ENG vs SL Match Preview
Build a dominant Dream11 team by striking the perfect balance of skills. Select a well-rounded lineup featuring batters who can control the game's tempo, bowlers who perform under pressure and take crucial wickets, all-rounders who excel with both bat and ball and offering versatility and depth. By combining these diverse strengths, you'll create a powerful Dream11 team poised for success.
Middle-order batter Joe Root has been a stalwart in England cricket for the best part of 12 years now. He is one of the few current players to have a batting average over 50 in Tests.
Chris Woakes is a world-class all-rounder capable of changing the outcome of a Test match with bat, ball or in the field. The all-rounder has over 1800 runs and 160 wickets in Test cricket.
Ollie Pope has been sublime against the West Indies at home recently. The right-handed batter hit 239 runs across four innings, which included two half-centuries and a century.
Dimuth Karunaratne has started off his brief Test record in 2024 magnificently. Across three Test matches in 2024, the Sri Lankan has hit 268 runs with a batting average of 53.60 and three scores of 50 plus.
Prabath Jayasuriya hit the ground running with a five-wicket haul in Worcester against the England Lions. Jayasuriya will want to challenge both edges of a largely right-handed England batting lineup.
Weather Report
Over the course of the five days, there will be no shortage of rain. Temperatures will be moderate, but humid. Day one has a two percent chance of rain. Days two and three have a 55 percent chance of rain. Days four and five have a 30 percent chance of rain.
Pitch Report
The rain is expected to leave a lot of moisture in the pitch. The seam bowlers will be licking their lips to bowl on this pitch and extract movement with the ball off it. England won their previous Test match by chasing.
Notable stats
England at home
The English Test team have been dominant at home. They are unbeaten in their last six Test series at home and last lost a Test series at home in June 2021.
Team News
The hosts will be without their talisman, Ben Stokes, and star opening batter in Zak Crawley, but that could provide great opportunities for Dan Lawrence and Matthew Potts to step in. Sri Lanka are unlikely to change their starting 11.
ENG vs SL Probable 11
ENG Playing 11
- Dan Lawrence
- Ben Duckett
- Ollie Pope (C)
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Jamie Smith (Wk)
- Chris Woakes
- Gus Atkinson
- Mark Wood
- Matthew Potts
- Shoaib Bashir
SL Playing 11
- Nishan Madushka
- Dimuth Karunaratne
- Kusal Mendis (Wk)
- Angelo Mathews
- Dinesh Chandimal
- Dhananjaya de Silva (C)
- Kamindu Mendis
- Prabath Jayasuriya
- Vishwa Fernando
- Lahiru Kumara
- Asitha Fernando
Dream11 Prediction
'Bazball' minus Ben Stokes will be put to the test against Sri Lanka. The way England have been going about their business over the past couple of years in Test cricket could make them favourites.
Top Picks
Joe Root: England's superstar has given his side valuable contributions in Test cricket in numerous facets of the game. Root has over 12000 runs, almost 70 wickets and almost 200 catches in Test cricket.
Chris Woakes: Woakes' role as an all-rounder will only be highlighted by the absence of Ben Stokes. The man from Warwickshire has one century, seven half-centuries, five five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul in Test matches.
Dhananjaya de Silva: Any captain will have a lot of pressure on them to perform. De Silva could be someone who thrives on pressure. He has the double of more than 3500 Test runs and over 30 Test wickets.
ENG vs SL Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: Kusal Mendis
Batters: Dimuth Karunaratne, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root
All-rounders: Dhananjaya de Silva (VC), Chris Woakes
Bowlers: Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Matthew Potts, Prabath Jayasuriya
