Westbury, Bartlett tons crush SL

Centuries from Oli Westbury and George Bartlett put England Under-19s in control on the opening day of their Youth Test against Sri Lanka Under-19s. Westbury batted all day to reach the close unbeaten on 157, as the Sri Lanka attack was made to toil.

Two late strikes did redress the balance slightly, after Westbury and Bartlett had put on 231 for the third wicket. Lahiru Kumara picked up his second wicket when he removed Bartlett for 131, off just 152 balls, and Jehan Daniel then bowled Joshua Dell to leave England on 327 for 4, before Ollie Pope accompanied Westbury to stumps.

Bartlett, who was dropped twice in his innings, was one of ten new caps in England's four-day side. "Today has been surreal, playing cricket for your country is what you dream," he said.

"Me and Wes fought hard early on and as the ball got a bit older the boundaries came a bit easier and it became easier to build on our partnership. It's a shame I couldn't build an even bigger score off the back of that hundred - it felt like we have built a great platform for the team to go on and get a great score."

Kumara had struck early, dismissing England captain Max Holden with the score on 20, and Shammu Ashan got rid of George Hankins, caught at short leg for 28 from the final ball before lunch, after a 65-run stand.

Westbury and Bartlett then combined for most of the afternoon and evening to give a new-look England side an excellent platform. Westbury's hundred was more watchful, coming off 172 balls, while Bartlett took 127 deliveries in reaching three figures.