England make strong start to life under Pope

First Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day 1 of five)

Sri Lanka 236: Dhananjaya 74, Rathnayake 72; Woakes 3-32, Bashir 3-55

England 22-0: Duckett 13*

England are 214 runs behind

Scorecard

England made a beardown commencement to life nether Ollie Pope’s impermanent captaincy, bowling retired Sri Lanka for 236 connected nan first time of nan first Test astatine Emirates Old Trafford.

Pope’s first enactment opinionated successful for nan injured Ben Stokes was to suffer nan toss. Pope indicated he wanted to section first anyhow and his instincts were proved correct arsenic Sri Lanka instantly slumped to 6-3.

Mark Wood produced a snorter to region Kusal Mendis, past Shoaib Bashir a scuttler to pin Dinesh Chandimal, a two-paced transportation pinch immoderate uneven bounce playing a portion successful Sri Lanka’s lurch to 113-7.

It was skipper Dhananjaya de Silva who showed nan grit and exertion to support nan visitors respectable. He added 63 for nan eighth wicket pinch Milan Rathnayake, nan seam bowler playing his first Test.

Even aft Dhananjaya was caught astatine limb gaffe disconnected Bashir for 74, Rathnayake continued to 72, nan highest people ever made by a number 9 connected Test debut.

When Vishwa Fernando was tally retired to extremity nan Sri Lanka innings, nan ray was truthful mediocre that England were incapable to vessel their pacemen.

That meant Sri Lanka had to unfastened nan bowling pinch spin, not needfully a disadvantage connected a aboveground already turning.

In 4 overs, Ben Duckett and nan recalled Dan Lawrence moved to 22-0. Sri Lanka wanted to telephone connected pace, truthful nan umpires intervened complete nan light, leaving 12 overs unbowled.

On nan time Pope became nan 82nd man to lead England successful Test cricket, location were periods erstwhile captaincy seemed straightforward. England enjoyed thief from immoderate woeful Sri Lanka batting and nan occasionally unpredictable surface.

Some of nan location players were affectional during pre-play tributes to Graham Thorpe, nan erstwhile England batter and coach who died earlier this period astatine nan property of 55.

The action that followed was initially frantic – Sri Lanka mislaid their first 3 wickets wrong 7 overs – but became much attritional erstwhile nan visitors dug in. As nan greeting sunshine gave measurement to beardown winds and grey clouds, it was arsenic reliable to beryllium a spectator arsenic a visiting batter.

Rathnayake was an improbable campaigner to trial Pope’s tactical acumen, first successful nan guidelines pinch De Silva, past battling connected aft nan nonaccomplishment of nan Sri Lanka captain.

Overall, Pope led successful akin manner to Stokes. Catchers were regularly employed, often successful imaginative places, and England were speedy to spell to a short-ball plan. If anything, Pope’s only bum notes were to inquire nan recalled Matthew Potts to vessel bouncers, not nan Durham man’s strength, and nan over-enthusiastic burning of 2 reviews connected mediocre caught-behind appeals.

In nan gloom, Pope was prevented from bowling Wood and Rathnayake sewage aft nan rotation of Bashir and Joe Root. In a Stokes-like move, Pope kept nan section successful and was rewarded erstwhile Rathnayake yet miscued to mid-on.

England swept speech West Indies 3-0 past period and this looked for illustration being a akin mis-match successful a first convention erstwhile nan hosts were each spot arsenic bully arsenic Sri Lanka were poor.

Dimuth Karunaratne tried a propulsion astatine Gus Atkinson successful only nan 5th complete and edged behind, Nishan Madushanka played a chaotic thrust to separator Chris Woakes to first gaffe and Angelo Mathews misjudged Woakes truthful severely he shouldered arms to 1 that would person deed mediate had it not collapsed into his beforehand pad.

If Sri Lanka were culpable successful losing 3 wickets for nary runs successful nan abstraction of 10 balls, nan deliveries to get nan adjacent 2 wickets were unplayable.

Wood reached 95mph pinch his first delivery, past sewage 1 to spit into Kusal Mendis’ glove. At nan different end, Bashir’s off-break practically rolled on nan crushed to trap nan helpless Chandimal.

Five down astatine lunch, Sri Lanka mislaid Kamindu Mendis erstwhile he poked down to springiness Woakes a 3rd wicket, earlier Prabath Jayasuriya was spooked by Atkinson’s bouncers to beryllium caught by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith successful nan aforesaid complete he survived being dismissed disconnected a no-ball.

England were connected people to beryllium batting earlier tea, past came nan Sri Lanka resistance.

Sri Lanka person not played a Test successful nan UK since 2016 and only 2 matches extracurricular of Asia since March 2021. On Tuesday, Dhananjaya said his broadside wanted much than their solitary warm-up against England Lions and nan apical bid looked vastly under-prepared.

But nan skipper showed his team-mates nan measurement pinch a purposeful innings, ne'er missing an opportunity to onslaught nan England bowlers. His half-century was reached successful only 56 deliveries.

Support came from Rathnayake, who was possibly inspired by receiving his Test headdress from Sri Lanka awesome and chap left-hander Kumar Sangakkara astatine nan opening of nan day. He squirted nan shot done nan limb broadside and showed elegance done nan off.

Dhananjaya survived a reliable stumping chance connected 65 erstwhile Smith fumbled disconnected Bashir, yet Bashir sewage his man erstwhile Dhananjaya turned to Dan Lawrence astatine limb slip.

Rathnayake continued, dominating a ninth-wicket guidelines of 50 pinch Fernando. He went past nan erstwhile champion by a number 9 connected Test debut, nan 71 of India’s Balwinder Sandhu successful 1983, erstwhile he deed Bashir down nan ground, only for an effort astatine a repetition to extremity successful nan hands of Woakes for Bashir’s 3rd wicket.

Lawrence, recalled to unfastened successful spot of nan injured Zak Crawley, would person been tally retired for 2 had Mathews’ propulsion from mid-wicket deed direct, England’s only siren successful cutting nan shortage to 214.