Eng v SL, 2nd Test Preview: Lankans aim to avoid humiliation

England clinched the 1^st Test at Headingley without breaking a sweat as they took a 1-0 lead in the 3-Test series. A virtuoso performance from James Anderson in conditions conducive to swing bowling saw the Sri Lankan batsmen fall like nine pins. However, Angelo Mathews will be hoping that his players give a better account of themselves as they face up to the might of the Brits once again.

Ground and Pitch Conditions:

Unlike Headingley, Chester-le-Street is much more within the city. In a nutshell, it is barely a few blocks away from the train station. However, despite this, it is a small ground with the capacity almost reaching 5000 seats. Historically, the wicket at Chester has provided assistance for bowlers. Spinners, as well as pacers, have found joy in the wicket. However, the problem also seems to be the solution as batting is much easier on this track as compared to the one at Headingley. In spite of the English summer on the horizon, the conditions are expected to be chilly with rain clouds also looming large. The weather is expected to be almost 16 degrees when the players take the field.

Team News

England:

England comes into the second Test once again as the firm favorites. James Anderson’s 10 wicket haul showed one and all that he can thrive in such conditions. With the conditions in Chester-le-Street expected to be somewhat similar to that at Headingley, Anderson will once again play a pivotal role in proceedings.

The big news from the England camp is the fact that Ben Stokes will be missing out courtesy of an injury. This opens up a place in the England XI with the likes of Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, and Chris Woakes looking to make their much-awaited entry into the side. At the moment, it seems as though Woakes is the frontrunner to claim the position vacated by Stokes.

Finally, this will also provide a perfect opportunity for Alastair Cook to complete the 10,000 mark and get the monkey off his back. The latter managed just 16 runs in the first innings as he now remains another 20 runs short of the mark. James Vince, Nick Compton, and Moeen Ali will be hoping to make an improvement after failing to launch in the first Test. As for Jonny Bairstow, the wicketkeeper-batsman will be hoping to replicate his heroics from the first Test.

Sri Lanka:

The first Test at Leeds began rather well for the visitors as they showed finesse and good control to bowl their hosts out for a meager 298. However, some horrific batting displays from the Lankan batsmen saw them thrashed out of sight.

Going into the second Test, Angelo Mathews will be hoping that his men would give a better account of themselves. He will also be hoping that the likes of Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne lead the way for the batsmen being the senior members of the squad.

In addition, the Sri Lankan worries became compounded when Dushmantha Chameera was sent home after suffering an injury, a move that will significantly weaken the already-depleted bowling unit of the islanders. He will be replaced by Suranga Lakmal.

Probable XI-

England:

Alastair Cook (C), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Steven Finn, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Sri Lanka:

Angelo Mathews (C), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dasun Shanaka, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep

StAttack:

1. England has never lost a Test match at Chester-le-Street since the venue began hosting Test matches in 2003. Zimbabwe, West Indies, Australia and Bangladesh have all been beaten at this venue by England.

2. From the five Tests played at Chester-le-Street, England has won three of those by an innings.

3. Kusal Mendis has the highest average in the Sri Lanka squad on the current tour with 26.50 courtesy of his half-century in the second innings at Headingley. Only four other Sri Lanka batsmen have an average over 10.

4. Alastair Cook needs 20 runs to become the first ever English batsman to complete 10,000 runs in Test cricket. Former England skipper Graham Gooch has an aggregate of 8900 runs in Test matches, sits in second place.

5. James Anderson’s 10/45 at Headingley was only the second 10-wicket haul by an Englishman at Leeds. Graham Swann had previously achieved the feat against New Zealand in 2013.