Drama unfolded at the Old Trafford in Manchester as the Sri Lankan cricket team was evacuated from their dressing room due to a false fire. The incident took place on Tuesday (August 21), just one day before the start of their three-match Test series against England.
Though it was a fake alarm, it did create some havoc among the touring party. The Islanders returned back to the dressing room after 15 minutes of the incident.
Sri Lanka’s preparation under scrutiny
Despite losing their only practice match, Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva expressed confidence in his team’s preparation. He admitted that the conditions in England are different from those in Asia but believed that the team’s preparations would suffice for the Test series.
“We wanted to play a few matches, but that’s what we get. We didn’t go with the full-strength team. We have tried out a few players as well. The result didn’t go our way, but we had the preparation, I think. It’’l work in this match,” he said, while addressing the media, ahead of the first Test.
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A golden opportunity for Sri Lanka
With England missing key players like Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley, Sri Lanka have a golden opportunity to win their second Test series in England. The visitors have a strong squad, with their batting and fast bowling departments in good form.
Sri Lanka’s probable XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama/Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
England’s playing XI: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir
