The Old Trafford Cricket Ground will host the first match of the three-Test series between England and Sri Lanka, with the action set to get underway on Wednesday morning.
Both sides will be looking to put in solid performances in this opening match and England will head into the encounter in sixth place in the 2023-25 WTC standings while Sri Lanka are fourth.
Match preview
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Following a three-week break, England will return to the red-ball format against Sri Lanka, but they will be without their captain Ben Stokes who sustained an injury during the Hundred tournament.
Last time out, the Three Lions secured a 3-0 series win over the West Indies last month and completed the sweep with a commanding 10-wicket victory at Edgbaston, wrapping up the match in the second session of Day 3.
Against the Windies, England appeared to have fine-tuned their Bazball strategy, striking a balance between aggression and restraint by attacking only when necessary and showing discipline when the situation demanded it.
One player that will be brimming with confidence heading to this series will be Gus Atkinson, who took 22 wickets against the side from the Caribbean, including a memorable 12 wickets for 106 in Jimmy Anderson's last Test at Lord's.
Atkinson will be joined with the ball in hand by Mark Wood, who maxed out at 97.1mph and delivered England's fastest over since 2006 against the Windies, while he also took five wickets for nine runs during a spell of six overs in the final Test.
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Meanwhile, for Sri Lanka, this match will represent their first Test tour to England since 2016 and it presents them with an opportunity, one that the squad will likely face with a blend of optimism and caution.
Additionally, the Lions arrive in Manchester with an ace up their sleeves in the form of former England batter Ian Bell, who has been appointed as the team's batting coach for this tour.
Sri Lanka have a perfect record since Dhananjaya de Silva assumed the captaincy, winning Tests against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, while the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya's tenure as coach got off to an incredible start, beating India 2-1 in a one-day international series earlier this month.
That result was Sri Lanka's first victory against their neighbours in 27 years and brought a renewed sense of pride to the island's cricket. It was also the first time that India lost a bilateral series to the Lions since 1997.
However, those who have followed the team over the past 18 months will recognise that there are still reasons for concern, as Sri Lanka have struggled against stronger opponents, losing all four of their Test matches against New Zealand and Pakistan during this time.
Team News
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As mentioned, Ben Stokes will miss the rest of the English summer after sustaining a left hamstring tear while playing in the Hundred for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals on Sunday evening.
With Stokes absent for the Sri Lanka series, vice-captain Ollie Pope will step in to lead England in an international match for the first time. The ECB pulled Pope from his Hundred duties with London Spirit on Tuesday to prepare for this role.
England have recalled Matthew Potts and Dan Lawrence for the first Test against Sri Lanka, while Zak Crawley is also likely to miss the series due to injury.
Sri Lanka's batting lineup boasts experience at its core, with Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne having each toured England twice with the Test team in the past.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Lions have included some promising young batters, including Pathum Nissanka, who makes his return to the red-ball squad after a two-year absence.
England squad: Ollie Pope (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (vc), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake
We say: England to win
While England are missing a few key players, their depth and familiarity with the home conditions gives them a huge upper hand. We fancy the Sri Lankans to win at least one of the matches either at Lord's or the Oval, but feel they will lose this series-opener.
Devesh Jaganath
