Sri Lanka vs. England: Stuart Broad and Jonny Bairstow selected for third Test

Sri Lanka vs. England third Test

• When: 23-27 November 
• Where: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo 
• TV channel: live on Sky Sports Cricket

England bowler James Anderson will be rested for the third and final Test match against Sri Lanka with Stuart Broad taking his place in Colombo on Friday.

Joe Root’s England side have already secured the series after wins in Galle and Kandy so the decision has been made to give 32-year-old Broad a chance to feature on the ground where he made his debut in 2007.

England all-time leading wicket-taker Anderson said: “I understand the reasoning behind it with the series already won. With the winter we’ve got ahead, it makes sense for Stuart to get some cricket. He’s not played for a while and it’s going to be a tough tour of the West Indies.

“It’s a good opportunity for him and the team. You have to look at the situation as well – it’s hard work for seamers here and it’s not like I’ve been able to have a huge input on the games.”

A second change for England sees Sam Curran replaced by Jonny Bairstow. Curran has a side strain.

The BBC reports that uncapped spinner Nishan Peiris has been called into the Sri Lanka squad for the Colombo Test. Peiris’s fellow off-spinner Akila Dananjaya was reported for his bowling action in the first Test and will be assessed in Brisbane, Australia.

England team for the third Test

• Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Adil Rashid, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad

When does the third Test start?

The final Test of the three-match series between Sri Lanka and England starts on Friday 23 November at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. Play begins at 4.30am (all times UK).

Third Test TV and radio schedule

Sky Sports Cricket will broadcast live from Colombo, coverage begins at 4am on Friday morning. TalkSPORT 2’s radio coverage also starts at 4am.