BRADFORD star Jonny Bairstow showed a cool head to see England to a seven-wicket victory on the final morning of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

He and young debutant Dan Lawrence had come together in chaotic fashion on the fourth evening in Galle, the tourists succumbing to a clatter of nerves as they slipped to 14-3 chasing just 74.

Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and captain Joe Root all fell cheaply, but the fourth-wicket pair extinguished the anxiety to leave only 36 needed on day five.

Resuming on 38-3, they went about their business with a renewed clarity, making light of any overnight concerns they or the England fans watching at home may still have harboured.

They finished with a stand of 62, and delivered the result that had seemed inevitable all the way back to the first afternoon when they hustled their hosts out for just 135.

The ball was still turning sharply but the scoring was brisk enough to erase any doubt, with the mission accomplished in 36 minutes and 9.2 overs.

Bairstow, who had been at least partly complicit in running out Root for one during the previous drama, led the way with 35 not out and had the honour of hitting the winning runs.

In doing so, the Yorkshireman made it four overseas Test wins in a row - the previous three dating back to last winter's tour of South Africa - a streak last seen in the 1950s.

Having earlier cut his second ball of the day for four to third man, he wrapped things up with a second boundary as he stooped low and swept Dilruwan Perera round the corner to make it 1-0 in the two-match series.

It was Bairstow's 71st Test appearance, but he had last appeared in this format way back in 2019. After a composed 47, his knock here confirmed him as a viable long-term candidate for the number-three slot.

Batting places are set to be at a premium soon, with Rory Burns, Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes all due to return, but both Bairstow and Lawrence have made a strong case for retention.

It was a good end to the Test match for Bairstow, and his Yorkshire teammates, Root and Dom Bess, also had something to shout about.

Captain Root made a superb 228 in England's first innings, meaning he picked up the man of the match award.

Meanwhile, Bess took advantage of the spin-friendly conditions, finishing with match figures of 8-130.