England nicely placed to seal rare back-to-back series win

Inexperienced Sri Lanka side there for the taking as confident Cook names team again

Alastair Cook keeps his eye on the ball during nets on Thursday (Getty)

England can make a significant statement to support their growing stature as a team over the next five days by sealing back-to-back Test series wins for the first time since their horrendous Ashes whitewash in Australia three winters ago.

Victory against a Sri Lanka team who plainly look ill-equipped to deal with the challenges provided by both the moving ball and the harsh climate of northern England should be a formality for Alastair Cook’s team. Nothing is ever assured in sport but so complete was the dominance of England’s bowlers in last week’s innings massacre at Headingley – a match which saw the tourists routed for 91 and 119 – that anything other than another handsome win in this second Test would be a seismic shock.

The weather, of course, can play its part, especially in this corner of the country. But with no rain forecast for at least the first three days – and don’t forget Cook’s men needed less time to win in Leeds – England should comfortably seal their first back-to-back series triumphs since overcoming New Zealand and Australia in the summer of 2013.

A lot has happened since then, with a huge turnover of players and two coaches in Andy Flower and Peter Moores having come and gone. Cook, though, has remained and has developed hugely as a leader over the past 18 months. Such is his confidence now under the guidance of Trevor Bayliss, England’s Australian coach, the opener named his team the day before a Test for the second week in succession. Before Leeds such an occurrence would have been unthinkable.

However, Cook had no qualms about revealing that it would be Chris Woakes, and not Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball, who would step into the void left by the knee injury to Ben Stokes. The Durham all-rounder’s absence will be keenly felt both by the patrons of his home ground and England. Yet surgery to a cartilage tear on Tuesday means he will miss the final two Tests against Sri Lanka here and at Lord’s next month, with his participation from the start of the Pakistan Test series in July also in doubt.

Woakes has big shoes to fill in this second Test. The Warwickshire all-rounder has had a stop-start Test career spanning six matches since his debut in the final match of that 2013 Ashes series at The Oval.

Despite a Test bowling average of 63.75 and a disappointing display in his last appearance against South Africa at Centurion in January, when Woakes took 1 for 144, Cook is confident the 27-year-old can show his true ability over the next two Tests. “I think Chris is another one of those guys we have not seen the best of in international cricket,” he said. “He is that performance away from feeling comfortable and thinking he is good enough.

“There is a lot of good stuff he has going for him and he just needs that performance to make him feel settled and belong in international cricket. I am really excited about him playing and he has the next couple of games with Ben out.”

Cook admitted England will miss Stokes, whose absence will see Woakes come in at No 8 and Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow move up one position to Nos 7 and 6 in the batting order respectively. “Certainly a lot of people want to come and watch him play, so he’s going to be a big loss for us,” he said. “But injuries are part and parcel of a side and this gives Chris the opportunity to fill that all-rounder role.”

There is a lot of good stuff he has going for him and he just needs that performance to make him feel settled and belong in international cricket

&#13; <p>Alastair Cook on Chris Woakes</p>&#13;

England’s batting display in the first Test was far from perfect, making 298 in their only innings largely on the back of Bairstow’s outstanding century. Alex Hales, though, did show encouraging signs that he could be a success as Cook’s opening partner with a determined innings of 86. “Until you have done it at a certain level you always have that bloke on your shoulder or people just doubting you,” said Cook. “So last week will have done him the world of good.”

As for Durham, where England have won all five of the Tests they have played at the venue, Cook is expecting conditions to be perfect for Stuart Broad and James Anderson, the leader of England’s attack who took 10 wickets at Headingley.

“I think the weather is improving and I think the overheads do play a massive part,” Cook said. “It will do a bit but when the sun’s out it will be similar to Headingley and a good batting surface. Given the runs that have been scored at county level this season 400 has been a good score.”

Conditions will be less to the liking of Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s captain, whose players have been hiding under duffel coats and bobble hats during their practice sessions in single-digit temperatures over the past few days. He said: “It’s the coldest weather I’ve known playing cricket.

“The weather can be a factor, but it can’t be an excuse - you have to compete, regardless of the conditions. It was an embarrassing defeat at Headingley. We have to move on. To stay alive in the series, we have to win.”

Yet against opponents lacking the confidence or guile to repel them, England will be confident of producing another quick kill.

Durham teams:

England AN Cook (capt), AD Hales, NRD Compton, JE Root, JM Vince, JM Bairstow (wkt), MM Ali, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, ST Finn.

Sri Lanka (probable): AD Mathews (capt), FDM Karunaratne, JK Silva, BKG Mendis, LD Chandimal (wkt), HDRL Thirimanne, MD Shanaka, HMRKB Herath, RAS Lakmal, RMS Eranga, N Pradeep.

Umpires A Dar (Pak) & S Ravi (India).

Television Sky Sports 2, 10am-6.45pm

Weather Staying cool and overcast, with chance of sun late in the day. Maximum temp: 14C

Series results and fixtures

First Test England won by an innings & 88 runs

Third Test 9-13 June (Lord’s)