England's Dan Lawrence will take the opening batting position in the first Test against Sri Lanka, replacing the injured Zak Crawley, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board announcement on Monday. Seamer Matthew Potts will step in for Ben Stokes. All-rounder Stokes has been ruled out for the remainder of the English summer due to a hamstring injury sustained last week, with batter Ollie Pope assuming the captaincy. Middle-order batter Harry Brook, aged 25, has been appointed vice-captain for the three-match series commencing at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Crawley will also be absent from the three-match Test series after suffering a fractured finger.
England team lineup: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, and Shoaib Bashir.
