Skipper de Silva’s gritty 74 helps SL fight back vs England

SL’s Dhananjaya de Silva after being dismissed for 74 against England in Manchester yesterday. Pic/AP; PTI

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva hit 74 to help his team fight back from a perilous position and reach tea at 178 for eight on Day One of the first Test against England here on Wednesday. At the time of going to press, SL were bowled out for 236.

With the tourists struggling on 113-7, de Silva put on an eighth-wicket partnership of 63 with test debutant Milan Rathnayake before getting dismissed just before the interval. That was one of three Sri Lankan wickets to fall in the second session, along with Kamindu Mendis (12) and Prabath Jayasuriya (10).

Sri Lanka has fought back from being 6-3 after seven overs and looks set to post a respectable first-innings total after winning the toss at Old Trafford and choosing to bat first on a dry, hard pitch. De Silva hit eight fours in his 84-ball knock, which marked his 14th test half-century. He eventually edged to leg slip to give Shoaib Bashir (2-31) his second wicket.

Brief scores
SL 236 all out (D de Silva 74, M Rathnayake 72; C Woakes 3-32, S Bashir 3-55, G Atkinson 2-48) v England

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