Sri Lanka Opt to Bat, Patel Debuts

Galle: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and elected to bat in the first cricket Test against England at the Galle International Stadium on Monday.

The tourists awarded a Test cap to all-rounder Samit Patel, who will bat in the middle-order and bowl left-arm spin, the third slow bowler in the ranks after Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.

Patel was preferred over Ravi Bopara, who could have played only as a specialist batsman after a side strain ruled him out of bowling in the series.

Sri Lanka left out Chamara Silva, who hit 163 against the tourists in a practice match last week, to play young batsman Dinesh Chandimal.

Teams

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Suranga Lakmal, Chanaka Welegedara, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath.

England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Samit Patel, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann.

Scores	Upcoming	Results
Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings - 34th Match 35th Match - Delhi Capitals v Sunrisers Hyderabad - April 20, 14:00 GMT 2nd T20I - Pakistan v New Zealand - April 20, 14:30 GMT 1st T20I - Pakistan v New Zealand at Rawalpindi No result 33rd Match - Punjab Kings v Mumbai Indians at Chandigarh Mumbai Indians won by 9 runs

Related links

England Tour of Sri Lanka 2012 News

England Retained No.1 Test Ranking [+]

England retained the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings after they leveled the two-Test series with an eight-wicket win in the 2nd match.

England Beat Sri Lanka, Level Series to Stay No. 1 [+]

England defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the second and final Test in Colombo to level the series 1-1 and retain their number one Test ranking.

Swann Late Strikes Put England in Charge [+]

Graeme Swann puts England in charge of the second Test as Sri Lanka move 33 runs ahead with just four wickets remaining. Mahela remained unbeaten on 55 at stumps.

Pietersen Ton Puts England in Control [+]

Pietersen (151) made it England's day despite Herath (6-133). England all-out for 460, a lead of 185 runs in on day three on 2nd Test match against Sri Lanka at Colombo.

Strauss and Cook Put England on Top Against Sri Lanka [+]

Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook shared a 122-run opening stand as England cemented their advantage over Sri Lanka in the second Test in Colombo on Wednesday.

Late Wickets Give England on Edge [+]

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene hit a fantastic hundred to bail his team out but SL lost 2 wickets late in the day and were reduced to 238/6 at stumps on Day 1. Anderson was the best bowler with 3 wickets.

Sri Lanka Opt to Bat; Two Changes in Both Team [+]

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and elected to bat in the second and final Test against England at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo.

Sri Lanka Seek Series Win Against No. 1 England [+]

Sri Lanka hope to celebrate 30 years in Test cricket by toppling England from the number one ranking when the second and final Test starts in Colombo on Tuesday.

England Collapse to Sri Lanka Loss [+]

Herath completed a maiden 10-wicket match haul to take Sri Lanka to an emphatic win in the first Test against England despite Jonathan Trott's defiant century threatening to steal the game.

Trott - Pietersen Provide Hope to Chase 340 [+]

England, set a history-defying target of 340, recovered from two crucial blows as they reached 111 for two at stumps on Day 3 of the first Test against Sri Lanka.