We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).
We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).
We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).
We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).
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England
205/5(57.2 Overs)
We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).
We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).
We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).
We are back and the good news is that the English first innings will start right away!
... SECOND INNINGS ...
With 236Â runs on the board, Sri Lanka will be slightly disappointed with their batting display. They now face the challenge of making the most of the overhead conditions and the remaining session to make a significant impact with the ball. The pitch remains conducive to batting, and England will be eager to build a substantial first-innings lead and tighten their grip on this match. However, with the fading light, the umpires take another reading before going off and the possibility of further
Milan Rathnayake continued his impressive debut into the final session, reaching a well-deserved half-century with strong support from Vishwa Fernando, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking for Sri Lanka. England's pace attack remained the highlight, with Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson leading the charge, taking three and two wickets respectively. The rest of the bowling unit also delivered disciplined performances. However, they faltered slightly in the later stages of the second session and the
What began as a struggle and persisted through much of the second session saw a remarkable turnaround from Sri Lanka's lower order, who showed tremendous resilience to push the score to 230 runs, a recovery that seemed unlikely when they were teetering at a much lower total. Despite this late resistance, England will still be pleased with their bowling performance on a pitch that offered minimal assistance. Their relentless attack was justly rewarded, taking full advantage of the lackluster batt
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! RUN OUT! A mixup against the run of play and Sri Lanka get bundled out for 236 runs.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, With the round arm action, bowls it full and straight on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it to covers.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Four!
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Straight and on off, Vishwa Fernando blocks it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Quicker this time, full and on off, Vishwa Fernando steers it through third man region for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, 4 Byes.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Turns this one sharp, from outside off and a tad shorter in length, Vishwa Fernando rocks back for the cut but is totally undone by the sharp spin.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Flighted up, on middle and off, Asitha Fernando gets low and looks to sweep but miscues it back onto his pads.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Full again and on middle and leg, Asitha Fernando tucks it in front of short leg.Â
Joe Root to Asitha Fernando, Pushes this one straight and full on off, Asitha Fernando blocks it out.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, 1 run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Nicely bowled! Darts this one quick and full, on off, Vishwa Fernando shuffles back and manages to keep it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, Straighter this time and on off, Asitha Fernando defends it off the back foot.
Shoaib Bashir to Asitha Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! c Chris Woakes b Shoaib Bashir.
Asitha Fernando is the last man in for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller, on middle, Milan Rathnayake blocks it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pushes it quicker and fuller, on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller delivery on middle. Vishwa Fernando clips it towards his leg side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, ! TOP SHOT! Tossed up fuller on off and middle. Vishwa Fernando gets down on his one knee and sweeps it up and over the mid-wicket region to get his first boundary of the inning.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on off. Vishwa Fernando lunges and eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back down the leg. Milan Rathnayake clips it towards left of short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Now this one stays low! Fuller delivery just outside leg. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and pushes it towards his leg side from the toe end of his blade.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, down the leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid-wicket.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Beautifully played! Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot, leans on the delivery and drives it gently from the middle of his willow to guide the delivery towards sweeper cover fence for another boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards mid off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on off. Milan Rathnayake strides out to ease it towards his off side.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, A maiden over! Root darts it very full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando jams it out well.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, From over the wicket bowls it full and on off, Vishwa Fernando strides out and blocks it.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Pitches up on the stumps. Vishwa Fernando once again brings his defence.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, On a length on leg. Milan Rathnayake soft hands it towards short leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on stump. Milan Rathnayake blocks it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Full and on off. Vishwa Fernando steers it towards backward point for a single.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pulls it from the top of his willow towards short fine leg for a couple of runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it back to the bowler.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length, pitching it on middle, spinning it down the leg. Vishwa Fernando does offers nothing to it.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drats this one down the leg. Vishwa Fernando makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it from the crease.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller on off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Does that carry? No, just short it seems.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up just outside off. Milan Rathnayake stands tall and punches it towards cover for no runs.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake places his full face of bat to block it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Pitches up once again on middle. Milan Rathnayake blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish delivery outside off. Milan Rathnayake punches it hard but straight towards short cover for no runs.Â
Mark Wood is seen warming up and he seems ready to bowl but now the two on-field umpires are coming together to have a chat. This time, they reckon that Wood bowling at 145 kph plus would be dangerous under the fading light and have asked Ollie Pope to continue with spin. Hence, Joe Root to continue. Also, the light meter is now out and the umpires are taking a reading from both ends of the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods to cover the stump and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish on middle and leg. Milan Rathnayake pushes it towards mid on for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
It has gone considerably darker out in the middle and hence, the umpires are allowing just the spinners to bowl now.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and rests it down to the pitch.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it outside off.Â
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, A bit flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake drives it gently towards right of mid off for one run.Â
Joe Root to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake rests it down.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and pushes it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Sharp turn! Short of a length on off and spins it in vigorously. Milan Rathnayake looks to crumbles for room and thumps his pad.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fullish once again just outside off. Milan Rathnayake lunges and defends it towards his off side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flatter and fuller on off. Milan Rathnayake prods and fends it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Slower to end the over, fuller and on off. Vishwa Fernando pushes it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short and outside off. Vishwa Fernando ducks under the delivery to make a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length outside off. Vishwa Fernando tries to dab it outside off but gets a blow on his gloves.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Six!
