England will face Sri Lanka in a three-match Test series at home. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Old Trafford in Manchester from Wednesday (August 21) onwards. England whitewashed the West Indies in a three-match Test series last month and would like to maintain the red-hot form against Sri Lanka as well. On the other hand, Sri Lanka is coming into the red-ball series after securing its first bilateral ODI series win over India since 1997.
England will miss the services of star all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes in the upcoming three matches. Stokes, who was appointed as England’s Test captain in 2022, suffered an injury during the Hundred match last week, and he will be out of action for at least two months. In his absence, Ollie Pope will lead England in the Tests for the first time in his career.
Here’s all you need to know about the first Test between England and Sri Lanka
England vs Sri Lanka head-to-head (last five Tests)
- January 22–25, 2021: England won by 6 wickets in Galle.
- January 14–18, 2021: England won by 7 wickets in Galle.
- November 23–26, 2018: England won by 42 runs in Colombo (SSC).
- November 14–18, 2018: England won by 57 runs in Pallekele.
- November 6–9, 2018: England won by 211 runs in Galle.
England vs Sri Lanka Dream 11 prediction
- Captain: Joe Root
- Vice-Captain: Chris Woakes
- Wicketkeepers: Ben Duckett, Dinesh Chandimal
- Batters: Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, Pathum Nissanka
- All-rounders: Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis
- Bowlers: Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson
Likely playing XIs
England: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (WK), Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Kumara
Squads
England: Daniel Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir, Jordan Cox, Olly Stone
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kasun Rajitha, Pathum Nissanka, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake, Nisala Tharaka, Jeffrey Vandersay, Ramesh Mendis
ENG vs SL weather forecast
Old Trafford is expected to witness cloudy weather on the opening day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka. The temperature is predicted to range from 18 degrees Celsius to 14 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, August 21. The wind is expected to blow at around 17 km/h on the first day of the Manchester Test, whereas the humidity levels should hover around 71 percent in the morning.
Live streaming and telecast details
Start time: 3:30 PM IST on Wednesday (August 21).
Venue: Old Trafford in Manchester.
Where to watch on TV: Sony Ten Network.
Where to stream online: Sony LIV app and website.
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