England-Sri Lanka to Eyes Momentum Before World Cup

Colombo: England will look to settle scores against Sri Lanka after their bad-tempered clash earlier this year when the two sides meet in a pre-World Cup one-day series from Wednesday.

The seven-match tour has been spiced up by comments from England captain Alastair Cook that his team will try to exact revenge for the Test and one-day defeats at home.

Cook's status as captain came under heavy pressure after the 1-0 Test defeat, and tempers frayed in the ODIs when offspinner Sachithra Senanayake controversially ran out Jos Buttler before delivering a ball.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are smarting from this month's 5-0 thrashing in India in a series that was hastily arranged after the West Indies abandoned their Indian tour over a pay dispute.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews insisted the matches will be used to recover from the morale-sapping loss and find the right combination for the World Cup starting in February.

Both teams are grouped together in the preliminary stage of the World Cup and will feature on the opening day on February 14, with Sri Lanka playing New Zealand and England facing Australia.

The upcoming series, which opens in Colombo, provides both teams a chance to strike form -- provided the weather does not play spoilsport.

The prevailing north-east monsoon over the island has already forced one of the two warm-up matches to be abandoned, leaving the tourists short of match practice. With more rain forecast during the series, Sri Lankan officials have set aside reserve days for five of the seven matches.

Teams from

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (Capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Thilina Kandamby, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad, Thisara Perera, Lahiru Gamage

England: Alastair Cook (Capt), Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.

Pitch and conditions
The forecast suggests there will be thunderstorms in the afternoon. It would be a surprise if the match escapes unscathed.

Stats and trivia

• England have lost 11 of 18 one-dayers this year, including a 4-1 drubbing in Australia which co-hosts the World Cup with New Zealand in February-March.

Match facts
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 (day/night)
Start time 2.30pm (9.00am GMT)