<p><strong>ENG vs SL:</strong> England are currently hosting Sri Lanka for a 2-match test series, the first one being played at the Old Trafford, Manchester. The match started on the 21st of August with Sri Lanka looking to bat on the track. <br> <br>The English bowlers caused early trouble for the Lankan batters as they struck very early with 3 wickets, and even Mathews and Chandimal fell early. Now, the skipper took over the role with Sri Lanka?s no.9 debutant Milan Rathnayake. They both landed decent 74 and 72, which took Sri Lanka to a 236-run total in their first inning. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://admin.icccricketschedule.com/uploads/2024/08/Milan-rathnayake-1024x576.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-146173" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Milan Rathnayake scores a stunning 72 on debut (Image: Cricbuzz.com)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>



<p><br>The England innings started at the end of Day 1, as Ben Duckett took strike with new opener Dan Lawrence, who replaced the injured Zak Crawley. The new English skipper, Ollie Pope, came in at No. 3 and went early. <br> <br>However, it was their highly anticipated player Joe Root who added stability to the innings before Harry Brook and wicketkeeper batsman Jamie Smith took England to an impressive total. <br> <br>Jamie Smith took over injured skipper Ben Stokes, batting position at No. 6, and he kept his nerve to deliver a stunning inning. In between the two, the partnership was broken by a jaffa of a delivery from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prabath_Jayasuriya">Prabhat Jayasuiriya</a>, one that took a sharp turn before taking the top of the off-stump. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra/status/1826883688035954771
</div></figure>



<p><br>The next one to fall was Chris Woakes with another similar delivery that spun unconventionally. Jamie Smith remained firm till the end of Day 2, as he took England to 259/6 and he himself stood on 72*. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/1826949900430356498
</div></figure>



<p><br>Alongside Gus Atkinson, he came into bat on the 3rd day and kept his composure to score his maiden international test century. The player already has 10 First-Class centuries and the highest individual score of 234 in his county career. </p>



<p><strong>ALSO READ:</strong> <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/eng-vs-sl-jamie-smith-and-ollie-pope-put-england-on-top-in-a-rain-affected-day-2/">ENG vs SL: Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope put England on top in a rain-affected day 2</a><br> <br>Now aged 24 years and 40 days, Jamie is the youngest English wicketkeeper batsman to have scored a century in red-ball cricket. At the time of writing, Sri Lanka in their second innings is 107/4, with Angelo Mathews their best batter standing alone on 48*, with even the skipper back in the pavilion this time. <br> <br>The team is still behind by 15 runs at tea break, and if Chandimal, who is retired and hurt, makes a comeback onto the field, Sri Lanka might pose a decent total.<br></p>

ENG vs SL: Jamie Smith's maiden century receives appreciation while English bowlers upset Sri Lanka early

eng-vs-sl-jamie-smiths-maiden-century-receives-appreciation-while-english-bowlers-upset-sri-lanka-early

<p>Wicketkeeper Batsman Jamie Smith continued to have an impressive start to his Test career as he pushed Ollie Pope-led England into a first-inning lead of 23 runs against Sri Lanka in the first test match of the three-match series by playing an impressive unbeaten inning of 72 runs as the Three Lions put up a score of 259-6 on the board before the proceedings of the second day ended earlier than expected due to constant rainfall interruptions at Old Trafford.</p>



<div class="wp-block-rank-math-toc-block" id="rank-math-toc"><nav><div><div class=""><a href="#sri-lanka-1st-inning-scorecard">Sri Lanka 1st Inning Scorecard</a></div><div class=""><a href="#england-1st-inning-scorecard">England 1st Inning Scorecard</a></div></div></nav></div>



<p>Replying to the 236 runs score put up on the board by the Sri Lankans, the duo of Harry Brook (56 runs) and Joe Root (42 runs) steadied things for the hosts in the middle of constant rain interruptions which eventually washed out the entire morning session of day 2.</p>



<p>But the rain showers had some other plans as they made players walk off the field and the umpires took the harsh decision of calling play off with more than an hour of play still left after the tea break.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1826559148500111400
</div></figure>



<p>24-year-old Smith, playing in just his fourth test match after getting included in the squad for this summer?s matches, played brilliant knocks of 95 runs and 70 runs during the 3-0 series sweep over West Indies last month and now he brought up his third fifty in the ongoing first test against Sri Lanka.</p>



<p>His knock of 72 runs consisted of one six and five fours and he continues to remain unbeaten at the crease alongside Gus Atkinson (4*runs).</p>



