On the opening day of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, England, under the temporary captaincy of Ollie Pope, showcased a commanding performance by dismissing Sri Lanka for 236.
Pope, stepping in for the injured Ben Stokes, began his captaincy by losing the toss. However, he had intended to field first, a decision that quickly paid off as Sri Lanka crumbled to 6-3 in the early stages.
Mark Wood set the tone with a fierce delivery that dismissed Kusal Mendis, while Shoaib Bashir followed up with a low-bouncing ball that trapped Dinesh Chandimal, as the pitch's inconsistent bounce contributed to Sri Lanka's struggle, leaving them reeling at 113-7.
It was captain Dhananjaya de Silva who stood resilient, guiding Sri Lanka to a more respectable total. He forged a crucial partnership of 63 runs for the eighth wicket with Milan Rathnayake, a debutant seam bowler who was playing his first Test match.
Even after Dhananjaya was caught at leg slip by Bashir for a well-fought 74, Rathnayake continued to impress, reaching 72, which marked the highest score ever achieved by a number nine batsman on his Test debut.
The Sri Lankan innings concluded when Vishwa Fernando was run out, but by that time, the light had deteriorated so much that England's pace bowlers were unable to continue.
As a result, Sri Lanka had to rely on spin to open their bowling, which wasn't necessarily a disadvantage on a pitch that had already begun to show signs of turn.
In the four overs that followed, Ben Duckett and the returning Dan Lawrence guided England to 22-0. Sri Lanka hoped to bring in their pacers, but the umpires intervened due to poor light, leaving 12 overs unbowled for the day.