Nottinghamshire’s James Taylor has continued his good form for the England Lions on their tour of Sri Lanka, scoring 70 in the first innings of their four-day match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, which saw the visitors reach 299-9 by stumps.

Taylor high-scored for the Lions, his 70 including seven boundaries. Moeen Ali shared a stand of 92 with the Notts batsman, before being caught after reaching a 60-ball 62.

“It has been nice to get a bit of sun and enjoy the wickets, it’s a great spot in Sri Lanka and it’s nice to get a few runs under my belt,” said Taylor. 

“The cricket is a really good standard, really competitive, we’ve been lucky to have good surface to bat on, and it has been enjoyable.

“Really good bunch of lads, maybe the best group that I’ve played with in the Lions setup, real nice genuine guys, we all get on really well and there’s good team spirit.”

The Lions will resume tomorrow, with Tymal Mills and Graham Onions at the crease, two players likely to spearhead the attack following the culmination of the innings.