Ben Foakes in the first test between Sri Lank and England, 2018
England's Ben Foakes plays a shot during the second day of the opening Test match between Sri Lanka and England at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on November 7, 2018. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP) (Photo credit should read ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)

Cricket Ratings | England go 1-0 up in Test series in Sri Lanka

By Michael Stafford-Jones

  • Ben Foakes hits 107 and 37 on his debut and keeps wicket impeccably
  • Keaton Jennings justifies his selection with 46 and 146 not out
  • Moeen Ali takes eight wickets and Jack Leach grabs five
GALLE, SRI LANKA – England earn their first-ever win over Sri Lanka in Galle and go 1-0 up in the series thanks to superb displays from Ben Foakes, Moeen Ali and Keaton Jennings.

 

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England

Rory Burns – 5/10 – Demonstrated his ability to occupy the crease by batting for 65 balls during an important partnership of 60 with Keaton Jennings in the second innings.

Keaton Jennings – 9/10 – Followed a fluent 46 in the first innings with a brilliant unbeaten 146 in the second that showcased all of his skills against spin.

Moeen Ali – 8/10 – He bowled superbly and took 4 wickets in each innings with his attacking off-spin. However, he scored just three runs in the match.

Joe Root – 6/10 – His captaincy was excellent as he picked the rights bowlers at the right times and set intelligent fields. He looked in good touch when he batted but did not make a significant score.

Ben Stokes – 7/10 – Made up for getting out to a terrible shot in the first innings by batting much better in the second innings and scoring 62 during a partnership of 107 with Jennings. He also dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva during a fiery second-innings spell.

Jos Buttler – 6/10 – Made two useful contributions with the bat (38 and 35) and took three good catches.

Ben Foakes – 9/10 – What a stunning debut! The Surrey player rescued England in the first innings with a fantastic century and then contributed a quick 37 in the second. His keeping was exemplary too.

Sam Curran – 6/10 – Played very intelligently during his innings of 48 from 104 balls in the first innings as he defended stoutly when he needed to and counter-attacked well when he could. However, he was only called upon to bowl 11 overs and took one wicket.

Adil Rashid – 7/10 – He got the important wicket of Chandimal in the first innings during his spell of 2-30 and then took one wicket second time around. He blazed 35 from 38 balls during first-innings cameo.

Jack Leach – 8/10 – He bowled well to take 2-41 in the first innings and then even better to take 3-60 in the second innings. He also keeps the run rate low which builds pressure.

James Anderson – 6/10 – His bowling was accurate and highly-skilled in both innings but he was only rewarded with one wicket for his efforts.

 

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Sri Lanka

Dimuth Karunaratne – 5/10 – After getting out cheaply in the first innings, he knuckled down in the second innings and hung around for 86 balls.

Kaushal Silva – 5/10 – He was dismissed by Curran for 1 in the first innings, but he improved to score 30 second time around.

Dhananjaya de Silva – 4/10 – Got in and then got out in both innings and did not manage to take a wicket with the ball.

Kusal Mendis – 6/10 – Looked good in both innings and made 19 and 45. Needs to go on to a significant score next time though.

Angelo Matthews – 8/10 – As so many times before, he was Sri Lanka’s best batsman. He made two very good fifties but Moeen dismissed him both times so he will have to figure out a better way to play the off-spinner in the rest of the series.

Dinesh Chandimal – 5/10 – He injured himself in the field on day one, which hampered his running between the wickets. Despite this, he battled to 33 in the first innings. However, he did not move his feet in the second innings and was bowled by Leach.

Niroshan Dickwella – 5/10 – He scored 28 and 16 in his unorthodox style but needs to find a way to occupy the crease for longer. He also needs to get better at judging when his team should review.

Dilruwan Perera – 8/10 – He had an excellent match. He took 5-75 in the first innings and 2-94 in the second. He also scored 21 and 30 with the bat.

Akila Dananjaya – 2/10 – He will be lucky if he is selected for the next match. He took a wicket in each innings but conceded so many runs in so little time – 183 in 39.5 overs.

Suranga Lakmal – 6/10 – Dismissed Burns and Moeen during a good opening spell in the first innings and then added the wicket of Foakes. He did not threaten as much in the second innings.

Rangana Herath – 5/10 – It was not the farewell display or the result he would have wished for, but removing Root in both innings in your final test is not bad a way to bow out from Test cricket.

The Second Test between Sri Lanka and England begins in Kandy at 4.30am GMT on Wednesday 14th November 2018.

 

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