England Vs Sri Lanka 2024

England are preparing to host Sri Lanka in a three-match Test series at home from Aug 14, 2024 to Sept 10, 2024. A red-ball-only series, these results will impact the shape of the World Test Championships points table as both teams look to leave a mark on proceedings in the second half of the year. Here are details for the Sri Lanka tour of England 2024.

England’s recent results

England enter the England vs Sri Lanka series without their talismanic swing bowler James Anderson, who played his final Test last month. This signals a new era for England, who are looking for the right combination of pace bowlers heading into the future.

England beat West Indies in dominant fashion last month, with a 3-0 whitewash where they won every match very comfortably. However, they will be missing captain Ben Stokes in the England vs Sri Lanka series, with the allrounder having been injured during the Hundred.

They will be led in this Test series by Ollie Pope, who is the vice-captain of the England vs Sri Lanka squad. They will have several important players such as Joe Root and Harry Brook, as well as a wave of exciting fresh talent from the County circuit to call upon as they continue under the ‘Bazball’ regime.

Sri Lanka recent form

Fresh off a strong ODI series showing against India, Sri Lanka travel to England where in the WTC table they are still a fair way off reaching the top two, however, they will be seeking to get wins from these matches to set themselves up well and move forward.

Sri Lanka also wrapped up an impressive series whitewash on their previous Test assignment, winning 2-0 while touring Bangladesh earlier in 2024. They are gradually improving their batting with the likes of experienced Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, while also have stocks of impressive quicks and solid spinners.

They are captained by allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva as he continues to earn his feathers as a Test captain.

Key matchups

Sri Lanka haven’t beaten England in a Test series since their tour in 2014, where they won 1-0. England have won each of the last three Test series between these two teams, including a 2-0 whitewash while touring Sri Lanka in 2021.

Sri Lanka will rely heavily on making their experienced batting order count against a raw England bowling lineup in testing English conditions. They will also need to remain economical with ball and heap pressure on a batting team which loves to be aggressive and can be difficult to contain.

England are favourites with home conditions behind them, and will see this as an important series to develop young players into the mindset of ‘Bazball’ that they have been playing under. While their batting is stable, a lot will come down to young fiery pacers such as Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson.