Sri Lanka is battered and bruised and will play for their lost pride in the third and final Test against England which is scheduled to start on Thursday at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s.
England have been in tremendous form beating the Islanders fairly easily in the first Two Tests but the visitors, who became the first team since New Zealand in 1958 to be dismissed for under 120 in three successive Test innings, retaliated to post 475 in their 2nd innings at Cheste-le-Street to make England bat again.
Alastair Cook and co are eyeing a series whitewash against the depleted Sri Lankan lineup but they have a propensity of not completing the job. Last year, having won the Ashes, England suffered an innings and 46-run defeat to Australia in the fifth Test at The Oval. There was a similarly heavy reverse in South Africa in January when, 2-0 up with one to play, England lost the fourth Test at Centurion by 280 runs.
Lord’s is one of Sri Lanka’s favourite venues in the United Kingdom as they have not lost a Test match since 1991 and Mathews’ men would certainly not want to be the first. They have played 7 matches and lost 2 with all the other games ending in draws at this venue.
Nobody has taken more Test wickets at Lord’s than the current world no.1 Test bowler James Anderson. He has taken a record 75 wickets at the Home of Cricket, and shows no signs of stopping with 18 wickets already to his name in this series against Sri Lanka.
Two years ago, Joe Root slammed an unbeaten double-century while the legend Kumar Sangakkara and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews scored centuries in a thrilling draw at Lord`s where the match went down to the last ball.
Pitch and Weather Conditions
The weather forecasts are not pleasant for the upcoming five days with rain expected to spoil proceedings occasionally as the clouds will keep hovering above the ground. The Lord’s pitch will once again be a belter but the hosts are keen to leave a thick layer of grass on top.
Team News – Sri Lanka
As per reports from England, Milinda Siriwardana will most likely miss the third Test due to a twisted ankle, which allows Kusal Janith Perera, who has not played since November 2015, to make a return to the international field after being cleared of doping charges. Perera’s inclusion could release Dinesh Chandimal from the wicket-keeping duties and allow him to concentrate on his batting at No.6 where he averages 85.6.
Another likely change would be the inclusion of Chaminda Bandara in place of Shaminda Eranga who underwent an assessment on his action in London after being reported in the second Test. If the selectors hand a debut to 29-year old Bandara, it will certainly add some variety to the depleted Sri Lankan attack but Eranga’s experience might favour his inclusion for the third consecutive Test even though he has taken only 1 wicket for 172 runs in two outings.
Probable XI – Dimuth Karunarathne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Chaminda Bandara, Nuwan Pradeep.
Team News – England
England have decided to go with the same 12-man squad which won the second Test in Durham but two players, Nick Compton and Steven Finn have been struggling for runs and for wickets respectively. Compton will get another chance to prove himself at No.3 but uncapped seamer Jake Ball might get a look in ahead of Steven Finn for this clash. Chris Woakes will keep his place after an impressive showing at Durham.
Probable XI – Alastair Cook, Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Jake Ball, James Anderson.
Final Say
The Lankans are certainly itching to make a comeback and salvage pride but it will not be an easy task as the Englishmen are currently at the top of their game and are hungry for a whitewash to start the 2016 summer.
