England will lock horns with Sri Lanka in the first Test of the three-match series. The match will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester starting on Wednesday.
Preview
The England cricket team is all set to lock horns against Sri Lanka for the three matches of the Test series set to commence on August 21 at Old Trafford in Manchester. The Test series will form part of the 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship Cycle. Both sides aim to win the upcoming series to bolster preparations for the 2025 WTC Final.
The three-match Test series will be important in the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings as both nations look to gain vital points. England will head into the standings, sitting sixth in the WTC standings, while Sri Lanka is fourth in the standings.
Both sides aim to mark their presence in the 2025 WTC Final after failing to get the top two spots in the 2021 and 2023 WTC cycles. It is interesting to see how these two sides perform to topple Australia and India, respectively, who are sitting at the top of the WTC cycle.
As the team gears up for the upcoming clash, all eyes will be on the thrilling competition set to unfold on the cricket field. Ahead of the game, here is a look at the Dream11 predictions, the fantasy tips, the pitch report, the top player picks, and the best-predicted XIs for the fantasy contests of the match.
Match Information
Probable PlayingXI
England
DW Lawrence, Ollie Pope(C), JE Root, HC Brook, JL Smith, Chris Woakes, BM Duckett, AAP Atkinson, MJ Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir
Bench: Jordan Cox, Ben Stokes, OP Stone
Sri Lanka
D Karunaratne, A Mathews, PHKD Mendis, D de Silva(C), D Chandimal, KNM Fernando, K Mendis, K Rajitha, NGRP Jayasuriya, L Kumara, JF Vandersay
Bench: S Samarawickrama, Pathum Nissanka, RTM Mendis, MVT Fernando, AM Fernando, M Priyanath, NT Gamage
Injury News
Weather Report- Clear Sky
Win Prediction- England
Pitch Condition- Batting paradise
Avg 1st Inning Score- 332
Pitch Report
Captains- 8.5
Joe Root ENG | bat
Joe Root achieved a major landmark during the series as he moved past West Indies icon Brian Lara’s 11,953 runs in the list of all-time highest run scorers in the format. Root is now the seventh-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.
Pathum Nissanka SL | bat
Pathum Nissanka is one of the best batters of Sri Lanka in the modern era. The right-hand batter has so far amassed 537 runs in the 9 matches he has played so far in the longest format of the game with the best score of 103.
Gus Atkinson ENG | bowl
Gus Atkinson made a fantastic first impression in his first Test, bagging 12 wickets, which included a five-for in each innings. The 26-year-old ran through the West Indies batting order to record incredible figures of 7/45 in the first innings, bundling out the visitors for just 121.
Avoid Player Message- 9
Ben Stokes- ENG | ALL- 9
DISCLAIMER
Want to stay ahead in the world of cricket? Explore our comprehensive Fantasy Cricket Tips, insightful analysis, and the latest updates on all your favorite T20I fixtures and more at BjSports. Don’t miss out and dive into the action now!