England vs Sri Lanka Match Preview, 1st Test
England are set to face Sri Lanka in the first Test of a three-match series, starting Wednesday, August 21.
The three-match Test series between England and Sri Lanka gets underway with the first game beginning on Wednesday, August 21, at the Old Trafford in Manchester.
The hosts are coming into this clash on the back of a successful 3-0 whitewash against West Indies. Ben Stokes and his men won the first game at Lord's by an innings and 114 runs, the second at Trent Bridge by 241 runs, and the third at Edgbaston by 10 wickets. The first Test at Lord's saw, England's all-time best bowler James Anderson play his last Test match of his illustrious career spanning over two decades.
Meanwhile, England will be without their skipper Ben Stokes for the whole series as the all-rounder has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained. Ollie Pope will be leading the side for the three-match series.
Also Read: Dan Lawrence aims to prove valuable against Sri Lanka for future opportunities
The Three Lions had many positives from their previous series. Vice-captain Ollie Pope and star batter Joe Root once again got runs off their bat and scored more than 200 runs respectively. In terms of bowling, debutant Gus Atkinson who was filling Anderson's shoes did not disappoint in his maiden assignment as he was awarded the Player of the Series for picking 22 wickets.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka played their last Test series against Bangladesh in March. The Island nation dismantled the Bengal Tigers at their home winning the first Test match by 328 runs and the second by 192 runs.
Match Details:
| Match | England vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test |
| Venue | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| Date and Time | Wednesday-Sunday, August 21-25, 3:30 PM IST |
Head-To-Head Records
| Matches | 36 |
| Won by England | 17 |
| Won by Sri Lanka | 08 |
| Draw | 11 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | 17-21 February, 1982 |
| Most-recent Fixture | 22-25 January 2021 |
ENG vs SL Probable Playing XIs
England:
Ahead of the three-match Test series, the hosts have faced a huge blow as their skipper Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the series after sustaining an injury in the Hundred competition. With no Stokes, the Three Lions will not only lose their strong skipper but an impactful all-rounder. With the side once again showing their trust in Matthew Potts and Dan Lawrence, both the youngsters will be hopeful of putting on a good show. The star performer in England's previous Test series win against West Indies, Gus Atkinson will be a key player in the upcoming Test match as well.
Predicted XI
Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Also Read: Sanath Jayasuriya on England's Test approach
Sri Lanka:
The visitors have a huge challenge ahead facing the mighty Three Lions in their backyard. Sri Lanka has included some of their experienced players in the squad who have played in the English conditions before. The side also will back Pathum Nissanka who has been doing well in the white ball format and makes his return to the longer format of the game after a gap of two years. The island nation with a balanced bowling attack will look to expose England's strong batting line-up.
Predicted XI
Dhananjaya De Silva (C), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (Vice Captain), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake.
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