England Make Solid Start Under Pope’s Captaincy

First Test, Emirates Old Trafford (Day One of Five)

Scorecard

Sri Lanka 236: Dhananjaya 74, Rathnayake 72; Woakes 3-32, Bashir 3-55

England 22-0: Duckett 13*

England are 214 runs behind

Ollie Pope’s debut as England’s stand-in captain got off to a promising start as his side bowled out Sri Lanka for 236 on the opening day of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

Pope, standing in for the injured Ben Stokes, lost the toss but showed his preference to field first. His decision proved astute as England’s bowlers exploited the conditions effectively, reducing Sri Lanka to a precarious 6-3 early in their innings.

Mark Wood set the tone with a superb delivery that dismissed Kusal Mendis, followed by Shoaib Bashir’s sharp delivery to trap Dinesh Chandimal. The pitch, offering uneven bounce, contributed to Sri Lanka’s collapse to 113-7.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva exhibited resilience, anchoring the innings with a gritty 74. He combined for a valuable 63-run partnership with debutant Milan Rathnayake, who scored a remarkable 72, the highest ever by a number nine on Test debut.

Sri Lanka’s innings concluded when Vishwa Fernando was run out, leaving England with only a brief opportunity to bat before bad light curtailed play. This led to Sri Lanka opening with spin, taking advantage of a surface already showing signs of turn.

Despite the poor light, Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence safely navigated the few overs before stumps, reaching 22-0. The umpires, concerned with the visibility, prevented any further bowling by Sri Lanka’s pacemen, leaving 12 overs unbowled.

Pope’s first day in charge reflected some of the tactical acumen of his predecessor, Ben Stokes. England's field placements were creative, and they frequently employed a short-ball strategy. However, Pope’s decisions were not without flaws, including asking Matthew Potts to bowl bouncers—an area less suited to the Durham bowler—and the misuse of two reviews on marginal caught-behind appeals.

In the day’s closing gloom, Pope was unable to utilize Wood, but the decision to keep fielders close paid off as Rathnayake eventually misjudged a delivery and was caught at mid-on. As the day concluded, England were well-positioned, though trailing Sri Lanka by 214 runs.