MANCHESTER: Sri Lanka, despite a dramatic early collapse, managed to post a competitive total on the first day of the Test against England at Old Trafford. The visitors, who were reeling at 6-3 shortly after winning the toss, recovered to reach 236 all out.
Dhananjaya de Silva and debutant Milan Rathnayake played pivotal roles in the recovery. De Silva top-scored with 74, while Rathnayake, in only his third first-class match, contributed 72. Their eighth-wicket partnership of 63 was crucial, as no other Sri Lankan batsman surpassed Kusal Mendis’s 24.
England’s Chris Woakes was particularly effective, taking 3-32 in 11 overs, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir also claimed 3-55 in 23 overs. De Silva’s innings ended when he was caught by Dan Lawrence at leg slip off a quicker delivery from Bashir. England reached 22-0 by the close of play, with Ben Duckett and Lawrence at the crease.
Stand-in captain Ollie Pope, leading England for the first time in the absence of Ben Stokes, saw his team make a strong start. Sri Lanka, playing their first Test in England in eight years, had hoped for more preparation time, having only played one warm-up game against the England Lions before this series.
Sri Lanka’s early collapse was marked by a flurry of wickets: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, and Angelo Mathews all fell quickly, leaving Sri Lanka struggling. However, de Silva and Rathnayake’s resilience ensured they reached a respectable total. Rathnayake, undeterred by the loss of his captain, celebrated his maiden fifty with a six off Bashir, pushing Sri Lanka past the 200-mark.
The day was also marked by a tribute to Graham Thorpe, the former England batsman and coach who recently passed away. Both teams and match officials observed a minute’s applause in his honor.
Scoreboard:
Sri Lanka (1st Innings):
N. Madushka c Root b Woakes 4
D. Karunaratne c Smith b Atkinson 2
K. Mendis c Brook b Wood 24
A. Mathews lbw b Woakes 0
D. Chandimal lbw b Bashir 17
D. de Silva c Lawrence b Bashir 74
K. Mendis c Smith b Woakes 12
P. Jayasuriya c Smith b Atkinson 10
M. Rathnayake c Woakes b Bashir 72
V. Fernando run out (Smith) 13
A. Fernando not out 0
Extras (B-4, NB-1, W-3) 8
Total (all out, 74 overs) 236
Fall of Wickets: 1-6 (Karunaratne), 2-6 (Madushka), 3-6 (Mathews), 4-40 (K Mendis), 5-72 (Chandimal), 6-92 (K.M. Mendis), 7-113 (Jayasuriya), 8-176 (De Silva), 9-226 (Rathnayake)
Bowling: Woakes 11-3-32-3, Atkinson 16-3-48-2 (1nb, 3w), Potts 9-0-48-0, Wood 8-0-31-1, Bashir 23-4-55-3, Root 7-2-18-0
England (1st Innings):
B. Duckett not out 13
D. Lawrence not out 9
Total (for no loss, four overs) 22
Still to Bat: O. Pope, J. Root, H. Brook, J. Smith, C. Woakes, G. Atkinson, M. Potts, M. Wood, S. Bashir
Bowling: De Silva 2-0-14-0; Jayasuriya 2-0-8-0
