England vs Sri Lanka Prediction: England aiming for fifth straight win

England and Sri Lanka lock horns against each other in Match 2 of the Test Series at Lord's Cricket Ground, United Kingdom on 29th August 2024. England would be looking to make five wins in a row. Who will win the thriller of this cricket contest?

After an all-but-unrecognizable Test side took to the field at Old Trafford only 18 months ago, England's team will be even more green at Lord's as Mark Wood, who suffered a strain in his first Test, has been ruled out. That strain prevented him from bowling on day four and adds his name to the list now on the sidelines with captain Ben Stokes and opener Zak Crawley. There are also concerns over Chris Woakes, who appeared to be struggling with a groin injury during the final exchanges on Saturday.

The absence of the couple paves the way for others, though with Dan Lawrence getting another opportunity at the top of the order after his 30 and 34 in Manchester. Ollie Pope will again captain the side and, in a boost, Olly Stone has been passed fit to make his first Test start since June 2021. Young left-arm Josh Hull gets a first call, though does not figure to make his debut.

The team will once again rely on Joe Root, who provided much-needed experience with scores of 42 and 62 not out in Manchester. Root's leadership will complement the aggressive and clean-hitting stroke play of keeper-batter Jamie Smith.

Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir

After a challenging beginning to their Sri Lanka Test at Old Trafford, the tourists were able to draw on all their skill and resilience to come very close to a win against England before falling to a five-wicket loss. Dhananjaya de Silva will most likely not change the team for the Test at Lord's, with Milan Rathnayake set for his second Test appearance having debuted in Manchester. The way Rathnayake performed in that match with bat and ball really highlighted what he is capable of in these conditions, and with Vishwa and Asitha Fernando, the Sri Lankan bowling should be well set to exploit the famous Lord's slope. If Sri Lanka is going to make this a contest, the experienced batsmen Mathews, Dhananjaya, Chandimal, Mendis, and Karunaratne really need to deliver a bit more in this Test match.

Nishan Madushka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Milan Rathnayake, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando

Sri Lanka were behind the game for most of the first Test but dug in with the bat in both innings. They have made a good start this week at Lord's and can dream of putting England under pressure. We think England still have the resources without the fast bowling of Mark Wood, who is out injured, to scrape a win in this game.