Sri Lanka’s preparations for the first Test against England suffered a major setback as they were dismissed for just 139 in their only tour match, facing a young and relatively inexperienced England Lions team that featured four teenagers.
By the end of the day, England Lions had taken a six-run lead with only four wickets down, further compounding Sri Lanka’s troubles.
The star of the day was Josh Hull, a promising left-arm fast bowler from Leicestershire, who took 3 for 30, making a strong case for his potential selection in England’s white-ball squad. England's selectors watched closely as Hull dismantled Sri Lanka’s experienced middle order, which included Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, and captain Dhananjaya de Silva.
However, it was Zaman Akhter, a 25-year-old fast bowler from Gloucestershire and a product of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA), who claimed the best figures of the day with 5 for 32. Akhter, whose career has been revitalised by SACA—a program that supports players of South Asian descent who have been overlooked by counties—took three crucial wickets after Sri Lanka’s openers had put on 36 runs. From that point, Sri Lanka collapsed, losing all 10 wickets for just 103 more runs.
Other wickets were taken by seamers Kasey Aldridge and Ajeet Singh Dale, while off-spinner Farhan Ahmed, the younger brother of England’s Rehan Ahmed, was not needed to bowl.
Many of Sri Lanka’s batsmen, unfamiliar with English conditions and having only recently arrived in the country, struggled to adapt. Their performance suggests that Ian Bell, the former England batsman who is set to join Sri Lanka as a batting consultant, will have a significant task ahead of him.
In their reply, the England Lions were off to a strong start, with Durham’s Ben McKinney, the Under-19 captain, scoring 46 off 40 balls. Although James Rew was dismissed late in the day, Warwickshire’s 18-year-old Hamza Shaikh remained unbeaten on 21 at stumps, showcasing his talent at No. 4.
The Lions’ squad had a developmental focus, with Hull being the only player pulled from the ongoing Hundred competition, which features many of England’s top young cricketers.