Sri Lanka have an excellent opportunity to register their first series and Test win on England soil at the Headingley Test, after snatching a dramatic draw at the Lord's.
Angelo Mathews-led side showed grit and determination in the series opener, but batting collapse in the final day, when James Anderson and company utilised the overcast conditions, raised fingers on Lanka's ability to play the moving ball.
The Headingley pitch has traditional favored seamers and with a bit of grass covering, it is expected to have more zip compared to the first Test. But with sunny forecast, atleast for first few days, the Islanders can expect their Kumar Sangakkara-led batting line up to put a fine display against the English bowlers.
On the other hand, England finally managed to break their losing streak with a draw, however, they would have hoped for a better result. Skipper Alastair Cook would be heading with a lot of confidence in the upcoming fixture after narrowly missing out on a win in the Lord's Test.
England will be banking on their in-form batsmen Joe Root, who struck a double hundred, and Gary Ballance, who made an unbeaten ton in the second innings, to again put a fine display. However, the form of skipper Cook and his new partner Sam Robson is a bit of concern.
The England captain has not touched triple figures in past 22 innings and his form is under heavy scrutiny. In the first Test itself, the southpaw only managed 17 and 28 in first and second innings, respectively.
The hosts have no problems in the pace department, as Anderson and Stuart Broad were nicely supported by Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett in the last match. However, they are without a specialist spinner, and Moeen Ali has failed to grab his captain and team management's confidence.
"We know we need a good frontline spinner to balance the attack," Cook said. "You don't become a really good side without one. "At the moment we do think this is the best side, so you might carry on seeing this side play until it feels that someone is ready to play. It is a cause for concern and something we need to address as quickly as we can."
The England captain, however, pointed out his team's performance in the first tie and said he is proud on the way his players performed in the match.
"Last week couldn't have gone any better for us. Yes, we didn't quite get over the line but what we did, I was incredibly proud of and if we play that way in a Test match every time I am captain I will be incredibly proud."
The Leeds' pitch is expected to help the pacers, but Lankan skipper Mathews said they will stick to line and length, before trying anything special. He added that Sri Lanka have some good pacers and they can extract movement of the deck.
"I think the pitch gives us a chance as well," Mathews said. "We've got some good seamers. Rather than making it a flat wicket, it's always good to have a sporting wicket where both teams have their chances. Whatever we do first - bat or bowl - we've got to do it well and set the tone for the game."
Expected Lineups: England: Alastair Cook (c), Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Matt Prior (wk), Chris Jordan, Stuart Broad, Liam Plunkett and James Anderson
Sri Lanka: Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep
Where to Watch Live
The 2nd Test Day 1 is scheduled for an 11 am BST (3.30 pm IST, 6 am ET) start with live coverage on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2 in India. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India HERE. Catch the action live on TV on Sky Sports 2 in the UK, while viewers can also live stream the action HERE. Viewers in the US can watch the game on ESPN 3 while the action can also be live streamed HERE. Watch the match in Sri Lanka on CSN with the live streaming option HERE, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can view the match on SuperSport and live online HERE.
