England vs SriLanka | England beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets | 1st Test

At Old Trafford in Manchester, England defeated Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in the opening Test to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. On the fourth day, England managed to chase down a target of 205, with Joe Root leading the innings with an undefeated 62. Player of the Match went to Jamie Smith, who contributed significantly to the game with a century in the first innings and a stand-out 39 in the second.

After mounting a formidable comeback, spearheaded by a century from Kamindu Mendis in their second innings, Sri Lanka set a lofty goal, but they were unable to stop England from winning.

Sri Lanka chose to bat first after winning the toss, but they had trouble right away. Leading bowlers Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson brought England down to 6-3. A 60-run partnership between Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis allowed for a turnaround. When all was said and done, Asitha Fernando top scored with 45 as Sri Lanka was knocked out for 236. 

England, in reply, got off to a fast start and reached 110-2 at stumps, with Ben Duckett leading the way.

Jamie Smith achieved his first Test century as England proceeded with their first innings. But Sri Lankan spinners, particularly Asitha Fernando (4-73), rallied to restrict England to 358 runs, giving them a 122-run lead after one innings.

At the end of the day, Sri Lanka was still behind by 27 runs after losing four wickets for 95 runs.

Together with Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis fought valiantly. Mendis reached his third century in as many Test matches, and Chandimal chipped in with 79. With their assistance, Sri Lanka scored 326 runs overall, surpassing England's aim of 205.

With Joe Root and Harry Brook at the crease, England began their chase in the last session and finished the day at 56-2.

Despite some early nerves, England managed to hunt down the mark of 205 with relative ease. Joe Root led his side to victory with five wickets remaining undefeated at 62. With a pivotal 39 from Jamie Smith, England took a 1-0 series lead. 

Match Summary: England won by five wickets; the location was Old Trafford in Manchester.

Scorecard:

First innings: 236 all out (74 overs) for Sri Lanka
Top scorers: Kamindu Mendis: 44; Asitha Fernando: 45
Top Bowlers: 4/52 for Chris Woakes
- 3/57 Gus Atkinson

First Innings: England 358 all out (85.3 overs)
Top scorers were Ben Duckett with 89 and Jamie Smith with 111.
Top Bowlers: Prabath Jayasuriya: 3/86; Asitha Fernando: 4/73

2nd Innings: 326 all out (89.3 overs) for Sri Lanka
Top scorers were Dinesh Chandimal with 79 and Kamindu Mendis with 113.
Top Bowlers: Gus Atkinson: 3/83; Chris Woakes: 3/81

England's second innings: 57.2 overs, 205/5
Joe Root scored 62* (not out) to lead all scorers.
- Jamie Smith: 39
Top Bowlers: - Fernando, Asitha: 2/49
- Jayasuriya Prabath: 2/61

Important Takeaways: Jamie Smith's century in the first innings and his vital 39 in the second innings made him the Player of the Match.
- Joe Root's unbeaten 62 in the second innings was a crucial factor in leading England to victory.
Even though Kamindu Mendis gave Sri Lanka a valiant century in the second innings, they still lost.

With this win, England now leads the three-match series 1-0.