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Quicker and short on off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and fends it solidly.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full and on leg. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from the inner part of his blade towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Halt!
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Bangs short one, on off and angling in. Vishwa Fernando is quick to duck and makes a leave.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, SHort and outside off. Milan Rathnayake pulls it toward deep mid-wicket and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg. Milan Rathnayake hops and looks to clip it but gloves the delivery towards square leg.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller and on middle. Vishwa Fernando eases it back to the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Full-length delivery on off. Milan Rathnayake uses his botttom hand to loft if over mid off fielder. The power is not enough to cross the fence. The fielder at mid off does well to chase it down and only single taken in between.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length just outside off. Milan Rathnayake hangs back and punches it towards cover.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, much fuller on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it towards deep mid-wicket region and gets a couple of runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Shortish on stump. Vishwa Fernando hops and defends it towards left of short leg.Â
Gus Atkinson to Vishwa Fernando, Fullish on off. Vishwa Fernando eases it down.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on leg, towards the ribs of the batter. Milan Rathnayake crumbles a bit for room but does well to dab it towards the left of the square leg fielder.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, WIDE! Bangs short length delivery but it flies well above from the batter. Milan Rathnayake ducks and leaves it alone.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, A bir more flight to offer from Shoaib, on middle. Milan Rathnayake flicks it from his pads towards mid-wicket region to get a comfortable single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller, on middle. Milan Rathnayake plants his front foot to defend the ball towards the right of the bowler.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags his length back and darts it down the leg. Milan Rathnayake lifts his willow up and makes a leave.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up fuller on leg. Milan Rathnayake blocks it towards his leg side.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Short and outside off. Milan Rathnayake eases it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, On a length, pitching it just outside off and angling it away. Milan Rathnayake drives it towards sweeper cover. The fielder at cover has a chase and backhands the rolling ball just before it touches the fence. Three runs taken in the middle.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Shortish and angling it away from the batter. Milan Rathnayake offers nothing to it.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, ! NICELY PLAYED! A bit slower from Gus Atkinson, and bowls it on back of a length on middle. Milan Rathnayake rocks back and pulls it towards deep square leg fence to get his fifth boundary of the inning.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Hard-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake jumps and dabs it down to the pitch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Good-length delivery on middle. Milan Rathnayake hops and tucks it towards deep fine leg for no runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Gus Atkinson comes from over the stump and bowls fuller just outside off. Milan Rathnayake leans on the delivery and eases it towards short cover.Â
Gus Atkinson to bowl from the other end.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Drags his length back outside off. Vishwa Fernando opens his face of willow and guides it towards right of slip.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Flatter and fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando once again prods to push it towards his off side but gets a slight nick on the outer edge. The ball rolls towards deep third man Double taken!
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Fuller outside off. Vishwa Fernando prods and block it outside off but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Short of a length just outside off. Vishwa Fernando defends it down. The ball bounces and loops to keeper.Â
We are back for the third and final session on Day 1! The umpires have taken their places out in the middle as the English players stride out to the middle, hoping that it will be a quick jog back to the dressing room. Milan Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando are all set to resume their stay and keep the fight going for Sri Lanka in this first innings. It will be Shoaib Bashir to continue from the James Anderson end after the break. Let's go...
... DAY 1, SESSION 3 ...
However, the storms were blowing all hopes for Sri Lanka, but their skipper stood out tall to defend his wicket and kept on caressing the deliveries to trigger the scoreline towards the 200-run mark. Dhananjaya de Silva outstandingly paved his way from a crumbled situation and also achieved his 15th test half-century in Test cricket format. His inning has been very crucial for his nation as he was the only batter left in their batting lineup. He also got lucky in the 41st over as the English ke
Right then! The Lankan tail-enders would like to pursue their partnership for the next couple of hours. They would certainly want to survive till the end of the day and keep their scoreboard ticking. On the other side, the English bowlers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Stay tuned, as an enthralling final session on Day 1Â will be up next shortly.
The English bowlers were doing exceptional to pick up wickets on a regular event but it was a huge task for them to hunt DDS down. They tried to attack with spin as well as pace on the opposite ends but they are just not finding their results. There was no visible swing lately and hence, the pitch evolved into a surface where patience and application were crucial for both the batting and bowling sides. But Shoaib Bashir helped his team to get the most wanted breakthrough and won the game of pa
TEA, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 27 overs, 98 runs, 3 wickets. The start after the Lunch break was once again in the favour of the Three Lions. Just after a couple of overs, Chris Woakes picks his third wicket of the innings in the 29th over dismissing Kamindu Mendis. Prabath Jayasuriya walked up in the middle as six-man down but no positive results were popping up from the Lankan batters. Prabath got a golden lifeline in the 34th over but failed to capitalize on it but was dismissed in the
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Goes full and straight, Milan Rathnayake does well to dig it out back to the bowler and that will be TEA ON DAY 1!
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Dishes out a full ball now, angling it across the off stump, Milan Rathnayake brings out the expansive drive and gets it off the outer half of the bat down to deep third for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Hits the deck hard, bowling it a bit fuller and attacking the off stump, Rathnayake gets the front leg across and makes another solid block.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a good length around off, shaping away from the left-hander, Rathnayake leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in on a hard length and around the pads, Rathnayake hangs back and tucks it away to the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, On a fullish length around off and slanting away, Milan Rathnayake stays put and defends it out towards point.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Tossed up full and on the stumps, Vishwa Fernando leans on to defend.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, Oh, that is a lovely delivery! Hang on, Ollie Pope has gone for the review but there wasn't much of a reaction initially for a caught behind and the skipper seems to have just thrown caution to the win here. Shoaib Bashir flights it up on a nagging length around off and gets this one to straighten and drift away from the right-hander. Vishwa Fernando gets squared up as the ball zips past the outside edge into the hands of the keeper. The third umpire ch
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Vishwa Fernando, No run.
Vishwa Fernando walks out to bat next for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! c Dan Lawrence b Shoaib Bashir.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flighted delivery, on a nagging length and on the pads, DDS just nudges it around the corner with soft hands.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A bumper now, over the stumps and this time, Rathnayake ducks under it.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That is so well controlled by Milan Rathnayake.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good length around middle, Dhananjaya de Silva squeezes it off the outer half of the bat towards cover for one as Matthew Potts now falls over on the followthrough.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Goes a bit wide on the crease and angles it back in on off and middle on a fuller length, Dhananjaya de Silva gets on the front foot and blocks it to the off side.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled quite short and over middle, attacking the body, DDS camps back and nudges it down with soft hands past short leg.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a good length and sliding onto the pads, Dhananjaya de Silva with a lovely wristy flick through the mid-wicketn region and he picks up a couple of runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Slows it up now, bowling it on a length and at the pads, Rathnayake manages to block it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Tossed up, quite full and on middle, Rathnayake watchfully keeps it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, ! Milan Rathnayake is playing some fine shots out there. Fractionally short and wide, Rathnayake rocks back and latches onto the width before playing the square cut right past point for a boundary.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up on the stumps, not quite full and Dhananjaya de Silva just blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flights the ball up a lot slower at just 79 clicks, bowled on the pads and turning well down leg, good keeping from Jamie Smith as well.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Ends the over with another bumper, over middle and leg and doesn't get up quite high, Rathnayake manages to duck under it though.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Finally, Matthew Potts goes full and on off and middle, Milan Rathnayake is ready for it and drives it right back at the bowler.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Extra effort put into that one by Potts as he grunts in and bangs in another bumper but gets it down the leg side.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, ! That's well played! Too short around off and angling away, Milan Rathnayake gets up on his toes and uppercuts the ball away wide of deep third for a boundary. The 50-run stand is also up between these two.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Matthew Potts hasn't quite been able to show the same control as the rest of his teammates. Banged in well short and down the leg side, a bit of an exercise for Jamie Smith as he has to really dive across to reach that one.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Shortens the length over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva presses back and pushes it down in front of mid-wicket.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slows it up now on a length and floats it on middle, DDS defends it out.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up a bit fuller and at the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it away to the leg side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Straight up... lands safely though! Drifted in full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake looks to break the shackles with a big heave against the turn and ends up slicing it straight back over the bowler's head. The fielders from mid off and mid on run back but it falls out of reach. A single is taken.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, No, Matthew Potts bangs in another short ball! This is dug in outside off and angling away, Rathnayake fetches and pulls it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, A fourth straight short ball but this is spilled down the leg side a bit, Rathnayake ducks under it with ease. Is the full and straight one coming now?
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, And again! Over middle and at 136 kph, a bit more short and Rathnayake does well to sway out of the way of the ball.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Another short ball over middle, well-directed this time and Rathnayake arches back to let this one through to the keeper.
Matthew Potts to Milan Rathnayake, Banged in short over middle, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and gets on top of the bounce before pulling it down straight to short mid-wicket.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Potts comes back into the attack and bowls it a bit short and well wide, Dhananjaya de Silva with a back-foot drive and he gets it off the outer half of the bat behind deep point for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Back-to-back maidens for Shoaib Bashir. Fuller in length, tossed up a bit and on off, Rathnayake eases it away on the off side.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Gives it a tad more ar and flights it up on middle and leg, Rathnayake watchfully blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Nagging length around off, quicker through the air and Rathnayake again solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drops the length short now on off, turning it away, Milan Rathnayake rocks back and punches it away in front of point for no runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length, a bit wide of the off stump, Dhananjaya de Silva stands tall and plays it on the up but straight to cover-point.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bowled back of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets up on his toes and glides the ball away wide of deep third for a couple of handy runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Rathnayake doing more than a fair job for now. Hard length, angled in from around the stumps, Rathnayake presses back to defend and gets an inside edge towards backward square leg for one.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard length around off stump, DDS punches it away towards the cover region and picks up a single.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Almost the perfect yorker but equalled well kept out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, A firm call of 'No' from Dhananjaya de Silva and it is the right call. Hard length, angling into the off pole, DDS presses back and blocks it to covers and the batters look for one but DDS sends Rathnayake back.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Maiden! Nagging length, darted in on middle, Milan Rathnayake stays watchful and blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flghted up on the pads, a bit of drift in and holding in the pitch as well, Rathnayake blocks it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Pulls the length back and drifts it onto middle, Rathnayake gets right behind the line and makes another good block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Flighted delivery, angled into the pads, Rathnayake plays it with and open stance and blocks it in front of short leg.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Comes from around the wicket now and angles in a short ball at the body, Rathnayake gets inside the line and awkwardly keeps the pull shot down to fine leg for one more.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and just angling down, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it off the body and down to fine leg for a single.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Mark Wood goes for the yorker but overpitches it outside off at 147 kph, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and squeezes it away through the cover-point region for three more runs. The 150 is now up for Sri Lanka.
