Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat in the first day of the three-Test series against England. The decision was seen as the right one, with the pitch expected to be dry and possibly turn later in the game. Both teams announced their lineups, with England including Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope as captain, and Matthew Potts, while Sri Lanka surprised with a debut for Milan Rathnakeye. The match was overshadowed by the recent death of Graham Thorpe, with England wearing black armbands in his memory. Tributes showed Thorpe as a great player and a kind individual, with acts of kindness towards his teammates being remembered. The series was seen as low-key, with injuries to Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes leading to new faces in the England squad like Lawrence opening and Pope captaining. Despite Sri Lanka not being seen as a great side, they were expected to put up a fight with experienced players like Dimuth Karunaratne and the unique talent of Kavindu Mendis. Ultimately, England was predicted to win comfortably, but Sri Lanka was expected to provide an interesting challenge. The match marked the latest ever start to a Test series in England, indicating a changing landscape in the sport.
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