Twitter Reactions: Ben Foakes shines on debut for England in Galle

Dilruwan Perera was the best bowler for the hosts as he picked four wickets.

By Aditya Gajanan Kukalyekar verified

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4 Min Read

Ben Foakes
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Ben Foakes. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The farewell game of Rangana Herath got underway today in Galle as the fireworks welcomed the veteran when he was introduced to bowl. But England looked up for the task as their lower-order once again took the game away from the hosts much like they did during India series. Ben Foakes was at his best on Test debut  as he remained unbeaten on 87 at stumps as his team finished the day on 311/8.

After opting to bat first, the other debutant Rory Burns didn’t have an auspicious outing as he was found wanting on the legside off Suranga Lakmal. England were dented again off the very next delivery as Moeen Ali’s off-stump was uprooted. Keaton Jennings and Joe Root then attacked and stitched a partnership of 62 runs for the third wicket. But the latter had a moment of brainfade as he charged out of his crease only to get castled off Herath.

Keaton Jennings also saw his furniture disturbed after sometime as Dilruwan Perera was all over the visitors. At 103/5, things looked bleak for England in the first session itself.

Curran and Foakes stand tall

However, the batsmen’s approach completely changed in the second session as Jos Buttler and Foakes added 61 runs for the sixth wicket. Perera continued to shine and trouble the opponents as he snaffled the former with a brilliant delivery for 38. But then came the star of the India series, Sam Curran. He batted patiently even as Foakes got settled. The debutant played some exquisite strokes and frustrated the home side.

His footwork was key in playing the spinners and has made a statement in his first outing itself. The duo added 88 runs in 33 overs as Sri Lanka tried everything possible to clean the tail. England’s lower-order was at its best once again as they bailed the team out of trouble once again.

Just when the things looked flat for Sri Lanka, Perera rose to the occasion and got rid of Curran who missed his half-century by just two runs. Eventually, England finished the day with Foakes on 87 and Jack Leach on 14 as they will aim to add more on the second day. The hosts though will be disappointed that they failed to boss the game after having England five down very early.

Here’s how Twitter reacted during the day:

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