Milan Rathnayake has been hit on the glove and seems to be in pain! The physio comes sprinting out as Rathnayake gets some medical attention. Right then, he now looks good to resume his stay at the crease.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Oh, that must have stung and Milan Rathnayake is calling for the physio right away.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Really well played by the debutant. Banged in short over the stumps and angling away, Rathnayake has a bit of time as he leans back and pulls it flat and in front of square for a couple of runs.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Uh, oh! That's a stumping opportunity missed! Dhananjaya de Silva advances early again and Shoaib Bashir manages to drift one full and past the off stump, DDS can't get bat on it but luckily for him, Jamie Smith is unable to gather the ball cleanly.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done again by the Lankan skipper.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Firmly struck!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva is early to come down the pitch, Shoaib Bashir sees him coming and flights it up into the pads, DDS ends padding it away.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Good length, on off and sliding on, Rathnayake gets nicely on the front foot and plays it gently to covers.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, The hard length now, around leg stump and slanting across, Milan Rathnayake hangs back and plays all over the ball, getting hit on the thigh pad.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is dug in halfway at around 145 kph but it is just down the leg side and Rathnayake ducks under it with ease.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitched up on the legs of the batter at 145 kph, Dhananjaya de Silva gets inside the line and flicks it down to fine leg for a single. DDS trusting his partner with a single off the first ball.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Floated up on middle and leg stump, Milan Rathnayake stays on the front foot and defends it down the pitch.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drags the length back a bit and angles it into the stumps, Rathnayake looks to p;ay from the crease but gets an inside edge instead.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Another one that is drifted in, a smidge fuller and onto middle, Milan Rathnayake solidly blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fuller in length now and around off, drifting back in, Rathnayake leans on to make the block.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Drinks break! Another hour of play has gone by on Day 1 and not much has changed from the first session. England have dominated proceedings with the ball once again and even though Sri Lanka have managed to muster up some runs, they are in serious danger of being bundled out inside the first two sessions. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva has been the only shining light so far and he will look to do as much possible with the tail in order to get the Lankans close to the 200-run mark. Let's find out
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Too full and on the stumps, Milan Rathnayake gets his bottom hand into play and cuts it well to deep point for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Bowls it on a hard length and over off, Milan Rathnayake stabs it down the deck with an angled bat.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, ! Lovely shot to get his first boundary in Test cricket! Fractionally short in length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake frees his arms and crisps his punch through cover-point for a boundary.Â
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, Short of a length and just outside off, Milan Rathnayake sways out of the line and opts to let this one be.Â
Mark Wood bowled 4 overs in the first session and bowled with some hostility as well. Can he clean up the tail for England?
Mark Wood to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Nicely done! Too short from Bashir, outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva hangs back and waits for the ball before slashing it through point for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Lopped right up, around off, Milan Rathnayake dead bats it down the deck.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Drifts it full and on middle and leg, Milan Rathnayake does enough to keep it out.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, FIFTY for the Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva! This has been a crucial knock for his side! Floated full and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva taps it to wide of mid off and gets the single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a back of a length and just outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets closer to the line and steers it wide of gully to rotate the strike over.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, WIDE! too short and over middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Continues to keep it short and over the stumps, Milan Rathnayake ducks underneath and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Milan Rathnayake, Angling away, on a back of a length and outside off, Milan Rathnayake leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs it short and over middle, Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it to fine leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! It looks like the skipper will now switch gears and will do so quickly! Short again from Atkinson, on leg, Dhananjaya de Silva makes room and slaps it over mid-wicket for a boundary.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, Fires it quicker and on a nagging length around off, Milan Rathnayake with absolutely no foot movement looks to push it out but gets an inside edge onto his pads.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Milan Rathnayake, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Drags the length back, bowling it onto the pads, DDS rocks back nicely and tucks it around the corner for a single.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Another one that is tossed up a bit, fuller and on the stumps, Dhananjaya de Silva blocks it off.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
The debutant, Milan Rathnayake is the new batter out in the middle. Also, Shoaib Bashir has been brought back into the attack.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! c Jamie Smith b Gus Atkinson.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a short of a length and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya makes room and looks for the big slog straight over the bowler's head but misses.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Oh dear! Just when it felt like Gus Atkinson had provided another crucial breakthrough and his string of short balls had done the trick for England, the umpire rechecks for the height and deems it a No-ball! He bangs it short and over off, Prabath Jayasuriya plays a nothing shot off it and just chips it in the air towards gully where Root settles and takes a simple catch.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Short again, over middle, Prabath Jayasuriya covers the line, gets his bat high and stabs it down the deck.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Continues to provide some sweet chin music does Atkinson! Bangs it short and over middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, With a short leg in place and the fine leg in the circle, Atkinson digs it even shorter and over the stumps, Prabath Jayasuriya ducks down and leaves it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Digs it short and angling in, on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva gets low and pulls it well to fine leg for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Full and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya drives it though covers for couple more.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Drags the length short and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya punches it to covers.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, On a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it straight and Woakes on his follow through sticks his hand out and half stops it.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Angles it into the pads, on a fuller length, Prabath Jayasuriya clips it to deep square leg for a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya looks to steer it on the off side but pushes it to gully.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps it full this time, on middle and off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it with soft hands straight to mid off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length and on middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it to deep square leg for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length and on off, Dhananjaya de Silva presses ahead and pushes it to mid off.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full and on off. DDS works across the line towards wide of mid on for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length on off. Prabath Jayasuriya nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length on off. DDS tucks it towards the right of the mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! 100 up for Sri Lanka. Woakes comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller and wide outside off. DDS slaps the delivery from the middle of his willow through the gap of the cover region to get another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Back of a length on middle. DDS hangs back and blocks it down the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Good-length delivery on off. DDS blocks it outside off.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, ! A bit streaky but still a nice way to get off the mark!  Short of a length again and outside off, Prabath Jayasuriya hangs back and cuts it very late. Gets an outside edge flying over the slip cordon for a boundary.Â
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Back of a length and on off, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to point.
Gus Atkinson to Prabath Jayasuriya, Keeps the line straight and bowls it fuller, Prabath Jayasuriya pushes it to mid on.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short and over middle and leg, Dhananjaya de Silva ducks underneath.Â
Prabath Jayasuriya is the new man in.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Chris Woakes follows up with a nice delivery and gets the better of Kamindu Mendis!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, ! Top shot from Kamindu Mendis! Chris Woakes errs in both line and length this time and pays the price. Bowls it short and wide outside off, Kamindu Mendis hangs back and punches it through point for a boundary.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on off, Kamindu Mendis defends it out.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Bowls it nicely, on a good length just in and around off and gets the ball to nip back in, Kamindu Mendis plays for the line going away but gets pinged on the inner half of the bat with the inward movement.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Short of a good length and onto the stumps, Kamindu Mendis blocks it down the deck.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Angling across on a fuller length, outside off, Kamindu Mendis is happy to leave it alone.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, A beauty to end the over! Nails the toe-crushing yorker on middle and off, Dhananjaya de Silva is equal to the task and manages to dig it out in time.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kamindu Mendis, Nice shot from Kamindu Mendis! On a back of a length and width offered outside off, Mendis quickly goes back in the crease and punches it through cover-point for three good runs.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Slightly short of a length and outside off, Dhananjaya de Silva gets across and lifts his front leg before pulling it to deep mid-wicket for a single.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Length, on off, Dhananjaya de Silva offers a solid front foot defence.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Atkinson lands it full and on middle, Dhananjaya de Silva looks for the flick but gets an outside edge that flies all along the turf straight to gully.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a back of a length and angling away, outside off, Kamindu Mendis rides the bounce initially but then withdraws his pull letting it go past to the keeper. A maiden from Chris Woakes to start this session!
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and on the stumps, Kamindu Mendis opens up his stance and tucks it back onto the strip.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Nicely left! Woakes bangs it on a length, outside off and gets the ball to shape back in, Kamindu Mendis puts his front leg out and watches the ball very closely before making the leave.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller one from Woakes, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis jams it to the left of gully who dives and makes a good stop.Â
Chris Woakes to operate from the other end.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Starts from over the wicket and hits the length right, in and around off, Kamindu Mendis gets his front leg across and pats it down in front of point.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Continues to keep the line on the hips and pushes the length a bit forward, Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it to the leg side.Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Nearly chopped it back onto the stumps!Â
Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva, Starts from over the wicket and bowls it full and attacking the off stump line, Dhananjaya de Silva gets right behind the line and pushes it to mid on.Â
We are back for the post-Lunch session on Day 1! The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Sri Lankan skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva is all set to resume his stay on the crease alongside Kamindu Mendis. It will be Gus Atkinson who will get proceedings underway with the ball after the interval. Let's play...
... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...
Right then, plenty of action in the first session but this is just the beginning and now both teams will look to find some consistency in the post-Lunch session. England will look to get through to the Lankan tail whereas DDS and Co will look to lose as few wickets as possible while mustering up some vital runs. Join us at 6.10 pm IST (12.40 pm GMT) for the second session on Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal continued to hold up one end as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva took on the mantle of keeping the scoreboard ticking and another budding partnership was formed only to be broken less than 10 minutes before the Lunch break as a ball from Shoaib Bashir kept really low and caught Chandimal on the pads right in front of the stumps. This halted Sri Lanka yet again and they went into the interval having lost half their side.
However, Mark Wood then came into the attack and he started firing on all cylinders right away, bowling in excess of 145 kph for fun and he made the ball really shoot off the deck. Kusal Mendis was on the receiving end of a nasty delivery that caught him on the already injured right thumb and the Lankans had to rebuild yet again.
The day began with fairly blue skies but the English opening bowlers made the new ball talk well. Chris Woakes kept hitting the right lengths and Gus Atkinson used the scrambled seam to good effect. The par had the opposition reeling at 6/3 after which there was some resistance. Kusal Mendis and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal then stitched together a steady stand as the new ball bowlers wore and Mendis then took on the inexperienced Matthew Potts.
