Joe Root's gritty unbeaten 62 guided England to a five-wicket win in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford on Saturday.Set 205 to win, England were faltering at 56-2 when star batsman Root came in shortly before tea on the fourth day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But together with Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook (32) he shared a grinding partnership of 49 in 20 overs -- a far cry from England's 'Bazball' approach of recent years -- although a still slow outfield made boundaries hard to come by.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The match, however, was back in the balance when Brook chipped a return catch to left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, with England 119-4 and still needing a further 86 runs to win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Jamie Smith, fresh from a maiden Test century in the first innings, gave Root fine support with a brisk 39 during a stand of 64 as England went 1-0 up in a three-match series after finishing on 205-5.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was another sign of the 24-year-old wicketkeeper's admirable big-match temperament, Smith's performances with the bat in Manchester minimising the impact of regular captain Ben Stokes's absence with a series-ending torn hamstring.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That Sri Lanka took this match so deep into the fourth day was a testament to their resilience after they had collapsed to 6-3 on the opening morning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
They continued that fight in the field on Saturday before Smith broke the shackles with successive fours off Jayasuriya before later pulling him for six.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
By the time he was bowled by Asitha Fernando, England were in sight of victory at 183-5.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- Root 'clinic' -
\r\nSoon afterwards, Root went to fifty before ending the match with just his second four in 128 balls faced when he lofted Jayasuriya down the ground.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We had to work hard for that over the four days but we bowled really well throughout," stand-in England captain Ollie Pope told the BBC.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Jamie Smith batted so well and then Joe (Root) put on a clinic for us at the end."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva added: "We knew that England would come hard against us. We had our plans but in the first innings we couldn't execute them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Our mistakes were made in the first innings and that cost us the match."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- Kamindu Mendis in command -
\r\nEarlier, Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis scored his third hundred in just four Tests as he made 113 in a second-innings total of 326, having come in with his side in trouble at 95-4.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Together with Dinesh Chandimal (79), he shared a seventh-wicket stand of 117 in 30 overs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England suffered a setback before play started Saturday when express quick Mark Wood was ruled out with a thigh injury suffered while bowling late on Friday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lanka resumed on 204-6, just 82 runs ahead, after Smith's 111 had been the cornerstone of England's first-innings 358.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mendis, dropped on 39, was 56 not out and Chandimal 20 not out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mendis was quickly into his stride on Saturday, having missed Sri Lanka's lone warm-up match against the second-string England Lions at Worcester last week after visa problems delayed his entry into the UK,<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 25-year-old left-hander, drove fast bowler Gus Atkinson through the covers and pulled him behind square for fours off successive deliveries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chandimal, meanwhile, completed a 73-ball fifty after resuming his innings following a pain-killing injection, having retired hurt on 10 when struck on the thumb by Wood.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After England took the new ball, Mendis's cut off seamer Chris Woakes -- his 12th four in 167 balls also including a six -- saw him to a well-deserved century.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He later struck Atkinson for three fours in the first over after lunch to take Sri Lanka past 300, saving the best for last with a flashing cover drive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But the Surrey quick had his revenge when, bowling from around the wicket, a ball tha cut away sharply off the pitch took Mendis's outside edge, with Root holding a low catch at slip.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite his dismissal, Mendis was still left with a hugely impressive Test batting average of 92.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His exit, however, sparked a collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose their last four wickets for 19 runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n