England will rely on a five-man bowling attack for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford this week, recalling Matthew Potts and asking Chris Woakes to play as an all-rounder in the absence of Ben Stokes. Stokes took part in training on Monday but will no longer be on crutches after tearing his hamstring during the hundreds. However, they will be up against 33-year-old Ollie Pope and new vice-captain Harry Brook. On the edge of a three-game series that begins Wednesday.
The question of who will start after Zach Crowley breaks his finger has been around for a while. Dan Lawrence will take on an unknown role. However, the balance Stokes brings to the XI as a true all-rounder will not be easily overcome. Apart from protecting new faces like Shoaib Bashir and relaxing the pace in the first innings, England also lost the threat of taking wickets as swing bowlers. One option was for Jordan Cox to start at number six and hope the four-man attack could get another 20 carries. Instead, Stokes and Brendon McCullum bolstered Pope’s bowling options, handing Potts his first cap since early last summer and assisting Woakes in a dual role with bat and ball. Woakes is in good form after scoring a crucial 62 in the last match against West Indies at Edgbaston.
In Stoke’s absence, it is no surprise that England have surrounded the 35-year-old in the wake of his injury which not only saw him score four goals in a 3-0 win over the West Indies but also knocked him out of the league. . i don’t see hundred. All in all, this is another bold pick for England, at least considering the role Lawrence plays at the top of the order. The right-handed bowler has taken wickets in the last 17 Tests in England and his wrong-foot breaks are considered to be the best in his team. Instead, this first cap since Joe Root last served as captain in early 2022 is a new one for Ben Duckett.
“This is not necessarily a career move,” said Lawrence, who has made just seven starts in first-class cricket this season, including an unbeaten 34-ball 53 for Surrey. “But I’ve also said that if I ever get the chance to play for England again, I’ll take the No.11 if I have to. So I’m going to enjoy these few weeks and hopefully get some runs in and put my name in the hat for next selection.”Responding to recent criticism of the move, including former captain Michael Vaughan’s concerns that England “value character more than ability”, Lawrence said: “Thankfully it’s not up to me to make those decisions.” I was asked to open the bets and of course I said yes. “Of course people will have their own opinions, but I’m glad the opportunity has come up.”
This moves Jamie Smith to number six for his fourth Test as wicket-keeper, while the return of Potts will make up for the loss of Stokes on the field. Pots can be poured more. His fitness is in stark contrast to that of the overlooked Ollie Robinson. And England’s two absolute fastest bowlers, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson, should be allowed to continue their work in the short spell in which they destroyed the West Indies. . The 25-year-old’s six wickets came back home, but there were signs his chances were picking up overseas when he took 20 wickets for 17 runs against the England Lions in a three-match Test series in India in the winter past. Brooke’s promotion to vice-captain shows England’s willingness to look to the future, despite Pope no doubt calling on the experience of Root and Wax in the interim.
Despite changes to the squad due to injuries to two regulars, England remain heavy favourites. Sri Lanka are playing red-ball cricket on these shores for the first time after going 2-0 down in 2016, losing by seven wickets to a young Lions XI in their only warm-up match at New Road in Worcester last week . . Dhananjaya de Silva’s tourists have more experience of fighting the Duke balls in England than the last West Indies team. Dimus Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, members of the celebrated Sri Lankan team at least a decade ago, all hit the famous one-run mark. . -0 win against Alastair Cook’s team. Mathew, who scored an extraordinary 160 in the Headingley Test that summer, said: “I saw those two matches a few days ago and they brought back great memories. This gives us hope that we can win in England. “We have to be positive and aggressive because if we fall behind England will crush us.”
