(Source X)

England have announced their playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting August 21 in Manchester. The team will be missing their captain Ben Stokes, who sustained a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.

With Stokes sidelined, Ollie Pope will take on the role of captain, with Harry Brook serving as vice-captain for the three-match series. Additionally, Zak Crawley is unavailable for the first Test due to a broken finger.

Durham seamer Matthew Potts returns to the squad for the first time since June 2023, and Surrey batter Dan Lawrence will open the batting in Crawley’s absence.

England Playing XI-

Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook (vc), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.