It was a game that promised little early on but remained intriguing throughout, the tourists outperforming expectations to take it deep. Here’s what we learned from the match.

Pope's captaincy passes muster, but batting must not suffer

The most important thing is, England won. And though it was closer than many predicted, that allowed Ollie Pope’s mettle as a captain to be tested. He survived, keeping calm as the stand between Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal threatened to push England behind in the game, even with Mark Wood, his main partnership breaker, off injured. Pope largely followed the WWSD credo - What would Stokes do? - with liberal use of the short ball when the game was drifting, as is England’s way. However, after a return to form against West Indies with the bat, scores of six and eight made for a sub-par Test. The first-innings dismissal was a good ball, but Pope made it look very good. The second-innings dismissal was a good plan, but Pope didn’t need to fall into it. With England opting to replace Stokes with a bowler, they will need runs from their No.3 at some point in the series.

Jamie Smith settles any debate over keeping spot

It’s a marker of how seamlessly Jamie Smith has slotted into England’s middle order that there has been very little grumbling from those who would have pounced on any signs of frailty. All of Jonny Bairstow, Durham’s Ollie Robinson, even Smith’s Surrey teammate Ben Foakes have their supporters. But Smith has been solid behind the stumps - notwithstanding one occasion on which his gloves encroached past the stumps in eagerness, gifting a no ball - and dreamy in front of them. England were precariously placed when he came in in the first innings, and he dug them out with a maiden Test century, the youngest English keeper in history to make one. Tougher challenges await, but Smith can’t have asked for a better start to his Test career.

Potts and Lawrence chip in without threatening the first string

The injuries to Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes weakened England, but also injected some intrigue into an otherwise low-key build-up. They also afforded an unexpected chance to look at some players England would like to know more about heading into challenges to come, with Matthew Potts re-entering for the first time since before the last Ashes, and Dan Lawrence coming in for his first game under Brendon McCullum. Both contributed, but neither will have any of the first XI looking over their shoulders yet. Lawrence injected some dazzling strokeplay, holding the pose after pumping Prabath Jayasuriya for six on day four, but scores of 30 and 34 will do little to assuage those who question his substance. Potts was wayward on day one before settling into his rhythm, but you can see why England have promoted the faster Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue ahead of him.

The Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva outfoxed his English counterpart Ollie Pope with a tactical masterstroke on day four at Old Trafford. 💪

READ: https://t.co/MYMDBwaeXZ#ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/clCQIock5P

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 24, 2024

England team balance vindicated even as Cox sends message

As is custom, those members of England’s squad not selected were allowed to return to their counties to show the national side what they were missing. Olly Stone and Jordan Cox could hardly have had more contrasting performances, the former conceding more than five an over as Durham racked up 500 and forced Notts to follow on, and the latter cruising to 141 at better than a run a ball as Essex made merry against Hampshire. Still Cox is unlikely to force his way in for the rest of the series, with the Old Trafford Test providing vindication for England’s team balance. Each of England’s Nos.7-10 passed 15 in the first innings, soothing concerns over the long tail, and with Mark Wood missing for the fourth day due to a thigh injury, England were grateful for the extra quick.

The Chris Woakes question raises its head again

This was, in a way, the quintessential Chris Woakes in England Test: exemplary, unshowy, and at times unplayable. He claimed three wickets in each innings, carving out the required early in-roads and breaking through later on as well, and his 25 was the kind of knock he consistently plays and rarely gets credit for, taking them past Sri Lanka’s total and laying the platform for a match-winning lead. As ever, when he shows how good he is at home, the question of whether he can do the same overseas crops up. Woakes himself said he was open to the idea, and England’s lineup may need balancing if Stokes’ hamstring doesn’t recover by the Pakistan tour. Woakes overseas should work, but the stats are so jarring. Are England ready to risk being hurt again?

Sri Lanka emerge in credit but will wonder what might have been

When Sri Lanka slid to 6-3 on the first morning, all watching feared the worst. Here was another touring team turning up undercooked and ready to be dismantled, it seemed. And then, somehow, a proper, hard-fought Test match unfolded. Milan Rathnayake, on debut, provided a rescue act with the bat from No.9. Asitha Fernando cut through England with the new ball and Prabath Jayasuriya found turn at the right time. Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal had Sri Lanka eyeing up a target of 300, the former continuing an extraordinary start to his career with three hundreds in seven innings. In the chase, they chipped away to keep the game interesting to the last. On the first morning, it seemed as if the game might not make it to a third evening, let alone be live deep into fourth.

But there will also be a sense of what could have been. There was some ill-fortune, with uneven bounce working against them early on before largely disappearing, and a ball change helping break their third day resistance. England deserve credit too for keeping a spirited opposition at arm’s length. But what if they could have got to lunch on day one three down, rather than five down? What if England’s tail could have been scythed through, keeping the lead minimal? What if Chandimal and Mendis could have added another fifty? There is hope for the remainder of the series, but also the lingering worry that that might be Sri Lanka’s chance gone.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.