BAIRSTOW SEALS 7-WICKET WIN FOR ENGLAND OVER SRI LANKA

GALLE: England won the first Test against Sri Lanka by seven wickets on Monday with Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence negotiating a “tricky” finish to take them to safety. After losing three quick wickets on Sunday, Bairstow and Lawrence scored the required 36 runs in less than 10 overs on the final day.

“It was tricky,” admitted Bairstow, who hit the last runs with a four, with just a lone England fan watching from a fort overlooking the ground. The crumbling pitch gave Sri Lanka’s spinners hopes of claiming more wickets but Bairstow (35) and Lawrence (21) took England to 76/3.

Bairstow, playing in his first Test since 2019, said that the win was an “important” boost as England prepare for four tough Tests in India next month. “You need 36 runs, it doesn’t matter how you get there. If you are not proactive then there is going to be a good ball come your way. We had to make sure we were pressing them in the field and running hard,” he said.

Captain Root said the team’s lack of preparation before the match—stuck in their latest biosecure bubble—had been a handicap. England have now won four away Tests in a row, their best performance since 1955-56. And Root now has 24 Test wins as a captain, two behind Michael Vaughan’s alltime record of 26 for England. Brief scores: England 421 &

76/3 (Bairstow 35*). Sri Lanka 135 & 359. England won by 7 wkts.