ENG vs SL: The first test of Sri Lanka’s tour of England has been concluded with England winning it comfortably. The first test was played at Manchester, while the next is set to be played at Lord’s from the 29th of August.
Sri Lanka was pushed to bat first, and after some recent trouble with the batters, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva along with the debutant Rathanayake secured an innings for the Lankans with their 70’s. Next, the England innings went better as the middle order contributed largely to their innings, with Jamie Smith’s maiden hundred being the major reason for success.
In return, the Lankan innings were built upon experienced batters Mathews and Chandimal’s supportive innings, with Kamindu Mendis scoring his first ever Test hundred down the order, batting at no. 7. However, with the joint effort from Root, Brook, and Jamie, the Bazball secured the match.
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Mark Wood raises concerns for Bazball management
Wood while bowling the 2nd ball of his 11th over faced sheer discomfort with his as he aborted his run-up. He left the field with Joe Root brought into the attack by Pope, as he struck in his second ball with the wicket of Milan Rathnayake after his debut inning heroics.
Wood didn’t take the field on the 4th day, as he left for a scan to determine the full extent of the damage, as the ECB are hopeful for just a strain and not more. Though it is likely that he will miss the 2nd test, he might be brought back for the test at The Oval on the 6th if his injury is not as serious.
However, England’s only reserved pacer, Olly Stone, might make a comeback to the English side for the second test, and even the likes of Sam Curran can be included as a replacement player if Wood is ruled out.
Curran was last seen for Surrey; if he makes a comeback to red-ball cricket, then he will be England’s all-rounder option as a possible replacement for injured skipper Ben Stokes.