Olly Stone denied complacency played a part in England's performance on day two of their final Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval.
England were bowled out for 325 after 69 overs, as Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis helped the tourists reach 211-5 at stumps.
Stone was the pick of the hosts' bowling attack, taking the wickets of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal while also running out Dimuth Karunaratne.
De Silva, however, was crucially dropped by debutant Josh Hull, as he ended the day on 64 runs from 106 deliveries alongside Mendis (54).
And while England handed Sri Lanka a potential route back into the final Test, Stone was confident that on another day, they could have been out of sight.
"I wouldn't say we were complacent. We've always said about taking the positive option, sometimes you can sit there and take a few blows," Stone said.
"If you put a few chances away it can come out differently. On another day it goes another way, and we get a few on the board."
As it had done on the first day, bad light was a constant threat, resulting in fast bowler Chris Woakes delivering four balls of off-spin.
England had started brightly with the ball in hand, working through Sri Lanka's top order before being stopped in their tracks by De Silva and Mendis.
But the bad light inside The Oval played its part, with the tourists able to chip away at their target after tea.
Stone acknowledged the difficulty of the conditions but had words of praise for Hull after taking his first wicket on his debut.
"It was too dark for our seamers but we tried to take the positive option. We thought we could take wickets with our spinners," Stone said.
"We feel we have the bowlers in any conditions but Sri Lanka played well.
"Hull has been brilliant. He hasn't looked nervous - he has been smiley, he has enjoyed it.
"I know he will be better for taking that wicket and hopefully he can take more in the morning.
"There is no greater job in the world. Going out there with a smile on our face, enjoying it.
"It doesn't feel like international cricket, you are nice and relaxed and out there with your mates."
Carsley casts the credit to England's players after debut win
Lee Carsley insisted his England players "have to take all of the credit" after winning his debut match as England manager.
Interim boss Carsley oversaw a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League fixture at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
It marked the first time Ireland have lost a home match against England since May 1964.
The former England Under-21s manager, however, was keen to credit his players after first-half goals from Jack Grealish and Declan Rice saw England over the line.
"The lads have to take a lot of credit, all of the credit. I think we've showed we've got some real talent and we can be really pleased with the clean sheet as well," he told ITV.
"I thought it was good in parts. You've seen some of the things we've tried to do."
Carsley, who represented Ireland as a player, was vindicated in recalling Grealish after his omission from the Euros squad in the summer as the Manchester City playmaker doubled the lead in the 26th minute.
"I thought they [Rice and Grealish] took their goals really well. Really well-worked moves and brilliant finishes. I think, moving forward, they can both add a lot more goals to their game," he said.
"Jack definitely doesn't have anything to prove to us, we can see his quality, but today will have done him the world of good, getting another goal for England and hopefully he can continue that form."
The new England manager also opted to start Anthony Gordon on the left wing after the Newcastle United winger had struggled for minutes on the pitch under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024.
"On a really dry sticky pitch, it's not ideal for dribblers but I thought Anthony was a real threat. He's carried on his form from last season and he looks a really dangerous player," enthused Carsley of Gordon, who got all three of his shots on target and played two key passes.
The manager played his part in ending Ireland's four-game unbeaten run against the Three Lions on home soil (W1 D3), though England could have made their dominance pay more.
"I think you've got to give Ireland credit as well, they are very resilient, they closed the gaps and our space maybe became a bit wider [in the second half]," reflected Carsley.
"We found it a little bit more difficult to get through them but at 2-0 we were quite comfortable."
Grealish back firing for England after 'worst summer of his life'
Jack Grealish returned to the scoresheet for England after ‘the worst summer of his life’ saw him miss out on a place in the Three Lions' Euro 2024 squad.
Grealish netted the second goal in England's 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League clash at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
It was just his third-ever goal for the England senior team and his first as a starter.
The Manchester City attacker was selected to start by interim head coach Lee Carsley in his first match at the helm, after falling out of favour towards the end of Gareth Southgate's time in charge.
"Over the summer, it was one of the worst summers of my life because you can't not see everything that is happening in front of you,” he told ITV after the match.
“It was difficult but it's given me something to bounce back."
Grealish delivered a display fitting of a player with something to prove.
While he was on the pitch, no England player won more fouls (4) or created more chances (2) than the 28-year-old.
"I need to start playing regularly, scoring goals, and that's what I did today. I'm still not 100% fit but I'm getting there so from a personal point of view I'm happy,” he added.
"Going to the fans at the end and hearing them sing my name, listen there's no better feeling than playing for England.
Everyone will say the same thing, especially in games like this when you know the whole nation is going to be watching.”
Declan Rice opened the scoring for England in the 11th minute before assisting Grealish to double the lead 15 minutes later.
Both players had previously represented their opponents, and faced a tough reception in Dublin.
"It was what me and Declan expected. We have nothing bad to say, we both enjoyed our time [playing for Ireland]," Grealish said.
"I certainly did and I have a lot of Irish in my family, so there's no bad blood whatsoever from my side," said Grealish.
The victory marks the first time England have won consecutive meetings with the Republic of Ireland since March 1985.
The Three Lions were winless in seven against them between these two runs (D5 L2).
Republic of Ireland 0-2 England: Rice and Grealish hand Carsley winning start
Lee Carsley made a winning start to his England tenure with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League, helped by two players who previously represented the hosts.
Both goals came in the first half on Saturday, with Declan Rice's powerful finish followed up by Jack Grealish's sweeping effort to hand England their first win in Dublin in over 60 years.
Jayson Molumby's early chance offered the visitors a warning, but Harry Kane headed over as Carsley's team swiftly took control.
The England captain, now one shy of his 100th Three Lions cap, was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher moments later inside the box after a fast break from an Ireland free-kick.
But England had the lead after 11 minutes. Having made three senior appearances for Ireland, Rice pledged his international future to the Three Lions in 2019, and it was the Arsenal midfielder who opened the scoring with an emphatic finish into the roof of the net.
Rice turned provider for another who switched their international allegiance, as Grealish rounded off a fine move to double England's advantage 15 minutes later.
Ireland improved after the interval, though rarely came close to truly testing Jordan Pickford.
Bukayo Saka went close to adding further gloss to an impressive display in added time, only to see his effort repelled by Kelleher with substitute Eberechi Eze firing over on the rebound.
Data Debrief: Rice and Grealish haunt Ireland
In a game where all the focus was placed on former Ireland international Carsley, it would be two of the Republic's former hopes that stole the headlines in Dublin.
Rice's goal at the Aviva Stadium came six years and 97 days after making his only previous appearance there for Ireland against the United States in June 2018.
He completed 88 of his 93 passes and ended with an accuracy rate of 94.6%, a total only bettered by Pickford (96.3%) of those that started the game.
Grealish, meanwhile, netted his third goal for England, and his first as a starter. While he was on the pitch, no England player won more fouls (four) or created more chances (two) than him.
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