England v Sri Lanka first Test: Prediction, Tips and Odds

England's three-match series against Sri Lanka starts on Wednesday and Racing Post's James Milton has picked out his three best bets for the Old Trafford Test.

England v Sri Lanka betting tips and predictions

Dhananjaya de Silva to be Sri Lanka top 1st innings batter @ 9/2

An injury to Ben Stokes means Ollie Pope will captain England in their three-Test series against Sri Lanka, and Pope is up against another inexperienced skipper.

Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva is preparing for his fourth Test in charge, having been run out for a golden duck in his first match as captain against Afghanistan in February.

Dhananjaya's fortunes with the bat improved dramatically on the March tour of Bangladesh, where he made 102 and 108 in Sylhet before a first-innings 70 in Chattogram.

Batting down at number six could benefit the skipper, given that the new ball is likely to do some damage in overcast conditions at Old Trafford.

Dhananjaya has been grinding out the runs in Test cricket recently, scoring 122, 82, 57 and 10 in two home matches against Pakistan in July 2023.

He has never played a Test in England but scored 66 in the second innings of last week's warm-up game against England Lions in Worcester.

And the stylish right-hander's efforts in New Zealand in March 2023, where he made 46 and 47 not out in Christchurch and 98 in Wellington, suggest he could make an impact with the bat in England.      

Gus Atkinson to be England top 1st innings bowler @ 11/4

Gus Atkinson had a sensational Test debut against the West Indies in the first Test of the summer, taking 7-45 and 5-61 in a victory at Lord's.

The Surrey paceman picked up four more wickets in the second Test at Trent Bridge before signing off the series with 4-67 and 2-28 at Edgbaston.

Five of his six victims in Birmingham were top-six batters – he bowled Jason Holder with a beauty on day one – and he should be backed to be England's top bowler in the first innings.

Mark Wood, who also looked in great rhythm against the Windies, is an obvious threat but he will be used in short, sharp spells so Atkinson could get more wicket-taking opportunities.

Atkinson's significance in the England set-up is illustrated by the fact that he was permitted to play only one game for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, and he should be raring to go in helpful conditions at Old Trafford. 

Highest individual score - Under 138.5 @ 5/6

It may be mid-August, but the weather forecast for Manchester is gloomy this week, which could level up the contest between bat and ball.

Last summer's Ashes Test at Old Trafford featured a stunning innings of 189 from England opener Zak Crawley, who is sidelined by a fractured finger for this match.

In the three Manchester Tests before that one, the highest individual score was 113, 156 – by Pakistan's Shan Masood when no other batsman reached 85 – and 91, so backing under 138.5 in that market could prove profitable.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 139 and 306 in their only prep game against England Lions, when opener Nishan Madushka's 77 was their best effort.

And the highest scores in England's three matches against the West Indies earlier this summer were Crawley's 76 at Lord's, Joe Root's 122 at Trent Bridge and Jamie Smith's 95 at Edgbaston. 

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England v Sri Lanka first Test odds

England - 1/4
Draw - 11/2
Sri Lanka - 17/2

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.