England national cricket team captain Ben Stokes has received huge praise for the team’s comeback in the longest format of the game. Under his leadership, the Three Lions have performed sensationally in the format, winning matches both at home and abroad.

Under his captaincy, England started the 2024 season on a good note. They defeated the West Indies National Cricket Team by a 3-0 margin. The hosts are now set to take on the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team in the three-match Test series, which will be the second series of the summer.

The Test series between the England national cricket team and the Sri Lanka national cricket team will begin on Tuesday (August 21) at Old Trafford in Manchester. The second match of the series is scheduled for August 29, while the final match of the series will be played at The Oval from September 6.

Ahead of the Test series, England suffered a major blow as captain Stokes was ruled out of the entire series. The all-rounder was injured playing in the Hundred for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals. He grabbed his hamstring while attempting to take the quick single.

Stokes fell to the ground and had to be helped onto the field and returned to the dugout on crutches. Scans also revealed that his injury was serious and not just for the Sri Lanka Test matches, but will keep him out of action for the entire English summer.

Ben Stokes joins the Test squad in Manchester to help mentor the team ahead of the series opener.

In the absence of Ben Stokes, the England National Cricket Team appointed Ollie Pope as the team’s Test captain for the series against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team. The right-handed bowler is the vice-captain of the team and would be keen to start his captaincy on a high.

As the England national cricket team prepared for the first Test match against Sri Lanka, captain Ben Stokes made sure to make his presence felt. The all-rounder joined the Test squad in Manchester to help the team ahead of the series opener.

Not just Ben Stokes, England will also be without the services of Zak Crawley. The opening batsman will miss the series due to a fractured right little finger, an injury he sustained during the third game of the Test series against the West Indies National Cricket Team.

In his absence, Dan Lawrence will open the innings in the three-match series against Sri Lanka. This will be the first time he has opened the innings. He has played 11 Test matches and has scored four fifties with a best score of 91, but all the matches have been in the middle order.

England have also announced their starting XI for the first Test. The team has Harry Brook as vice-captain. In the absence of Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley, Matthew Potts and Dan Lawrence have been included in the starting XI.