Yahoo Finance England player ratings vs Sri Lanka: Joe Root and Dan Lawrence on top as Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley flop
England on Monday won the first test against Sri Lanka by seven wickets in Galle as Jonny Bairstow and debutant Dan Lawrence knocked off the 36 runs required on the last day.
England had set themselves up for the win on the opening day when Sri Lanka turned in a woeful batting performance and were bowled out for 135. England captain Joe Root then hit 228 runs as England scored 421 for a significant first innings lead.
They had been set a target second-innings target of 74 after bowling Sri Lanka out for 359 but lost three wickets and were reeling at 14-3 before Bairstow and Lawrence took them to 38-3 when bad light stopped play on Sunday.
It took 9.2 overs for England to complete the victory and will now be looking for a sixth successive test win in Sri Lanka in the second test, which is also being played at Galle and starts on Friday.
Here’s how cricket correspondent Will Macpherson rated those on show out of 10…
Zak Crawley 4
9&8
Looked more comfortable than Sibley, but didn’t score many runs. Has shown that he learns quickly and, like his opening partner, this was his first game in Asia.
Dom Sibley 3
4&2
In the first innings, he was a little too keen to play. In the second innings, he was a little too keen to leave. And between times, he dropped an important catch. With the cavalry coming back, has work to do in subcontinental conditions.
Jonny Bairstow 7
47 & 35 not out
A very solid return to the side after 13 months away. Vital effort on the first evening and held his nerve to see England home, including hitting the winning runs.
Joe Root 9
228 & 1
His fourth double-century was a stone-cold masterclass of temperament and technique in tough conditions, and hopefully a sign of things to come in 2021. Had a decent game as captain, and now has a more varied attack overseas than he’s had in the past.
Dan Lawrence 8
73 & 21 not out
A memorable debut that ended with him wandering off grinning and unbeaten. Showed poise to partner Root and Bairstow in tricky situations.
Jos Buttler 7
30, 5 catches, 1 stumping
Came in under plenty of pressure, but a very fine Test behind the stumps, capped by a maiden stumping. Missed one tough chance, but snaffled plenty of others. Fell to a good ball.
Sam Curran 6
2-45
No runs, but took the vital wickets of Sri Lanka’s openers in the second innings – just when England needed them, too. His cutters mean he has a role to play in this part of the world.
Dom Bess 7
8-130
You have to be doing something right to take career-best match figures – even if they slightly flattered him. Benefited from Sri Lankan haplessness in the first innings and bowled too short in the second. But made big improvements on the afternoon of day four. Promising.
Jack Leach 7
6-177
The better of the two spinners. Unsurprising that he took a while to find his rhythm after so long out. When he did, he looked like the man who could provide control on this long tour.
Mark Wood 6
0-70
No wickets, but very much played his part. His pace unsettled even Sri Lanka’s best batsmen and probably earned his colleagues wickets. Will probably get a rest this week.
Stuart Broad 8
3-34
England’s best bowler. Took three important wickets in the first innings to spark the collapse, then bowled dry in the second, using all his tricks. More than half his overs were maidens, and his economy was just 1.3.
