New Delhi: England men’s cricket team on Monday announced its playing XI a couple of days ahead of the first Test match against Sri Lanka. Ollie Pope will lead the side, unsurprisingly, after regular skipper Ben Stokes was ruled out of the remaining summer owing to a hamstring injury.
Yorkshire batter Harry Brook was named the deputy to Pope in the three-match Test series. Surrey batter Daniel Lawrence will replace swashbuckling opener Zak Crawley, who suffered a finger injury, to open the innings along with Ben Duckett. Lawrence last played a Test match for the three Lions in March 2022 against the West Indies.
Senior player Joe Root will make his presence count at No.4 and is expected to play a huge innings in the absence of Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, who was dropped from the West Indies Test after a lean patch in the last 10 Tests. Surrey’s 24-year-old Jamie Smith will continue to don the gloves behind the wickets after a decent outing with the bat in the West Indies Tests last month, amassing 207 runs at an average of 51.75 with a couple of half-centuries.
England bolster pace attack in Stokes’ absence
With legendary pacer James Anderson calling it time on his illustrious Test career last month, England are looking to find their new combination with the new ball. The experienced campaigners Chris Woakes and Mark Wood will form the core of the pace attack with Gus Atkinson’s variations at disposal. The Surrey seamer claimed 22 wickets in three matches at 16.23 on his debut series.
Durham pacer Matthew Potts has been recalled to the Test side to fill the role of Stokes as an additional seamer. The 25-year-old last played Test cricket for England in June 2023 in a one-off Test against Ireland. Off-spinbener Shoaib Bashir is the only frontline spinner in the squad with Root likely to chip in between spells.
England playing XI vs SL 1st Test: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinso, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood,
Shoaib Bashir
England men’s cricket team on Monday announced its playing XI a couple of days ahead of the first Test match against Sri Lanka. Ollie Pope will lead the side, unsurprisingly, after regular skipper Ben Stokes was ruled out of the remaining summer owing to a hamstring injury. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
