Five talking points ahead of England’s Test series against Sri Lanka
Ollie Pope steps in as skipper in the absence of Ben Stokes and Dan Lawrence gets the chance to impress.
England head into their second Test series of the summer fresh from a 3-0 clean sweep against the West Indies, but disrupted by the loss of captain Ben Stokes to a torn hamstring.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the main areas of discussion ahead of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford.
Ollie’s audition
With Stokes sidelined, Ollie Pope steps up from his previous role as vice-captain with three games to get a feel for one of the biggest jobs in English sport. The Surrey man has threadbare leadership experience, including a solitary first-class game and a recent stint in the Vitality Blast. He has vowed to stick closely to Stokes’ methodology but there is no defined script in Test cricket and he will need to show flexibility and flair at times if he is to cement his role as heir apparent. Stokes is close at hand to offer advice having chosen to remain with the team but Pope should look first to his own instincts.
Lawrence’s long wait is over
Potts back in play
Kamindu can do it all
Sri Lanka will be hoping number one spinner Prabath Jayasuriya can carry the bulk of the wicket-taking burden, but in all-rounder Kamindu Mendis they boast a player with an unusual party trick. The ambidextrous spinner can bowl with both hands, sending down off-breaks with his right and left-arm orthodox for variation. It is a gambit Liam Livingstone has deployed for England in white-ball cricket but is still a rarity at the highest level and one the batters will need to be aware of as he flips and switches mid-over.
