SL vs ENG, 2021: 1st Test, Day 1 – Record 5-wicket haul by Bess, Sri Lanka’s low total and more stats

England dominated the first day’s play of the 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka as they ran through the hosts to restrict them to a low total. Sri Lanka, who elected to bat first, lasted only 46.1 overs for their total of 135 as no batsman even reached 30-run mark. The Lankan middle and lower-order batters conceded wickets to Dominic Bess who ended up with figures of 5/30 in his 10.1 overs. In reply, England ended the day at 127/2 thanks to an unbeaten 110-run stand between Jonny Bairstow (47*) and skipper Joe Root (66*)

Here are all the statistical highlights from England’s dominance during the first day of the Galle Test match:

Sri Lanka collapse to a low total:

135 – Sri Lanka’s total of 135/10 is now the lowest in the first innings of a Test match hosted by Galle. The previous lowest was 181 also by the Lankans in the 2000 Test match against Pakistan.

The total of 135 is also the 2nd lowest first-innings total for Sri Lanka in a Test match at the Galle International Stadium behind the 105/10 against Australia while batting second in the 2011 Test.

2012 – The last instance of England restricting the opponent to a total less than 135 while bowling first after losing the toss was back in 2012. Pakistan got bowled out for 99 after they elected to bat first during the 2012 Dubai Test.

Bess starts the series with a bang:

1 – Dominic Bess became the first England player to bag as many as five wickets on the first day of a Test match on Sri Lankan soil. Bess is also the first England spin bowler to bag a 5-wicket haul on the very first day of a Test since Moeen Ali in the 2016 Dhaka Test match.

1971 – The last instance of an England spinner before Dom Bess to bag a 5-wicket haul on the very first day of a Test series was back in 1971. Derek Underwood took 6/12 in the 11.6 overs he bowled on the first day of the 1971 Christchurch Test which was the first game of the 2-match Test series against New Zealand.

It was also the last instance of an England spinner collecting as many as five wickets before Tea on the first day of a Test match until Bess replicated the feat. During the 1971 Test, the New Zealand team got bowled out for only 65 in 37.6 overs by Tea interval.

Milestones for Sri Lankan batsmen:

4015 – Dinesh Chandimal became the 12th player to complete 4000 runs in Test cricket for Sri Lanka when he went past his individual score of 13. Chandimal also completed 9000 runs in first-class cricket at the same point.

6008 – Angelo Mathews completed 6000 runs in Test cricket when he went past his individual score of 19 on the first day. Mathews became only the 5th player to achieve this milestone while playing for Sri Lanka.

Yet another duck for Mendis:

4 – Kusal Mendis has bagged a duck in each of his previous four innings in Test cricket. The streak of Mendis began in Sri Lanka’s 2nd innings of the Boxing Day Test in Cape Town. Mendis is now only the 3rd Sri Lankan to bag a duck in four consecutive Test innings after Guy de Alwis (1986-1988) and Nuwan Pradeep (2015 and 2017).

Root goes past Gooch and Collingwood:

67 – Joe Root has scored 50+ runs in as many as 67 innings in Test cricket which are the 3rd most by any player for England in this format. Root went past Graham Gooch’s tally of 66 fifty-plus scores and is now only behind Sir Alastair Cook (90) and Ian Bell (68).

218 – The two catches in Sri Lanka’s first innings has helped Joe Root become the most successful fielder in International cricket for England. Root now has 218 catches as a fielder which pushes him past Paul Collingwood’s tally of 217 catches for England.

Collingwood has a total of 219 catches in International cricket of which one was as a wicketkeeper and other catch while representing the ICC World XI.

Bess runs through the Lankans batting:

12.2 – Dominic Bess had a strike rate of 12.2 during his analyses of 10.1-3-30-5 in Sri Lanka’s first innings. This is the best bowling strike rate during a 5-wicket haul in Test cricket for an England spinner since Jim Laker’s 9/37 in 16.4 overs during Australia’s first innings of the 1956 Manchester Test.

The 5/30 by Bess is also the cheapest 5-wicket haul by an England spinner in Test cricket since Phil Tufnell’s 6/25 during the first innings of West Indies in 1991 The Oval Test match.