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Sri Lanka look to bounce back at Lord’s
Sri Lanka Captain Dhananjaya de Silva (left) with England Skipper Ollie Pope
The Test Series between England and Sri Lanka continues today, with the second Test beginning at Lord’s.
England are currently favourites to win the second Test with their opponents Sri Lanka as the underdogs and hoping to bounce back.
England deserved their favouritism in the tie, after looking dominant early in the first Test before coming through a mini fightback from the Sri Lankans.
English fast bowler Mark Wood was injured on the fourth day of the Test due to a thigh issue and has now been ruled out of the remainder of the series, which is a blow for England.
Despite diverting away from the usual Bazball style to grind out the victory against Sri Lanka, that aggressive approach will likely be brought back, and you would expect the top end of the England batting order to be prolific.
There were positives in defeat for Sri Lanka to take away from the first Test, particularly the bowling performance of Asitha Fernando. He took four wickets in the first innings before two wickets of the five in the second innings.
The medium-paced right-armer was proving a tricky customer for the English batting order and is one of the top bowlers for Sri Lanka in the second test.
On the batting side Sri Lanka will bank heavily on their top batsman Kamindu Mendis, who scored 113 runs from 183 balls in the second innings of the first Test.
A repeat of that type of performance in the second Test would be a huge boost for the visiting side as they look to level the Test series. Meanwhile, injury-plagued pacer Olly Stone wins the race to replace the injured Mark Wood. The inclusion of the right-armer is the only change to the England Team that defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets in the opening Test of the series in Manchester.
Uncapped left-armer Josh Hull was called up to the squad as a potential replacement, but selectors have opted to give Stone another chance to show his wares in what will be just his fourth Test appearance.
Stone made his Test debut against Ireland at Lord’s back in 2019 but has since battled back injuries and struggled to maintain his fitness until finally getting some continuitythis season.
(Agencies)
Pathum Nissanka and Lahiru Kumara in for Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando
By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya
Sri Lanka faces a crucial challenge as they head into the second Test against England on Thursday at Lord's, a venue that has often served as an unlikely home away from home for the visiting side.
After suffering a five-wicket defeat in the first Test in Manchester, England will be looking to clinch the series. However, Sri Lanka is equally determined to keep the series alive.
To strengthen their lineup, Sri Lanka has made two changes to their playing XI for this match. Pathum Nissanka replaces Kusal Mendis, bolstering the top order, while Lahiru Kumara comes in for Vishwa Fernando to reinforce the pace attack.
On the England side, Olly Stone will make his first Test appearance in over three years, stepping in for Mark Wood, who is out with a thigh strain. Ollie Pope continues to captain the team in the absence of regular skipper Ben Stokes.
Sri Lanka playing XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva (Captain), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Milan Rathnayake.
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