England make strong start under Pope's leadership vs Sri Lanka

England Captain Ollie Pope’s initial action in place of the injured Ben Stokes was to lose the toss. Ollie Pope’s choice to field first proved right as Sri Lanka quickly slumped to 6-3.

Mark Wood delivered a stunning delivery to dismiss Kusal Mendis, followed by Shoaib Bashir’s tricky ball that caught Dinesh Chandimal off guard. a two-paced pitch with some uneven bounce playing a part in Sri Lanka’s lurch to 113-7.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva demonstrated remarkable determination and skill, helping the tourists maintain a respectable score. He partnered with Milan Rathnayake, the seam bowler making his Test debut, to add 63 runs for the eighth wicket.

After Dhananjaya was dismissed at leg slip by Bashir for 74 runs, Rathnayake carried on to score 72, marking the highest debut score ever achieved by a number nine in Test cricket.

As Vishwa Fernando was run out, concluding the Sri Lanka innings, the lighting conditions were so dimthat England were unable to bowl their pacemen.

Vishwa Fernando’s run-out ended Sri Lanka’s innings, but dim lighting prevented England from using their pacemen. Sri Lanka opened with spin, which wasn’t a disadvantage on a pitch already offering turn.

After four overs, Ben Duckett and the returning Dan Lawrence had scored 22 runs without losing a wicket. Sri Lanka decided to bring in some pace bowlers, so the umpires intervened over the light, resulting in 12 overs remaining unbowled.

Ollie Pope’s Oliver’s Army

When Pope took on the role of the 82nd captain of England in Test cricket, there were periods when captaincy seemed straightforward. England benefited from some poor batting performances by Sri Lanka and the sometimes erratic pitch conditions.

Home players displayed their emotions during pre-game tributes to Graham Thorpe, the former England batsman and coach who recently passed away.

The initial moments were quite chaotic as Sri Lanka lost their first three wickets within just seven overs. However, the situation shifted to a more defensive approach as the visiting team settled in. Strong winds and dark clouds replaced the bright morning sun, making conditions tough for both spectators and visiting batters.

Rathnayake unexpectedly tested Pope’s tactics, first with De Silva, then battling on after the loss of the Sri Lanka captain. Pope led like Stokes, using creative field placements and quickly adopting a short-ball strategy. Pope’s mistakes included asking Potts to bowl bouncers and wasting two reviews on questionable caught-behind appeals.

Pope couldn’t bowl Wood in the gloom as Rathnayake targeted the spin of Bashir and Joe Root effectively. In a Stokes-like tactic, Pope maintained the fielding pressure, leading to Rathnayake miscuing a catch to mid-on.

England’s strong morning under Ollie Pope’s

After a 3-0 sweep against the West Indies, England dominated the first session, contrasting Sri Lanka’s poor performance.

Dimuth Karunaratne attempted a pull shot against Gus Atkinson in just the fifth over but ended up edging it behind. Nishan Madushanka went for a reckless drive, resulting in an edge to Chris Woakes at first slip. Meanwhile,Angelo Mathews misread Woakes, leaving his bat aside for a delivery that hit his front pad instead of the stumps.

If Sri Lanka was to blame for losing three wickets without scoring in just 10 balls, the next two deliveries that took wickets were simply unplayable. Wood clocked 95mph on his opening delivery, then sent one that bounced into Kusal Mendis’ glove. Meanwhile, Bashir’s off-break barely lifted off the ground, catching the unsuspecting Chandimal out.

Sri Lanka suffered a setback at lunch, losing Kamindu Mendis to Chris Woakes, who claimed his third wicket. Prabath Jayasuriya struggled against Atkinson’s bouncers, getting caught by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith after narrowly avoiding dismissal from a no-ball. England seemed set to bat before tea, but then Sri Lanka mounted a strong resistance.

Dhananjaya and Rathnayake dig in

Sri Lanka hasn’t played a Test match in the UK since 2016 and has only participated in two matches outside of Asia since March 2021. On Tuesday, Dhananjaya expressed that his team was looking for more than just their single warm-up game against the England Lions, noting that the top order seemed significantly unprepared.

However, the captain led by example with a determined innings, seizing every chance to put pressure on the England bowlers. He reached his half-century in just 56 balls.

Rathnayake provided valuable support, possibly motivated by receiving his Test cap from Sri Lanka legend and fellow left-hander Kumar Sangakkara earlier that day. He skillfully maneuvered the ball through the leg side and displayed finesse through the off side.

Dhananjaya faced a challenging stumping opportunity at 65 when Smith mishandled a delivery from Bashir, but Bashir eventually claimed his wicket when Dhananjaya attempted to play a shot to Dan Lawrence at leg slip.

Rathnayake kept the momentum going, leading a ninth-wicket partnership of 50 runs with Fernando. He He surpassed the previous record for a number nine on Test debut, striking Bashir down the ground for 71, set by India’s Balwinder Sandhu in 1983. However, his attempt to replicate that shot resulted in a catch to Woakes, marking Bashir’s third wicket.

Lawrence, who was brought back to open in place of the injured Zak Crawley, narrowly avoided a run-out for just two runs when Mathews’ throw from mid-wicket missed the stumps, which was England’s only scare as they reduced the deficit to 214.

Scorecard

Under Ollie Pope’s temporary captaincy, England bowled out Sri Lanka for 236 on the first day of the Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

Sri Lanka showed spirit’ – players reviews

Former England captain Michael Vaughan remarked, “It has been an unusual day. I anticipated that England would be batting after lunch when Sri Lanka found themselves at 6-3. However, true to the nature of every Sri Lankan team, they demonstrated remarkable resilience”.

“Captain Dhananjaya de Silva made batting appear relatively straightforward, even against the fast bowling of Mark Wood. Additionally, Rathnayake was exceptional; he is an impressive left-handed batsman to come in at number nine.

“I think the score is below par, but rain can dramatically change the situation and create uncertainty”

Former Sri Lankan all-rounder Russel Arnold stated, “The skills necessary for playing Test cricket in the United Kingdom differ significantly from those required in Sri Lanka. It is exceedingly challenging.

“When facing pressure, as they did in this instance, the situation becomes even more arduous.

An additional warm-up match would have been beneficial; however, the current schedule does not provide such opportunities.”