FOR half of his first day living out the International Cricket Captain video game he will no doubt have played in his youth, Ollie Pope was forced to do little more than hit 'simulate innings', sit back and watch the magic unfold.
Things got a little trickier into the afternoon sessions, when half-centuries from Dhananjaya de Silva and Milan Rathnayake led a Sri Lankan fightback and gloomy conditions left England's stand-in skipper restricted to bowling spin from both ends.
Still, having lost the toss, turfing out the opposition for 236 and reaching the close no wickets down and 22 on the board marked a decent first day in the post.
For that flying start, England's 82nd and freshest Test captain owed much to Chris Woakes, whose double-wicket maiden removed opener Nishan Madushka and regular English scourge Angelo Mathews to leave the tourists in tatters at six for three with the series half-an-hour old.
Later, he added the scalp of Kamindu Mendis to take his tally since finally replacing the retiring James Anderson as attack leader this summer to 13 wickets in five innings at an average of just 17.46.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kylie Minogue loves the bar at Louie, startling Beefeaters and snooping in The Conran Shop
Currently it’s largely suitcase-based as I’ve been doing so much travel for work, but Melbourne, Australia, is home.
Are Spurs willing to invest what it takes to win trophies?
Criticism of the manager for the club's struggles misses the point-whatever he says, he's not been given a squad ready to push for the biggest honours
Crowning glory awaits Britain's golden girl
Odds-on favourite to win BBC Sports Personality, Keely Hodgkinson never doubted she was ready to conquer the world
Residents at war over £10 billion 'Shanghai-style' Earl's Court plan
Controversial proposals are causing a huge furore in west London
The secrets of selling the capital's £40m homes
Armed security, NDAs, a gold temple...inside the world of ultra high-end property deals
Jenny Packham on Amsterdam why is truly magical at Christmas time
The designer gets lost in the cobbled streets and is entranced by the city’s twinkling lights and unique spirit
Alfies Antique Market
Here is a place to blindly lose oneself in a labyrinth of staircases and thresholds.
Decline and fall: what comes after peak wellness?
The social elite are obsessed with devices that track their health but the backlash is building
The newest AI can arrange your holiday- but will it be a strictly woke one?
A lightning-quick artificial megabrain with an appetite for social justice? WILLIAM HOSIE has a chat with Claude Al
'Fame just isn't healthy
Mercury Prize-winning band English Teacher on the pressure of success, trying not to burn out and the challenges black women face in indie music