Sri Lanka v England 1st Test - 1st Day

Sri Lanka v England 1st Test

First Test, Kandy: England 49-1 (day one, stumps) v Sri Lanka 188

Hoggard took four wickets to put Sri Lanka on the back foot

England dominated the opening day's play of the first Test against Sri Lanka, bowling the hosts out for 188 before reaching 49-1 at the close.

Seamer Matthew Hoggard claimed 4-21 in the morning session as Sri Lanka, who won the toss and chose to bat, were left reeling on 86-5 at lunch.

Kumar Sangakkara starred with 92 and shared 106 with Prasanna Jayawardene (51) as Sri Lanka fought back.

But three quick Monty Panesar wickets sparked Sri Lanka's premature demise.

England skipper Michael Vaughan was unbeaten on 13 while the in-form Ian Bell was 36 not out at the close following Chaminda Vaas's third-ball dismissal of Alastair Cook for a duck.

Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan claimed two maidens in his three overs in the descending gloom as he seeks the five wickets he needs to break Shane Warne's all-time Test wicket record of 708.

But it was the England bowlers that stole the show on a sweltering day despite having been asked to bowl first on a flat track that looked more suited to batting.

James Anderson was preferred to Steve Harmison as the third seamer alongside Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom.

England have won three previous Tests in Sri Lanka - on all three occasions after they have lost the toss.

And it was Sidebottom who got the momentun going in the third over when he encouraged 109-Test veteran Sanath Jayasuriya to hole out to Kevin Pietersen in the covers for 10.

Sri Lanka crept on cautiously but Hoggard made the most of some early movement when he struck for his first wicket in the 10th over.

The hard-working seamer lured the left-handed Michael Vandort into driving straight to Vaughan at mid-on for eight to leave the hosts 29-2.

Sangakkara's 92 gave Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope

Hoggard settled into a flowing rhythym of line and length with a hint of swing and shortly afterwards he forced Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene to edge behind to wicket-keeper Matt Prior for one.

The Englishman repeated the feat in his next over when Chamara Silva also found Prior's gloves for two before Jehan Mubarak, the fourth left-hander in Sri Lanka's top six, fell to one moving the other way to give Prior a third victim.

Sri Lanka's batting was unsure and they lurched to the lunch break with Sangakkara staging a lone resistance on 39 not out.

The impressive Hoggard ended the session with figures of 4-21 off 10 overs, including three maidens.

After the interval, the hosts batted with more conviction and Sangakkara and Jayawardene edged their side away from the abyss before Jayawardene fell for 51 off 102 balls to a sharp Cook catch at forward short leg off Panesar.

Sangakkara surged on undaunted but was forced to watch as Vaas and then Dilhara Fernando succumbed cheaply to Panesar's spin.

But Sri Lanka's beacon of hope was snuffed out when Anderson was rewarded by a stunning one-handed Paul Collingwood catch at backward point to remove Sangakkara for 92 off 159 balls.

Two balls later, Muralitharan set off for a seemingly impossible second run and England Test debutant Ravi Bopara threw down the stumps to end Sri Lanka's resistance.