Sri Lanka's spinners claimed some big-name England wickets on the first day of the second Test on Wednesday before Jos Buttler and Sam Curran rescued the innings. Buttler's 63 and a crucial 64 from Curran at the end lifted England to 285 all out after they had been struggling on 89-4 on the turning Pallekelle stadium pitch.

Curran, fast becoming an England hero, said reaching near 300 was a "massive" achievement. England spinner Jack Leach then strengthened England's position, dismissing opener Kaushal Silva in the 12 overs Sri Lanka faced as the home side reached 26 for one at the close. A day that saw Ben Stokes, batting at the key number three position, become the latest to fail also reinforced Buttler and Curran's standing lower down the order.