Rathnayake’s valiant 72 shines as Sri Lanka slump to 235 all out

England made an impactful start under Ollie Pope’s interim captaincy, reducing Sri Lanka to 236 all out on the first day of the opening Test at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday.

By the end of the day, England trailed by 214 runs with an unscathed score of 22-0, but bad light halted further play, cutting short what could have been a fuller day’s action.

Sri Lanka's decision to bat first on a pitch offering early assistance to the bowlers backfired. Under gloomy skies, they crumbled to 6-3 within the first seven overs, a disastrous start that set the tone for the rest of the day. England’s seamers, taking full advantage of the conditions, dominated the morning session, reducing the tourists to 80-5 by lunch.

England’s attack was led by the pace of Mark Wood and the spin of Shoaib Bashir, both of whom played key roles in dismantling Sri Lanka’s batting lineup. Wood’s raw pace was too much for Kusal Mendis, who was caught at slip after being rapped on the thumb by a 93mph delivery. Bashir, on the other hand, got the ball to behave unpredictably on a two-paced surface, trapping Dinesh Chandimal lbw with a delivery that skidded low.

Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, was the lone bright spot in their innings, producing a resilient knock of 74 in the middle order. His efforts helped lift Sri Lanka from the brink of collapse, especially through a crucial 63-run partnership with Test debutant Milan Rathnayake, who batted bravely at number nine. Rathnayake's valiant 72 was the highest score ever achieved by a number nine batsman on Test debut, surpassing the previous record held by India’s Balwinder Sandhu.

Despite the early setbacks, de Silva and Rathnayake mounted a fightback, frustrating England’s bowlers, especially under deteriorating light conditions. De Silva played with intent, reaching his half-century off just 56 balls, and Rathnayake followed suit with an innings full of resolve, hitting boundaries through both the leg and off sides.

However, de Silva’s dismissal at leg slip off Bashir ended Sri Lanka's hopes of a more substantial recovery. Rathnayake continued to resist, but eventually, his attempt to further dominate Bashir resulted in his downfall, caught at mid-on. Vishwa Fernando, the last man out, was run out, concluding Sri Lanka’s innings at 236.

England’s response was cautious but effective, with openers Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence taking the team to 22-0 before bad light brought an early end to the day's proceedings. The Sri Lankan bowlers, hampered by the poor light, were unable to exploit the new ball effectively, and the decision was made to continue with spin until the umpires intervened.

Ollie Pope’s debut as England’s 82nd Test captain was marked by decisive and proactive captaincy, mirroring the approach of regular captain Ben Stokes. Pope employed attacking fields and wasn’t shy to use a short-ball strategy to unsettle the Sri Lankan batsmen. However, his captaincy wasn’t without flaws. He burned two reviews on speculative caught-behind appeals and perhaps over-relied on Matthew Potts to bowl bouncers, not exactly the bowler’s forte.

Sri Lanka, who have not played a Test in the UK since 2016 and only two matches outside of Asia since March 2021, appeared underprepared for the challenge posed by the England seamers on a lively Old Trafford pitch. Their top order looked particularly vulnerable, a weakness that de Silva’s enterprising knock could only partially mask.

In summary, the first day of the Test was dominated by England, both with the ball and in the field. Sri Lanka, despite their captain’s best efforts, found themselves in a perilous position, and it will take a remarkable effort from their bowlers to claw their way back into the match. England, on the other hand, will look to build on their strong start and press home their advantage on day two.