Believe it or not, but 6 for 3 wasn't all that bad for Sri Lanka

Believe it or not, but 6 for 3 wasn't all that bad.

Not great, obviously. Awful, actually, considering those three wickets fell in the space of 10 deliveries. Nishan Madushka's nothing drive was bad. Angelo Mathews' wearing of a straight delivery worse - then even more so when he called for a review, seemingly to ensure anyone who did not catch it the first time around could get in on the joke.

But 6 for 3 on the first morning of this three-Test series was only Sri Lanka's fourth-worst total at the fall of the third batter. As far as stinking starts go, it's not even on the podium.

That's not to say they were not threatening a medal finish in Wednesday's Synchronised Dispiriting Batting event at Emirates Old Trafford. Kusal Mendis had his thumb ripped off by Mark Wood. Dinesh Chandimal stubbed his toe on a length delivery from Shoaib Bashir .

Kamindu Mendis' average will probably never return to three figures again. Prabath Jayasuriya, having survived a dismissal on account of the fact Gus Atkinson had over-bowled his bouncer, wasted that life two balls later with a tame nick behind. At 113 for 7, the visitors, and by proxy, the prospect of a contest in this match and the series, were looking pretty bleak.

As it turned out, it wasn't all that bad. Not great, obviously. And certainly awful at that juncture. But 236 was an impressive first innings considering where things were. Had Mathews nailed a direct hit to remove Dan Lawrence at the end of the day, you could argue - with a high-calibre lawyer and an easily-led jury - that Sri Lanka would have ended day one with more to cheer.

Of course, Dhananjaya de Silva was at the heart of the fightback. Not simply doing his duty as captain but because this is sort of his thing. Since the start of 2023, the No. 6 batter has been greeted at the crease by a team score below 100 seven times, and on six occasions he has responded with fifty-plus scores. The fall of the fourth wicket may as well be a Dhananjaya-shaped bat signal.

That the bulk of his 74 here came with three different partners was a testament to his chilled demeanour. It did not matter that he was exchanging advice and glove punches with a different person every six overs. Nor that there was chaos all around him, which he channelled rather than ignored.

Chris Woakes , primarily successful moving the ball away from the right-handers and surprising them with the one in - we're looking at you, Angelo - was coerced into straying a little too wide after watching Dhananjaya play possum for the start of his innings. Boundaries in front of third and cover were bagged. Even Wood, who was sending batters ducking for cover at one end with mid-90s heat, found himself picked off with confusing ease.

It is all part of the Dhananjaya package. A long-sleeved stylist with a knack for applying flattering Instagram filters to the tough and gutsy aspects of Test cricket that make for great stories but don't necessarily photograph well.

None of that is a happy accident, and all of it is reflective of what the 32-year-old is to this side before he became captain. And the reassurance Dhananjaya brings to those around him was characterised best by the performance of debutant Milan Rathnayake .

The pair - both playing their first Tests in England - shared a stand of 63 that lifted Sri Lanka above the water, if only for the next 24 hours. And though Dhananjaya would be the one to fall after Rathnayake had stuck by him - "When I was batting, I thought to myself that I was batting for my captain, so that's how I went about it"- the comfort obtained in that 98-ball partnership was put to use with a breezy 42 runs in a combined 50 with No.10 Vishwa Fernando , as the former Sri Lankan Air Force cricketer flew solo.

A flat six into the advertising hoardings at extra cover took Rathnayake beyond a previous first-class best of 59, a reflection of the 28-year-old's "normal game". Getting to that point relied upon his captain's marshalling, which involved a more attacking brief on an inconsistent pitch.

Dhananjaya targeted Bashir, striking back-to-back fours - sweeping the off-spinner, then using his feet to meet one on the half-volley and slap over long off - before charging past one. A missed stumping from Jamie Smith should have finished Dhananjaya off on 65 and may have stunted the development of Rathnayake's innings. By the time the former handed Bashir the final word with a tame tickle around the corner to leg slip, the latter, now on 30, was at ease.

You could attribute some of that ease to the fact Rathnayake had a full 24 hours to process his selection. That Dhananjaya sought to announce the team on Tuesday was a change from the norm. Clear messaging and timely information are hardly bedrocks of Sri Lankan administration. But it is a welcome development for those playing, even if Rathnayake admitted he received his cap from Kumar Sangakkara as the country's 166th Test cricketer after a sleepless night.

Of course, universal balance means comfort on one side equates to irritation on the other. There were points during Ollie Pope 's first day as Test captain that he looked a little miffed at how a team that had stunk out the morning were still around at night, even threatening to lay one on them before stumps were called.

There were a couple of speculative reviews on Vishwa's wicket in a bid to break that 10th-wicket stand. By the time they opted to go back to Wood to blast out the tail, darkness had descended despite the fact it was still only 4:45pm. Wood reluctantly took back his jumper. Pope frowned towards the dank clouds. Root shrugged as he was handed back the ball. In that moment, only the scoreboard reading 207 for 8 felt an accurate reflection of who was actually in control of all this.

It was not all that bad for England. And, in the end, not for Sri Lanka, either.