanka looked comfortable in the first match as they defended 271, with England struggling in the conditions. However, as always the main man for England Joe Root, top-scoring with 75, led the fightback in the 2nd ODI.
For England, that was very much badly needed. They’ve been in crisis in the ODI format for years now – they’d lost 11 away ODI’s in a row before Saturday’s win. The pressure on Brendon McCullum has been immense, especially after all the Ashes fallout. Stories of no fielding coach and players drinking multiple days had the England fans calling for his head. A series loss here would just increase the negativity around the team.
Sri Lanka will be disappointed they didn’t wrap up the series on Saturday. They haven’t been a force in world cricket for many years, but they had their chances. They’re at home,they have conditions that suit them and obviously England have some issues at the moment. A series win over England would be huge for them. There’s a lot on the line here!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We remain in Colombo for the series decider. The pitch has been more-or-less the same the first two matches — it’s been slow and low, and batting has been tricky. In the first ODI, Sri Lanka posted 271/6 and England were bowled out for 252 chasing. In the second ODI, Sri Lanka could only muster 219 all out and England chased it down with plenty of balls to spare. The spinners have absolutely dominated — England used eight bowlers in the second ODI, with 41 overs of spin. Looking at the history of this ground, batting first continues to be a massive advantage. The first inning scores in 2025 were 214 all out (won), 281/4 (won), 244 all out (won) and 248 all out (won). Now add 271/6 (won) and 219 all out (chased) to that list. This isn’t the usual 300+ ODI!
RECOMMENDED BET:
We’ve had success backing the side that bats first in the 1st ODI’s but that didn’t work out in the 2nd. I still feel both sides will be desperate to win the toss here. The pitch slows up, the spinners get to work, and chasing becomes very difficult. England showed in the second ODI that you can chase here if you bowl well enough to keep the total down, but it’s still a massive disadvantage – also, it feels like they absolutely need Joe Root to go big. The market has moved a lot with England now into 1.65 – that’s a reflection of England’s win on Saturday but I feel that’s a massive over-reaction. However, I still feel the toss will be crucial. Bat first, post a decent total, and then let the spinners do their work. It’s been the winning formula here for a long time. I’m happy to stick with our game-plan here again.
The Edge Says:
Two points win The Side Who Bats First (Sri Lanka 2.36 or England 1.65) with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/SriEng3
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
I do feel batting first is a massive advantage here, despite England chasing at the weekend. I would happily back the side who bats first but consider backing them at the innings break if they’ve posted anything around 240-250 or above rather than from the start given it’s tough to bat here. The spinners have been so dominant on this surface. England will have gained confidence from Saturday’s win, but it’s hard to have a lot of faith in them outside of Joe Root with the bat. If we see 260+ posted, I’d be very confident backing that side to defend. Even scores in the 220-240 range have proven tricky to chase down here in the past.
