England have already announced their starting XI for the first match against Sri Lanka, which begins on August 21 in Manchester. They will be without captain Ben Stokes, who injured his hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in the men’s category.
In Stokes’ absence, Ollie Pope will lead the team and Harry Brook will be vice-captain for the three-match series. Also injured is Zak Crawley, who will miss the first Test match with a broken finger.
Durham bowler Matthew Potts returns to the team for the first time since June 2023, while Surrey batsman Dan Lawrence will open the batting in Crawley’s absence.
England’s starting XI for their first Test against Sri Lanka
Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook (vc), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir.
