3 things Sri Lanka need to do right to beat England in 1st Test in Manchester
The cricketing summer in England kicked off with a three-match Test series against the West Indies which the hosts won 3-0. Now, it's time for Sri Lanka to test themselves against a resurgent England side who have been phenomenal in home Tests. While England will miss the services of their regular Test skipper Ben Stokes, the remaining players have it in them to continue their winning juggernaut at home.
However, from the Sri Lankan perspective, they will look to create a bit of history on this tour. Their last Test series win in and against England came in 2014 when they won the two-match series 1-0. Since then, the Lankans have suffered three series defeats against the 'Three Lions' (once in England and twice at home).
With England developing a different brand of Test cricket since the introduction of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes as the coach-captain duo, it will require something special from Sri Lanka to win their first series against England in a decade. The series kicks off on Wednesday, August 21, with the opening Test to be played at Manchester.
Sri Lanka will be led by Dhananjaya de Silva who replaced Dimuth Karunaratne as the Test skipper earlier this year. What gives Sri Lanka an outside chance in this series is the conditions. Unlike the early summer when the ball hoops around for longer periods, pitches at this time could dry up, offering assistance to the spinners.
Let's analyze how Sri Lanka can beat England in the opening Test.
3 things Sri Lanka need to do right to beat England in 1st Test in Manchester
#1. Try and catch England off guard with a counter-attacking approach
The way England have batted has made them an incredibly strong side at home over the last two years. Barring a certain Joe Root who has been the solid block in the middle order, the rest of the batters have employed the attacking approach which has worked wonders for them and the team.
The opposition teams have often been surprised as England managed to pull back matches from precarious situations. They have the ability to take the game away within a matter of a session and that's the reason the opposition needs to give England a taste of their own medicine
Not many teams have gone after the English bowling in their home conditions. However, with the retirements of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the Sri Lankan batters should look to apply pressure on the relatively young bowling attack. With conditions expected to be good for batting, a counter-attacking approach could do wonders for the visitors.
#2. Sri Lankan spinners need to deliver
Sri Lanka have picked Prabath Jayasuriya and Jeffrey Vandersay as the spin options for the Test series against England. Jayasuriya has emerged as one of the leading spinners in world cricket but it will be a whole new challenge for him in the English conditions.
The left-arm spinner has made considerable progress in international cricket and the England series will go a long way in developing him into a world-class bowler. He has to deliver big time if the Lankans have to win their first Test series in and against England in 10 years.
Jeffrey Vandersay played his only Test against Australia at Galle in 2022. With several spin options available in home conditions, Vandersay hasn't got many opportunities. The England series could provide him with a platform to showcase skills with the red ball. He recently bagged a match-winning six-wicket haul in an ODI against India and if given an opportunity, he will look to be a wicket-taking option in the longest format for his team.
#3. Experienced batting lineup needs to score the bulk of runs
The Sri Lankan batting lineup is a mix of youth and experience but for Sri Lanka to harbor any hopes of winning the first Test, the experienced batters will have to rise to the occasion. It won't be easy for the youngsters to get accustomed to the conditions in England.
The likes of Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Kusal Mendis, who have prior experience of playing in England, should look to lead from the front and score the majority of the runs. Sri Lanka will be heavily reliant on these four batters to put runs on the board.