England’s captain Alastair Cook, the youngest man to reach 10,000 Test match runs, about five months ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, was presented with an encased silver bat to mark the occasion before the start of the final Test at Lord’s. “It is a great milestone and it has been a great week,” he said.
Cook has an immediate chance to mark the occasion with more Test runs after England won the toss and chose to bat against Sri Lanka. “The first session will be crucial,” Cook said, as if we needed any reminding of that fact. The pitch looked flat and the weather was settled.
Kusal Perera wins his fourth Test cap for Sri Lanka, a relief after a traumatic period. Perera had cleared his name after doping charges were levelled against him during a Test in Dunedin in December.
Between December 7, when he was provisionally suspended, and May 11, when he was cleared, he was not allowed to so much as train with the SLC coaches.
Dinesh Chandimal will keep wicket despite giving up the gloves midway through the Chester-le-Street Test following a thumb injury. Angelo Mathews, his captain, said he was “completely fit”.
England are unchanged. Nick Compton is on notice and Steve Finn keeps Jake Ball waiting once again for a Test debut.
England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Nick Compton, 4 Joe Root, 5 James Vince, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steven Finn, 11 James Anderson
