Galle: England were 127/2 at stumps, trailing Sri Lanka by just eight runs, on an eventful opening day of the first Test of the two-match series, here on Thursday.
After opting to bat, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 135 – their lowest first-innings total in Galle – with Dom Bess claiming his second five-for in Test cricket, after Stuart Broad, picked in the XI over Jimmy Anderson, dismantled Sri Lanka’s batting line-up.
The England batsmen then made up most of the deficit before the stumps were drawn, despite a difficult start.
The visitors lost Dom Sibley in the fifth over of their innings, when Sri Lanka used the DRS to good effect – Sibley was adjudged caught at slip off Lasith Embuldeniya. When Zak Crawley, followed suit, as England seemed in trouble at 17/2.
However, captain Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow absorbed the pressure and counter-attacked, putting on an unbroken 110* to help England go through to stumps primed for a second-day assault.
En route that solid partnership, Root brought up his 50th half-century in Test cricket, Bairstow a typically dominant 47*, and Sri Lanka were left to reflect on one of the tougher days they’ve faced in their Galle fortress.
Starting the day, Sri Lanka lost their first wicket in as early as the seventh over, when Lahiru Thirimanne fell into Broad’s trap – he had stationed a leg-slip, and sent in a delivery into his ribs, and Thirimanne promptly fended it to the fielder.
Two balls later, Broad had another when Kusal Mendis fell to his leg-cutter, feathering an edge to the wicketkeeper Jos Buttler. It was his fourth duck in a row in Tests.
There were a few hopes on Kusal Perera, but he was dismissed for a 28-ball 20 as Sri Lanka were reduced to 25/3. It was then that two veteran batsmen, Angelo Mathews and Chandimal, got together to attempt to revive the innings.
The duo put on a 56-run stand for the fourth wicket, off 113 balls. They had taken the total to 81 when Broad claimed the big wicket of Mathews, who attempted a cut and edged it to slip. When Chandimal followed suit in the next over, Sri Lanka were in dire straits at 81/5.
There was a collapse thereafter. Niroshan Dickwella (12) was dismissed when Sibley took a rather fortunate catch at point off Bess, and four overs later, England struck another blow when Dasun Shanaka, who had scored a hard-fought 23, miscued a slip off Bess and was caught behind.
Dilruwan Perera and Embuldeniya both failed to get off the mark, and while Wanindu Hasaranga’s enterprising 22-ball 19 took Sri Lanka to 135, his dimissal, which helped Bess to the coveted five-wicket haul, ended a difficult innings.
