England century was meant to be - Foakes

England debutant Ben Foakes enjoyed a day to remember in the first Test with Sri Lanka, his century firing the tourist towards victory.

England star Ben Foakes

Ben Foakes believes his debut Test century for England was "meant to be" as he led the tourist to a commanding lead in Sri Lanka.

Playing his first innings in the longest format, Foakes built on a strong first day to reach three figures on Wednesday, finally departing for 107 to Suranga Lakmal.

That dismissal came in a hectic 97th over where three fours took Foakes to a first Test ton, with a sense of relief greeting the milestone that inspired England towards a 177-run advantage come the end of day two.

"I was pretty calm this morning with Leachy [Jack Leach] there, then I think there was five [runs] to go with Jimmy [James Anderson] and I got a bit nervous! He nicked one just short and I guess it was meant to be my day. It was just amazing to get it" Foakes told Sky Sports .

READ: Foakes, spinners put England on top in first Sri Lanka Test

"I felt like I had it, I had enough. I saw Herath running around and it didn't look like he was going to get there. Jimmy had stopped running and I wasn't sure it was going to go for four - I thought I was going to get run out. It was just such a relief, a great feeling."

Foakes soon combined with James Anderson again, catching to dismiss Dimuth Karunaratne and settle into his role as a Test wicketkeeper.

"Getting a few runs settled me down, but getting in the game early as a keeper is awesome. With Jimmy bowling, you know you're in the game. To get the first one out was great," Foakes added.