The England and Wales Cricket Board announced their playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka on Monday. Dan Lawrence has been given the responsibility to open the batting for England. Previously, this role was held by Zak Crawley, but he is injured and will miss the Test match. Additionally, team captain Ben Stokes is also out due to an injury, and Matthew Potts has been brought into the team to fill his place. Stokes suffered a hamstring injury.
Ollie Pope takes over as Captain
Ben Stokes, 33, got injured last week and is out for the entire summer season. This has disrupted the team’s strategy since their captain is unavailable. Ollie Pope has been given the captaincy, which is a big responsibility for him. Zak Crawley is also out of the lineup due to a fractured finger, ruling him out for the entire three-Test series against Sri Lanka. Dan Lawrence now has a chance to step in due to these injuries.
Harry Brook, a 25-year-old middle-order batsman, has been appointed as the vice-captain for the series. The team management has faith in Brook and sees him as a potential future captain. For Dan Lawrence and Matthew Potts, the series against Sri Lanka is a big opportunity to prove themselves. Sri Lanka’s team is confident after winning their last series, where they defeated India 2-0 in the ODIs. However, the upcoming Test series against England, which is a different format, is expected to be more challenging, with England being the stronger side in this format.
England vs Sri Lanka Head to Head in Test
England and Sri Lanka have faced each other in 36 matches in Test. Out of these 36 games, England have won 17 whereas Sri Lanka have come out victorious on 8 occasions. 11 matches ended with draw.
England’s playing 11 for the first Test against Sri Lanka
Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(captain), Joe Root, Harry Brooke(vice-captain), Jamie Smith(wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir