In an intense day of test cricket, England put on a strong batting display, amassing 427 runs in their first innings. The English innings was marked by a commanding century from Joe Root and a brilliant counter-attacking effort from Gus Atkinson. Sri Lanka, in reply, found themselves in early trouble, losing two wickets for just 32 runs.
England’s Beautiful Batting Performance
Winning the toss and electing to bat, England’s top order faced early challenges. Ben Duckett started positively with 40 runs off 47 balls, but he was the first to depart, caught by Lahiru Kumara off the bowling of Prabath Jayasuriya. Dan Lawrence followed soon after, adding just 9 runs before falling to Kumara as well.
The England captain, Ollie Pope, couldn’t make an impact, scoring just 1 run before being caught by Dhananjaya de Silva off Asitha Fernando’s bowling. England was struggling at 42-2.
Joe Root, however, anchored the innings with a classic knock of 143 off 206 balls, hitting 18 boundaries. He was well supported by Harry Brook, who contributed a steady 33 before being trapped LBW by Asitha Fernando.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith tried to steady the ship with a 21-run contribution but was dismissed by Milan Rathnayake. The lower order saw a resurgence, led by Gus Atkinson, who played a remarkable innings of 118 off just 115 balls, including 14 fours and 4 sixes, striking at a rate of over 100. His powerful hitting, coupled with Root’s resilience, propelled England to a strong total.
The tailenders added some valuable runs before England was bowled out for 427 in 102 overs.
Sri Lanka’s Bowling Effort
Asitha Fernando was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, claiming 5 wickets for 102 runs in his 24 overs. Milan Rathnayake provided good support, taking 2 wickets for 89 runs, while Lahiru Kumara also picked up 2 wickets but was slightly more expensive, conceding 101 runs. Prabath Jayasuriya managed a single wicket, dismissing the aggressive Duckett.
Sri Lanka’s Fragile Response
Sri Lanka’s reply started poorly, losing both openers early. Nishan Madushka was bowled by Chris Woakes for 7, and Dimuth Karunaratne followed him back to the pavilion after being clean bowled by Olly Stone for 7. Pathum Nissanka managed to remain unbeaten on 10, but Sri Lanka’s innings was already in trouble at 32-2 after just 9.1 overs.
With two wickets down and plenty of work to do, Sri Lanka will need a strong batting performance from their middle order to recover from this early setback. England, on the other hand, will be looking to capitalize on their strong start and put further pressure on the Sri Lankan batsmen.
