(Source X)
Sri Lanka will visit England for a three-match Test series starting on August 21 this year. The series will see matches hosted at Manchester, Lord’s, and The Oval.
The schedule is as follows: the first Test will run from August 21-25, the second Test from August 29 to September 2, and the final Test from September 6-10.
The series will be part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed that the upcoming series will be part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Currently, England holds the 6th position in the WTC points table, with six wins, six losses, and one draw, accumulating 57 points and a win percentage of 36.54.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, is placed 4th with two wins and two losses, earning 24 points and a win percentage of 50.
Both teams are looking to secure vital points to improve their standings in the WTC cycle. England, buoyed by their recent strong performances in Test cricket, will be confident following their 3-0 home Test series victory over the West Indies.
England’s batting is currently in strong form.
England’s batting lineup is in excellent shape, with Joe Root leading the charge. Root accumulated 292 runs in three Tests against the West Indies, averaging 72.75.
Vice-captain Ollie Pope also contributed significantly, and the promising Harry Brook made notable performances with the bat. The return of skipper Ben Stokes to bowling has provided a substantial boost.
With James Anderson’s retirement, Chris Woakes is expected to step up as England’s primary new-ball bowler, leveraging his experience. Gus Atkinson has also emerged as a promising Test bowler.
As the Ashes tour approaches in just over a year, England is focused on assembling a strong squad for the historic series.
In contrast, Sri Lanka last played a Test match in March 2024 and will face challenging conditions that favor seam movement. Their team, led by Dhananjaya de Silva, is relatively young, and ongoing injury issues have been a persistent concern.
England’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka
England has announced their squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. Zak Crawley is sidelined due to a fracture in his right little finger.
Jordan Cox has been given his first call-up to the Test squad, while Dillon Pennington is out with a hamstring injury, and Olly Stone has been named as his replacement.
Offspinner Shoaib Bashir retains his position as the lead spinner following a standout performance against the West Indies, where he took 9 wickets in 3 Tests at an average of 27.22, including a best of 5-41 at Nottingham.
Jamie Smith, who impressed in his debut Test series, has been selected ahead of experienced wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.
The squad includes:
– Ben Stokes (captain)
– Gus Atkinson
– Shoaib Bashir
– Harry Brook
– Jordan Cox
– Ben Duckett
– Dan Lawrence
– Ollie Pope
– Matthew Potts
– Joe Root
– Jamie Smith (wk)
– Olly Stone
– Chris Woakes
– Mark Wood
The last Test series between England and Sri Lanka in England took place in 2016, where England won 2-0. Since then, England has toured Sri Lanka twice: once in 2018 for a three-match series and again in 2021 for a two-match series, winning both series 2-0 and 2-0, respectively.
