Sri Lanka staged a remarkable comeback, recovering from a precarious position of 6/3 to post a competitive first innings total of 236 in Manchester. Key contributions came from Milan Rathnayake and Dhananjaya de Silva, who played counterattacking knocks to bolster Sri Lanka's innings. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva led the charge with a spirited 74 off 84, while debutant Milan Ratnayake's gritty 72 off 135 added to England's woes. England's batting lineup faced an early challenge, but they managed to end the day's play unscathed with 22/0 before bad light forced an early conclusion to Day 1.
Milan Rathnayake, Dhananjaya De Silva frustrate England on Day 1
Dhananjaya de Silva, the Sri Lankan captain, won the toss and elected to bat first against England at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Sri Lanka's openers struggled to get going, scoring only five runs in the first five overs. Dimuth Karunaratne's innings was cut short when he edged a bouncer from Gus Atkinson to the wicketkeeper. Nishan Madushka followed suit, being caught at first slip off a careless drive. The situation worsened when Angelo Mathews was trapped lbw by Chris Woakes for a duck, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 6/3.
Kusal Mendis counterattacked with a flurry of boundaries, but his innings was ended by a bouncer from Mark Wood. Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva steadied the ship and looked to avoid further losses before lunch. However, a deceptive delivery from Shoaib Bashir dismissed Chandimal, leaving Sri Lanka at 80/5 at the break.
Sri Lanka's batting collapse
England continued their dominance in the second session, dismissing Kamindu Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya for low scores. However, Dhananjaya de Silva regained his aggressive form, racing to a fifty from just 55 balls. He found a reliable partner in debutant Milan Ratnayake, as the duo counterattacked against England's bowlers. The partnership surpassed 50 runs before Dhananjaya de Silva was dismissed just before tea, leaving Sri Lanka at 178/8.
Milan Ratnayake, the debutant, took on the responsibility of anchoring the Sri Lankan tail. He played a crucial role, scoring a maiden Test half-century with a six over Shoaib Bashir's head. Vishwa Fernando provided valuable support, contributing seven runs to a 50-run partnership. Ratnayake was eventually dismissed for 72, but Vishwa Fernando played a determined innings, facing 62 deliveries before being run out. Sri Lanka's innings ended on 236. Chris Woakes and Shoaib Bashir remained the pick of the bowlers for England with three-fers each while, Gus Atkinson contributed with two scalps.
England's new opening pair, Ben Duckett (13 off 12) and Dan Lawrence (9 off 12), faced four overs of spin bowling comfortably despite the fading light. Play was eventually halted for the day, leaving England trailing by 214 runs with all ten wickets intact.
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