England have announced their playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka, set to begin on August 21 in Manchester. The team will be without their captain Ben Stokes, who is sidelined due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Men's Hundred.
In Stokes' absence, Ollie Pope has been named captain, with Harry Brook serving as vice-captain for the three-match series. England will also miss the services of opener Zak Crawley, who is out with a broken finger.
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Durham pacer Matthew Potts makes his return to the squad for the first time since June 2023, while Surrey's Dan Lawrence will step in to open the batting in Crawley's place.
England Playing XI for First Test vs. Sri Lanka: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook (vc), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
