• Bairstow sits out nets session and will be assessed on Saturday • Joe Denly the other option to open against Sri Lanka in ODI

Alex Hales is preparing for a return to the England XI for Saturday’s fourth one-day international against Sri Lanka after Jonny Bairstow twisted an ankle during the team’s regular pre-nets football warm-up.

Bairstow, the side’s leading batsman in 2018 with 1,025 runs from opener, suffered the injury to his right ankle while stretching for the ball and was not seen during the remainder of Friday’s training session.

Joe Denly checks in early as England ponder slowing down the attack Read more

His fitness is now due to be assessed on the morning of the match as Eoin Morgan’s No 1-ranked side look to take an unassailable 3-0 series lead with one fixture – Tuesday’s day-nighter in Colombo – still to play.

Hales has been frozen out of his preferred opening position in the past year because of the blistering form of Bairstow and Jason Roy. But having made six ODI centuries in the past three years – the most recent being 147 against Australia during England’s world-record 481 for six at Trent Bridge in the summer – he represents a more than useful replacement.

An alternative would be Joe Denly. The 32-year-old may have arrived early on tour as a replacement spin-bowling all-rounder following the side injury suffered by Liam Dawson, but he comes after a fine season opening for Kent in the white-ball formats.

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Denly may well earn his first ODI for nine years regardless, with England mulling over whether to augment the bowling attack with his leg-breaks following Adil Rashid’s impressive four-wicket haul in Wednesday’s seven-wicket win on the same ground.