Sri Lanka has won the toss and elected to field first against England at the first test at Lord’s. The Jos Buttler ‘Mankad’ incident has added an extra edge to the rivalry between England and Sri Lanka.
It has been acknowledged by the players themselves. Even though the two pivotal characters in that incident - Buttler and Sachithra Senanayake - are not a part of the Test squad, the contest does promise to be an interesting one with loads of other battles to look forward to.
England:
After a much-publicised falling out with Kevin Pietersen, the England cricket team embark upon a ‘new era’ led by Alastair Cook and new coach, Peter Moores. There is no doubt that there will be increased pressure on the batting line-up. Cook and Ian Bell are the senior members of the line-up and will have to lead the way for a host youngsters. Sam Robson, the opener, and Moeen Ali are set to make their debut. Joe Root has shown promise but is still a greenhorn and so is Gary Ballance. Wicket-keeper batsman, Matt Prior, who fell out of favour towards the end of the Ashes Down Under, will have to pull his weight as well amidst stiff competition. The batting does look very inexperienced on paper but they will be hoping to make the home advantage count.
The retirement of Graeme Swann will be a huge void to fill and England do not possess a quality spinner to fill his boots. Moeen Ali is expected to take up the mantle but his First Class bowling average of 40 hardly inspires any confidence. James Anderson and Stuart Broad will, once again, be the pacers and the duo form a potent combination at home. Chris Jordan, who impressed in the ODI series, is likely to be blooded in and will add some teeth to the line-up. It’s a toss up between Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes for the final spot and both will be looking to capitalise if given a chance.
Sri Lanka:
Adjusting to the conditions while batting will be one of the biggest challenges that Sri Lanka will face. The openers are inexperienced and will be up against it as they take on Anderson and Co. The burden of carrying the batting might once again fall upon the old warhorses - Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene. This might well be their last tour of the Old Blighty and a series win in England will sit right at the top of their many glorious moments. The duo have not had it easy in England. Averaging under 31 in England, Sangakkara has not had it worse in any other country. Jayawardene has hit two hundreds in England but his average too falls by 16 compared to his career average. Prasanna Jaywardene was impressive when Sri Lanka last toured England in 2011 and he along with Mathews will have to baulk up the lower middle-order.
The tour also provides an opportunity for some of Sri Lanka’s promising pacers to make a mark. The absence of a senior member in the fast bowling unit might be a downside but there is plenty of talent for Mathews to chose from. Shaminda Eranga, Chanaka Welegedera, Nuwan Pradeep and Dhammika Prasad have had their moments in Test cricket but none have been able to cement their position. Rangana Herath’s role will be primarily to keep a check on proceedings and the canny left-armer has fitted in nicely after the retirement of Muralitharan.
Stats and Trivia:
Sri Lanka have never won a Test series in England
This will be Angelo Mathews’ first captaincy assignment outside the Asia
Alastair Cook needs 68 runs to go past the career tally of Geoff Boycott and 135 runs to go past Kevin Pietersen
Kumar Sangakkara needs 24 runs to overtake Allan Border’s career Test tally
