Sri Lanka vs England: Former fights back after early collapse

OLD TRAFFORD: Sri Lanka recovered from a difficult start to reach 236 all out on the first day of test match against England.

Sri Lanka batted first and quickly fell to 6 for 3 within seven overs due to strong bowling from Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes.

Dhananjaya de Silva (74) and debutant Milan Rathnayake (72) then stabilied the innings, lifting Sri Lanka to a total of 236.

England’s bowlers, led by Woakes with 3 for 32, performed well but faced challenges as fading light forced them to use spin.

England ended the day at 22 for 0, trailing by 214 runs.

Sri Lanka started with two spinners, an uncommon choice in England, but switched to seamers to dismantle the top order.

Rain is forecasted for the second day of the test match, which could affect play.

England will aim to reduce the deficit, while Sri Lanka will hope for favourable conditions to aid their bowlers.

Play resumes on Thursday.