Sri Lanka vs England, 2nd Test: Preview, Dream11 and stats
The England cricket team will hope to win the Test series against Sri Lanka when the two sides face each other in the second encounter, starting Friday. Joe Root's men have taken a crucial 1-0 lead in the two-match series and are the favorites to get the job done once again in Galle. Lanka need to show more character and fight to stop England.
England could make some changes with James Anderson, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone in the fray. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali is unlikely to feature in the second Test. For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis was one of the five players moved out of the bubble. The hosts are also hoping to have Suranga Lakmal fit for the match.
England need a result to keep their hopes alive in the ICC World Test Championship. A victory will certainly boost their confidence ahead of a four-Test series against India next month. The side will look up to skipper Root, besides spinners Jack Leach and Dominic Bess. Sri Lanka need inspiration from somewhere. Senior figure Angelo Mathews has asked his side not to be conservative.
Predicted Sri Lanka starting XI - Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Roshen Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya, Suranga Lakmal. Predicted England starting XI - Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Daniel Lawrence, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Dominic Bess, Jake Leach, James Anderson.
Joe Root can become England's sixth-highest scorer in Test cricket. Root, who has 8,052 runs, can surpass Geoffrey Boycott (8,114). Root (804) needs nine runs to surpass Ian Bell (812) and become the fourth-highest scorer for England against Sri Lanka in Tests. Mathews (855) needs 45 more to become only the third Lankan batsman to score 900-plus runs against England.
Dream11 team prediction: Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (vc), Chris Woakes, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dominic Bess, Jack Leach, James Anderson. The match is set to start at 10:00 AM IST. One can watch the match live on the Sony Ten Network. It can also be streamed on the Sony LIV app.
