England vs Sri Lanka prediction and cricket betting tips

Where to watch England vs Sri Lanka

Sky Sports Cricket & Main Event, 11am Wednesday 

Best bets

Highest individual score to be under 138.5
3pts 5-6 bet365

Dhananjaya de Silva top Sri Lanka first-innings runscorer
1pt 11-2 Betfair, Paddy Power

Asitha Fernando top Sri Lanka first-innings wicket-taker
2pts 4-1 bet365

England vs Sri Lanka prediction

England are hot favourites to beat Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in the opening match of their three-Test series but there will be an unfamiliar look to their team in Manchester.

Captain Ben Stokes and opener Zak Crawley are injured while James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow, who all played in last summer's Ashes draw at Old Trafford, have either retired from Test cricket or been omitted.

Ollie Pope captains the side in place of Stokes, who injured his hamstring during The Hundred, and middle-order man Dan Lawrence will deputise for Crawley at the top of the card.

England have won their last five Tests against Sri Lanka, all on the Teardrop Isle, and the Lankans have not played a five-day match in the UK since 2016.

Their preparation was limited to one warm-up game against England Lions at Worcester last week, when they were rolled over for 139 in the first innings, and their batsmen may be wary of the Mancunian weather.

Gloomy, damp conditions are forecast for at least the first three days of the Test and an England pace attack of Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood and Matthew Potts should take advantage of helpful conditions.

Backing the highest individual score to be under 138.5 looks a good bet. Crawley plundered 189 against Australia at Old Trafford last summer but England's highest scores in their three previous Manchester Tests were 113 not out, 84 not out and 91.

Joe Root's 122 at Trent Bridge was the highest innings during England's 3-0 series victory over the West Indies earlier this summer and a low-scoring match could be on the cards.

Visiting captain Dhananjaya de Silva has never played a Test in England but he made 66 in the second innings against the Lions last week and is a big runner to be Sri Lanka's top first-innings runscorer.

Dhananjaya marked his second Test as skipper by scoring a century in each innings against Bangladesh in March while his 2023 Test highlights include 271 runs in two home matches against Pakistan and a gutsy 98 against New Zealand in Wellington.

Fast bowler Asitha Fernando took 4-85 and 3-63 in Sri Lanka's two-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Christchurch last year, having claimed ten wickets in a match against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2022.

His first-innings figures in two Test appearances this year were 3-24 against Afghanistan and 4-34 against Bangladesh and he may well shine under Manchester's grey skies this week.

England vs Sri Lanka team news

England
Ben Stokes (hamstring) and Zak Crawley (fractured finger) are injured so Ollie Pope will captain England with Dan Lawrence opening the batting. Fast bowler Matthew Potts will make his first Test appearance since June 2023.

Sri Lanka
Kamindu Mendis and Jeffrey Vandersay missed the tour match against England Lions due to a visa delay but they are available for selection at Old Trafford.

England vs Sri Lanka weather

Cloudy with showers on days one, two and three; brighter on days four and five with temperatures ranging from 16C to 19C.

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