Sri Lanka v England predictions: second Test preview & free cricket betting tips

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for the second Test between Sri Lanka and England, starting in Galle on Friday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Cricket & Main Event, 4.30am Friday

Best bets

Jonny Bairstow to score a first-innings fifty
2pts 9-4 Hills
Niroshan Dickwella top Sri Lanka first-innings runscorer
1pt 10-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

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Team news

Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis has been dropped after a run of four ducks in five innings and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne remains sidelined with a finger injury.

England
The tourists could freshen up their pace attack with James Anderson, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone ready to come in. Moeen Ali will not feature.

Second Test preview

England captain Joe Root could not have asked for a better start to 2021 as his innings of 228 set up a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Galle.

Root's men are favourites to wrap up a 2-0 series victory over the Lankans at the same venue, but they can expect a tough challenge from their depleted hosts.

Sri Lanka were ravaged by injuries on their recent tour of South Africa and looked set for a humiliating defeat against England when a lacklustre batting display saw them bowled out for 135 on day one of the first Test.

Root's double-century gave England a commanding first-innings lead of 286 but Sri Lanka battled back well and briefly threatened an astonishing win, reducing the tourists to 14-3 as they chased a victory target of 74.

Jonny Bairstow (35 not out) and debutant Dan Lawrence (21 not out) saw England home without further alarms and both batsmen played important innings in support of Root in the first innings.

Openers Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley fell cheaply to spinner Lasith Embuldeniya in both innings but Bairstow (47) and Lawrence (73) looked far more comfortable against the slow bowlers, who are likely to do the bulk of the bowling in the second Test.

Essex batsman Lawrence took the plaudits after a fine first impression at Test level but Bairstow will have been pleased with his contribution in his first appearance since December 2019.

At the age of 31, his recall as a specialist batsman at number three represents a crucial moment in his Test career and the odds about him scoring a first-innings fifty in the second game of the series are tempting.

Bairstow's game looked in good order last week, despite coming in against the new ball as England's first wicket fell in the fifth and first overs of their two innings.

The Yorkshireman has fond memories of his previous tour of Sri Lanka, where he made a brilliant 110 – again batting at number three – in Colombo in November 2018 and he should kick on from his efforts in the first Test.

Sri Lanka can take heart from their second innings in Galle, where Lahiru Thirimanne (111) and Angelo Mathews (71) hampered England's victory charge.

However, their top order remains brittle without injured opener Dimuth Karunaratne and it could be worth chancing dashing wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella to top-score at a nice price.

The free-scoring left-hander made 12 and 29 in the first Test but he is a dangerous player at number six, scoring 15 half-centuries in 72 innings.

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