England leave Sri Lanka struggling

MANCHESTER: England's pace attack built on a maiden Test century by Jamie Smith as the hosts pressed for a convincing win over Sri Lanka in the series opener at Old Trafford on Friday.

Sri Lanka were 107-4 in their second innings at tea on the third day, a significant recovery after they had collapsed to 1-2 before lunch. But that still left them 15 runs behind an England first-innings total of 358 that featured wicketkeeper Smith's impressive 111.

Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews was 48 not out but few other Sri Lanka batsmen were able to offer the 37-year-old former captain significant support.

England were dismissed shortly before lunch but, with the hours of play extended after weather interruptions on the first two days of this three-match series, Sri Lanka faced an awkward short session before the interval.

And that was enough time for them to lose two wickets in three overs, with both opener Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis out for ducks. Madushka fell third ball when shouldering arms to a Chris Woakes delivery that nipped back off the pitch before Kusal Mendis edged fast bowler Gus Atkinson low behind to Smith. Sri Lanka were 10-2 at lunch.

But Dimuth Karunaratne still drove the opening ball of the afternoon session, from off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, down the ground for four. But fast bowler Mark Wood, surprisingly left to second change, struck with his first ball on Friday.

The express quick had left-handed opener Karunaratne, on 27, inside-edge a lifting delivery onto his body, with the ball then lobbing to Harry Brook at second slip.

It was the kind of success for which captains are lauded as much as bowlers and certainly one for stand-in England skipper Ollie Pope, leading the team for the first time after Ben Stokes was ruled out with a torn hamstring, to enjoy.

BRILLIANT MATHEWS

But Mathews, whose brilliant 160 at Headingley back in 2014 guided Sri Lanka to a series win in England, lofted Bashir for a straight six following a first-innings duck in this match.

Dinesh Chandimal fought hard until a 93 mph (149 kmh) delivery from Wood jagged back into his right thumb and forced him to retire hurt with Sri Lanka 74-3.

And they were 95-4 when captain Dhananjaya de Silva, attempting to pull paceman Matthew Potts — recalled in place of Stokes — was lbw to a ball that kept low, much to the batsman's evident disgust.

Earlier, England resumed on 259-6, with Smith — in just his fourth Test — unbeaten on 72 after falling agonisingly short of a century last time out on England duty when making 95 against the West Indies at Edgbaston in July.

Asitha Fernando had done the bulk of the damage as England faltered at 67-3 on Thursday. Smith, however, drove his first ball on Friday down the ground to go to 80 and ended the over with an equally textbook cover-driven four.

The 24-year-old completed a 136-ball century, including seven fours and a six, by confidently clipping debutant paceman Milan Rathnayake for two off his pads.

Sri Lanka eventually broke a seventh-wicket stand worth 66 when Atkinson (20) glanced Rathnayake down the legside to wicketkeeper Chandimal.

And soon afterwards England were 315-8 after Smith toe-ended an intended cut off left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, with Chandimal holding a tough catch.

Jayasuriya, who bowled both Brook and Woakes with two sharply turning deliveries on Thursday, finished with economical figures of 3-85 in 31 overs.

Tailend batsman Wood made a typically quickfire 22, including three fours and a superb hooked six over square leg off Asitha Fernando to bolster England's total.