The pacer Olly Stone has been added to England’s Playing 11 for the second test in Sri Lanka’s tour of England 2024 replacing injured Mark Wood. Stone is set to make his first test appearance since 2021 and will be the only change to the side.
Mark Wood has been ruled out for the remaining two tests in the series after picking up a thigh strain on day three of the opening test at Headingley.
Uncapped Seamer Josh Hull has been included in the 13-player squad for the third test. England will be go with the relative experience of Stone who won the most recent of his three test caps in an eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand at Edgbaston in June 2021.
“It’s been pretty frightening… the way he’s come in and bowled this summer is very exciting,” Stone said. “Hopefully, I can go out there and try to touch his speeds. He’s obviously up there with the fastest in the world so I’m not sure if I’ll match it – but I’ll give it a good shot.”
Stone has taken 11 wickets for Nottinghamshire this season, but will be joining the England squad for the test series. On the other hand, the national selector Luke Wright has hinted that Sam Cook would come into the squad if Chris Woakes had been injured, rather than wood.
“Sam has been very aware of how we’re looking to balance our pace attack, and he’s close,” Wright said. “I feel for Sam. He’s an incredible bowler, and you’re never that far away. If it had maybe been Woakesy, or a different [injured bowler], then it might bring him into it more.
“But once we lost Woody, we wanted to try to keep that pace into it and have that variety in attack, and obviously that’s where having a big 6ft 7in left-armer that we could bring in, that’s why he got the nod ahead of him. But look, for Sam, he’s certainly on the radar. He’s missed out this time, but it doesn’t mean he does down the line.”
The second test match will be played between August 29 and September 02 at Lord’s.
England Playing 11 for Sri Lanka’s second test: Daniel Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir
