MANCHESTER: Jamie Smith’s half-century guided England to a slim first-innings lead over Sri Lanka on the second day of their series opener at Old Trafford on Thursday.
England reached 259-6 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 236, holding a narrow advantage of 23 runs when play was halted early due to bad light and rain.
Smith, standing in for injured captain Ben Stokes, was unbeaten on 72—his third fifty in just four Tests. He formed crucial partnerships with Harry Brook (56) and Chris Woakes (25), adding 62 and 52 runs respectively before both were dismissed by left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who returned 2-58 in 21 overs.
After rain disrupted Thursday’s morning session, England struggled early, finding themselves at 67-3 in the 15th over. Asitha Fernando led the Sri Lankan attack with 3-68 in 14 overs.
Sri Lanka had collapsed to 6-3 the previous day, losing their first three wickets for no runs in just 10 balls. Despite this, Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva top-scored with 74, and Milan Rathnayake contributed 72, setting a record for the highest score by a Test debutant batting at No 9.
After play resumed, Asitha Fernando thought he had Dan Lawrence lbw for 10, but the decision was overturned on review. Fernando later dismissed Ben Duckett for 18 and Ollie Pope, making his captaincy debut, for 6.
Lawrence looked promising before edging a ball from Vishwa Fernando to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal. Pope’s departure brought Joe Root to the crease, who made a solid 42 before falling to Asitha Fernando.
Smith then showcased his prowess, driving Jayasuriya for six and forming a significant partnership with Brook, who made 56 before being bowled by a stunning delivery from Jayasuriya. Woakes followed Brook back to the pavilion, dismissed by a quicker delivery from Jayasuriya.
Scoreboard:
SRI LANKA (1st Innings): 236 (D. de Silva 74, M. Rathnayake 72; C. Woakes 3-32, S. Bashir 3-55)
ENGLAND (1st Innings, overnight 22-0):
B. Duckett lbw b A Fernando 18
D. Lawrence c Chandimal b V Fernando 30
O. Pope b A Fernando 6
J. Root c Chandimal b A Fernando 42
H. Brook b Jayasuriya 56
J. Smith not out 72
C. Woakes b Jayasuriya 25
G. Atkinson not out 4
EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-3, W-1): 6
TOTAL (for six wickets, 61 overs): 259
STILL TO BAT: M. Potts, M. Wood, S. Bashir
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-30 (Duckett), 2-40 (Pope), 3-67 (Lawrence), 4-125 (Root), 5-187 (Brook), 6-239 (Woakes)
Bowling:
De Silva 2-0-14-0, Jayasuriya 21-5-58-2, A. Fernando 14-0-68-3 (1w), V. Fernando 13-0-51-1, Rathnayake 9-0-53-0 (3nb), K.M. Mendis 2-0-13-0
