ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024 Match Preview: Head to Heads, Playing 11, Pitch Report, and Live Streaming Details
The three-match Test series between England and Sri Lanka will be played at Old Trafford. It will be a thrilling battle between the two teams with England coming to play after defeating West Indies and Sri Lanka’s good form after the ODIs win from the top-ranked India.
ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024: Match Details and Head-to-Head
The first match of the England vs Sri Lanka Test series will begin on 21st August, Wednesday at 3:30 PM IST and 10:00 PM GMT. It will be played at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester. The two countries have played 36 test matches with 17 won by England and 8 by Sri Lanka, 11 resulted in a tie. Sri Lanka has not won any of their last eight head-to-head Tests against England.
ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024: Squad news
England
The English team currently stands in seventh position in the World Test Champions (WTC) points table. This bilateral series will be critical for the country to position itself higher on the chats and increase points. In light of the absence of captain Ben Stokes and opener Zak Crawley, England’s squad appears to blend youthful exuberance with valuable experience. Ollie Pope will lead the team in Ben’s place.
Pope and Root’s experienced duo will anchor the batting order. While Dan Lawrence is renowned for his aggressive style, replicating the enterprising play of Crawley, it remains to be seen how effectively this line-up will navigate Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, particularly as the batting order possesses a strikingly long tail.
Sri Lanka
The Lanka team stands fourth in the WTC points table and will fight hard to gain higher points for the charts. Dhananjaya Da Silva will be leading the Lankan Lions after the previous 2-0 win over Bangladesh. The batting lineup is rife with experienced names, such as Karunaratne and Mathews, who will be crucial in countering England’s aggressive bowling attack.
Moreover, the presence of Prabath Jayasuriya adds a strategic edge, bolstering the spin options while aiming to capitalize on England’s potential weaknesses against spin. Pathum Nissanka with his top-order line-up will be efficient in facing the bowling attacks and gaining crucial runs during initial overs.
ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024: Possible Playing Eleven
England
Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal. Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024: Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
Historically, English pitches exhibit enough movement to challenge even the most skilled batsmen, particularly in the early sessions. However, as the match progresses, spinners may have opportunities to extract some turns. The Old Trafford ground has hosted a total of 85 test matches where 32 were won by the the teams who chose to bat first and 16 by the bowling team. The average first innings score is 332 and the second innings score is 274.
The weather forecast for the cricket ground at Manchester on Wednesday is 18℃ with a 25% chance of precipitation.
ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024: LIVE Telecast and LIVE Streaming Details
Where to Watch ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024 in India?
Fans in India can watch the game with a Live telecast on Sony Spots TEN 5 and Live stream it on SonyLIV & Fancode.
