Hales shines as debutant Shanaka rains on England’s parade
Opener Alex Hales vowed to continue improving after his timely spike in form helped England recover from a shaky start to their summer on day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley.
Hales’s patient 71 not out steered the hosts to 171-5 after visiting debutant Dasun Shanaka had plundered three wickets from eight balls – including skipper Alastair Cook – to leave England reeling on 83-5.
It was a measure of relief for the Nottinghamshire man, who endured a difficult winter tour of South Africa, and he insisted it represented only the beginning of his blossoming in the Test arena.
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“Conditions were tough. There was consistent swing most of the day, a little bit of nibble and some bounce from the far end,” said Hales, who was ably assisted by Jonny Bairstow’s punchier 54 not out.
“I had to rein myself in a little bit, in the channel, particularly coming forward. I’m pleased I managed to get through it, but it’s just a start. I feel like I have come a long way in the last six months, and hope I can continue.
“I think in South Africa a couple of times I maybe got caught between defence and attack. It’s something I’ve been working on, but it’s still a work in progress.
“Throughout South Africa, I didn’t feel out of my depth, and I kept that in my mind. I think it was me making mistakes, rather than balls getting me out. I’d rather it that way, knowing it was up to me to correct.”
Cook was made to wait until at least the second innings to become the youngest man to hit 10,000 Test runs. He was dismissed for 16, 20 runs short of that milestone.
He fell to Shanaka, who followed that by snaring Nick Compton and Joe Root for ducks. England’s own debutant James Vince made only a nervy nine before departing, and Ben Stokes’s 12 was a meagre improvement.
Hales showed the caution his colleagues lacked to steady the ship, and Bairstow continued his prolific county form with a fluent and aggressive display before rain brought play to a premature end.
England chiefs, meanwhile, have confirmed that they intend to stage day-night Tests, following Australia’s experiment in attracting greater audiences against New Zealand last year.
“You can’t turn your back on it, it will happen,” Colin Graves, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, told the BBC. “We just have to decide when it is going to happen.”