Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bat against England in the first Test at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
A straw coloured pitch looked to be a good surface for the batsmen but increasingly cloudy skies above the Manchester ground also offered the promise of assistance for England's quicks.
"The pitch looks quite dry but the conditions are better than what we've had over the past few days," said De Silva, looking to lead Sri Lanka to just their fourth win in 19 Tests in England, at the toss.
"We know the conditions now, we are ready for this."
Stand-in England captain Ollie Pope, leading his country for the first time after regular captain Ben Stokes was ruled out with a torn hamstring, added: "It's a big honour. It's a shame for Stokesy, but something I'm really proud of.
Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated
Thank you for subscribing!
Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated
Thank you for subscribing!
