In the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, Jamie Smith stepped up in captain Ben Stokes’ absence, scoring an impressive 72 not out. This innings marks the 24-year-old wicketkeeper’s third half-century in just four Test matches. His performance helped England achieve a slim first-innings lead of 23 runs, with the team posting 259-6 in response to Sri Lanka’s 236. The second day of the three-match series was curtailed early due to inclement weather conditions.
Smith’s knock showcased his ability to support experienced batsmen while maintaining the flow of runs with the lower order. He shared notable partnerships, contributing to stands of 62 with Harry Brook (who scored 56) and 52 with Chris Woakes (25), before both were dismissed by the impressive left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who finished with figures of 2-58 in 21 overs.
After rain disrupted the morning session, England found themselves struggling at 67-3 in the 15th over. The Sri Lankan paceman Asitha Fernando led the attack with a remarkable 3-68 from 14 overs. Earlier, Sri Lanka had suffered a shocking collapse, losing their first three wickets without scoring in just 10 balls on Wednesday. Nevertheless, their bowlers had something to defend, thanks to captain Dhananjaya de Silva’s top score of 74 and Milan Rathnayake's debut innings of 72, which set a new record for the highest score by a Test debutant batting at No. 9.
As play resumed under overcast skies, Fernando almost claimed Dan Lawrence’s wicket for 10 lbw, but Lawrence successfully reviewed the decision. Shortly after, however, Duckett fell leg before for just five runs, leading to the overturning of the original not-out ruling.
Fernando continued to shine, dismissing Ollie Pope for six, who was captaining England for the first time in Stokes’ absence. Although Lawrence appeared to settle well with a score of 30, he edged a delivery from Vishwa Fernando to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal.
Root entered the fray with a solid record against Sri Lanka, having accumulated over 1,000 runs at an average of nearly 60 in his previous 11 Tests, including four centuries. However, Asitha Fernando brought an end to a promising 58-run partnership by trapping Root (who scored a classy 42) with a low catch from Chandimal.
Smith, displaying confidence, struck Jayasuriya for six before Brook reached his fifty in just 59 balls. Unfortunately, Brook was soon dismissed in spectacular fashion by Jayasuriya, whose delivery spun sharply to hit the top of off stump. Following Brook’s departure at 187-5, Woakes fell to another impressive delivery from Jayasuriya, which angled in and turned markedly away from the right-hander, leaving England looking to rebuild their innings.