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ENG vs SL (Source-ECB)
Jamie Smith scored his maiden Test ton to give England a huge lead of 122 in the first Test versus Sri Lanka in Manchester. The youngster scored an impressive 111 runs from 148 balls with 8 fours and a six.
The best moment of the day occurred when Asitha Fernando bowled a short ball to Mark Wood. The England pacer pulled the ball deep into the stands for a huge six. What made the moment more special was that a fan took a brilliant one-handed catch.
YES, SIR! 🫡
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 23, 2024
Take incredible catch ✅
Don't spill a drop ✅
Impress the coaches ✅ pic.twitter.com/IamoUULjmb
With his cold beer in his left hand, the fan took the catch with utter ease. Fans around him celebrated wildly as he played off to the camera with a salute. Paul Collingwood who is part of the English staff member was in splits. The former England skipper could be mentioning the feat by signalling the beer in his hands.
Sri Lanka loses two early wickets before lunch
Trailing by 122 runs, Sri Lanka lost the early wicket of Nishan Madushka for a third-ball duck. Chris Woakes got the first wicket of the second innings before Gus Atkinson dismissed Kusal Mendis for a duck.
The Sri Lankan number three batter was caught behind by Jamie Smith to leave the visitors at 1 for 2. When lunch was called Dimuth Karunaratne was batting with Angelo Mathews.
Milan Rathnayake got the first wicket of the day for Sri Lanka when he dismissed Gus Atkinson for 20. Jamie Smith on the other hand kept going as he upped the ante to take the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers.
The biggest cheer of the day came in the 3rd ball of the 77th over when Jamie Smith picked 2 runs to get to his maiden ton. The young batter who made his debut against West Indies soaked in the applause as he took England to a decent total on the board.
Mark Wood then entertained the crowd with a few lusty hits as he raced to 22 runs. Asitha Fernando then got the last wicket of England’s innings when he castled Mark Wood as the hosts went into the change of innings high on confidence.