But lawrence

Sir Alastair Cook: Former England captain Nasser Hussain said Dan Lawrence doesn’t give the look of being an opener in Test cricket, adding that he needs to have a solid approach in dealing with deliveries outside the off-stump.

After regular opener Zak Crawley was ruled out of the series against Sri Lanka due to a fractured finger, Lawrence was installed as a makeshift opener alongside Ben Duckett. But Lawrence, who primarily bats as a middle-order batter, didn’t make most of the chances – amassing just 120 runs in six innings at an average of just 20.

"Lawrence has got to work out - whatever position he plays, because even in the middle-order they can still bowl outside off-stump - whether he is going to develop patience, become better in that area outside off or maintain ‘that’s the way I play’.