1st Test preview: Can Sri Lanka challenge Ben Stokes-less England?
England will host Sri Lanka in the opener of the three-Test series, starting on August 21 at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. The Brits would be confident, having thrashed West Indies 3-0 at home last month. However, they will be without their regular skipper Ben Stokes. SL, meanwhile, must be at their best to impose a challenge. Here is the preview.
Timing, TV listing, and pitch report
As mentioned, Manchester's Old Trafford will host the opening duel. The track here favors the batters early on with the average first-innings score being 332, as per Cricbuzz. Sides batting first have won 32 of the 85 Tests here. One can watch the match live on the Sony Sports Network. Fans can also live-stream action on the SonyLiv app (paid subscription) from 3:30pm onward.
Here's the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, the head-to-head Test record between these two teams is 17-8 in England's favor (11 draws). At home, the Brits have eight wins and three defeats against the Lankans (7 draws). Notably, England last lost a Test against Sri Lanka in 2014, in Leeds. Since that defeat, the Englishmen have seven wins and two draws versus SL in Tests.
Their position in WTC standings
England are currently seventh in the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship standings with six wins and as many defeats (1 draw). The tally includes a PCT of 36.54%. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka hold the fourth position with a PCT of 50%. They own two wins and as many defeats. SL recorded a 2-0 series win over Bangladesh earlier this year.
Ollie Pope to lead England
With Stokes being out injured, Ollie Pope will lead the home team. This will be his first captaincy assignment in England colors. As Zak Crawley is also unavailable for this series, Dan Lawrence will open alongside Ben Duckett. Meanwhile, SL will rely on their veteran batters Dhananjaya De Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, and Dinesh Chandimal. Their pace unit isn't that formidable on paper.
Here are the likely playing XIs
England (Probable XI): Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir. Sri Lanka (Probable XI): Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara.
A look at the key performers
As per ESPNcricinfo, Duckett has scored 521 Test runs in 2024 at an average and strike rate of 37.21 and 88, respectively. Joe Root has a stellar average of 58.88 against Sri Lanka. Mathews owns two Test centuries in England as he averages 47.88 here. Karunaratne has scored 1,445 Test runs since 2022 at 49.82. Chris Woakes averages 21.83 in home Tests (bowling).
