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Ben Stokes injury hands Sri Lanka hope of surprise against England
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya De Silva believes Ben Stokes’ injury has given the tourists fresh hope of springing a surprise against England.
De Silva is leading his country’s first Test series on these shores since 2016 and heads into the opener at Emirates Old Trafford on the back of a defeat to an inexperienced England Lions side in their only warm-up.
Sri Lanka have won just three of their 18 Tests in England. But the hamstring tear that has ruled Stokes out for the remainder of the summer has led England to change the balance of their side.
“He is the balance of their side. He’s the key player for them, when it comes to bowling, batting, everything,” said De Silva.
“A new guy [Dan Lawrence] comes in to play... there will be pressure on him, coming back into the side to open in these conditions.”
The series in England is Sri Lanka’s first Test tour here in seven years but three members of the top seven picked for the opening Test — Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne — have all toured England twice before. Matthews played a crucial role during Sri Lanka’s 1-0 series victory in 2014, scoring a century in the win at Headingley.
The side bats deep, with left-hander Kamindu Mendis at number seven. In three Tests, Mendis has scored twin centuries against Bangladesh and 61 against Australia, and averages 107 so far in his career. Mendis is also renowned for his remarkable ability to bowl both right and left-arm spin, often switching from ball-to-ball during an over depending on the opposing batsman.
Left-arm quick Vishwa Fernando, who averages 33.1 in Tests, enjoyed an impressive spell for Yorkshire earlier this summer, taking nine wickets in his last County Championship game. He will lead a three-pronged pace attack, alongside Milan Rathnayake and Asitha Fernando. Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who has taken 71 wickets in 12 Tests, could become a major factor in the later stages of the game, especially if the rain forecast for Thursday and Friday stays away.
