Unbeaten half centuries by opener Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow helped England reach 171-5 after debutant Dasun Shanaka put Sri Lanka on top at stumps of the first Test at Leeds in England on Thursday (19).
Play was abandoned early due to bad weather and will resume for the second day today (20) at around 11.00am local time.
Put into bat, England had a sound start before they lost skipper and opener Alastair Cook, who made 16, at 49 to Shanaka.
Cook's partner Hales stepped up to the situation as he batted sensibly while Shanaka took two quick wickets of Nick Compton and Joe Root before they opened scoring.
England were struggling at 83-5 at one stage, until Bairstow joined in with Hales to put on an unbroken partnership of 86 runs for the sixth wicket.
Shanaka claimed three wickets while Nuwan Pradeep and Shaminda Eranga picked a wicket each.
The match continues today (20).
England 171 for 5 wickets (53) at stumps Day 1 (Alastair Cook 16, Alex Hales 71n.o., Jonny Bairstow 54n.o, Dasun Shanaka 3/30, Nuwan Pradeep 1/26, Shaminda Eranga 1/34) vs Sri Lanka
Still to bat: Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh CHandimal (wk), Angelo Mathews (Capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dasun Shanaka, Rangana Herath, Dushmantha Chameera, Shaminda Enranga, Nuwan Pradeep.
Popular grade five tuition teacher, Hayeshika Fernando wanted over assaulting a 21 year old youth was granted bail today after she surrendered to courts.
A British national had been arrested over attempting to smuggle in the largest haul of kush( drugs) from Thailand, customs said.
First Bishop of the Batticaloa Diocese, Retired Bishop Joseph Ponnaiya, passed away today at the age of 74, following a brief illness.
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