By Dan Lawrence is set to open the batting for England in their upcoming three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. This comes after Zak Crawley was ruled out due to a fractured finger. Jordan Cox, who is uncapped in all formats, has been added to the squad as the spare batter. Additionally, Olly Stone will replace Dillon Pennington, who is out with a hamstring injury sustained during the Hundred.
Crawley injured his right little finger while attempting a catch during England’s ten-wicket win against the West Indies at Edgbaston. The injury has been confirmed as a fracture, ruling him out of both the Hundred and the Sri Lanka series. He aims to return for England’s Test tour to Pakistan in October.
Ben Stokes, who opened alongside Ben Duckett at Edgbaston, will be replaced by Lawrence for the Sri Lanka series. Lawrence has previously batted in various positions from No. 3 to No. 7 during his 11-Test career but has opened only seven times in first-class cricket.
England vs Sri Lanka Fixtures
- August 21-25: 1st Test, Manchester
- August 29-September 2: 2nd Test, Lord’s
- September 6-10: 3rd Test, The Oval
Lawrence has been a consistent presence as England’s spare batter for the past year but hasn’t played a Test since Joe Root’s final series as captain against the West Indies in early 2022. England’s choice to promote a middle-order batter instead of bringing in a specialist opener underscores their focus on player attributes over county performance.
Jordan Cox, 23, joins the squad as the spare batter. He has had an impressive season with Essex, scoring three Championship hundreds and amassing 763 runs at an average of 69.36. Cox recently returned to competitive cricket with the Oval Invincibles after undergoing appendix surgery. He is also expected to be the backup wicketkeeper for the Pakistan tour.
Cox was out for a walk in Battersea Park when he received the call from Brendon McCullum. “I got a text saying, ‘Give me a call back, it’s Baz,'” Cox told Sky Sports. “I quickly called back – pretty fast, just in case he asked someone else to join the squad… My profile picture on WhatsApp is me putting, and he basically asked, ‘Did you sink that putt?'”
Cox admitted he “hadn’t even thought” about a Test call-up, having previously been part of a T20I squad two years ago. “I’ve been thinking more about the white-ball side of it,” Cox said. “I just thought there are so many good players out there, and I thought, I’m not going to be in that yet, if ever, so to get this call was pretty awesome.”
Pennington, who had taken 31 wickets at 23.80 in eight County Championship appearances this season, was a major doubt for the series after injuring his hamstring on his Northern Superchargers debut. Stokes had suggested before the Edgbaston Test that Pennington would be “ready to go” against Sri Lanka if selected, but he is now expected to miss the rest of the English summer. The Superchargers have retained Pat Brown as cover.
Olly Stone, whose last Test was against New Zealand in June 2021, has faced multiple injuries over the past three years. Despite taking only ten Championship wickets at an average of 47.00 this season, Stone brings genuine pace and has an impressive Test record with ten wickets at 19.40 in his three matches.
Sam Cook, who has been outstanding in the Championship in recent years, has been overlooked following his return from a hamstring injury. Matthew Potts will remain with the squad after serving as a drinks carrier during the West Indies series. The first Test against Sri Lanka begins on August 21 at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
England Test Squad vs Sri Lanka
- Ben Stokes (captain)
- Ben Duckett
- Dan Lawrence
- Ollie Pope
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Jordan Cox
- Jamie Smith
- Chris Woakes
- Mark Wood
- Gus Atkinson
- Shoaib Bashir
- Matthew Potts
- Olly Stone
