Smith's unbeaten 72 puts England in front as bad light halts play at Old Trafford

Fernando capitalised on cloudy conditions, dismissing Duckett, Pope and Root to disrupt England's progress early on

Jamie Smith's unbeaten 72 helped England secure a narrow 23-run lead over Sri Lanka on the second day of the first Test at Old Trafford, Manchester on Thursday. Despite bad weather conditions, England reached 259-6 by the end of the day, leading Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 236. However, the day was cut short after bad light halted play.

Smith, promoted to bat at No. 6 in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes, played a crucial role in building England's response. His knock marked his third half-century in just four Tests, underlining his growing importance to the team. Throughout his innings, Smith demonstrated his ability to anchor the innings while also scoring quickly, particularly when batting with the lower order. He shared vital partnerships with Harry Brook (56) and Chris Woakes (25), adding 62 and 52 runs, respectively, before both Brook and Woakes were bowled by excellent deliveries from Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya was a standout performer for Sri Lanka, returning figures of 2-58 from 21 overs. His tight bowling applied pressure on England, and he was rewarded with key wickets. Brook, who had played fluently to reach 56, was bowled by Jayasuriya when a delivery pitched in line with the leg stump and turned sharply to hit the top of off. Woakes, after a patient 25 from 65 balls, was also dismissed by Jayasuriya with a ball that spun viciously, leaving him confused as it crashed into his stumps.

Earlier in the day, after rain washed out the first session, Sri Lanka made the most of the cloudy conditions. Fast bowler Asitha Fernando opened with an impressive spell, dismissing Ben Duckett lbw for 18 after a successful review. Fernando also broke through the defences of stand-in captain Ollie Pope, bowling him for six. His efforts were further rewarded when he dismissed former England captain Joe Root for 42, ending a promising 58-run partnership with Brook. Root was caught behind by wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal after edging an attempted drive.

Despite Sri Lanka’s efforts, England managed to gain a small lead before play was abandoned due to bad light. Smith remained unbeaten at the crease, accompanied by Gus Atkinson. With two days remaining in the first Test of the three-match series, the contest remains finely balanced as both teams look to gain an advantage.