A record Irish stand of 115 between skipper Andy Balbirnie (95) and Paul Stirling (74) powered Ireland to an imposing 319-4 at stumps on Day One of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Monday.

The Balbirnie-Stirling partnership topped the previous best of 114 by Kevin O’Brien and Stuart Thompson against Pakistan in 2018, when Ireland had its highest test score of 339 all out.