Sri Lanka's display with the bat "the most farcical 47 overs of Test cricket I've seen", says Nasser Hussain

Plagued by rash strokeplay, poor decision-making and an element of misfortune, Sri Lanka crumbled to 135 all out at Galle, the lowest first-innings score at the venue in the 34 Tests it has staged since 1998

Sri Lanka v England: 1st Test scorecard

Nasser Hussain described Sri Lanka’s capitulation on day one of the first Test against England as “the most farcical 47 overs of Test-match cricket I’ve seen in my life”.

Plagued by rash strokeplay, poor decision-making and an element of misfortune, Sri Lanka crumbled to 135 all out at Galle, the lowest first-innings score at the venue in the 34 Tests it has staged since 1998.

Though England were efficient with the ball, Sri Lanka’s batsmen gifted their guests several wickets - with Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella and Wanindu Hasaranga all guilty of excessive aggression with their side on the ropes. 

Dom Bess’s 10.1 overs was valued by the CricViz expected wickets model to only be worth 0.55 but in reality brought the Yorkshire spinner 5 for 30, a clear illustration of the hosts’ recklessness and wastefulness.

And Hussain was scathing in his assessment of the Sri Lankan performance.

“I think abysmal is being kind. It was absolutely ridiculous,” he told Sky Sports.

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"You think of some of the greats they've had, going back to Sidath Wettimuny, to (Arjuna) Ranatunga, to Marvin Atapattu, to (Sanath) Jayasuriya, to Mahela (Jayawardene) and Kumar (Sangakkara) and Aravinda (de Silva)... what they must be thinking, watching a batting performance like that.

“It was farcical. I’d love to think how many of those Sri Lankan batsmen walked into the dressing room and thought 'you know what, I got out to a decent delivery'. It was none of them.

“It was a joke by the end. 

“That’s the most farcical 46 or 47 overs of Test match cricket I’ve seen in my life. And if Sri Lanka go on to lose this game it's because of how abysmal they've been there.

“You can’t win a game in the first day, you can certainly lose it.”

Kumar Sangakkara was equally critical of his countrymen.

The former Sri Lanka captain suggested that the issues in the camp are inherent, saying the country’s first-class structure is not nurturing talent as it should.

^{Dom Bess claimed five wickets for England (picture: Sri Lanka Cricket)}

“It was a very very poor performance. In any innings you do have one or two batsmen who get out in a soft manner, maybe playing what you may call a silly shot, but to have so many repeat that mistake through a very important first innings is extremely disappointing.

“The entire Sri Lankan batting line-up did not seem in tune or ready for Test cricket as they took the field.

“They did not really have control of their movements, of their technique. None of them had any semblance of control, and when that happens every stroke you play - in terms of being able to execute it as you’d want to - you are in no position to do that.

“Then there was horrendous decision making in situations which calls for cool, smart thinking. 

“Overall, in terms of technique, in terms of preparation, in terms of decision-making, Sri Lanka were absolutely poor.”

"We have survived by producing some very talented cricketers. Suddenly, when you don't have that coming through the production, you see the cracks and they are just getting bigger and wider"

Asked by Michael Atherton whether the collapse on Thursday “was a one-off or is there something deeper and more fundamentally flawed about Sri Lanka’s batting and Sri Lanka’s cricket in general”, Sangakkara said: “The malaise runs deep. 

“This is definitely not a one-off, this is a symptom of what I would say is a lack of quality of cricket at first-class level.

“We have survived by producing some very talented cricketers. Suddenly, when you don’t have that coming through the production, you see the cracks and they are just getting bigger and wider.

“For too long we’ve been relying on talent and potential without really (developing) it.

“Test cricket calls for adaptability and flexibility. It’s not just about playing your game despite the opposition and conditions. It’s fine if you’re playing your game as long as you’re consistently converting it into big runs - into hundreds and double hundreds. If you’re not, then it’s just an excuse.”