England set its sight on a meaningful first innings lead after offspinner Dom Bess took a career-best 5-30 to bowl out Sri Lanka for 135 on the first day of the first Test on Thursday. Scorecard | Day 1 Report | Cricket News
Captain Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow further thwarted Sri Lanka ambitions with a gritty, unbroken stand of 110 runs to close the day at 127-2, trailing by just eight runs.
Root reached his half-century off 94 balls and was unbeaten on 66 with five fours, while Bairstow was 47 not out.
It could have been 52-3 but Root escaped on 20 when he successfully overturned a lbw decision through video referral.
Root and Bairstow came together after left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya removed openers Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley to reduce the visitors to 2-17 inside the first nine overs. Catch the score and highlights of first Test, Day 1 here:
Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to bat. Dimuth Karunaratne has been ruled out with a fractured thumb, and Dinesh Chandimal is leading Sri Lanka.
Here are playing XIs:
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (c), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya, Asitha Fernando.
England: Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (c), Daniel Lawrence (debut), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Dominic Bess, Jack Leach, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad.
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