England found themselves in a strong position at the end of day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, trailing by 214 runs after bad light stopped play on Wednesday. Sri Lanka, having opted to bat first, struggled under overcast conditions and were bowled out for 236, with England reaching 22 for no loss in their reply.

Sri Lanka's decision to bat first quickly backfired as they were reduced to 6-3 within the first seven overs. England's seamers took full advantage of the hard pitch, with Chris Woakes leading the attack, finishing with figures of 3-32. Despite the early collapse, Sri Lanka's captain Dhananjaya de Silva led a resilient fightback, scoring a confident 74 in the middle order, and forming a crucial 63-run partnership with debutant Milan Rathnayake, who made a well-fought 72.

However, De Silva's resistance ended just before tea when he was caught at leg slip off Shoaib Bashir, who also took 3-55. Rathnayake continued to frustrate England's bowlers until he was eventually caught at mid-on, also off Bashir. Sri Lanka's innings concluded when Vishwa Fernando was run out after a mix-up with Asitha Fernando.

England’s openers, Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence, safely navigated the four overs before bad light forced an early end to the day's play. Sri Lanka's inability to utilize their fast bowlers under fading light left them frustrated as they had to rely solely on their spinners in the final session.

Earlier in the day, England paid tribute to former batsman and coach Graham Thorpe, who passed away this month at the age of 55. The day’s play ended with England in control, happy with their performance, but acknowledging that there was more work to be done to press home their advantage.