<p>The visitors are still in the match though and after struggling at 6-3 in the initial phase of their inning, they managed to post a decent total of 236 runs on the scoreboard. The Sri Lankans fought back in a really good way with the ball as fast bowler Asitha Fernando was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers with figures of 3-68 next to his name.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="sri-lanka-1st-inning-scorecard">Sri Lanka 1st Inning Scorecard</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th><strong>BATTING</strong></th><th><strong>R</strong>un</th><th><strong>B</strong>all</th><th><strong>4s</strong></th><th><strong>6s</strong></th><th><strong>SR</strong></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Nishan Madushka&nbsp;</td><td><strong>4</strong></td><td>16</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>25.00</td></tr><tr><td>Dimuth Karunaratne&nbsp;</td><td><strong>2</strong></td><td>18</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>11.11</td></tr><tr><td>Kusal Mendis&nbsp;</td><td><strong>24</strong></td><td>34</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>70.58</td></tr><tr><td>Angelo Mathews&nbsp;</td><td><strong>0</strong></td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0.00</td></tr><tr><td>Dinesh Chandimal</td><td><strong>17</strong></td><td>40</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>42.50</td></tr><tr><td>Dhananjaya de Silva (c)</td><td><strong>74</strong></td><td>84</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>88.09</td></tr><tr><td>Kamindu Mendis&nbsp;</td><td><strong>12</strong></td><td>25</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>48.00</td></tr><tr><td>Prabath Jayasuriya&nbsp;</td><td><strong>10</strong></td><td>20</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>50.00</td></tr><tr><td>Milan Rathnayake&nbsp;</td><td><strong>72</strong></td><td>135</td><td>6</td><td>2</td><td>53.33</td></tr><tr><td>Vishwa Fernando&nbsp;</td><td><strong>13</strong></td><td>62</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>20.96</td></tr><tr><td>Asitha Fernando&nbsp;</td><td><strong>0</strong></td><td>6</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0.00</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/sri-lanka-in-england-2024-1385672/england-vs-sri-lanka-1st-test-1385694/full-scorecard">ESPNcricinfo</a></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="england-1st-inning-scorecard">England 1st Inning Scorecard</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th><strong>BATTING</strong></th><th><strong>R</strong>un</th><th><strong>B</strong>all</th><th><strong>4s</strong></th><th><strong>6s</strong></th><th><strong>SR</strong></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Ben Duckett&nbsp;</td><td><strong>18</strong></td><td>20</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>90.00</td></tr><tr><td>Dan Lawrence&nbsp;</td><td><strong>30</strong></td><td>39</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>76.92</td></tr><tr><td>Ollie Pope(c)</td><td><strong>6</strong></td><td>8</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>75.00</td></tr><tr><td>Joe Root&nbsp;</td><td><strong>42</strong></td><td>57</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>73.68</td></tr><tr><td>Harry Brook&nbsp;</td><td><strong>56</strong></td><td>73</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>76.71</td></tr><tr><td>Jamie Smith</td><td><strong>72</strong></td><td>97</td><td>5</td><td>1</td><td>74.22</td></tr><tr><td>Chris Woakes&nbsp;</td><td><strong>25</strong></td><td>65</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>38.46</td></tr><tr><td>Gus Atkinson&nbsp;</td><td><strong>4</strong></td><td>10</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>40.00</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Credit: <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/sri-lanka-in-england-2024-1385672/england-vs-sri-lanka-1st-test-1385694/full-scorecard">ESPNcricinfo</a></figcaption></figure>



<p><strong><mark class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">Check:</mark></strong> <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/pak-vs-ban-pakistan-declare-at-448-6-as-bangladeshi-batters-start-on-a-cautious-note/">Pakistan declare at 448-6 as Bangladeshi batters start on a cautious note</a></p>

ENG vs SL: Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope  put England on top in a rain-affected day 2

eng-vs-sl-jamie-smith-and-ollie-pope-put-england-on-top-in-a-rain-affected-day-2

<p>Jamie Smith the English wicket-keeper batter has emerged as England?s rescue player in the no.7 position, as he turned the tables for England whenever their innings were falling apart, he has emerged and held them together. <br><br>In the recent series against Sri Lanka, which is Jamie?s second series after his debut in the Caribbean islands. The wk-batter emerged as England?s first-choice gloveman in the longest format of the game and batted well in the Windies island as well. <br><br>Next, Jamie Smith has emerged as one of the key players for the English side, as he was one of England?s best batters in the match when he played a vital maiden century at Old Trafford, which gave England the push they needed in the first innings. <br><br>Jamie has often played vital innings down the order, and his scoring rate has impressed many. Since, the time <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendon_McCullum">Brendon McCullum</a> took over England?s red-ball team, as their head coach, he changed the course of the game for England. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://admin.icccricketschedule.com/uploads/2024/09/Paul-Collingwood-1024x534.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-146819" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Paul Collingwood draws comparision of Jamie Smith with Adam Gilchrist (Image: Cricket Times)</figcaption></figure>
</figure>



