Hales, Bairstow stabilise England against Lanka

Both batsmen scored unbeaten 88 runs for sixth wicket and took hosts to 171 for five at the end of second session

LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM: England, after losing the toss, were 171 for five at tea on the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley on Thursday.

Alex Hales was 71 not out and Jonathan Bairstow 54 not out, with their unbroken stand for the sixth-wicket so far worth 88 runs.

Earlier, Alastair Cook was left 20 runs short of becoming the first English batsman to score 10,000 Test runs after falling for 16 on the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley on Thursday.

The England captain started his innings needing just 36 more runs to become only the 12th player in history to reach the landmark after Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field.

Left-handed opener Cook got off the mark with a four and rarely looked in trouble until, pushing out to a wide delivery, he was caught behind off Dasun Shanaka to give the debutant his first Test wicket and leave England 49 for one.

It was the start of a brilliant spell from all-rounder Shanaka, who took three for one on eight balls including dismissing Nick Compton and Joe Root for ducks, as England slumped to 57 for three at the end of the first session.

At the start of the day, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field first in the opening Test against England at Headingley on Thursday.

The tourists' skipper clearly hoped his bowlers could take advantage of overcast conditions that threatened to make batting difficult in the first of this three-match series.



England had named their side on Wednesday, with uncapped Nottinghamshire paceman Jake Ball left out from a 12-man squad and Steven Finn preferred as third seamer in an attack led by James Anderson and Stuart Broad -- the world's number one ranked Test bowler.

Hampshire batsman James Vince, was given a Test debut following the enforced retirement of James Taylor with a heart condition.

Sri Lanka were returning to the scene of their 100-run win off the penultimate ball in 2014 that gave them their first Test series win in England in a match where Mathews scored a Test-best 160.

Their team contained eight survivors from that match, with batting greats Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene now retired and fast bowler Dhammika Prasad, who took five second-innings wickets, out with a shoulder injury.

Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera came in for Prasad.

Sri Lanka gave a Test debut to Dasun Shanaka, who made a hundred in the recent tour match against Leicestershire.

This Test also marked the first fixture of the inaugural 'Super Series', with matches in all formats between England and Sri Lanka carrying points to produce an overall winner.

Teams

England:

Alastair Cook (capt), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson

Sri Lanka:

Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wkt, Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dasun Shanaka, Rangana Herath, Dushmantha Chameera, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep

Umpires:

Aleem Dar (PAK) and Rod Tucker (AUS)

TV umpire:

S Ravi (IND)

Match referee:

Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

Weather:

Overcast 13C, 50 percent chance of rain

Pitch conditions:

Green-tinged surface offered hope of seam movement but grey skies above Headingley. Traditionally give bowlers more assistance than a fundamentally good pitch. Quick outfield should see batsmen get full value for their shots.