Sri Lanka made a remarkable recovery on the first day of the Test against England, finishing with a total of 236 after slumping to 6-3 early on. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva led the charge with a standout performance, scoring 74, while debutant Milan Rathnayake contributed significantly with 72 runs. England, despite missing captain Ben Stokes, began strongly by taking early wickets but faced resilience from Sri Lanka's lower order. Bad light curtailed England's reply at 22-0, and the day was marked by a tribute to the late Graham Thorpe. Ollie Pope, in his first match as captain, expressed frustration at allowing Sri Lanka to post a competitive total after their shaky start. Both teams are set to resume play with England aiming to take a substantial lead on Day 2.