<p><br>His aggressive nature has instilled many players and former English skipper, Paul Collingwood to believe that he can be as effective for them as Adam Gilchrist was for the Aussie as he came down to bat at no.7 as a wicket-keeper batter.</p>



<p><strong>ALSO READ:</strong> <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/afg-vs-nz-williamson-who-needs-only-72-runs-to-be-new-zealands-highest-ever-run-getter-has-been-the-best-among-fab4-for-kiwi-red-ball-skipper-tim-southee/">AFG vs NZ: Williamson, who needs only 72 runs to be New Zealand?s highest-ever run-getter, has been the best among Fab4 for Kiwi red ball skipper Tim Southee<br></a><br>Though England went on to lose the game, Sri Lanka made history as they won a test match under Jayasuriya at England in the Kennington Oval. However, Jamie?s 67 which gave the perk England innings needed when all other batters failed seemed very crucial. <br><br>He has been stunning in the WTC for England as he has scored 487 runs across 6 games that comprise 3 talking half-centuries alongside a maiden hundred as well.   </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/1833110044159987980
</div></figure>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p><br><br>"You go back to the days of when Gilchrist would come in for Australia. It sucks the life out of you as the opposition when someone has the ability to do something like that. In his short Test career, he has shown some great skills." <br></p>
<cite>Said Collingwood while drawing comparisons with the legend Gilchrist</cite></blockquote>

After Jamie Smith?s quickfire performance at no.7 in Tests, the young Englishman draws parallels with Aussie legend

after-jamie-smiths-quickfire-performance-at-no-7-in-tests-the-young-englishman-draws-parallels-with-aussie-legend

India are again in the finals of another ICC Tournament. India defeated Australia by 4 wickets in the first semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

IND vs AUS: INDIA Beat AUSTRALIA in SEMIFINAL; Enters the FINAL of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

ind-vs-aus-india-beat-australia-in-semifinal-enters-the-final-of-icc-champions-trophy-2025

India National Cricket Team also were magnificent in the field as likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and others gave their best.

Watch: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma give mouthful to Kuldeep Yadav for his fielding blunder during ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final

watch-virat-kohli-and-rohit-sharma-give-mouthful-to-kuldeep-yadav-for-his-fielding-blunder-during-icc-champions-trophy-2025-semi-final-

Pakistan cricket squad: Pakistan's ODI and T20I teams for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand have been revealed. Following the Champions Trophy fiasco, the teams have undergone significant alteration. Shadab Khan has returned, while Mohammad Rizwan is no longer the T20I captain.

PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam dropped, Salman Ali Agha the captain as PCB unveil Pakistan's squad for the New Zealand series

pak-vs-nz-babar-azam-dropped-salman-ali-agha-the-captain-as-pcb-unveil-pakistan-s-squad-for-the-new-zealand-series

With the India vs Australia semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 around the corner, Ravichandran Ashwin has suggested India's ways to stop Travis Head.

Rohit Sharma given strict orders on how to stop Travis Head in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final

rohit-sharma-given-strict-orders-on-how-to-stop-travis-head-in-the-icc-champions-trophy-2025-semi-final-

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to make a massive announcement related to the T20I captaincy of the team.

jamie smith

ENG vs SL: Jamie Smith's maiden century receives appreciation while English bowlers upset Sri Lanka early

ENG vs SL: Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope put England on top in a rain-affected day 2

After Jamie Smith?s quickfire performance at no.7 in Tests, the young Englishman draws parallels with Aussie legend

Latest News

IND vs AUS: INDIA Beat AUSTRALIA in SEMIFINAL; Enters the FINAL of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Watch: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma give mouthful to Kuldeep Yadav for his fielding blunder during ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final

PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam dropped, Salman Ali Agha the captain as PCB unveil Pakistan's squad for the New Zealand series

Rohit Sharma given strict orders on how to stop Travis Head in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final

PCB finalises Mohammad Rizwan's replacement in T20Is, this player all set to become captain