In the first Test match between England and Sri Lanka, played in Manchester starting August 21, Sri Lankan debutant Priyanath Rathnayake broke a 41-year-old world record. Rathnayake surpassed Indian legend Balwinder Sandhu with his impressive performance.
Record-Breaking Performance:
- Priyanath Rathnayake’s Innings: Rathnayake batted at number nine and scored 72 runs off 135 balls. This performance set a new record for the most runs scored by a batsman batting at number nine in Test cricket.
- Previous Record: The previous record was held by India’s Balwinder Sandhu, who scored 71 runs at number nine against Pakistan in Hyderabad in 1983.
- Rathnayake’s Contribution: Rathnayake hit 6 fours and 2 sixes during his innings before being dismissed by England’s spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Sri Lanka’s Performance in the Match:
- Day One: Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat, but they were all out on the first day of the match. England began their innings before the end of the first day.
- Sri Lankan Batting: Sri Lanka was dismissed for 236 runs. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva was the top scorer with 74 runs, including 8 fours. Priyanath Rathnayake scored 72 runs. The rest of the Sri Lankan batsmen struggled.
- England’s Bowling: England’s bowlers were effective, with Chris Woakes and Shoaib Bashir taking 3 wickets each. Gus Atkinson took 2 wickets, and Mark Wood took 1 wicket.
Sri Lanka’s early collapse left them struggling, while England made a strong start in their innings.
