After a comprehensively defeating Sri Lanka in the first Test at Headingley, Alastair Cook and the England coaches have had the task of maintaining the squad\'s mental preparation as the three-match Test Series moves on to the Emirates ICG, Durham.
After Jonny Bairstow’s magnificent century and James Anderson’s unplayable 10-wicket swing bowling display at Leeds, Sri Lanka suffered their second heaviest defeat to England in history last week.
The overcast conditions were perfect for 443-wicket Anderson to exploit but nevertheless being bowled out for 91 and 119 in a total of 72.1 overs represents a stark wake-up call for the inexperienced visitors.
Test cricket, however, is always coated in motivating subplots to add context and a secondary layer to the desire to win matches for your country. Take the batting for example: Cook is 20 runs from being the first Englishman in history and 12th of all-time to 10,000; Alex Hales still yearns for a first Test ton after falling 14 short in Leeds; Nick Compton and Moeen Ali need runs after ducks last time out; and even world class Joe Root started the summer without troubling the scorers on his home ground.
Gun all-rounder Ben Stokes will not play at his home ground after jarring his knee and will be replaced by Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes, who took a career-best 9-36 this week and hit a century the week before.
“We need to be able to play without him [Stokes]," said captain Alastair Cook. "He has the ability to change games very quickly and he has done it a few times over the last 12 months.
“Chris Woakes can now learn how to play the all-rounder’s role. We haven’t seen the best of him in his six Tests so far but he is in fine form.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Bairstow is promoted to bat at number six and Woakes slots in at number eight at a ground where England boast a proud record of played five, won five. Stuart Broad, whose excellent seam bowling was overshadowed by his mate Anderson at Headingley, famously took 6-50 the last time here as Australia were defeated and the Ashes were England’s again.
Pacy Dushmantha Chameera, who took three wickets in Leeds, has been ruled out with a stress fracture to his lower back, a second blow after Dhammika Prasad returned home last week.
"The first game was an embarrassing one for us," said Sri Lanka's Angelo Matthews. "We have to flush it out of the system. The more we think about it, the more it disappoints us.
"Forget Headingley. We need to win the next Test to stay alive in the series."
Suranga Lakmal is likely to play but it is not the bowling – they dismissed England for 298 – that is the major problem. The top order needs runs if the series is not to be conceded after two Tests in the north.
How to Watch the Test
When? Friday 27 May
Where? Emirates Riverside, Durham
Start? 11am
How to keep up with the action?
Live on Sky Sports from 10am
Live on BBC Test Match Special from 10:30am
Live updates on @EnglandCricket on Twitter and England Cricket Facebook
Daily reports, interviews and features on ECB.co.uk
The squads
England
Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Stuart Broad, Nick Compton, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Joe Root, James Vince, Chris Woakes.
Sri Lanka
Angelo Mathews (c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dilruwan Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana, Niroshan Dickwella, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal
Big game for…
Players to Watch
Alastair Cook
Captain Cook is desperate to get to 10,000 runs but not for the acclaim that will inevitably and deservedly follow. The 31-year-old is immensely proud of what he will achieve, hopefully in Durham, but after having the milestone hanging over him for some time now, he simply wants to get it done so he can start talking about something else. Like winning Test matches. Cook needs just 20 more to become the first Englishman and 12th in history to five figures and you sense he would like a 29th century in the process too.
Chris Woakes
Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes played two Tests in South Africa last winter as a bowling replacement for James Anderson and Steven Finn at Durban and Centurion respectively. There is the feeling that the genuine all-rounder spot he will occupy in Ben Stokes’ stead – second bowling change and No.8 spot in the batting line-up – is more suited to his skills. Nicknamed “Wizz” by his teammates for his accuracy and ability to swing the ball both ways, Woakes took 9-36 on Tuesday against Durham and hit 108 the week before against Nottinghamshire, the ninth first-class century of his career.
Angelo Mathews
In difficult times you need your big players to stand up and captain Angelo Mathews is often there to be counted. A classy cricketer in all formats, the 28-year-old boasts a Test batting average of nearly 50 while chipping in with 30 wickets. When Sri Lanka won the series 1-0 in England in 2014 Mathews registered back-to-back centuries at Lord’s and Headingley but without legendary figures Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, it is his leadership as much as his runs that are needed in Durham.
Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka was asked whether he was a batting or bowling all-rounder after taking three England wickets in his first spell in Test cricket on day one in Leeds and confidently replied with a smile: “definitely batting.” The 24-year-old narrowly avoided a king pair after four in the second innings, when he got a working over from Anderson and edged to Bairstow after playing and missing twice. Shanaka struck a smart century in the warm-up game against Leicestershire and will be hoping for more with the bat at Chester-le-Street.
Previous meetings
19 May 2016 at Headingley: England won by an innings and 88 runs
20 June 2014 at Headingley: Sri Lanka won by 100 runs
12 June 2014 at Lord’s: draw
3 April 2012 in Colombo: England won by eight wickets
26 March 2012 in Galle: Sri Lanka won by 75 runs
Did you know?
Alastair Cook is 20 runs shy of becoming only the 12th batsman ever to reach 10,000 Test runs; the first player to do so for England.
Cook is also 67 runs away from becoming only the second man to record 5,000 Test runs in England and Wales (Gooch, 5,917).
James Anderson’s 10-wicket haul (10-45) in the first Test in Leeds was the third of his career.
There were only 162.4 overs bowled in the first Test making it the 13th shortest Test in history.
Spinner Rangana Herath needs one more to become the third Sri Lankan to 300 in Tests.