England head into the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s this week knowing that a victory would secure a series victory over their opponents.
Joe Root’s gritty half-century got England over the line in the first encounter at Headingley, although they were pushed hard by the visitors throughout the contest.
England needed 205 to secure victory against Sri Lanka but looked in trouble at 70-3 following the dismissals of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence.
Sri Lanka’s seamers were probing menacingly at one end of the wicket while spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was weaving his magic from the other.
Root proves to be the difference-maker
Root steadied the ship alongside Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook, with the pair adding a crucial 49 runs for the fourth wicket.
Jamie Smith kept the scoreboard ticking over after Brook was dismissed before Root and Chris Woakes sealed a five-wicket victory for the home team.
Fans will be clamouring to find England vs Sri Lanka cricket tickets for the second Test, given the thrilling nature of the first encounter between the two sides.
England had looked relatively comfortable during the early part of the first meeting, but Sri Lanka grew in confidence as the game progressed.
Stand-in captain Pope proved he could adapt the team’s usual attacking tactics to ensure they edged past what could have been a tricky second innings target.
Root was particularly cautious as Sri Lanka piled on the pressure, with his first boundary taking 95 deliveries to arrive.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was delighted with the team’s determination and their willingness to veer away from their usual attacking style.
“Ultimately, England want to win,” he told the BBC. “If you look at the last few years, it’s been great fun, it’s been great entertainment. I love the way they play but fundamentally it’s about lifting trophies.
“They didn’t win The Ashes – they didn’t win in New Zealand when they should’ve. In a year’s time, they have got to beat India here and then Australia away is the ultimate challenge to pull off something special.
“But what I like about this team and what they’re doing, they’re already planning for that. The last time England won Down Under, the Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower era, that started years before. That’s what this England side are trying to achieve.”
Change in style could benefit England
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have overseen a seismic shift in the way England play Test cricket, and their methods have attracted plenty of plaudits.
The team have averaged around 4.65 runs per over during the ‘Bazball’ era but got the job done against Sri Lanka with a 3.58 runs per over average in the second innings.
While this was still slightly higher than the 3.29 runs per over average posted in Test matches worldwide between 2003 and 2023, it represented a notable shift for England.
Pope previously served as vice-captain under Stokes, but he demonstrated that he had his own ideas about the game to ensure his team emerged victorious.
Root’s influence should not be underestimated, as he was a useful sounding board for Pope throughout the first Test.
While he has been a poster boy for the much-vaunted ‘Bazball’, his willingness to temper his attacking instincts was a Godsend for Pope.
A similar approach may be needed in the second Test, with Sri Lanka proving they are more than capable of causing problems during this series.
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva believes his team has room for improvement and has backed them to come good in the next match at Lord’s.
“I would say, in the second innings with both bat and ball I am pleased,” he said. “But in the first innings, it could have been better.
“Of course, we knew that England would come hard against us. We had our plans but in the first innings we couldn’t execute them. Our mistakes were made in the first innings and that cost us the match.
“Lots of good individual performances. There are positives here and there. But we were off-target too much and you have to be 100 percent here to win Test matches.
“In English conditions and their very good bowling line-up, we have to tighten our game at the top of the order.
“Hopefully we will have sun next week and that will be good for us. It was tough here – it was cold and windy. We are not used to that. We are looking forward to Lord’s.”
Stone replaces Wood in the England squad
Olly Stone has been recalled to the England squad for the first time in three years after pace bowler Mark Wood was ruled out of the series with a thigh strain.
Stone won the most recent of his three Test caps against New Zealand at Edgbaston in June 2021 and will be eager to grab the opportunity.
The 30-year-old has previously taken 10 Test wickets at an average of 19.40 runs and boasts an economy rate of 3.25 runs per over.
Stone has struggled with back problems during his career, which forced him to undergo surgery to have two screws inserted in his spine.
He has used Pilates alongside his usual fitness regime to get himself back into shape and is desperate to prove his body will hold up to the rigours of Test cricket.
With Ollie Robinson and Sam Cook pushing for an England call-up, Stone desperately needs to showcase his talents against Sri Lanka.
England selector Luke Wright has confirmed that Robinson and Cook are firmly in the mix, which further ramps up the pressure on Stone for the second Test.
While Stone will be eager to impress, Root and Smith will likely be the key to England’s hopes of wrapping up a series victory.
Smith has hit one century and two fifties in four Tests and is the middle-order general every team needs to be successful.
He has a solid temperament, is calm under pressure and understands when to reign in his attacking tendencies.
On that basis, odds of 7/1 for Smith to make a first innings century and put England in pole position to win the series look great value.
