England announce playing XI for 2nd Test against Sri Lanka; Olly Stone replaces injured Mark Wood
England have announced their playing XI for the second Test of the three-match series against Sri Lanka, starting Thursday, August 29, at Lord’s in London. The hosts have made just one change to the winning team, with Olly Stone set to make his first Test appearance in three years, replacing the injured Mark Wood.
Wood suffered a muscle strain on the third day of the first Test and has been ruled out of the series. 20-year-old pacer Josh Hull was named as Wood’s replacement in the squad, but he will have to wait for his debut. Olly Stone, who last played a Test for England in 2021 against New Zealand, will take the field for the second Test.
Stone made his Test debut against Ireland in 2019 and has since played three matches, taking a total of 10 wickets. The right-arm pacer has also represented England in eight ODIs and one T20I.
England's playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka: Daniel Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, and Shoaib Bashir.
England won the first Test by five wickets
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first in the opening Test at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. The visitors struggled early, losing half their side for just 72 runs.
Captain Dhananjaya de Silva played a solid innings of 74 off 84 balls, while debutant Milan Rathnayake added a crucial 72 off 135 balls, helping Sri Lanka score 236 runs in their first innings.
In response, England's wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith scored his first Test century, making 111 off 148 balls. Vice-captain Harry Brook also contributed 56, as the hosts were bowled out for 358, taking a 122-run lead.
Sri Lanka had a poor start to their second innings, losing opener Nishan Madushka for a duck. However, decent contributions from senior batter Angelo Mathews (65) and Dinesh Chandimal (79), along with a superb century from Kamindu Mendis (113), allowed Sri Lanka to set a target of 205.
Joe Root delivered a match-winning performance in the fourth innings, remaining unbeaten on 62 off 128 balls to lead England to a five-wicket victory and start the series on a positive note.