Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to field first against England in the opening T20I of the series in Southampton.

England will bat first at the start of the three-match series, with captain Harry Brook saying he would have preferred to bat anyway on what appeared to be a dry pitch.

“Looks very dry, so hopefully we can get a bit of purchase out of it second innings and put some pressure on with a big score,” Brook said.

Sri Lanka have included three spinners in the playing XI, with Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana expected to play key roles as they look to restrict the hosts before chasing the target.

England, meanwhile, have handed a debut to Aneurin Donald, who opens the batting alongside Jos Buttler.

Brook, Tom Banton, Jordan Cox and Will Jacks form a powerful middle order, while Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue, Sonny Baker and Adil Rashid complete the XI.

Sri Lanka's batting will be led by Pathum Nissanka, with Kamil Mishara and Lahiru Udara also in the top order. Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka and Hasaranga provide further batting depth.

Sri Lanka will hope their bowlers can make early inroads before England's middle order settles, while the hosts will aim to make the most of the powerplay and post a challenging total.