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1st Test: Bowlers put England in control on Day 1 vs Sri Lanka
August 22, 2024

IMAGES from the Day 1 of the first Test played between England and Sri Lanka in Manchester on Wednesday

IMAGE: England's Shoaib Bashir celebrates with teammates after taking the lbw wicket of Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal on Day 1 of the first Test. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

England trailed Sri Lanka by 214 runs on day one of the first Test after bad light stopped play on Wednesday at Old Trafford where the tourists' decision to bat first backfired when they were all out for 236.

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and opted to bat under cloudy skies but his side were three down for six runs after seven overs before he led their recovery efforts with a confident knock of 74 in the middle order.

England were 22 for no loss in four overs with Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence at the crease. Sri Lanka, who were unable to get their fast bowlers to use the new ball in fading light, opted to walk off with a few minutes left until stumps.

Earlier, England's bowlers dominated the opening session of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford as they reduced the visitors to 80 for five at lunch on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and opted to bat under cloudy skies but that decision quickly backfired as his side were three down for six runs after seven overs.

With a hard pitch offering assistance for England's seam attack, Sri Lanka's openers were stifled early on and Dimuth Karunaratne was out as he swished at a rising delivery from Gus Atkinson and nicked a top edge to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

Chris Woakes struck twice in the next over, tempting Nishan Madushka into an attempted drive which he nicked to Joe Root at first slip.

Woakes removed Angelo Mathews for a five-ball duck as the experienced Sri Lankan offered no stroke to a ball angled in and was given out lbw -- his review proving futile.

IMAGE: England's Mark Wood celebrates after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal steadied the ship for Sri Lanka to push the score along to 40 before Mendis, who made 24, was undone by a ferocious 93mph rising ball from Mark Wood that rapped him on the thumb before flying through to Harry Brook at slip.

Skipper De Silva played positively to reach 28 at lunch but Sri Lanka were five down by then as Chandimal was out lbw to right-arm spinner Shoaib Bashir -- the ball pitching outside off stump and shooting low into the batsman's ankle.

IMAGE: Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal avoids the bouncer from England's Mark Wood. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

Ollie Pope was captaining England after Ben Stokes was ruled out for the rest of the English summer by a hamstring injury.

Before play started there was a tribute to former England batsman and coach Graham Thorpe who died, aged 55, this month.

Source: REUTERS
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