After a heavily one sided first Test in Leeds last week England and Sri Lanka head further north to Durham this week for the second Test of the three match series and they do so knowing that if England win there they will win the series with a match to spare. A Sri Lanka win here would level the series ahead of the finale at Lord’s next month.
England
Despite a wobble on the opening morning in Leeds, England dominated the first game and I’m sure Alastair Cook will be looking for a similar performance here as his side chase back to back series wins in this format of the game ahead of the tougher test to come later in the summer.
The form of Jonny Bairstow and the two seamers particularly caught the eye at Headingley and if those three go well again it is perfectly possible that they win this match on their own. That said this England side doesn’t lack for depth in any discipline – one of its many strengths.
Sri Lanka
There were signs of optimism early on in the first Test but Sri Lanka couldn’t build on having England 83-5 and once England had gone past 275 from there it was only going to end one way you would think.
Clearly Sri Lanka’s batting was the issue in the first match and in conditions completely alien to them here they are going to have to bat a whole lot better. They need to work out where their off stumps are and find ways to leave the ball else you would think this is going to be a repeat of that first match.
Team news
England wouldn’t want to make changes by choice but they have been forced into one as Ben Stokes has undergone surgery on a cartilage issue so he misses this match. Chris Woakes is to replace him in the side. Jake Ball’s Test debut will have to wait.
Sri Lanka might want to make 11 changes from the first game but they will be forced into at least one as Dushmantha Chameera’s series is over as he has a back issue. Suranga Lakmal is the man most likely to replace him in what could be an unchanged side apart from that due to a lack of options.
Riverside
There have been five previous Test matches on this ground and England have a fantastic record here. Putting it quite simply they have played in all five matches and they’ve won the lot so they will be heading here in excellent spirits and in the belief they can win.
Sri Lanka will be playing their first Test match here and the first thing they will need to overcome is the arctic conditions but once they do that they will find a wicket with plenty in it for the seamers and a tough track to get in on for the batsmen.
Betting
England are 1/4 to win this match and you would imagine their only genuine obstacle is the weather although we should remember that England made a poor start at Headingley and they won’t always escape from those positions. That said it really is hard to see anything but an England win here.
I’m no 1/4 punter though so I’m going to head for the side markets for a punt in this match and the one that interests me is Stuart Broad and his first innings wickets.
When Broad last played a Test match on this ground he took 11 wickets against Australia and he bagged three in the first innings in the game before that too against the West Indies so this is a ground he gets a lot of joy on and I’m not surprised by that.
This is more a seamers wicket than a swing one and so the movement Broad can get off the pitch should allow him to cause all kinds of problems. It was the Anderson show with the ball in the first match but I sense it will be the Broad show here. I fancy him to take more than 2.5 wickets in the first dig at a very solid price.
Tips
WON – Back S.Broad Over 2.5 1st Inns wickets for a 4/10 stake at 2.30 with Coral
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