England in control after Bess’s devastating spell

GALLE: England made a superb start to their tour of Sri Lanka by bowling out the host team for 135 on the opening day of the first Test, the lowest ever first innings score at Galle. Young England spinner Dom Bess picked up his career best figures, finishing with 5 for 30, while Stuart Broad took three wickets, as many as he has taken in three previous tours of the country.

England finished the day on 127 for 2, with captain Joe Root unbeaten on 66.

None of this action was seen by an England cricket fan who waited 10 months in Sri Lanka to watch his team play; he was escorted away by police from the historic ramparts of Galle Fort, a vantage point which overlooks the city’s cricket ground, before a ball had been bowled. Rob Lewis, who decided to stay in the country after the original tour was aborted due to the pandemic last March, had to resort to subterfuge to sneak a peek at the day’s play. The game is being held behind closed doors because of the pandemic, and visitors had been banned from the 16th-century ramparts, a magnet for locals who want to avoid paying for tickets.

Hours after getting his marching orders, Lewis returned to another area of the fort further from the ground, but still with a view of the game.

“Back on the Fort because I work here now,” he said on Twitter without giving an explanation. He had put up three banners, including one from the Barmy Army, as England’s supporters are known, and another for a charity helping stray dogs in Sri Lanka. But they were also taken down by authorities.

During his stay in Sri Lanka, Lewis has worked remotely as a web designer and done stints as a nightclub DJ.