DAY 1, LUNCH BREAK! A brisk first session on Day 1 of the first Test match and at the end of it, hosts England have done a huge amount of damage after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Five wickets fell and it didn't even look that difficult of a pitch to bat on with 80 runs being scored in 25 overs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Fuller on stump. Kamindu Mendis lunges and blocks it out well.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, 2 runs.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Drags his length back on off. Kamindu Mendis eases it towards his off.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up fuller, and outside off. Kamindu Mendis drives it well through cover region towards sweeper cover and gets a couple of runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Flatter and fuller just outside off. Kamindu Mendis strides out and blocks it down to the pitch.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length, angling in towards the stump. Dhananjaya de Silva clips it toward the right of the square leg fielder and gets a brace.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, Full and just outside off. Kamindu Mendis plants his front foot and eases it towards cover.Â
Chris Woakes to Kamindu Mendis, On a length and just outside off, shaping it away. Kamindu Mendis leaves it alone.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it from the inner part of his willow towards mid-wicket for a single.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, Tossed up, on middle, Kamindu Mendis lunges out and pushes it to point.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, No run.
Shoaib Bashir to Kamindu Mendis, From around the wicket to the left-hander, Bashir fires it full and on leg, Kamindu Mendis gets back and tucks it down the deck.Â
Kamindu Mendis is in at number 7 for Sri Lanka.
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, ! LBW! A huge shout of LBW and the umpire once again raises his finger! Dinesh Chandimal had a chat with his partner and opted for a review in the very last second.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, A bit flight to offer and fuller on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pushes it towards mid on for a quick single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Flat and fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva leans on the delivery and blocks it back to the bowler.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length wide outside off. Dinesh Chandimal dabs it towards cover for no runs.Â
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good leave! Good-length delivery outside off, no movement on the delivery. Dinesh Chandimal prods and looks to perform something but ends up withdrawing his short and ends up leaving.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, 1 run.
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Excellent shot! Dhananjaya de Silva is up and running! Back of a length from Chris Woakes outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva extends his arms and cuts it well towards deep backward point for another boundary added into his account.Â
Chris Woakes to Dhananjaya de Silva, Full-length delivery just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva rocks back and pushes it towards cover.Â
Change,
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller, outside off, spinning in. Dinesh Chandimal strides out but thumps his pads. The ball loops towards short fine leg but no runs taken.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Sharp turn!
Shoaib Bashir to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tossed up fuller just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva drives it towards extra cover for a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and pitches up on middle. Dinesh Chandimal flicks it off his pads towards square leg and gets a single.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter and fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal shuffles a bit and nudges it towards short mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Shoaib Bashir to Dinesh Chandimal, Shoaib Bashir comes from over the wicket and bowls fuller on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
First signs of spin as Shoaib Bashir now comes into the attack.
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva hops and nudges it towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Pitches up once again. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards vacant cover-point for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full length now on off, angling in. Dinesh Chandimal drives it gently towards mid off.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Tap and run! Good-length delivery on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva tucks it towards the right of short mid-wicket for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal tucks it towards right of fine leg for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard-length delivery on off. Dinesh Chandimal opens the face of his willow at the end to eases it outside off.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 runs.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Four!
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Fullish now, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva eases it eases it once again towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, On a length outside off, on sixth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva dabs it towards cover-point for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Hard-length delivery just outside off. The ball once again skids through. Dhananjaya de Silva withdraws his blade back and makes another leave.Â
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva with no footwork blocks it towards the short cover.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it towards mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Bangs a short one on off and middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep fine and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, ! Streaky but will work for Dhananjaya de Silva as well as Sri Lanka!
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short just outside off. Dhananjaya de Silva pats it towards the right of the gully fielder for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, 50 comes up for Sri Lanka! On a length on middle, shaping it in. Dhananjaya de Silva camps back and tucks it towards deep square leg for a couple of runs.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Pitches up, on off. Dhananjaya de Silva works it across the line towards mid-wicket for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length just outside off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards mid off for no runs.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TOP SHOT!Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Back of a length on off. Dinesh Chandimal eases it back to the bowler.Â
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Dhananjaya de Silva, Beautiful shot and good running between the wickets!Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Fullish to end the over, on off and middle. Dinesh Chandimal with no footwork eases it back to the bowler.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, pitching it on off and angling it in. Dinesh Chandimal looks to clip it but misses and thumps his upper thigh pad.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Short on middle. Dinesh Chandimal stays low to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, Short of a length once again on middle. Dhananjaya de Silva pulls it towards deep backward square leg and gets a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dhananjaya de Silva, No run.
Skipper, Dhananjaya de Silva walks in with his side in a spot of bother.
