Sri Lanka aims for maiden Test win at Lord’s
Pathum Nissanka to play Test after two years :
The second Test cricket match of the three-match series between Sri Lanka and England will begin today at Lord’s, London, at 3:30 pm (Sri Lanka time).
England head into the second Test at Lord’s today with confidence after securing a five-wicket victory in the first match at Old Trafford, while the Sri Lankan team, led by Dhananjaya de Silva, is expected to make a strong challenge after displaying a good performance with fighting spirit in the first Test. Sri Lanka will try to level the series by rectifying their mistakes.
The Sri Lankan team has won Test matches at Trent Bridge, The Oval, and Headingley, but they are yet to win a Test match at Lord’s. Sri Lanka has a good record at Lord’s, having not lost a Test match there since 1991. Earlier Lord’s Tests featuring Sri Lanka in 2002, 2006, 2011, and 2016 were all drawn, and after eight years, Sri Lanka will once again be in action at Lord’s, the Home of Cricket.
Sri Lanka displayed admirable resilience at Old Trafford in first Test match last week, driven by Kamindu Mendis’s outstanding century and Dinesh Chandimal’s determined 79 in the second innings.
However Sri Lanka’s recurring issues of failing to capitalize on strong starts, combined with their late-order collapses in both innings remain a concern – an area they must address if they hope to compete with the top Test-playing nations. The experienced opener and former Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka were unable to make good start in both innings. Kusal Mendis also in good touch with the bat. Team management already has an idea to add inform batman of the white ball format Pathum Nissanka as an opener with Karunaratne. Nissanka the most consistent batsman who played his last Test against Australia in 2022 July in Galle is ready to come back with this Lord’s Test. He already played 9 Tests having scored a century and five fifties really impressing with white ball cricket recently once again keen to play this Test at Lord’s.
However the question is whose position will Nissanka take today. Kusal Mendis is the most likely to drop from the team with his poor performance at the first Test but the fitness of Dinesh Chandimal is the other issue for Sri Lanka side. Chandimal has finger injury during the first Test. Opening batsman Madushka, who is also a wicket keeper, was observed doing wicket keeping training. Chandimal will be a specialist batsman while Madushka will be the wicket keeper. Most probably Kusal Mendis will be out of the team.
In addition Sri Lanka, pace attack comprised Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando with third seamer Milan Ratnayake while the pace ace Lahiru Kumara also next in line for the team to strengthen the fast bowling attack and experienced Prabath Jayasuirya is the key spinner. But team has not finalised and after the last training session they will pick the final eleven. The right arm paceman Olly Stone is set for his first Test appearance in more than three years after being named in England’s side to face against Sri Lanka. The Nottinghamshire 30-year-old seamer Stone replaces pace ace Mark Wood, who was ruled out of the remaining two matches in the series after picking up a thigh strain on day three of the opening Test.
Stone’s inclusion is the only change to the side, led by stand-in captain Ollie Pope while they also expected to get good start from top order and experienced Joe Root who hit a match winning knock and wicket keeper Jamie Smith who hit his maiden Test century to earn Man of the Match award will also join with the other batters to strengthen the English side. Chirs Woakes, Gus Atkinston and Matthew Potts with Olly Stone have strengthened the English pace attack while once again only spinner Shoaib Bashir is included in the final eleven.
