Ollie Pope lead the England team against Sri lanka

2024.08.20

Stokes’ absence adds extra edge to England-Sri Lanka Test series.

Following captain Ben Stokes‘ injury that ended the series, a number of players will have the opportunity to show a point as England prepares for its first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Star all-rounder Stokes, who tore his hamstring during the Hundred, will not participate in any of the three matches.

This means that for the first time since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum started the team’s explosive “Bazball” era two years ago, England will be without its inspiring skipper.

Although Ollie Pope, the vice-captain of England, has only captained county team Surrey in a single First-Class match, he will now skipper the side. Fast bowler Matthew Potts was summoned back as England confirmed their selection on Monday, going with a five-man attack.

In the meanwhile, Dan Lawrence, who is rarely used as an opener in county cricket, makes his England debut for the first time in 2.5 years following Zak Crawley‘s finger fracture.

Crawley’s blow came during England’s 3-0 victory against the West Indies last month.

England will be hoping for a similar outcome against a Sri Lankan team that, like the West Indies, has only participated in one practice match before the opening Test.

Under the leadership of former New Zealand captain Colin McCullum, England has never adhered to conventional cricket thinking, therefore it is hardly surprising that the team has chosen not to replace Crawley with a specialist opener.

Lawrence himself is certain that the aggressive style of the current England team fits his natural style.

Star batters Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are no longer available for Sri Lanka, but the team still has veteran players like Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne.

Sanath Jayasuriya, the squad’s acting coach, will, nonetheless, be available to Dhananjaya de Silva’s team. Chris Silverwood, the former England pacer, chose not to extend his contract in June, so Jayasuriya took over.

In addition, Ian Bell, a former batsman for England, is available to offer local expertise for the first series Sri Lanka has played in England in eight years.

The last time Sri Lanka played Test cricket was in April, but after defeating India 2-0 in a three-match One-Day International series earlier this month, the country has recent experience overcoming adversity.

@charithrajapaksha