In a thrilling first test match between England and Sri Lanka, Mark Wood showed off his raw pace and skill, delivering an astonishing 93 mph for the layoff Kusal Mendisset the tone for England’s dominance in the first innings.
Mark Wood dismisses Kusal Mendis with a superb delivery
It was Sri Lanka’s 16th over when Wood’s incendiary short ball proved too much for Mendis, who struggled to steady the ship after the hosts’ shaky start. A delivery that spun from off stump left Mendis in two minds. As the ball bounced off his thumb and flew straight at him, he failed to parry it. Harry Brooke in the second slide. Brook made no mistake, completing the straight catch without moving an inch.
Mendis, who managed to score 24 runs off 34 balls, including four boundaries, was forced to acknowledge the brilliance of the delivery as he walked back to the pavilion, visibly uncomfortable with his heavily bandaged right hand before the match. Sri Lanka will be desperately hoping that no serious injury has struck their batting mainstay, given the team’s difficult start to the innings.
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England bowlers advantage
Sri Lanka’s decision to win the toss and elect to bat first quickly backfired as they struggled against a clinical English bowling attack. By the time lunch was called, Sri Lanka had reached 80 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 25 overs.
England’s bowlers were in fine form from the start Chris Woakes is particularly distinguished. Woakes struck early in the innings, denying both Sri Lankan openers. His first breakthrough was when he was taken out Nishan Madushka just 4 runs set the tone for England’s dominance. Walkes then dealt a decisive blow to Sri Lanka’s hopes by trapping the experienced Angelo Mathews who failed to score.
As the players headed out for the lunch break, England took control of the opening day by thrashing Sri Lanka. Already five wickets down, Sri Lanka will need to regroup and find stability in the second session if they hope to muster a competitive first innings. The opening session for England provided an ideal start, with their bowlers displaying accuracy, pace and control to put them in the driver’s seat.
