Talking points as England seek perfect summer record in Sri Lanka finale at Oval
Josh Hull makes his England debut while Joe Root is chasing more records.
England head into the final Test of the summer against Sri Lanka looking to make it six wins from six and record their first perfect record since 2004.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the main areas of discussion at the Kia Oval.
One Hull of a gamble
England have made another major selection gamble by drafting in 20-year-old Josh Hull, who boasts just 16 wickets at an average of 62.75 in his brief first-class career. The 6ft 7in Leicestershire left-armer has taken only two wickets in three matches in Division Two of the County Championship this year at an average of 182.50, but brings physical attributes that mark him out from the crowd. England’s recent record with debutant bowlers is outstanding – with Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Josh Tongue, Tom Hartley and Gus Atkinson all taking five-fors in their first Test appearance. Can Hull follow their lead?
Root branching out
Joe Root’s purple patch continued with record-breaking twin tons at Lord’s. Not only did he extend his lead on top of the ICC’s batting rankings, he also surpassed Sir Alastair Cook as England’s leading Test centurion by taking his career tally to 34. The 33-year-old is now just 96 runs short of overtaking Cook’s national-record total of 12,472 and replacing his fellow former England captain in fifth place in the all-time list. With 350 runs in the series so far and six Test centuries against Sri Lanka at an impressive average of 67.55, Root will fancy his chances of continuing his dominance over the tourists and passing Cook’s mark.
Pope looking for home comforts
Lawrence light on runs
One last chance for the Sri Lanka batters
