England vs Sri Lanka, First Test match prediction
The three-match Test series between England and Sri Lanka begins on Wednesday. The first game is scheduled to take place from 21st August to 25th August 2024 at Emirates Old Trafford stadium in Manchester.
Ahead of the start of the series, England dealt with a major blow as Ben Stokes suffered an injury during a clash in The Hundred 2024 tournament. He won’t be part of the series and Ollie Pope has taken over the captaincy duties.
England are currently at fourth spot in the World Test Championship points table and every game from here on will be important for them. On the other hand, Sri Lanka are sitting at fifth with five wins in 12 matches played so far.
Sri Lanka registered a 2-0 win in their last Test series against Bangladesh and would be looking to replicate a similar performance. However, beating this England side at their turf would be mountain to climb.
England Review:
The England team have announced their playing XI for the first Test match. Zak Crawley has been ruled out of the series due to injury and Dan Lawrence has replaced him. He will be opening alongside Ben Duckett, who has been in pretty good form.
England have a solid middle order, comprising Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Harry Brook. All three are must-have picks in your fantasy team. The pace of Mark Wood could prove to be deadly for the Sri Lanka. He is a handy pick too.
In the conditions, Chris Woakes is likely to make a significant impact. He has a great record in Test cricket at home and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the first Test.
Sri Lanka Review:
Dhanajaya de Silva will lead the Test team and the fans would be keen to see how perform as a leader in tough conditions. The onus for scoring the bulk of the runs will be on D Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, and Angelo Mathews etc.
Mathews has an outstanding record in England and, thus, he will be a crucial player for Sri Lanka in the series. Add Chandimal to this and you look at an experienced batting line-up. Surely, they will put up a fight if not win the first Test.
In the seam option, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando have played county cricket and knows a bit about the conditions. Spinner, Prabath Jayasuriya has been exception in Test cricket for Sri Lanka since 2022.
Today Match Winner:
Despite the absence of Stokes and Crawley, England are a strong unit, especially in home conditions. Sri Lanka have a strong squad as well but it won’t be easy to beat England at their home turf. We are backing the hosts to win the contest.
Winning Chances of Today Match for the Both Teams
England have a 70 percent chance of winning the match
Sri Lanka have a 30 percent chance of winning the match
Pitch Report and Conditions for Today Match
The match is scheduled to take place at Old Trafford ground. The surface is hard and bouncy and thus, the surface should provide assistance to fast bowlers. However, the spinners should come into play as the game progresses.
Who Will Win Today England vs Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tour of England 2024-
Who Will Win Today England vs Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tour of England 2024- Toss- England
Who Will Win Today England vs Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tour of England 2024- Match- England
END vs SL Dream11 team:
Wicket-Keepers:
- B Duckett
- K Mendis
Batters:
- D Karunaratne
- O Pope
- H Brook
All-Rounders:
- A Mathews (vc)
- C Woakes
- J Root ©
Bowlers:
- V Fernando
- M Wood
- S Bashir
See More: Pakistan vs Bangladesh,1st Test 2024, PAK vs BAN Dream11 Prediction, Live Score
