The much-vaunted English summer got off to a wet and delayed start in Cardiff today, as a new-look Sri Lankan team took on an England outfit keen to show that their Ashes victory last year was no flash in the pan. Rain washed out the first session and allowed for just 48 overs of play, but by stumps, both teams had reason to be pleased with their performances.

Tillekeratne Dilshan, fresh off centuries in the tour games, got his full-time international captaincy off to a good start by winning the toss and choosing to bat. The resuming rain had to make him wait for his first at bat as captain, but he and Tharanga Paranavitana negotiated England's new ball attack without incident. James Anderson was sharp and precise, while Stuart Broad went for some stick, with Chris Tremlett going unrewarded for accurate and incisive bowling.

Given the conditions, and his new-found responsibilities as captain, Dilshan played within himself, but was the more aggressive of the openers, letting Paranavitana find his feet in his first opening role outside the subcontinent. As their partnership passed 50, England's bowlers began to wane, and attention turned from them to when Graeme Swann would have his first bowl of the summer.

Dilshan reached his 50, a positive and confident start, and was looking good for more, before he became the first wicket of the game, playing on to Graeme Swann. It was a vital breakthrough for England - the partnership was worth 93 at the time, and forced the Sri Lankans to craft another from scratch. Like Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara looked in ominous form, but feathered an edge to Matt Prior and was gone for just 11. From 93/0, Sri Lanka slipped to 114/2, but Paranavitana's own half-century and Mahela Jayawardene's patience saw the tourists through to stumps (133/2) with no further hassle.

Honors mostly even at the end of the truncated first day's play. Sri Lanka would be happy getting runs on the board without the loss of too many wickets, but England are very slightly ahead, having removed Kumar Sangakkara cheaply. However, with Jayawardene still at their crease, they have their work cut out for them. Paranativana - who started his Test career with a first ball duck - passed 1,000 Test runs in this innings, and looks set to cement his position as Sri Lanka's Test opener. No century for Dilshan this time, but a fluent 50 suggests that he's shrugged off the IPL and is looking to establish his captaincy like his batting - with confidence and aggression.

It wasn't the best of days for England's bowlers. Once Dilshan and Paranavitana saw off any threats with the new ball, the England attack seemed more focused on containing the runs, than forcing a wicket. The dismissals suggested as much - Dilshan played on while facing Swann, and Sangakkara's wicket was initially turned down by Aleem Dar, before a referral from Andrew Strauss revealed a fatal edge. There was nothing wrong with England's bowling; it just lacked any tangible sense of punch. Already trailing by 133, with eight opposition batsmen left to come, they'd better find their feet soon.

Day 1: Sri Lanka: 133/2 (Tharanga Paranavitana 58*, Graeme Swann 8-2-12-1) in 48 overs

External link:

Scorecard at Cricinfo