VIDEO: 5 key moments from day one in England’s second Test against Sri Lanka

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KANDY, SRI LANKA - NOVEMBER 14: England batsman Sam Curran reaches his half century during Day One of the Second Test match between Sri Lanka and England at Pallekele Cricket Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

England owed much to the half-centuries of Jos Buttler and Sam Curran on day one of the second Test in Kandy, as England posted 285 all out.

The new-look top-order proved too vulnerable to spin as England found all of their top four dismissed for a combined 89 runs.

Ben Stokes did not have to wait long until his introduction to Test cricket batting at no.3 when Keaton Jennings edged Suranga Lakmal to walk for 1.

Lakmal was quickly replaced in the attack by Sri Lanka’s spin options as Stokes motored to 19 off 26 balls. And, after surviving one lbw appeal, the left-hander was sent back to the pavilion by Dilruwan Perera following a successful review by the hosts.

Rory Burns endured a torrid debut in Galle last week scoring 6 & 23 and requiring medical treatment after being struck by a nasty blow to his neck.

The Surrey opener’s innings of 43 will have eased critics calling for Jonny Bairstow’s inclusion in the team, falling seven runs short of a maiden Test century to a Akila Dananjaya delivery which gripped sharply off the Kandy wicket to clip the outside edge.

With captain Joe Root already out before Burns for 14, England found themselves 89-4 just before lunch. Root had commented in the lead up to the Test how selection had placed an emphasis on players’ ability to adapt.

And Root’s words appeared to resonate with Buttler who produced an array of sweeps and dabs to rally England towards 150. Falling to all-rounder Malinda Pushpakimara for a 67-ball 63, Buttler’s fine innings would pave the way for Sam Curran to walk out at no.8 and steal the headlines away from the specialist batsman by marching England towards a respectable 285.

Adding to the gutsy 48 he laboured for in Galle, the 20-year-old produced another combative innings which included six sixes in reaching 64. Marshalling the strike at the end of the overs when Jimmy Anderson walked out to the middle to join him at 225-9.

Together, the duo put on 60 for the last wicket before Perera claimed four-fer when Curran looked to go big again over long-off but fell short of the boundary rope.

Given 12 overs in the remainder of the evening session to try and get a breakthrough, Root opted to throw the ball to Jack Leach rather than Moeen Ali or Adil Rashid following five overs of pace bowling by Anderson and Curran.

And the Somerset off-spinner produced a moment of magic to get Kaushal Silva out for 6, pitching the ball perfectly for it to straighten and clip the top of off-stump.

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