ENG vs SL Match Preview- 1st Test, Sri Lanka Tour of England 2024

In their next series under ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, England and Sri Lanka are all set to collide with each other. The opening game of the series, ENG vs SL 1st Test, starts on Wednesday, August 1.

Ollie Pope and Dhananjaya De Silva are the captains of hosts England and visitors Sri Lanka respectively. Below we look at the complete preview of the England vs Sri Lanka 1st Test encounter.

ENG vs SL Date and Venue

The ENG vs SL 1st Test 2024 commences on Wednesday, August 21 at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester. The match begins at 3:30 PM IST.

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ENG vs SL Match Preview- 1st Test, Sri Lanka Tour of England 2024

England

Ollie Pope is the skipper of England in the ENG vs SL Test series. Below is the full squad for the side.

ENG Squad: Ollie Pope (C), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Sri Lanka

Dhananjaya De Silva leads Sri Lanka in the series. Below is the full squad of their team.

SL Squad: Dhananjaya De Silva (Captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.

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ENG vs SL Key Battles

Joe Root vs Lahiru Kumara

Joe Root is a dangerous batsman for England who is one of the best Test specialists in international cricket. Lahiru Kumara needs to stop him with his pace attack.

Pathum Nissanka vs Gus Atkinson

Pathum Nissanka owns a stunning form and will be a powerful opener. Gus Atkinson showed a wonderful pace attack in the previous series and will look to block him.

Harry Brook vs Kasun Rajitha

Harry Brook is a powerful middle-order batsman for England and Kasun Rajithan will eye to attack him if he goes big.

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ENG vs SL Key Players

ENG- Harry Brook, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Chris Woakes, Ollie Pope, Gus Atkinson, and Mark Wood are some strong members of England.

SL- Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissnaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusum Rajitha, and Lahiru Kumara are key members of the side.

ENG vs SL Weather And Pitch Report

There is a 24% chance of rain in Manchester on Wednesday morning and a 65% chance in the evening. Hence, the England vs Sri Lanka game will be affected by the weather. The pitch is more batting-friendly and offers assistance to pacers more than spinners.

Conclusion

The ENG vs SL Test series will give a good chance to England to outplay the Asian side on their home soil. They are very powerful at their home soil and recently crushed West Indies 3-0.

With a whitewash, England will move forward in the WTC points table as they lie in the 7th spot by facing huge defeats against Australia and India.