Sri Lanka target fast start

The five-match one-day series between Sri Lanka and England kicks off in Dambulla on Monday with the hosts looking for a fast start and the tourists hoping to take advantage of the absence of Muttiah Muralitharan through injury.

Click here to bet on Sri Lanka v England at bet365

On home soil and with a better team on paper and a better grasp of how to play one-day cricket, Sri Lanka are obvious favourites to make a fast start with victory in match one. Bet365 make them 2/5 (1.40) with England a 7/4 (2.75) chance.

With the first three matches at Dambulla, Sri Lanka should be pretty confident of getting ahead since they have won 12 and lost just three of their 15 one-day internationals there. With Andrew Flintoff out of the series for England, the tourists are relatively weak in the bowling department.

However, Muralitharan has such a stranglehold over England - mentally, as much as in actuality - that I quite fancy England to cause an upset in the first match. There is absolutely no pressure on them so if they take the game to Sri Lanka, they should have a great chance.

The stomach bug that has been going through the England dressing-room seems to be dying out and England should be itching to get out there, particularly to erase the memory of their woeful Twenty20 efforts, even if they still have to figure out that good one-day batting stems from the openers going after the bowling attack.

Pietersen favourite as always
As usual, Kevin Pietersen, the one truly outstanding batsman in the England line-up, is favourite to be his side's top runscorer on Monday. Pietersen has never played an international match in Sri Lanka so there will be some nerves there and it will be interesting to see his approach on the slow wickets.

Ian Bell, fresh from his century in the warm-up game, is 3/1 to come out on top, while opener Alastair Cook is 9/2 and Paul Collingwood and Phil Mustars are both 6/1. Owais Shah is 7/1 while Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara are both 10/1.

The old warhorse, Sanath Jayasuriya, who as I said in the outright preview, averages almost 60 against England at home in one-day internationals, is favourite to be top Sri Lanka runscorer, at 11/4.

Interestingly, though, he averages only 27 at Dambulla with a top-score of 55 so it may pay to look further down the order for value. Kumar Sangakkara, who averages 34, is a 4/1 chance, the same as Upul Tharanga, who has played just two games there.

Mahela Jayawardene could be the best bet as he averages 40 there, making his price of 9/2 decent value. Chamara Silva is 6/1 with Tillekeratne Dilshan available at 8/1.

England continue to have problems at the top of the order while Sri Lanka go for it from the off, so 4/6 on Sri Lanka to have the better opening partnership looks the call.

Cambers' Call
Mahela Jayawardene to be top Sri Lanka runscorer 9/2 bet365
Sri Lanka to have better opening partnership 4/6 bet365

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.