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England's home season continues with a three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. The hosts have momentum by their side after defeating the West Indies by a 3-0 margin, and head into the clashes against the island nation as firm favorites.
Sri Lanka also come into the series with a series win under their belt, but in the white-ball format. The reigns of Charith Asalanka and Sanath Jayasuriya as captain and coach, respectively, began on a good note, as they clinched a historic series win over India at home.
England have had to deal with a number of injuries blows in recent weeks, leading to two major figures in Bazball being ruled out of the series. Skipper Ben Stokes tore his hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, while Zak Crawley sustained a broken finger while fielding in the final Test against the West Indies.
With England having a different look to their playing XI and Sri Lanka playing their first Test outside the subcontinent in 18 months, there is a lot of intrigue involved for the upcoming tussle between the two sides.
On that note, let us take a look at three things to look forward to in the first ENG vs SL Test at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.
#1 Ollie Pope's captaincy
In Ben Stokes' absence, it will be vice-captain, Ollie Pope, who will be leading the side. The right-handed batter does not stand out as an authoritative figure, but his extensive experience of having played over 100 first-class matches helps him for the role.
He has the backing of the coach and the players, and with someone in command of home conditions, one can expect some shrewd captaincy. The first-ever playing XI chosen by him also speaks volumes. Pope entrusts the lower order to hang about and contribute with the bat, as he has gone on the offensive by naming five front-line bowlers, including four pacers.
Pope is not expected to restrict England's free-flowing scoring since he has also benefitted like other batters from it. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be as liberal and flexible as Stokes on the field when it comes to bowling changes, field settings, and the big decisions at hand.
#2 Dan Lawrence and Matthew Potts making a case
The England bench has been a frustrating place to be in recent times considering the first team's chemistry and run of form. It took Stuart Broad and James Anderson's retirement for the other seamers to come into the mix more often, while the batting unit has remained the same more or less, irrespective of the conditions.
Jamie Smith is the most recent change in the department which makes it a quite settled unit. However, an unprecedented injury to Zak Crawley forces England to make a change and alter their stable opening combination. The biggest benefactor of his blow is Dan Lawrence, who earns a comeback into the playing XI after 12 years.
The right-handed batter will be opening the innings for the first time in Test cricket, and the series presents itself as a huge opportunity to elevate Lawrence from a bench warmer.
With Stokes ruled out, and England not having another seam bowling all-rounder, they went with an extra pacer in the form of Matthew Potts. The right-arm pacer narrowly missed out on making an appearance in the home series against the West Indies.
He had a relatively good campaign for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024, and will be keen on making an impression especially since England are focused on their seam attack from an Ashes point of view.
#3 Sri Lanka's response to Bazball and Milan Ratnayake's debut
Sri Lanka are one of the sides that are yet to be on the receiving end of Bazball since its inception in 2022. Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya had downplayed the approach claiming that he has witnessed it before with the likes of Hayden and Gilchrist, and assured that the teams had plans to counter it.
So, will the visitors continue to be aggressive even if the bowlers gets smacked around or will their tactic be to stay defensive from the word go and frustrate the opposition? Either way, Sri Lanka needs to step out with an air-tight plan, and at the same time be ready to adapt considering how unpredictable Bazball is.
Sri Lanka have also named 28-year-old pacer Milan Ratnayake. With Sri Lanka aiming to improve their red-ball attack much like their white-ball unit, the debutant has an opportunity to make a case with a solid performance upfront.
