"I would love the opportunity to play in the Test," said Kirtley. "But the situation is that I'm here to cover for Jimmy. There was no pressure on me today and if you are relaxed then things work out for you more often than not."
Even so, England need their fast bowlers to strike early in these conditions because the new ball goes soft all too quickly - and Kirtley, having been denied a leg-before victim with his first delivery, required only three more to make a mark.
Michael Vandort, a tall left-hander who has just been recalled to the Test squad, got away with one raucous appeal when apparently pinned in front of middle stump.
He didn't survive a second time, though - even if the verdict appeared more debatable. Gaining good late swing, Kirtley soon claimed another Test victim with Chamara Silva touching a ball that left him.
Then, when Dammika Sudarshana drove loosely at another away-swinger, the home side were 19 for three.
Those second and third dismissals were sealed by routine catches behind the wicket.
But they were memorable enough for Kent wicket-keeper Geraint Jones, starting a match for England for the first time after a brief substitute's appearance in Bangladesh.
Chris Read will take over behind the stumps next week.
There are some less straightforward Test issues to resolve, however.
One of them concerns the spin bowlers - and England played all three here so they could look at Giles, Batty and the recently arrived Robert Croft.
Batty struck first, having Thilan Samaraweera snapped up at short-leg off bat and pad for a top score of 32 once Kirtley had removed Russel Arnold for 27 via a sliced cut off backward point.
It was the senior man Giles, though, who enjoyed himself most, earning a couple of lbw decisions and then engineering a stumping with some clever flight.
He finished the day, with figures of three for 23 off 14.1 overs, but Andrew Flintoff, Croft and opening bowler Matthew Hoggard finished wicketless.
