England announce playing XI for first Test against Sri Lanka, Harry Brook named vice-captain

England Cricket. (Source – Photo by Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)

England have announced their playing XI for the first Test to be played at Old Trafford, which is scheduled to kickstart on August 21, 2024.

While Dan Lawrence replaces Zak Crawley at the opening slot after the latter sustained a finger injury in the final Test of the West Indies, this isn’t the most pivotal change in terms of weightage carried on the entire team.

After Ben Stokes suffered a horror injury to his left hamstring while representing the Northern Superchargers against the Manchester Originals, things were all but done for the star all-rounder in terms of his participation for the imminent series against the islanders.

Right-arm fast medium, Matthew Potts, has been chosen to replace Stokes in the XI, and will be playing his first Test since June 2023. This further implies the promotion of Ollie Pope from the role of a deputy skipper to the stand-in captain, with Harry Brook poised to set foot while assisting Pope.

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Potts, primarily a bowler, however, is a more-than-capable lower middle-order batter, as evidenced by an extraordinary 149* which he struck in a Championship game this season while playing for Durham against Warwickshire. With Potts slotting in at No. 9, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson, who will occupy six, seven and eight, respectively, implictly get promoted from their usual batting positions.