England v Sri Lanka betting tips & preview 1st Test at Leeds - England hope to make a winning start to their summer

The English summer will start in earnest on Thursday, May 19 when England take on Sri Lanka in the first Test of a three-match series. The contest will be played at Headingley.

Bet on the England v Sri Lanka 1st Test live at bet365 ^[1]

England have done quite well in Test cricket in the last year or so. The side won the Ashes last year with a match to spare before being drubbed by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in a two-match series. However, at the turn of the year, England did extremely well to win a four-match Test series in South Africa.

Sri Lanka have not played any Test cricket this year with the side mainly playing limited overs cricket, especially Twenty20. Their last involvement in the five-day game saw them fall to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Kiwis in New Zealand. The Lankans were also beaten by India 2-1 in a three-Test series before claiming a 2-0 victory in as many matches against the West Indies.

Angelo Matthews will not be able to call upon the services of Dhammika Prasad for the first Test after the bowler was injured in the warm-up match against Essex. The bowler had claimed a five-for against England a couple of years ago as Sri Lanka won a historic Test series against England.

The Lankans are an inexperienced lot but what they lack in experience, they make up for with determination. Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, and Kusal Mendis will be key with the bat. Dasun Shanaka claimed a ton in the practice game against Leicestershire and the Lankans will need contributions from their lower order batsmen.

Alastair Cook will lead England once more on the backs of success in South Africa. The skipper will need to lead the way with the bat following some unconvincing performances. Alex Hales will need to adjust to the five-day game but Joe Root shall have no such problems. He is a key man in this England side besides Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Steve Finn and Stuart Broad.

The visitors had the last laugh when these two sides met for the last time in a two-match series. They sealed the series win with a victory at this venue. With fond memories of this place, they will look to start with a bang.

Match starts at 11 am local time (10 am GMT).

Tips:

Joe Root to top-score for England: 3/1 (Stan James ^[2])