ben stokes
Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the Sri Lanka series due to a knee injury Getty

England host Sri Lanka in the second Investec Test match at Riverside ground, Chester-le-Street on 27 May (Friday). England lead the three-match series 1-0.

Where to watch live

Match starts at 11am BST. Live TV coverage is available on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

England's first Test of a grueling summer started in brilliant fashion as they thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 88 runs in the first Test at Headingley. Skipper Alastair Cook would be delighted by the way his team performed especially bowlers, Jimmy Anderson in particular showed just why he is their leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, taking 10 wickets for just 45 runs.

Many former players were critical of Jimmy Bairstow's work with the gloves in the past, but there is no doubt of the Yorkshireman's importance to the team. Bairstow scored a match winning 140 runs while also taking a total of nine catches in the match.

The Three Lions will be without key all-rounder Ben Stokes who suffered a cartilage tear in his left knee and is set to miss the rest of the series. Chris Woakes has been called up as his replacement and might just be included in the playing XI.

angelo mathews
Skipper Angelo Mathews is a key batsman for the Sri Lankans Getty

Their opponents Sri Lanka were expected to struggle a little in the seaming English conditions, but no one foresaw that they would capitulate in such a way against the hosts in the first Test. Their bowlers and batsmen were abject and were just not able to survive against Anderson and company.

Kusal Mendis showed some fight, registering a fifty in the second innings while skipper Angelo Mathews looked good for a while when he was batting. Mathews will be hoping that his senior players in Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne come to the party, if they do not, as things look at present, a whitewash could be a possibility in the series.

Prediction

England to win

Betting odds (betfair)

  • England to win: 3/10
  • Draw: 10/3
  • Sri Lanka to win:10

Team News

England

Possible XI: Alastair Cook (C), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steve Finn

Sri Lanka

Possible XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Angelo Mathews (C), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dasun Shanaka, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Sharminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep.

England