Debutant Josh Hull experienced the highs and the lows of Test cricket at the Kia Oval, celebrating his first international wicket but dropping a costly catch as Sri Lanka fought back.
England batted carelessly in a chaotic morning session to turn their overnight position of 221 for three into an underwhelming 325 all out, with Sri Lanka finishing 211 for five after a rocky start to their reply.
Twenty-year-old Hull has fast-tracked from Division Two of the County Championship after just 10 first-class appearances, promoted due to his imposing 6ft 7in frame and left-arm angle, and found himself in the thick of the action on day two.
Coming in at number 10 he was part of England’s batting collapse in the morning session, with the hosts losing their last six wickets for just 35, but the youngster’s real challenge came when stand-in skipper Ollie Pope, who had earlier turned his overnight century into 154, threw him the ball for the first time.
Midway through his third over, Hull had a moment he will never forget as Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka was brilliantly caught at short cover by a diving Chris Woakes.
The tourists slumped to 93 for five soon after – Olly Stone taking two as well as executing an opportunistic run out – but rallied as Dhananjaya de Silva (64no) and Kamindu Mendis (54no) put on 118.
With bad light meaning England could only utilise spin after tea, there was only one concrete chance to part the duo and Hull shelled it. Shoaib Bashir drew a mis-hit from De Silva and the ball sailed straight to the newcomer, who made a mess of a regulation chance as it squirmed to the floor.
He looked aghast as his error was replayed on the big screen and would have felt every one of the 59 runs that came before play was called off for the day.
England went wicketless in the evening gloom, with 17 overs of spin split between Bashir, Dan Lawrence and Joe Root, and will relish the chance to unleash Hull and his fellow seamers under brighter skies on Sunday.
Pope had earlier topped up his existing century with 51 runs at almost a run-a-ball but never quite settled. Three edges sailed through gaps in the slip cordon, one lbw shout came dangerously close and an inside edge that seemed destined for leg stump somehow missed. When he finally smashed a pull to deep square, he could hardly complain.
He and Harry Brook set the tone for a frivolous first session, adding a brisk 40 to the total but playing with abandon. Brook was badly dropped on 12, screwing a wild heave off the toe of the bat but seeing it put down in the deep, but made just seven more before picking out cover.
The lower-middle order evaporated amid a series of soft dismissals, Jamie Smith flicking Vishwa Fernando to midwicket and Woakes lasting just four balls as he lobbed a catch off De Silva.
The tail was knocked over with minimal fuss, Gus Atkinson, Hull and Bashir clubbing together for eight runs in 25 balls between them, the latter pair competing for the rankest mis-hit of the day.
After a solitary over from Woakes before lunch, the real work began after the interval as Sri Lanka’s openers put on 34 in a steady start. It only took one lapse to undo their work, a poor call inviting Stone to throw down the stumps and send Dimuth Karunaratne on his way.
Woakes was bizarrely instructed to bowl off-spin for the next four balls, the umpires deciding that the light was too dim to bowl pace before reversing their decision at the end of the over.
Woakes, whose tweakers left a lot to be desired, was happy to get back to his long run and soon had Kusal Mendis fending to slip. Stone made further inroads, finding Mathews’ edge outside off stump then pinning Chandimal on the back leg but the biggest cheer was reserved for Hull.
His breakthrough wicket needed a healthy assist from Woakes, who swooped to catch the lively Nissank, but bowled some neat deliveries in his first five overs as an international.
The crowd was treated to some modest fare after tea, with Pope unable to call on his quicks. De Silva and the in-form Mendis were more than up to the challenge of England’s slow bowlers, though Bashir was unfortunate that Hull’s handling error cost him a breakthrough.