ENG vs SL 1st Test | Playing 11 Prediction, Cricket Tips, Preview, Live Streaming

EnglandvsSriLanka-(X.com)

On Wednesday, August 21, England will host Sri Lanka for 1st of the three-match Test series at Old Trafford in Manchester.

For the upcoming game, England have already named their playing XI, and Ollie Pope will lead the Three Lions instead of Ben Stokes, who has been ruled out of the series after a hamstring injury during the Hundred. 

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Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have named a strong squad. Dhananjaya de Silva will lead the side. It is worth noting that Sri Lanka are placed fourth on the WTC table, while England are on seventh.

This article will shed light on the pitch report, preview, playing XI, and broadcasting details of Sri Lanka-England match.

Team Preview

England

The Brits are without regular skipper Ben Stokes, while Zak Crawley will also miss the action because of a finger injury. Nonetheless, the Three Lions are high on confidence as they beat West Indies 3-0 at home recently. 

Dan Lawrence has replaced Crawley, while Shoaib Bashir will be the lone proper spinner for England featuring against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

The Island Nation would look to put on a strong show as they have the likes of Prabath Jayasuriya and Jeffrey Vandersay. 

Further, Sanath Jayasuriya helped Sri Lanka beat India in a bilateral series for the first time in 27 years and would look for something similar against England. 

ENG vs SL 1st Test: Match Details & Live Streaming 

ENG vs SL 1st Test: Manchester Pitch Report

Unlike Lord's or other venues in England, Old Trafford helps the batter as the average score here at this pitch is 332. Seamers will get assistance in the starts but the fans can expect a high scoring game. 

ENG vs SL 1st Test: Probable XIs

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

Sri Lanka (Probable XI): Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara.

ENG vs SL 1st Test: Fantoss Fantasy Tips

ENG vs SL 1st Test: Winners Prediction

England look like the favourites as they are aware of the conditions, and since the surface won't offer any spin, it would be difficult for the Island Nation to register a victory. 

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