- England ended the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on 259-6, 23 runs ahead
- Harry Brook and Jamie Smith both reached half-centuries on a rainy day
England narrowly beat Sri Lanka on the second day of the rain-affected first Test match at Old Trafford.
England found themselves in trouble at 22-0 when they were 67-3 down and Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence were all dismissed cheaply.
However, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith both hit half-centuries and good contributions from Joe Root and Chris Woakes helped Ollie Pope’s team end the day on 259-6, giving them a 23-run lead.
Smith finished with 72 not out, marking the wicketkeeper’s third fifty in only the fourth Test match of his career.
Mail Sport columnist DAVID ‘BUMBLE’ LLOYD takes you through some of the stories you may have missed from day two in Manchester.
England ended the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on 259-6, 23 runs ahead
Harry Brook struck a classy half-century as England recovered from a slight early slump at 67-3
Jamie Smith also continued his flourishing Test career, ending the day on 72 not out
Trust me to ring the bell
On Thursday morning I got a call to call Emirates Old Trafford.
Every time I do that, I am reminded of the time when I was a young boy in the second team dressing room and the coach told one of the young players to go to the bell to signal the start of the game.
Nothing happened. Five minutes later the door opened and the boy came stumbling in with this bell. The coach looked at him and said, ‘I told you to ring the bell, not to bring it!’
I got a late call to ring the bell to announce the start of the second day of play on Thursday morning
Golden age of chestnuts
Current sports crazes taking the world by storm include wall climbing and breakdancing.
You can win Olympic medals for it. In four years I wouldn’t be surprised if Hide and Seek, Hopscotch and Conkers are gongs to be won.
Attacking is in the genes
When play finally began after lunch, it was clear that this was a day for bowling. England were losing wickets early on.
It’s in the DNA of these players to attack, but in those conditions, do you counter or do you play it cautiously? In the past, it was always the cautious approach and protecting your wicket. Not with this generation.
These England players are keen to attack early on, but it was clearly poor bowling conditions
Answers on a postcard…
In the wonderfully named Bumble’s Legends’ Lounge I gave the guests a quiz yesterday. Which two Lancashire cricketers also played in a Wembley Cup final?
One played for Aston Villa and the other for Manchester City. Please reply on a postcard.
No one has understood it yet and I have told them not to look on good old Google. I will reveal it tomorrow.
Silver lining
I was very impressed with Sri Lanka, who play very little Test cricket. They used the conditions so well – their fielding positions were imaginative and the pace of the bowlers was perfect.
It wasn’t a super pace, but under the conditions, with a bit of cloud and humidity, it was absolutely perfect.
England struggled to get rid of them and this is developing into a very good Test match.
I was very impressed with Sri Lanka on Thursday, despite the fact that they play little Test cricket
Shy Gus makes a statement
We’ve had some great haircuts with English cricketers over the years. Both Jimmy Anderson and Kevin Pietersen had streaks in their hair.
I thought they were decorating the ceiling and putting some whitewash on top, but that was the style of that time.
Enter Gus Atkinson who has gone for a bleached blonde look. For a very shy guy, he expresses himself with a very neat and jazzy haircut. Although he hasn’t done the zigzags yet…
Gus Atkinson is a very shy boy, but he expresses himself with his bleached blonde hair
One hundred and twenty?
The Hundred has ended and the debate about the consequences of the tournament continues.
My talkSPORT colleague Jarrod Kimber is confident that once the private investment comes in, the 100-ball format will revert to T20.
Because that is what all owners want – the longer game and not the shorter game. Watch this space.