The England’s test captain, Joe Root hopes that his twin spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach can perform to the best in the Sri Lanka tour. They will be tested on surfaces at Taunton when the first Test against Sri Lanka gets underway in Galle.
The match that is yet to start from 14 Jan (Thursday) will be critical for the new spin bowlers in the England’s squad. Besides, Moeen Ali is being ruled out of the series after testing positive for Covid-19 on arrival.
England’s match practice is limited to two days of intra-squad warm-ups in Hambantota while their most experienced spinner is being ruled out. Joe Root is relying on his players to lean on prior experience to overcome their unavoidable rustiness.
Dom Bess has featured in all six home Tests against West Indies and Pakistan last summer, even though he has not yet played a Test in Asian conditions, with his only two overseas Tests coming against South Africa at Cape Town and Port Elizabeth last January.
Leach has played a significant role on England’s last completed tour in 2018-19. He was the joint-leading wicket-taker alongside Moeen with 18 scalps in their 3-0 series win. Bess is the current incumbent in the Test team.
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