The three-match series between England and Sri Lanka continues with the second Test at Lord's Cricket Ground, starting Thursday afternoon. England won the first Test in Manchester by five wickets and will look to clinch the series at this historic venue before the final match at the Oval next week.
In the first Test, England took a more measured approach to chase a target of 205 runs. This win marked England's fourth win of the 2024 summer, following their 3-0 series win over the West Indies.
Sri Lanka, led by Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, struggled with their late-order collapses and failed to capitalize on strong starts. Their bowling attack, led by Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya, also lacked the impact needed to break through England's batters.
An area of interest at Lord's will be the umpire’s decision on when to change the ball, following criticism from Angelo Mathews about the ball change during the first Test.
As both teams prepare for the second game of the series, let's take a look at lineups, head-to-head in Tests, match prediction and betting odds for the game between England and Sri Lanka.
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England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test: Line-ups
Confirmed XI for England: Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir.
Confirmed XI for Sri Lanka: D Chandimal, A Fernando, P Nissanka, D Karunaratne, A Mathews, M Rathanayake, PHKD Mendis, D de Silva (c), NGRP Jayasuriya, L Kumara, N Madushka.
England vs Sri Lanka: Head-to-head in Tests
| Team | Match won |
| England | 17 |
| Sri Lanka | 8 |
There have been 11 draws between England and Sri Lanka in Tests.
England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test: Live Toss
The toss of the 2nd match between England and Sri Lanka will take place at 03:00 pm IST, on August 29.
England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test: Prediction
While Sri Lanka showed resilience in the first Test, England's advantage lies in their strong familiarity with the conditions at Lord's. With players like Joe Root in top form, the home team is well-positioned to capitalize on their strengths.
Given their track record and the opportunity to win the series early, England is likely to win in the second Test before heading to the Oval on September 6.
England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test: Betting odds
According to Dafabet, England are the favourites to win the 2nd Test match against Sri Lanka.
| Team | Betting odds |
| England | 1.16 |
| Sri Lanka | 5.50 |