Summary

  • England bowl out Sri Lanka for 236 - day one report

  • Sri Lanka captain De Silva hits fluent 74 & debutant Rathnayake 72

  • Tourists show fight having slipped to 113-7

  • Woakes and Bashir take three wickets each

  • First of three Tests

  1. How's stat?!published at 16:04 British Summer Time 21 August

    Andy Zaltzman
    Statistician on Test Match Special

    Dhananjaya de Silva has repeatedly rescued Sri Lanka from many tricky positions.

    In innings where they have been three or more wickets down with fewer than 75 runs on the board, he averages 48 with five centuries and three fifties.

  2. Postpublished at 16:03 British Summer Time 21 August

    Anyway, back to the proper cricket and the players are making their way back out to the middle.

    Some rain was threatening before tea, but thankfully it's held off for now.

    England got a huge boost by removing Dhananjaya de Silva just before the break, ending the captain's brilliant knock of 74. Ollie Pope and his team are hunting two quick wickets, and will be itching to bat as soon as possible.

  3. Postpublished at 16:00 British Summer Time 21 August

    Thanks, Mike.

    I actually haven't hit a six since maybe, under 13s? I'll let him have the bragging rights on that one.

    As for my unbeaten 64 from 49 balls in my most recent outing with the bat, though...

  4. Postpublished at 15:57 British Summer Time 21 August

    Right, the players shouldn't be too far away, it's time for Ffion Wynne.

    She's a far better cricketer than me, but has she ever hit a six? And if she has, was it in a high-pressure environment equivalent to the running club barbecue?

    Let's find out...

  5. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 15:53 British Summer Time 21 August

    #bbccricket, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (standard network charges apply)

    Pretty sure Jake (15:42) has found one of my first attempts at making biscuits, circa 1974.

    Rachel T, Lincoln

  6. Postpublished at 15:50 British Summer Time 21 August

    98 runs in the session for Sri Lanka for the loss of two wickets.

    Those wouldn't be bad numbers if they hadn't gone 80-5 before lunch.

    Debutant Milan Rathnayake is unbeaten on 32 from 67, while Shoaib Bashir and Gus Atkinson took a wicket apiece.

  7. Postpublished at 15:46 British Summer Time 21 August

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    I have been so impressed by Rathnayake. He hasn't looked like a number nine at all.

    Based on what we've seen from Vishwa Fernando, I think England's plan will be to keep him on strike as much as possible.

  8. SL 178-8published at 52 overs

    Matty Potts in his skinny whites to bowl the last over before the interval.

    He sends down four dot balls Rathnayake, before he edges a two down to third.

    The debutant defends the final ball of the session, and that's tea.

  9. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 15:42 British Summer Time 21 August

    #bbccricket, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (standard network charges apply)

    Jake Eadon: I found this whilst out metal detecting the other day. The design on it looks cricket related. Does anybody have any idea what it might be please?

    Metal detectoring findImage source, X

    Jake, it's a depiction of my six!

    The ancient people of this land foresaw it!

  10. SL 176-8published at 51 overs

    Fernando makes a bit of a hash of defending Bashir's next delivery, the ball skewing off his pad.

    We'll squeeze in another over before tea.

  11. Postpublished at 15:40 British Summer Time 21 August

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    It was a rather clueless defensive shot from Vishwa Fernando. It was like watching Phil Tufnell bat.

  12. Not outpublished at 50.4 overs

    Nope, he's not.

    May as well have a go, I suppose, with appeals in hand and only a few wickets left.

  13. Postpublished at 15:39 British Summer Time 21 August

    Alex Hartley
    Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    I don't think he's anywhere near it.

  14. Umpire reviewpublished at 50.4 overs

    A second wicket in the over for Shoaib Bashir?

    A rising delivery from the England spinner beats the bat of new arrival Vishwa Fernando, and England are going to take a look for a faint edge.

  15. Postpublished at 15:37 British Summer Time 21 August

    Alex Hartley
    Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    You are kicking yourself as the batter and the captain there. Leg slip has been in there all day.

    He has just guided it straight to him. When you're playing so comfortably and so fluently, you are so disappointed to get out like that.

  16. Postpublished at 15:37 British Summer Time 21 August

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    Oh, it was an excellent innings. He played so well and he will be so cross with that dismissal.

    It didn't bounce particularly, he's just turned it straight to that lurking fielder off the face of the bat. He is quite rightly getting a big round of applause.

  17. wicket

    WICKETpublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 21 August

    De Silva c Lawrence b Bashir 74 (SL 176-8)

    Oh no.

    After toughing out a difficult innings, Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva offers up the easiest catch for Dan Lawrence.

    He simply turns Bashir's ball around the corner to Lawrence at leg slip, a sorry end to a resilient innings.

  18. Postpublished at 15:35 British Summer Time 21 August

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    It's never a good sign when you can see that players' shadows from the floodlights at 3:30 in the afternoon!

  19. SL 176-7published at 50 overs

    Pulled away for four!

    Rathnayake dismisses the penultimate ball of Potts's over, moving to 30 from 60.

  20. Postpublished at 15:31 British Summer Time 21 August

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent

    That was David Gower-esque from the number nine!