England ahead after opening day of first Test against Sri Lanka
The new-look England men’s cricket side has made a strong start to its three-match series against Sri Lanka, claiming 10 wickets on the opening day of the first Test in Manchester on Wednesday.
Visiting skipper Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and choose to bat, giving England’s opening bowlers, Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson, the opportunity to make the most of overcast skies.
The pair didn’t disappoint as Sri Lanka were reduced to 6/3, with Woakes bagging two of those.
The tourists recovered from 113/7 to post 236 all out, with de Silva and debutant Milan Rathnayake both making half-centuries.
After finishing with three dismissals, Woakes now looks like a strong option at cricket bookmakers to be the Test’s top wicket-taker.
Young England spinner Shoaib Bashir also claimed three wickets, making the most of an Old Trafford pitch which is already showing wear and tear.
England will begin day two in a strong position after Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence took the score to 22/0 before bad light halted proceedings.
England well placed heading into day two
Heading into the second day of the Manchester Test, bookmaker Bovada has England as heavy favourites at -625 to win.
It would be no surprise if the hosts are able to take a first-innings lead not long after lunch on Thursday, as both Duckett and Lawrence are attacking players who will look to hit more balls than they leave.
However, on a surface which showed some up-and-down bounce on day one, Sri Lanka’s spinners could well cause some problems to a batting lineup that is missing established opener Zak Crawley and captain Ben Stokes.
With young wicketkeeper Jamie Smith batting at six and Woakes coming in at seven, Sri Lanka getting a first-innings lead is an interesting outside bet at +550 with top cricket betting sites.
Although this is a new-look England side after the retirement of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, household names such as Joe Root and Mark Wood — both in excellent form — remain.
Sri Lanka showed plenty of fight on day one, but their total looks to be at least 100 runs too light.
And at a venue where England have lost only one of their last 17 Tests, few are expecting anything other than a home victory.
You may also like
Join the Betting Planet team!
Are you passionate about sports betting? Sports news writers required TODAY!
Experienced preferred but not essential. (All apps considered).
View Careers at Race MediaTop Online Casinos
Latest Betting News
- UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 betting picks & best odds
- Tennis: Holger Rune expecting breakthrough year in 2025
- South Africa go top of WTC table with win over Sri Lanka
- Bengals @ Cowboys NFL Monday betting picks | Week 14, 2024
- South Africa v Sri Lanka Test: Day five promises tight finish
- Alexander Volkov cries foul over loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC 310
- New Zealand out of WTC after big loss to England in Wellington
- Anthony Smith honors late coach, hints at retirement post-UFC 310
- NFL Week 14 Sunday betting picks | December 8, 2024
- EPL Matchweek 15 betting picks & odds | Premier League 2024-25
Casino Guides
- Safest online casino jurisdictions
- How to guides
- How to win at pokies
- How to play online pokies
- PaysafeCard online casino deposits
- MasterCard Online Casinos
- Online Casinos Accepting POLi
- 32Red Casino Review
- All Slots Casino Review
- Boombet Casino review
- Horse racing games at casinos
- Credit card deposits at online casinos
- Films about blackjack
- Live dealer casinos
- How to play live dealer blackjack party
- Online Blackjack
- Top online casinos 2024
- Online casino deposits
- MasterCard Online Casinos
- Online Casinos Accepting POLi
- PaysafeCard online casino deposits
- Online slots
- Playing Pai Gow Poker on the Internet
- Online keno
- Online poker
- Online poker tournament structures
- Real money online roulette 2024
- Online multi-wheel roulette – what is it?
- How to play online scratch cards in 2024
- Sit & Go online poker tournaments
- Skrill e-wallet deposits at online casinos
- Visa online casino deposits
Sports Betting Guides
Casino Games
Deposits & Withdrawals
Football
Basketball
Top Country Betting sites
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Armenia
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Brazil
- Canada
- Dominican Republic
- Germany
- Ghana
- Grenada
- India
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Kenya
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Philippines
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vietnam
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe