England’s quest for a No3 batsman has taken another turn. In Kandy Ben Stokes will be given the opportunity to solve one of the problem areas in the Test team.
After their practice session at the Pallekele Stadium, England announced that they would field the XI which was victorious in the first Test in Galle in the second Test on Wednesday.
Jonny Bairstow was fit and available but not chosen, an uncomfortable landmark for this England regular, though the management have been extremely keen to point out that he remains a key member of their squad, highly likely to return to the team as a batsman when they resume playing five rather than six bowlers.
“Jonny was available for selection,” said the captain, Joe Root. “Trevor [Bayliss'] and I have spoken to him about finding the right balance for this Test with the conditions we are expecting. He understands the situation and is aware that we have to pick the side that is best suited to conditions we expect in Kandy.
“He is an integral part of our plans and is a key member of our core squad and his experience around the group is important.”
Moeen Ali, whose bowling is vital for England in these conditions, batted at No3 in Galle, scoring just three runs in two innings. He has yoyoed up and down the order in recent times and is expected to bat at No6 at Pallekele.
It had been anticipated that Jos Buttler would be promoted to three after Moeen’s struggles given he had been detailed to take on this role in Galle if Moeen had just finished bowling a long spell in that Test match.
The choice of Stokes, which means that England’s line-up starts with three left-handers, reflects a long-term approach. Stokes’s technique against pace bowling is reckoned to be as good as anyone’s in the party and in England, rather than Sri Lanka, pace bowling is the likeliest initial challenge for a No3 batsman. In this line-up Buttler moves to No5.
“Ben’s game is in good shape and he is more than capable of batting at three,” Root added. “Ben’s technique is sound and he will be able to adapt to this role. He is one of the fittest guys in the side so the intensity of batting in the top order and being one of three seamers will not faze him.”
Earlier Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain, the pace bowler Suranga Lakmal, said that Akila Dananjaya would retain his place in his team.
Dananjaya had a difficult match in Galle, where he took two expensive wickets and scored eight runs, and then was reported for a suspect action. He is available for selection during the fortnight testing period laid down by the ICC and the Sri Lankans have kept faith in him on a dry surface that is expected to help spin bowlers from early on in the game.
Lakmal will be the solitary pace bowler in the Sri Lankan side. They have yet to decide whether Roshen Silva or a potential debutant, Charith Asalanka, will replace their injured captain, Dinesh Chandimal.
Meanwhile, Dilhara Lokuhettige has become the third former Sri Lanka player in the past month to be hit with corruption charges.
The case of the 38-year-old, who won nine one-day and two Twenty20 caps for his country, involves three charges that relate to breaches of the Emirates Cricket Board’s code during last year’s T10 Cricket League in the United Arab Emirates.