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, ! TAKEN! Another one bites the dust!Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, On a length on off. Kusal Mendis pushes it towards cover for a single.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Chaos in the middle, but that costs nothing! Back of a length on off, shaping in. Kusal Mendis miss times his pull towards the right of mid on fielder. There's a bit yes and no between the batters in the middle but they decide to cancel the plan to take a run.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish, around off. Kusal Mendis eases it towards his off side.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Now that one stays low! Good-length delivery wide outside off. Kusal Mendis extends his arms to perform a cut but the ball skids through after pitching and gets beaten on the inner edge.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Fullish just outside off. Kusal Mendis lunges halfway to ease it from the outer part of his willow towards backward point.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Full-length delivery on middle, shaping in. Dinesh Chandimal prods halfway and works it towards wide mid on for no runs.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Hard-length delivery on off and middle. Kusal Mendis camps back once again and blocks it towards the cover region and sprints quickly to take a single.Â
Mark Wood to Kusal Mendis, Play and a miss! Back of a length, pitching it just outside off, angling it in towards the batter. Kusal Mendis hangs back and looks to dab it down but gets beaten on the outer edge.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length around off. Dinesh Chandimal punches it towards cover for a single.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Another one! Short of a length down the leg. Dinesh Chandimal crouches down to leave it alone.Â
Mark Wood to Dinesh Chandimal, Wow! What a way to start the over!
Drinks! In the opening hour of play, England have dominated, claiming three quick wickets and putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. The challenge seems less about pitch conditions and more about poor shot selection and misjudgments from the visiting side. Kusal Mendis has offered a glimmer of hope with a couple of exquisite shots, and his partnership with Dinesh Chandimal now seems to have settled in and will be crucial for Sri Lanka to stabilize and build strong. England however will be aiming
Ollie Pope seems to have an issue with the shape of the ball but the umpire Paul Reiffel, feels it's still in good condition and asks for the play to continue.Â
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Driven nicely! Potts goes full and wide now and delivers a half-volley, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and hammers the ball away through covers for another boundary. Mendis moves into the 20s now.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Lovely shot from Kusal Mendis and Sri Lanka are looking far more relaxed now. Matthew Potts goes wide on the crease and drops it short and wide, Kusal hangs back and taps the ball away not the gap at point and gully for a boundary.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Hard length again and around off stump, Kusal Mendis backs away to open up the off side and eases it towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Bowled on a hard length and just outside off, Kusal Mendis gets on his toes and plays it away towards point.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, Nagging length outside off and angling back in, this one keeps a bit low and Kusal Mendis is able to block it out.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard over middle, gets it to angle back in wth some additional bounce, Dinesh Chandimal does well to fend it away past short leg.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good stop from Chris Woakes.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal watches it well and lets it through to the keeper.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Gus Atkinson drifts down leg with a fuller delivery, Dinesh Chandimal just glances it off the legs and the ball runs away into the fine leg fence.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! And the second boundary follows right away, much streakier this time though. Banged in on a hard length and outside off, Kusal Mendis gets a bt tangle up but manages to slash it away wide of the slip cordon and into the dence.
Matthew Potts to Kusal Mendis, ! Nice, soft hands from Kusal Mendis.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Bowled with an upright seam, on a nagging length and outside off, Dinesh Chandimal stays on the back foot and taps it away in front of covers for a quick single.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Hits the deck hard and slants the ball back into the pads, Dinesh Chandimal tucks it neatly off the hips and past square leg for a couple of runs.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Good length, in the channel around off and angling away, Dinesh Chandimal presses back and leaves it alone.
Matthew Potts to Dinesh Chandimal, Starts off nice and full, attacking the stumps right away, Dinesh Chandimal plays it away towards mid on.
Matthew Potts comes into the attack now.Â
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good fielding! Just back of a length, around off and angling back in, Kusal Mendis makes a bit of room and dabs it late and wide of gully where Ollie Pope dives to his right and makes a fine stop. Saved at least two there.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Good length around the top of off and brings the line close to the off stump now, Kusal Mendis watches it well and blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Through him! Gus Atkinson bangs it in on a hard length at 140 kph, it is the scrambled seasm delivery, bowled around off and holding its line. Kusal Mendis is setting up for the pull but the ball skids through and beats the bat.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hits the deck hard, bowling it around the top of off stump, Kusal Mendis presses back to defend.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Goes wider on the crease now and dishes out a fuller delivery, around off and angling it back in, Kusal Mendis gets on the front foot and punches it away through the mid off region for a couple of runs.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Hard length around off stump, just eased away off the toes and wide of covers for a single by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Chris Woakes to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and outside off, Kusal Mendis leans on the back foot and punches it away, not with stellar timing but through covers for a sngle.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, Good running! Good length around off stump, Dinesh Chandimal jams the ball out in front of covers and scampers through for a single.
Chris Woakes to Dinesh Chandimal, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length in and around the off stump, Kusal Mendis watchfully blocks it off.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Flailed away! Fuller in length and outside off stump, Kusal Mendis throws his hands at it and gets it uppishly through the gap at cover-point for three runs.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Hard length, on a tighter line around off and angling away, Mendis leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, No run.
Dinesh Chandimal walks out to bat next.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, ! LBW! Oh, wow! Angelo Mathews has just shouldered arms at a delivery that jagged back in a long way and gets pinged on the pads. A huge appeal and up goes the finger but Mathews does review it.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Good length around the top of off stump, Angelo Mathews watchfully blocks it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, Oh, that's a ripper!
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, The length is quite fuller this time but again Woakes pushes the ball down the leg side, Angelo Mathews misses the tuck as well.
Chris Woakes to Angelo Mathews, A touch short and around the hips, Angelo Mathews nudges it down behind square leg.
