England vs Sri Lanka predictions: Will England complete the whitewash?

England face Sri Lanka face off in the third Test at the Oval as the hosts look to complete the series whitewash

Ollie Pope has made just 30 runs in four innings as stand-in England captain (Ben Whitley/PA) (PA Wire)

England v Sri Lanka 3rd Test predictions

• Ollie Pope to score 50 in the first innings - 13/8 Boyle Sports
• Joe Root to score a century in the match - 5/2 Bet 365
• Asitha Fernando to be Sri Lanka’s top wicket taker in the first innings - 11/4 Unibet

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With the Test series already wrapped up England will be hoping they can complete the whitewash of Sri Lanka when the third and final Test gets underway at the Oval on Friday (11am, Sky Sports Main Event).

England won the last Test at Lord’s by 190 runs thanks largely to outstanding performances by Joe Root and Gus Atkinson, who starred with both the bat and the ball.

Former England skipper Root scored centuries in both innings for the first time of his career, while Atkinson scored 118 in the first innings as England put 427 on the scoreboard before the seamer then took five wickets in the second innings to secure the win.

He became only the third England player after Lord Botham and Tony Greig to score a century and take five wickets in a single innings in the same Test, earning Atkinson the man of the match award ahead of Root.

Victory at the Oval would see England secure their first 100 per cent home summer since 2004, following the whitewash of the West Indies.

Sri Lanka have provided tougher opposition than the Windies but England, even without skipper Ben Stokes, have made easy work of them and once again the hosts are overwhelming favourites with betting sites to secure another win.

England v Sri Lanka 3rd Test prediction: Pope to find his form

Pope has skippered England twice and led them to victory twice in the absence of the injured Stokes, but it has come at the expense of runs.

The 26-year-old has found it hard to combine batting with the pressure of being skipper.

He’s not the first and won’t be the last to see his numbers take a hit. Pope has a high score of just 17 from his last five innings and has scored just 30 runs since inheriting the captaincy from Stokes.

However, in the opening two Tests of the summer, he scored a century and two half-centuries in his first three innings. Pope will be desperate to book end his summer with another substantial score.

His problem has been getting in, although he has not been helped by the instability of England’s opening partnership in the series as Dan Lawrence and Ben Duckett have also struggled.

If Pope can get through the first 20 balls of his innings it may just give him the confidence to work his way to 50 or more. We like the price of 13/8 on betting apps for the skipper to post 50 on his home ground.

England v Sri Lanka 3rd Test Tip 1: Ollie Pope to score 50 in the first innings - 13/8 Boyle Sports

England v Sri Lanka 3rd Test prediction: Root to break more records

Root delivered in the second Test after we tipped him to be the top match batter. Given his current form, it’s so hard to look beyond him to dominate in the middle once more.

His two centuries at Lord’s took his tally of centuries for England to a recordbreaking 34, beating the previous mark set by Sir Alastair Cook. Another hundred at The Oval would take him past Cook’s record of 12,472 Test runs for England.

Although Root has been dominant at the highest level throughout his career, one criticism of his game was his conversion rate, turning fifties into hundreds. Since 2021, no player in Test cricket has scored more centuries than Root’s 17.

The Yorkshireman is in a five-way tie for sixth place on the all-time list of century makers in Test cricket. He would dearly love to move into outright sixth and then bear down on Rahul Dravid with 36 tons to his name.

Odds of 5/2 are available to bet online for Root to enjoy another fruitful day against the Sri Lanka attack.

England v Sri Lanka 3rd Test Tip 2: Joe Root to score a century in the match - 5/2 Bet365

England v Sri Lanka 3rd Test prediction: Fernando to continue where he left off

There hasn’t been a lot to write home about for Sri Lanka this summer as they have struggled to get to grips with England both with bat and ball but one player who has impressed is bowler Asitha Fernando.

He took six wickets in the first match, including Duckett twice, Root and Jamie Smith.

In the last match at Lord’s, he made it onto the honours board with a five-for in the first innings and three more in the second.

Two of those wickets were the England skipper, who he has now got out three times on this tour. He can sign off the tour on a positive note with further scalps and even press Sri Lanka’s case to avoid a whitewash.

He has taken to English conditions and is a threat with the new ball. A strong performance in the first innings from Fernando could make all the difference. If any Sri Lanka bowler is going to make an impact, it will be the seamer.

We’re taking odds of 11/4 for him to lead the Sri Lanka wicket column in the first innings.

England v Sri Lanka 3rd Test Tip 3: Asitha Fernando to be Sri Lanka’s top wicket taker in the first innings - 11/4 Unibet

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