Jos Buttler and Sam Curran hoist England to 285 against Sri Lanka in Kandy
Wednesday 14 November 2018 14:56, UK
Jos Buttler and Sam Curran scored crucial fifties as England posted 285 all out on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
On a pitch that looks set to deteriorate quickly and favour the spinners, Joe Root was in no doubt about what to do after winning his seventh toss in succession in Test cricket.
However, Keaton Jennings was unable to continue his fine form from the first Test and was dismissed for just one, prodding forward to seamer Suranga Lakmal and edged behind.
That was one of four wickets to fall before lunch as Ben Stokes (19), Joe Root (14) and Rory Burns, after a steady innings of 43, fell to spin.
Buttler counter-attacked well, hitting a flurry of boundaries with a mixture of sweeps and reverse sweeps to take England to 120-4 at the end of the first session.
Moeen Ali (10) was dismissed soon after lunch, lbw to Malinda Pushpakumara after a good Sri Lankan review, and DRS was key again when Ben Foakes (19) departed as the wicketkeeper failed to review despite UltraEdge suggesting he didn't hit the ball as it came off his pad and behind to first slip.
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Buttler reached his half-century but eventually fell to a shot that had served him so well throughout his innings, top-edging a reverse sweep to point as Pushpakumara pulled back his length and took all the pace off the ball.
Curran and Adil Rashid (29no) added a precious 45 for the eighth wicket, but their stand was overshadowed by a 60-run partnership for the last wicket between the Surrey left-hander and James Anderson.
Watch continued live coverage of the second Test on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event.
