England v Sri Lanka: Stuart Broad hat-trick puts hosts on top

Broad is only the fourth man to take two Test hat-tricks

Stuart Broad took a hat-trick and Liam Plunkett claimed Test-best figures as England bowled Sri Lanka out for 257 on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley.

Vindicating Alastair Cook's decision to field first on winning the toss, England's bowlers swung the ball prodigiously, even in the sunshine.

The hosts could have bowled Sri Lanka out even more cheaply had they taken their chances, with top-order batsman Kumar Sangakkara escaping four times on his way to a score of 79.

But when he became the first of Broad's three wickets in three balls - although the bowler was initially unaware of his feat - it sparked a collapse that saw the tourists lose their last five wickets for 29 runs.

England's good day was completed when Cook and opening partner Sam Robson reached the close on 36-0, 221 behind.

For all the strength of their position, England were starting to come under pressure after tea as Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal, in as a replacement wicketkeeper for the injured Prasanna Jayawardene, shared an increasingly fluent sixth-wicket stand of 67.

In conditions offering enough for the bowlers to suggest a score in excess of 300 would be competitive, the tourists had pushed on to 228-5 and England were in danger of squandering the five wickets shared by Plunkett and James Anderson in the opening two sessions.

That was when Broad had got to work. Sangakkara, scorer of a century and a half-century in the drawn first Test at Lord's, was far less fluent in Leeds and the beneficiary of England mistakes.

He would have been run out without scoring had Chris Jordan's throw hit the stumps, would have been caught behind off Plunkett had England appealed and offered a very difficult chance to Moeen Ali at point on 57.

However, the biggest error belonged to wicketkeeper Matt Prior, who dropped the left-hander on 27 after lunch, a simple chance that lodged in his chest then fell to the ground in his confusion over whether he had caught the ball.

Despite those let-offs, Sangakkara's driving through the off side was looking increasingly dangerous until he loosely went after a wide one from Broad and was well taken by a diving Ian Bell, in his 100th Test, at gully.

Broad then had Chandimal caught at first slip by Cook and Shaminda Eranga held by Prior to become only the second England bowler to take two Test hat-tricks after completing the feat against India in 2011.

In between, Plunkett - bowling much fuller on his home ground than on his return to the Test side at Lord's - produced a brute of a bouncer to have Dhammika Prasad gloving to a leaping Prior. In all, Sri Lanka lost four wickets for one run in nine balls.

That wicket gave Plunkett his best England figures, but having last man Nuwan Pradeep caught behind gave him a first five-wicket haul.

Swinging the ball at pace, he had earlier uprooted Dimuth Karunaratne's leg stump and, after lunch, had the chance for a hat-trick of his own when Mahela Jayawardene was well taken one-handed by Jordan at second slip and, from the next ball, Lahiru Thirimanne fended to short leg.

Plunkett, who had been out of the Test side for seven years before his recall, said: "Eighteen months ago, I never dreamt of this. Now, I'm back in the team and it is important for me to show I can perform at this level.

"I feel like this is just a start. I feel confident and I back myself.

The right-armer, playing on his new Headingley home following a move from Durham in 2012, added: "To pick up five is a great feeling. A few of the Yorkshire guys were here and my mum and dad were here too, just back from holiday in Cyprus."

England were set in motion earlier by Anderson, who began swinging the ball as the sun burned off the clouds to have Kaushal Silva caught behind and, later, captain Angelo Mathews edging to third slip.

If Sri Lanka had the worst of the batting conditions, England were blessed by evening sunshine as Cook and Robson made it through to the close.

Noticeably cautious, Cook was reprieved when an edge off Eranga fell just short of Sangakkara at first slip.

He will return on 14, with Robson, in his second Test, unbeaten on 21, as England have the chance for the first-innings advantage on a pitch already showing signs of slow turn.

Listen to Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott analyse the day's play in the Test Match Special podcast.