Sri Lanka recovered from slumping to six for three after seven overs to post a respectable 236 on Day 1 of the first Test against England on the back of half-centuries by captain Dhananjaya de Silva and debutant Milan Rathnayake at Old Trafford here on Wednesday.
England was 22-0 in its reply before bad light brought about an early end to play in Manchester on a day that started with an emotional tribute to the late England batter Graham Thorpe.
Following a dominant 3-0 series win over the West Indies, England — missing captain Ben Stokes because of injury — started in similar vein against the Sri Lankans by taking three quick early wickets and later reducing the tourists, who won the toss, to 40-4 and 113-7 on what looked a dry and hard pitch that favored batters.
However, Sri Lanka’s tail wagged with de Silva hitting an 84-ball 74 and fast bowler Rathnayake hitting six fours and two sixes in a 72 in his first innings in test cricket.
It got Sri Lanka well beyond 200 and gave England something to think about.
England survive 4 overs
England openers Ben Duckett (13) and Dan Lawrence (9) survived four overs in fading light before the players were taken off.
Chris Woakes starred with the ball for the hosts, taking 3-32 off his 11 overs including claiming the wickets of Nishan Madushka (4) and Angelo Mathews (0) in the same maiden over to have Sri Lanka three batters down. Gus Atkinson took the first wicket when Dimuth Karunaratne (2) edged behind.
Kusal Mendis (24) then attempted to fend off a sharp, rising delivery from Mark Wood and looped it off his right thumb to second slip.
And when a delivery by offspinner Shoaib Bashir barely bounced and trapped Dinesh Chandimal lbw for 17 just before lunch, Sri Lanka went to the break on 80-5 and in real trouble.
De Silva got his team out of it chiefly by putting on an eighth-wicket partnership of 63 with Rathnayake, after the departures of Kamindu Mendis (12) and Prabath Jayasuriya (10).
De Silva hit eight fours in his 14th test half-century. He eventually edged to leg slip to give Bashir (3-55) his second wicket.
Rathnayake wasn’t finished and got his own fifty, before holing out to mid-on off Bashir.
Ollie Pope was filling in as captain for England and Lawrence was deputizing as opener for Zak Crawley, who broke a finger in the West Indies series.