ENG vs SL: Former England captain Joe Root is eyeing to create history for England in his side's clash against Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup 2023 on Thursday. The defending champions and the 1996 winners are in a must-win situation as they have one victory in four matches played in the tournament so far. The three Lions have beaten only Bangladesh, while the Lankan Lions have defeated the Netherlands in their single victory to show for it.
However as the two sides gear up for a crucial clash, all eyes will be set on the likes of Joe Root and Jos Buttler. Meanwhile, Root is himself eyeing to create history for England. Root is 70 runs short of becoming the first-ever England batter to score 1000 runs in ODI World Cup history. He is the leading run-scorer from his side and has 930 runs in 21 matches.
Root looks to break Ganguly's feat
If 70 runs will let him taste success the 1000-run success, six more will let him go past Indian Legend Sourav Ganguly in the tally of most runs scored in the tournament. Ganguly has scored 1006 runs from 21 matches in the World Cup and stands 76 ahead of Root.
Most runs by England players in the World Cup:
1. Joe Root: 930 runs in 21 matches
2. Graham Gooch: 897 runs in 21 matches
3. Ian Bell: 718 runs in 21 matches
4. Eoin Morgan: 672 runs in 29 matches
5. Allan Lamb: 656 runs in 19 matches
England and Sri Lanka have won one match each in the World Cup so far. England have beaten Bangladesh but have gone down to New Zealand, Afghanistan and South Africa. Meanwhile, the Lankan Lions have beaten the Netherlands and have lost to South Africa, Pakistan and Australia. The two have met each other 11 times in the history of the ODI World Cup with the English side having a slender 6-5 lead.
