Follow live: England take on Sri Lanka in the second T20I of the series

Athapaththu with the ball for SL. Wyatt on strike. No slip in place.

Raji: “Oh My!!! Why? Could have given one more game atleast to Gaur…”

2.25pm: We are five mins away from the live action.

Meanwhile in Pallekele where India and Pakistan are playing at the Asia Cup, the match is in balance after Haris Rauf removed Ishan Kishan to break big stand. You can follow the game live here.

Ranil Herath: “The Sri Lankan team seems to have gained some confidence after their superb series against New Zealand recently.”

Thanks, Alan. Hello, everyone.

2.15pm: It’s apparently a hybrid surface in use for today’s match, so we’ll see how that plays. Often a bit there for the spinners at Chelmsford. Not far away from the first ball, for which I will hand over to Srinidhi… but while we wait, worth checking out our coverage of the inaugural WBBL draft, which takes place on Sunday and sees plenty of English involvement (plus Athapaththu from an SL perspective). Alex Malcolm has run the rule over what each of the teams might do, and we also have a complete list of players entering the draft

2.01pm: Sri Lanka win the toss and bowl, Chamari Athapaththu is keen for another chase. “Positives [from the first match] but we have to improve our bowling,” she says. SL have made one change, bringing in Inoshi Fernando for Kawya Kavindi. Heather Knight is happy enough, as she wanted to bat anyway. “Pretty decent surface, want to make the most of it.” England have changed their XI, too, rotating out Gaur after her impressive debut and handing a Issy Wong a first international appearance of 2023

England 1 Maia Bouchier, 2 Danni Wyatt, 3 Alice Capsey, 4 Heather Knight (capt), 5 Amy Jones, 6 Freya Kemp, 7 Danielle Gibson, 8 Issy Wong, 9 Sarah Glenn, 10 Charlie Dean, 11 Katie Cross

Sri Lanka 1 Vishmi Gunaratne , 2 Chamari Athapaththu (capt), 3 Hasini Perera, 4 Nilakshi de Silva, 5 Harshitha Samarawickrama, 6 Kavisha Dilhari, 7 Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), 8 Inoka Ranaweera, 9 Sugandika Kumari, 10 Udeshika Prabodhani, 11 Inoshi Fernando

1.50pm: Andrew Miller has braved public transport into the heart of Essex and is in situ at the ground. “The sun has burst through here now, all improbably pleasant,” he says. “Quite a few punters still to arrive, but a pleasing hubbub all the same.”

Miller then adds: “Excitement in the team huddle just now, but the cap presentation was not to Bess Heath, but to Sarah Glenn, presumably to mark her 50 T20Is. Well done her.” England, of course, gave a debut to 17-year-old Mahika Gaur two days ago, with the lanky left-armer taking a wicket in her second over of a bedraggled Sri Lanka chase. With Alice Capsey cracking a 26-ball fifty and Freya Kemp also among the teenage entertainers, this series all about trying to get down with the kids

1.30pm: Hello and welcome to the Home of Cricket! England squeezed past Sri Lanka and the weather – mainly the weather, if we’re honest – in the opening T20I down in Hove, and now it’s over the Dartford Crossing and off to Fortress Chelmsford for the second match of the series. England have only lost once in 18 limited-overs internationals at the ECG, and the youngsters will be looking to tear it up once again. I’m Alan Gardner, and I’ll be joined for this one by Srinidhi Ramanujam