Angelo Mathews steps up to the crease as the next batter, with Sri Lanka finding themselves in a bit of early trouble here.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, ! EDGED AND GONE! Oh, dear! A moment that Nishan Madushka will be thinking about on his way back but for now, England have got rid of both the Lankan openers and pretty cheaply as well.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, On a good length and outside off, swinging away a lot gently this time and Kusal Mendis shoulders arms.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Oh, that's rocketed off the deck and left the batter bamboozled. Nagging length around off stump, this one nips away quickly after pitching and Mendis is beaten past the outside edge.
Gus Atkinson to Kusal Mendis, Bowled back of a length and in the channel around off, Kusal Mendis gets right behind the line and blocks it off towards cover.
Kusal Mendis walks out to bat at number 3 for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, ! CAUGHT BEHIND! Gus Atkinson draws first blood for England and Dimuth Karunaratne is a goner! A short ball out of nowhere by Atkinson, dug in over off stump and just angling across, Karunaratne's eyes light up as he looks to take it on but gets rushed and a feather of an outside edge is found. The ball goes through quickly to the keeper and Jamie Smith makes no mistake. A bit more of an edge and that would have flown over the keeper and the slip
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Drop and run! Dragged length over middle and angling into the body, Nishan Madushka tucks it gently in front of mid-wicket and scampers through for a single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Good length, on the fifth stump line and zipping straight through at 136 kph, left alone by Madushka.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Brings the line closer to off now and bowls it on a good length, Karunaratne shoulders arms as it is angling away.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a dragged length, pushed well wide of the off stump line, left alone by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Oh, that's done Karunaratne all ends up! Woakes pushes the ball up on middle and leg, deliberately angling it away from the left-hander, Karunaratne is drawn forward and loses hs balance a bit as the ball squares him up and goes past the off stump.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Back of a length and angling across the left-hander, Dimuth Karunaratne hops back and eases it away to the man just behind point.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Pulls the length back a couple of inches and attacks the off stump, Nishan Madushka gets an inside edge onto the pads as he looks to block and the ball rolls towards point. They pick up a quick single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Floats the ball up around off stump, shaping away, Nishan Madushka with a solid front-foot block, right off the middle of the bat and the ball goes firmly towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitched up in the channel around off, this one goes straight on with the line and Karunaratne shoulders his arms.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, On a hard length around off and middle, this one pitches and nips away prodigiously as Karunaratne makes another comfortable leave.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, A good-looking stroke from Dimuth Karunaratne and he's off the mark as well now. Fuller in length and outside off, Karunaratne gets forward well and plays a pleasant drive through covers for a couple of runs.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Nagging length, in and around off stump and just angling across off, Karunaratne leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Pitched up on off again, this time, Nishan Madushka prods halfway and eases it into the gap at covers to pick up an easy single.
Gus Atkinson to Nishan Madushka, Top delivery! Fuller in length and on off stump, just nipped away a touch and Nishan Madushka ends up playing inside the line of this one.
A slight delay in play as Ollie Pope opts for a short leg fielder.Â
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good length again and on middle and leg, tucked away neatly towards square leg by Karunaratne.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Woakes keeps hitting that good length again and again.
Chris Woakes to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hard length in and around the off pole, getting the ball to shape back into the left-hander, Karunaratne is a bit late on it but manages to jam it out on the off side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Nishan Madushka and Sri Lanka are underway! Just short of a good length and around off stump, Madushka stays put and blocks it down in front of covers with soft hands before picking up a single.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, There's that surprise inswinger and Nishan Madushka was late on it.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, On a good length, angled onto the pads and trying to swing it across, Nishan Madushka lets the ball come on and just tucks it towards mid-wicket.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, That's loose from Dimuth Karunaratne and England begin with back-to-back maidens. Gus Atkinson bangs the ball in short and wide, angling it away, Karunaratne just throws his arms at it looking to cut but is well beaten.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Immaculate length, just a shade full and on a tight line around off, Karunaratne looks to lean on but opts to pull out of the shot and leave it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Good-length delivery, around off stump and swinging away from the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders his arms at it.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Pitches the ball up on middle and leg stump, Karunaratne looks to flick it away but ends up just blocking it with a straight bat to mid on.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard this time and bowls it around the top of off, Karunaratne hops onto the back foot and solidly defends it towards cover.
Gus Atkinson to Dimuth Karunaratne, Starts from over the wicket to the left-hander and dishes out a full and wide one at 132 kph, slanting it away, Dimuth Karunaratne leaves it alone.
It will be Gus Atkinson to share the new ball from the other end.Â
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, Just loses his line does Woakes and angles a length ball down the leg side.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, BEAUTY! Keeps the length a tad full and angles the ball onto the stumps, getting it to straighten off the deck. Madushka gets squared up and the ball zips past the outside edge. Good carry through to the keeper as well.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
Chris Woakes to Nishan Madushka, No run.
With all the pre-match formalities completed, it's now time for the action to unfold! James Anderson, the local star rings the bell and marks the start of play! The English side led by Ollie Pope for the very first time spread out in the field. Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne stride out to the middle set to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes has the new ball and will start proceedings for England. Away we go!
The two umpires make their way out to the middle followed by both teams who are lining up for the national anthems. It will first be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by England's anthem.Â
England's players will honour the late Graham Thorpe with a tribute before the start of the match, donning black armbands throughout the game as a mark of respect for the cricketing legend.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake (On debut).