Jamie Smith stars as England take 1-0 lead vs Sri Lanka after thrilling day 4

England registered a stellar win against Sri Lanka on day four of the 1st Test against Sri Lanka at the Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester. England registered an impeccable victory by 5 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series. Jamie Smith was adjudged as the Player of the Match for his scintillating ton on day three of England's first innings, followed by a 39 in the second one. He shared a crucial stand with Joe Root and pushed the accelerator button to help England chase down the target of 205 runs to win the first Test match. Root remained not-out at 62 runs to take his team home. This marked Ollie Pope's first-ever Test match win as England's captain as he took over



the leadership duties after Ben Stokes suffered a hamstring injury, ruling him out of the entire English summer. It was the fourth straight Test win for the hosts in the Engish summer as Root finished off in style for his team.

The day four started off with Sri Lanka having a slender lead of 82 runs with four wickets in their hands in their second innings. The crucial stand between Kamindu Mendis and Chandimal turned the tables for the visitors on a gripping fourth day. The first session before lunch belonged to Sri Lanka and all the credits to the duo with Mendis scoring his third Test century in only his fourth Test match and putting the team in a fighting position.