Day one report and analysis
Right then, enough from me. I’ll be back on in the morning – from the ground – to take you through the first half of day two. Will Gus Atkinson add a century at Lord’s to go with his 12-wicket debut at the ground? I reckon so.
For some Champo drama, see below:
“I was reading earlier that Sri Lanka’s captain De Silva said his team feared Atkinson’s nagging line and length more than the speed of Wood,” writes Colum Fordham. “Given his batting exploits this afternoon, the England fast bowler will now becoming even scarier. Could he become a genuine all-rounder for England? Would be very useful indeed.”
He looks technically sound and has power to go with it, too. All-rounder? Probably not a genuine one at Test level. But he can start making a decent claim for it if he adds 26 in the morning.
A reminder: England were in a spot of bother at 216 for six, but Joe Root and Gus Atkinson combined for a stand worth 92, Root finishing on 143. No Englishman has more Test tons than him, Root now level on 33 with Alastair Cook. Atkinson and Potts then kept rolling on, the former batting beautifully for an unbeaten 74. Sri Lanka looked knackered in that last hour.
STUMPS: England finish day one on 358 for seven
88th over: England 358-7 (Atkinson 74, Potts 20) Atkinson, who has enjoyed the short ball in this innings, pulls Asitha for four to move into the seventies. You’re allowed to start dreaming, Gus: a Test ton is properly there for the taking in the morning. Potts leaves an outswinger to close the day, which I’m going to give to England.
Updated
87th over: England 353-7 (Atkinson 69, Potts 20) Dhananjaya turns back to Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin for a punt late in the day. He concedes two but can’t land the desired blow.
86th over: England 351-7 (Atkinson 68, Potts 19) This is going from an OK to potentially bad day for Sri Lanka, having chosen to bowl first. They haven’t threatened with this second new ball.
“Afternoon Taha, afternoon everyone,” writes Guy Hornsby. “Having been 3 down and 5 down for not many, proceedings since then are really going to hurt this good Sri Lanka side. They have bowled well but come up against a player of ridiculous talent in Joe Root. But just as importantly, our lower order really has been excellent so far this series. I love Gus Atkinson, but never saw this score in him. But we’re all thinking it now, aren’t we? Could he? Really?”
Updated
85th over: England 343-7 (Atkinson 65, Potts 14) Another stunner from Atkinson as he drive Kumara down the ground for four. He’s a very MCC-textbook batter, that bat perfectly straight, and a smashing pull follows. Is he going to get himself on the honours board again?
84th over: England 332-7 (Atkinson 55, Potts 14) Fernando jags the ball back in to Atkinson, with an inside-edge somehow evading the stumps. There’s a bit of swing away from the right-hander for Fernando, but he can’t find the crucial nick off Potts’ edge.
83rd over: England 331-7 (Atkinson 54, Potts 14) The new ball isn’t whizzing around just yet for Kumara and Fernando. A ball down the leg-side from Kumara is expertly claimed by a leaping Madushka. An edge trickles away for four before Potts shows some serious authority with a punchy pull through the leg side for four.
82nd over: England 322-7 (Atkinson 53, Potts 6) Asitha Fernando has the new ball from the other end and is greeted by a Potts drive through point for four. An edge trickles away to bring Atkinson back on strike.
81st over: England 316-7 (Atkinson 52, Potts 1) Lahiru Kumara has the second new ball in his hand, the visitors hoping they can knock off these last three wickets before stumps. Kumara finds a bit of nip away from Potts with the fresh cherry before the No 9 flicks to the leg side for a single to end the over.
Half-century for Gus Atkinson!
Atkinson thumps Rathnayake through extra cover to celebrate his first Test half-century, off just 61 balls, three sixes to go with three fours. He’s finding this whole thing way too easy at the moment.
80th over: England 315-7 (Atkinson 52, Potts 0)
Updated
79th over: England 309-7 (Atkinson 46, Potts 0) No rash shots from Atkinson and Potts as Jayasuriya concedes one. Potts can bat, too, with a first-class hundred on his CV.
78th over: England 308-7 (Atkinson 45, Potts 0) Did he need to play that reverse scoop? Probably not. But life is short, Joe Root deserves to have some fun and there are other more serious things out there to be worried/angry about.
WICKET! Root c Nissanka b Rathnayake 143 (England 308-7)
Oh dear. Root decides to play his trademark reverse-scoop but gets it horribly wrong, instead offering catching practice to Nissanka in the slip cordon with a lob high into the air.
Updated
77th over: England 308-6 (Atkinson 45, Root 143) Jayasuriya, off that economical walk-up which barely leaves the strip, concedes two.
76th over: England 306-6 (Atkinson 44, Root 142) Root and Atkinson are nudging and nurdling well when they’re not finding the boundary. They take four runs off Rathnayake, their stand now worth 90. It’s looking like it’ll be England’s day.
75th over: England 302-6 (Atkinson 43, Root 139) Jayasuriya returns to stem the flow of runs but they still pick him off for five, running hard between the wickets.
74th over: England 297-6 (Atkinson 40, Root 137) Gus Atkinson really loves Lord’s, doesn’t he? Twelve wickets against the West Indies last month and now another six, pulling Kamindu over deep midwicket. It was another poor ball from the part-time spinner; Sri Lanka probably need to change things up at the Nursery End, with six overs left to the second new ball.
73rd over: England 287-6 (Atkinson 31, Root 137)
Rathnayake is pulled away by Root for four, evading the man close in at mid-on/midwicket.
“If Surrey play an attack of Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jordan Clark, Jamie Overton and Atkinson, Gus is in at 11,” writes Gary Naylor. “Yet here he is, justifying his selection at 8 for England. Funny what confidence and freedom from the fear of failure can do.”
A Surrey first-choice XI would cause most Test sides a lot of bother.
72nd over: England 283-6 (Root 133, Atkinson 31) Kamindu bowls another drag-down, Root easily pulling it away from four. Sri Lanka are obviously trying to get themselves to that second new ball but they still need to keep a bit of discipline here; Kamindu bowling a loose one every over ain’t that.
71st over: England 278-6 (Atkinson 31, Root 128) Atkinson tries to leave a ball well outside off, but still gets a bit of bat on it. It doesn’t cause the batter any bother, the ball bouncing before reaching the keeper’s gloves. Time for drinks.
70th over: England 277-6 (Atkinson 31, Root 127) The ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis enters the attack; he decides to bowl some right-arm offies. He’s too short to Root, allowing the right-hander to easily cut for four. A reverse-sweep follows to give Root two. And then another, this time for four. As cool as it is to bowl with both arms, batting remains Kamindu’s primary skill.
69th over: England 264-6 (Atkinson 29, Root 116) Asitha, who impressed me at Old Trafford last week, sees Atkinson strum a cover drive, the England No 8 dominating this very tidy stand with Root.
68th over: England 258-6 (Atkinson 24, Root 115) Milan Rathnayake re-enters the attack, running in from the Nursery End. Root is batting well outside his crease and ends the over by leaning into a wide hit-me ball, driving through cover for four.
67th over: England 253-6 (Atkinson 23, Root 111) Asitha goes short to Atkinson, who rides it by pulling for one. Lord’s seems rather quiet at the moment – not that it gets raucous over there – perhaps entering a late-afternoon lull.
66th over: England 247-6 (Atkinson 21, Root 107) Atkinson looks comfortable out there, capable of supporting Root without needing to be shepherded. Once again he laces Jayasuriya for six, stepping out to drive over extra cover. That forces mid-off to drop closer to the boundary.
Updated
65th over: England 238-6 (Atkinson 13, Root 106) Atkinson is smashing with control, driving Asitha Fernando behind point for four to move to 13.
64th over: England 233-6 (Atkinson 9, Root 105) Gus Atkinson defies his status as a No 8 with a shot of a No 4, skipping down the pitch to loft Jayasuriya with a straight bat over long-off for six. A lovely stroke.
63rd over: England 226-6 (Atkinson 3, Root 104) Root gets his focus back on the job, which remains a big one: England are still short of a decent total.
Joe Root hits his 33rd Test hundred!
Again, Atkinson gets himself off strike quickly, pulling Lahiru Kumara for one. Root plays out a dot before guiding the ball to the third-man rope for four. He’s delighted, too, that boundary taking him level with Alastair Cook on 33 Test hundreds. No Englishman has hit more. He is a quite extraordinary cricketer.
Updated
62nd over: England 220-6 (Atkinson 2, Root 99) Atkinson gets a single first ball but Root can’t get away the probing Jayasuriya for that much-desired single. The wait continues.
Will hand over now to Taha Hashim, who will take you through the next little bit.
61st over: England 219-5 (Root 99, Atkinson 1): Root so nearly drags on! There is definitely some tension here. A couple of times Root threatens to nick the single run that would take him to three figures, only for Atkinson to send him back. Some superb fielding from Kumara, off his own bowling, again denies England’s talisman. It’s a maiden, Atkinson will face next.
60th over: England 219-6 (Root 99, Atkinson 1): Root is just one away now. A tense mood hangs over Lord’s.
59th over: England 216-5 (Root 98: Root edges nearer, not literally. He had added one more to his total before Woakes’s dismissal.
WICKET! Woakes c AM Fernando b Kumara 6 (England 216-6)
Great bowling from Kumara! He expertly pitches a short delivery at Woakes’ bonce, Woakes slogs wildly and at the second attempt, Fernando takes an easy catch down at fine leg! He initially dropped it, but the ball popped up, and he grabbed it gratefully with a knowing smile.
Updated
58th over: England 215-5 (Root 96, Woakes 6): Another loose, short ball from Jayasuriya and once again it gets the treatment from Root, who goes low this time on his way to another four. At 95, Root is now one stroke from equalling Alastair Cook’s record (33) of centuries for England. One more run from the over. Root needs four for his ton.
“Sorry to be a pedant with your previous correspondents, emails Christian Miners, “but Padel is not the same as the short/paddle tennis we played in school playgrounds. Padel is played in a partially enclosed court - to the extent that bouncing the ball hard off the back wall is a key tactic. What John Gray (below) describes is closer to pickleball - the mortal enemy of tennis, because it requires much less skill to play, and takes much less room.”
57th over: England 210-5 (Root 91, Woakes 6): A shake of the head from Root, as he falls for the bait, wildly flashing well outside off at a Kumara length delivery. Root is lucky not to nick through to the keeper, and he knows it. Complete silence from the Sky commentary team, presumably out of embarrassment for the shot. Root gathers himself, ducks under a bouncer and nicks a single. Woakes will face one delivery, which he negotiates nicely.
“With the England top order looking fragile, it is worth nothing that one of the best main characters on OBO over the years, Young Jonny Bairstow, has worked his way to 38 not out for Yorkshire this afternoon”, emails Peter Salmon. “Potentially the best comeback since Harold Bishop?”
Updated
56th over: England 209-5 (Root 90, Woakes 6): A four to start, nearly a six! Jayasuriya is wayyyy too short with his opening ball, Root is onto it in a flash and gives it a good old heave-ho to square leg for four. Root nurdles a couple more balls to the on side and is now into the nineties!
Updated
55th over: England 202-5 (Root 83, Woakes 6): Play and a miss from Root! From that wide angle I was talking about, Kumara nips one back and flashes one past the inside edge. Root keeps the strike, swiping one to deep backward point for a single run.
54th over: England 201-5 (Root 82, Woakes 6): A gentle start, as Jayasuriya gets Root playing forward with a few forward defensives. We don’t want too much excitement when people are still re-taking their seats, thank you very much.
We’re back. Root and Woakes out in the middle. The sun is out at Lord’s. There is a murmur. Champagne corks are popping. Glorious.
Catching up with some other emails. This one, from John Gray, is nice.
“I too remember padel tennis (Hamish Kuzminski @ 14.34 in today’s OBO) at King Edward’s Five Ways School in Birmingham. Though I knew it as padder tennis. It was a great way to spend the summer lunchtimes - courts were painted on to the tarmac playground, and the nets provided, all we needed to were our own racquets (heavy, solid-plastic bats were the best) and tennis balls. PE staff Mr Watson and Mr Stansfield would drop by occasionally to show us how they thought it should be done, and any victories against them were very sweet!”
You’d probably say that, so far at least, it’s Sri Lanka’s day. Duckett, Brook and Smith got starts, but were quickly removed after that. But ominously, Root looks in sensational nick, and – BREAKING NEWS – his is the golden wicket for Sri Lanka. How many times have we said that?
“Afternoon Michael, lovely day for it,” emails Felix Wood. “I can’t help but feel the selectors have made a bit of a mess of this. Lawrence might be the next cab off the rank but his form has been pretty average for Surrey this season, and he’s not an opener. And Pope’s low 30s should make him vulnerable to being dropped, not given the captaincy. This side has a long tail and a fragile head, and are going to get found out fairly quickly.”
Updated
TEA! England 200-5 on the opening day
53rd over: England 200-5 (Root 81, Woakes 6): Woakes stabs outside off and despite it being little more than a defensive shot, the timing is excellent and it beats cover to bring up the 200 for England. Kumara has got a nice angle of attack, from wide on the crease but Woakes fends him off. That’s tea!
Updated
52nd over: England 197-5 (Root 80, Woakes 4): Woakes shows his intent! The Warwickshire player comes down the ground and clobbers Jayasuriya over his head. The ball bounces just shy of the rope but bounces softly and only just makes it to the line. Four runs. A quieter rest of the over ensues, with Woakes doing particularly well to dig out a yorker.
51st over: England 193-5 (Root 80, Woakes 0): A maiden, with Rathnayake probing nicely with full-length balls to Root.
50th over: England 193-5 (Root 80, Woakes 0): Root pokes one off the opening delivery of Jayasuriya’s over to move into the eighties, leaving Woakes to face five balls. He survives the opening barrage, without any further runs.
Updated
49th over: England 192-5 (Root 78): A shame for England, as Smith had looked good (if a little streaky), crashing a shot through mid-on for a four earlier in the over. In comes Chris Woakes.
WICKET! Smith c Fernando b Rathnayake 33 (England 192-5)
Edged, and gone! That’s a big wicket for Sri Lanka, with Smith getting into his groove in the middle, although he had swung and missed earlier in the over. It was a good length delivery, just outside off, and Smith obliged with a thin edge through to the wicketkeeper.
Updated
48th over: England 187-4 (Root 78, Smith 17): Root finishes the over with a flourish, leaning back into his crease and crashing a shot through the covers for four.
47th over: England 182-4 (Root 73, Smith 17): Root plays a straight drive straight down the ground. The ball clips the bowler, Rathnayake, on the boot but keeps going to the boundary. Dhananjaya de Silva gives chase but stumbles as he retrieves the ball. His slide was ill-judged, with De Silva’s left knee digging into the turf, a la Simon Jones in 2002. De Silva gets up and saves the boundary but you can see that hurt. Sri Lanka’s captain is grimacing. The last
Updated
46th over: England 177-4 (Root 71, Smith 14): A maiden passes without note.
An email from Adrian Goldman: “It seems to me that this is the corollary of the rule that you can’t be caught out off your pads: a deflection that comes off your body isn’t out unless it hit your bat first. This creates a pleasing symmetry in the rules”
45th over: England 177-4 (Root 71, Smith 14) Root nicks off the last ball of the over through gulley! A thick outside edge that just evades two catchers.
Time for me to hand over to Michael Butler. Thanks for your company and thoughts on everything from Oasis to Babycham.
44th over: England 169-4 (Root 63, Smith 14) Smith waits, again – five dots – and then helps himself to another fut for four off Jayasuriya. It will be so interesting to see if he can play this well against the Indians or the Aussies.
43rd over: England 165-4 (Root 63, Smith 10) There seems to be a rule of thumb today: almost every bowling change brings a wicket, unless the man coming on is Milan Rathnayake. This is his second over of a new spell and he nearly gets through Root’s defences, only to see a Harrow drive dribble away for four.
Updated
42nd over: England 161-4 (Root 59, Smith 10) Jamie Smith, England’s second-best batter this summer, has been waiting for the bad ball. And waiting … until now, when Jayasuriya drops short for once and gets cut for four, in no uncertain terms.
41st over: England 156-4 (Root 58, Smith 6) Joe Root’s Test average this summer is now in the 90s. Broad makes the point that he is always looking to improve, tweaking his technique. “He’ll say ‘I’ve found something’ and then he always makes runs.”
Updated
40th over: England 155-4 (Root 57, Smith 6) Three more for Root as he clips Jayasuriya into the on side.
39th over: England 155-4 (Root 54, Smith 6) Root’s fifty came off 84 balls. It wasn’t flawless, but it was impressively fluent. To celebrate, he punches to cover point for three.
Updated
Fifty to Root!
Joe Root clips Rathnayake for two to reach fifty for the 97th time in Tests. A third of those (32) have led to a hundred, and this feels like it could be the 33rd. “As a bowler in his team,” says Stuart Broad, “I loved having him there.”
Updated
Drinks: SL on top
38th over: England 147-4 (Root 49, Smith 6) Another over, another single, as the Only Ones so nearly sang. And that’s drinks, with Sri Lanka still on top. After seeing off the dangerous Brook, they need just one more wicket to get down to the bowlers. But Joe Root, who made a hundred-odd for once out in Manchester, is halfway to doing it again in London.
37th over: England 146-4 (Root 48, Smith 6) Another good over as Fernando too goes for just a single. Jamie Smith, who can be so commanding for a beginner, has started in his sedate mode – six off 18 balls, and four of those runs rather streaky.
Meanwhile David Acaster is picking up on my aside about the inside edge that mysteriously saves you from LBW. “I always assumed this was pragmatism,” he says. “In the days of good old analogue umpires they could tell if it was hitting the stumps if it missed the bat, but if there was an edge then the decision was much more difficult, maybe impossible. So A Decision Was Made - any bat in it and it’s not out.”
Updated
36th over: England 145-4 (Root 47, Smith 6) Just a single off Jayasuriya. We’re back to proper Test creekit.
“They’ve been rattling on about padel on TMS,” says Hamish Kuzminski. “Don’t know what the fuss is about. We were playing this at school in the blimmin’ 70s, for heaven’s sake. King Edward’s Five Ways in Brum, for completeness. I imagine my literally old schoolmates are equally amused, or puzzled.”
35th over: England 144-4 (Root 46, Smith 6) Root, facing Fernando, resumes his audition for the MCC Coaching Book with an impeccable swivel-pull.
Updated
34th over: England 138-4 (Root 41, Smith 5) Root clips Jayasuriya for two, but the rest of the over is spot-on.
“Just sharpening my quill,” says Pete Salmon. “is it time for the Ollie Pope Discussion yet? One more failure and we go there, or end of series? Perhaps an OBO klaxon so we can all start to pile in for or against? Do keep us posted!” Ha. Funnily enough, I suspect he’ll be insulated by the captaincy. These low scores will be attributed to that. And perhaps to the absence of Crawley, who often puts England in the driving seat before Pope appears.
33rd over: England 136-4 (Root 39, Smith 5) After nabbing Brook as well as Pope, Fernando is on fire. He touches 88mph, draws Smith into a thick-edged drive that goes for a jammy four, and then has an LBW shout that is thwarted only by an inside edge. Such a strange rule, that – giving gthe batter a reward for a false shot.
“There may not be any room for Oasis chat,” says Mark Lewis, “but pleasantly surprised to see The Wurzels mentioned on the OBO (finally). One of Adge Cutler’s finest ditties (Drink Up Thy Zyder) is the adopted anthem of my beloved Bristol City. Got me thinking of former player Arthur Milton. The last surviving member of the exclusive club of men who have played Test cricket and football at the highest level. Some life, that.”
32nd over: England 131-4 (Root 38, Smith 1) Jayasuriya keeps Jamie Smith quiet with his accuracy.
And here’s Brian Withington. “After his product placement of Toast and Babycham (very 70s breakfast),” he says, “perhaps Kim Thonger can check out the site of the prison in Shepton Mallet, which was the nation’s oldest before it was shut in 2013? Never know when that might need to be pressed back into service - indeed, one or two of these England batters might benefit from a short break at His Majesty’s Pleasure.”
31st over: England 130-4 (Root 38, Smith 1) Yet again, a bowling change made the difference. Kumara got his hard-earned breather and gave way to Asitha Fernando, who went very full and angled the ball back in, using the slope. So Harry Brook, as he has tended to since his early blaze of glory, gets in and then gets out.
WICKET! Brook LBW b Fernando 33 (England 130-4)
This is a big one. Brook reviews immediately, but it’s umpire’s call, so he has to go.
Updated
30th over: England 128-3 (Root 37, Brook 32) Root sweeps Jayasuriya for four, magisterially, just as he did when they first met this morning. At the end of the over Root and Brook have a chat that leaves them both chuckling.
29th over: England 124-3 (Root 33, Brook 32) For once, de Silva gets a bowling change wrong – by not making it. He keeps Kumara on for his 11th over in the last 23, and Brook makes him pay with a rasping pull and a classy late cut, both for four. He’s almost caught up with Root, who has been out there for nine overs longer.
Updated
28th over: England 115-3 (Root 32, Brook 24) Dhananjaya de Silva decides it’s time for some spin after all, so Prabath Jayasuriya returns. He bowls an over without a wicket in it, for the first time today, but concedes only a single and gets both batters thinking with his flight.
27th over: England 114-3 (Root 31, Brook 24) Brook, in full flow now, dabs Kumara for two and flicks him for a single. Root adds a flick of his own, and then Kumara, who has been admirable, finds the inside edge of Brook’s bat with the nip-backer.
26th over: England 110-3 (Root 30, Brook 21) It’s seam from both ends, so Sri Lanka’s dismal over rate is not about to improve. Rathnayake persuades Brook to play a semi-false shot, a chip past the bowler that goes for two. Then Brook plays a crunching cover drive for four, as if suddenly remembering how good he is. A deft cut should bring another two, but there’s a misfield so it’s four more. Another cut, for a single this time, and that’s 11 off the over.
25th over: England 99-3 (Root 30, Brook 10) We don’t know what Root had for lunch, but it may have been two cans of Coke. He plays and misses at Kumara, then calls for a sharp single that would have been the downfall of Harry Brook if the throw had hit the stumps. Brook too flirts with fate outside the off stump, before tucking to leg for a more respectable single.
The players are back out there. “Root to me is the key,” says Kumar Sangakkara, who has not only made a Test hundred at Lord’s himself, he’s been the president of MCC too.
Lunch! And it's de Silva's morning
24th over: England 97-3 (Root 29, Brook 9) Fernando, who got this party started, brings the morning to a close with a testing over, beating Brook and drying up the flow of runs. The morning belongs to Dhananjaya de Silva, who startled everyone by opting to bowl and then went some way to proving himself right by grabbing three wickets with inspired bowling changes. For England, Ollie Pope flopped for the third time in a row as stand-in captain. Ben Duckett was assured while he lasted and Joe Root has carried on where he left off at Old Trafford, but as the teams tuck into the legendary Lord’s lunch, it will be the Sri Lankans who feel happier.
Updated
23rd over: England 97-3 (Root 29, Brook 9) Kumara bothers Root again, with a bouncer this time, hurrying him into a brush of the glove that could easily have brought a wicket. Brook gets a bouncer too and shows the old boy how it’s done, playing a savage pull that rings out like a gunshot and deserves more than the single it gets.
22nd over: England 94-3 (Root 28, Brook 7) Three singles off Fernando, and no more alarms.
The TMS link has come in, from Nick Kai Nielsen in Châtellerault, near Poitiers, and he even shares the recipe. “Overseas link for TMS: https://www.youtube.com/live/7Zk587xyI4o. Method: BBC cricket > Test live (their version of your sterling efforts) > link in sidebar.” Magnificent, thank you.
21st over: England 91-3 (Root 27, Brook 5) Dhananjaya de Silva does like to ring the changes. Lahiru Kamara’s reward for taking that catch is to be brought straight back into the attack, replacing the wicket-taker Jayasuriya. Root spots a half-volley and strokes a cover drive, straight out of the MCC Coaching Book (if it still exists). Ben Stokes strolls round the boundary with his pads on, looking as if he owns the place. His predecessor plays another drive for no runs as the ball thuds into the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Updated
20th over: England 87-3 (Root 23, Brook 5) Harry Brook, facing Rathanayake, is watchful until the last ball, which he eases for four with a back-foot square drive. That was classy.
Updated
19th over: England 83-3 (Root 23, Brook 1) Seeing a spinner for the first time today, both batters were aggressive. Root played an immaculate sweep of the old-fashioned variety, but then Duckett, who usually plays it well, misjudged the reverse, didn’t get over it and sent a top edge soaring towards Kumara, who held it coolly to add to his good morning. Advantage Sri Lanka.
WICKET! Duckett c Kumara b Jayasuriya 40 (England 82-3)
Yet another bowling change, yet another wicket. And another top edge, as Duckett gets the reverse-sweep all wrong.
Updated
18th over: England 76-2 (Duckett 39, Root 18) Rathnayake continues and Kumara, not content with bowling a fine spell, saves a run with a fearless dive as Root plays a steer down the hill. Root has slowed down after that rapid start but he’s still showing intent, standing a yard outside his crease. Rathnayake, like Kumara, gets one past his outside edge. The ball has done more since Duckett hit the lacquer off it.
17th over: England 73-2 (Duckett 38, Root 16) Kumara continues, concedes a single to each batter and beats Root again, on the outside edge this time.
“Quick message,” says Peter Gibbs from his campervan in Anglesey. “No more Oasis stuff here if that’s possible?” Ha. Can’t promise – you never know what will happen, an elderly man in a panama hat may hold up a sign saying Don’t Look Back In Anger… but I do take your point. The people have spoken.
Updated
16th over: England 71-2 (Duckett 37, Root 15) After that near-miss, Root decides to play himself in. Rathanayake strings together five dots, but then Root clips for three off a delivery that is much the same as the one that nearly got him, just not as fast.
“Thanks for the fab coverage,” says Ed Hopkinson. “Any chance of the TMS link for overseas listeners?” Hoping somebody can help.
Updated
15th over: England 68-2 (Duckett 37, Root 12) Root makes his first false move as Kumara, who has asked all the right questions, beats him on the inside edge and appeals for LBW. Paul Reiffel says not out, Sri Lanka review and it’s tight … umpire’s call, clipping the leg bail.
14th over: England 67-2 (Duckett 37, Root 11) Rathanayake returns and gives Duckett some trouble. First he fends at a lifter, finding only thin air, then he scoops the ball in the air towards cover and picks up a streaky two. But Duckett survives and, in Tests at Lord’s, he now averages 100.
13th over: England 65-2 (Duckett 35, Root 11) The first ball after drinks brings a poor shot from Duckett, wafting outside off as Kumara moves the ball away down the slope. But he gets his act together with a dab for two and a cover-drive for four, flipped with a flourish.
And here’s Kim Thonger. “Checking in from a car park in Shepton Mallet, Somerset,” he writes, “waiting my wife’s re-emergence after her audit of the inventory in a certain well-known fashion brand’s factory shop. I shan’t mention the name directly but it’s associated with marmalade. Anyway, it’s showering slightly, appropriate since we are opposite Showering’s, the makers of Babycham, the go-to drink of my early girlfriends. It was either that or a snowball in the 70s. Those were the options. End of.
“It makes me wonder whether the wonderful Wurzels ever did a version of the Oasis song you mentioned, titled Babycham Supernova? If they didn’t they should have done. And followed it with Ciderwall.”
Updated
12th over: England 58-2 (Duckett 28, Root 11) Fernando continues and so do the runs – two singles to each batter. They’re both so busy and yet so relaxed. And that’s drinks, which is Sky’s chance to torment us with that awful ad that Stuart Broad agreed to appear in in a moment of madness.
It’s been an hour of two halves – the first all England, as Duckett took charge, the second belonging to Sri Lanka as Dhananjaya de Sliva hit back with two wily bowling changes. And now Duckett and Root are threatening to take back control. Ebb and flow, you can’t beat it.
11th over: England 54-2 (Duckett 26, Root 9) It will take more than a couple of wickets to bother Ben Duckett. Facing Kumara, he plays a pull for two and a flick for a single. Root, getting forward nicely, adds a straight push for four. and a glance for another single. Between them, these two have cruised to 35 off 34 balls, while the other two batters scraped 10 off 32.
10th over: England 46-2 (Duckett 23, Root 4) Joe Root runs to the middle and clips his first ball for four. But that won’t bother the Sri Lankans too much as the past quarter of an hour. belongs to them Another bowling change, another wicket. Fernando switched ends, dropped short and lured Pope into a miscued front-foot pull. As the ball sailed into the St John’s Wood skies, Dhananjaya de Silva took charge, kept calm and sent his opposite number packing. He gets credit for both wickets and now his decision to bowl doesn’t look so silly.
Updated
WICKET! Pope c de Silva b Fernando 1 (England 42-2)
One brings two! And the England captain has gone.
Updated
9th over: England 39-1 (Duckett 20, Pope 1) Kumara beats Pope again, cutting him in half like a magician, and then a third time, which brings a loud appeal for caught behind. Pope, as so often, is starting with a stutter, while Kumara (2-1-3-1) has started with a bang. “He was all smiles in practice,” says Mel Jones. “He’s all glares now.”
8th over: England 39-1 (Duckett 20, Pope 1) Pope copes better with Rathnayake, going back to flip a short one for a single. On the balcony, Ben Stokes keeps a beady eye on his understudy.
7th over: England 33-1 (Duckett 19, Pope 0) That was a four-card trick from Kumara, who kept angling the ball into Lawrence, then moved it away, up the slope. Lawrence didn’t help himself by going down the track, which left him with less time to adjust. And then Kumara beat Pope outside off too. In one over, he’s changed the complexion of the game.
Updated
WICKET! Lawrence c Madushka b Kumara 9 (England 33-1)
The breakthrough! And it’s a bowling change that makes the difference as Lahiru Kumara’s extra pace tells.
Updated
6th over: England 30-0 (Duckett 16, Lawrence 9) Rathnayake started very tidily but now the openers tuck in. Duckett clips for two and takes a leg-bye, leaving Lawrence to play a straight drive for four. That was so easy, just a push.
5th over: England 23-0 (Duckett 14, Lawrence 5) Lawrence, facing Fernando, gets lucky as an inside edge goes for four. Fun fact: Sri Lanka haven’t lost at Lord’s since Ian Botham was playing for England, back in 1991.
4th over: England 19-0 (Duckett 14, Lawrence 1) Don’t bowl wide of off to Duckett, don’t go the other way to Lawrence… Rathnayake forgets this and concedes four byes, followed by a single to get Lawrence off the mark. He made 30 and 34 in his first go as a makeshift Test opener – the kind of scores that get frowned upon, but more than anyone else in either top three managed.
Updated
3rd over: England 14-0 (Duckett 14, Lawrence 0) Hang on, Duckett has found his groove. He square-drives Fernando for four, then off-drives him for four more. Fernando recovers with a couple of dot balls, then goes too wide and lets Duckett glide a third four. He’s helped himself to 13 off seven balls from Fernando.
2nd over: England 2-0 (Duckett 2, Lawrence 0) From the Nursery End, it’s Milan Rathnayake, who made his debut last week and batted better than he bowled. He makes a steady start, starving Duckett of the width he craves until the last ball, which is chopped for another single. Two overs, two runs – someone tell Sir Geoffrey, Test creekit is back.
1st over: England 1-0 (Duckett 1, Lawrence 0) Fernando starts with a yorker, swinging into Duckett, who digs it out and steals a single. A more orthodox ball, jagging in towards Dan Lawrence’s off stump, brings an LBW appeal, but it’s too high. Are England still in the subdued mode with which they stunned us in Manchester?
Updated
The new ball is in the hands of Asitha Fernando, so impressive at Old Trafford. Waiting for him is Ben Duckett, the opener who can’t stand playing no stroke.
As the anthems are played, we get a close look at both sides. If it was a competition to see who had more stubble, the Sri Lankans would be heading for an easy win.
The bell is rung by Mahela Jayawardene. He didn’t just make heaps of stylish runs for one of these nations: he went on to work as a batting consultant for the other.
Updated
On Sky, the first Oasis song of the day is ringing out. “It’s Lord’s, we’ve gotta go for Champagne Supernova, haven’t we?”
The first email has landed and it’s from our old friend Gary Naylor. “I suspect that there will not be swathes of empty seats on the fourth day – if MCC prices tickets correctly,” he says. “Fifth day ticket prices is something that cricket has got right in recent years and surely the flexibility shown with cut-price seats should extend to other days if advance sales look thin? After all, the overheads are fixed and there’s money to be made on the merch and refreshments. No doubt people who paid 'full price’ weeks ago might quibble, but that’s the nature of the beast.” Hmm, flexibility … not always MCC’s middle name.
The teams
As both captains showed their hand yesterday, it’s a Radiohead team sheet: no surprises. Olly Stone replaces the injured Mark Wood, while Sri Lanka make two changes – Pathum Nissanka for Kusal Mendis, to try and avoid being 6 for 3; and Lahiru Kamara for Vishwa Fernando, to add weight to the seam bowling.
England 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Dan Lawrence, 3 Ollie Pope (capt), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jamie Smith (wkt), 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Matthew Potts, 10 Olly Stone, 11 Shoaib Bashir.
Sri Lanka 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Nishan Madushka (wkt), 3 Pathum Nissanka, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Milan Rathnayake, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Lahiru Kumara
Toss: Sri Lanka win and bowl first
Dhananjaya de Silva calls right and chooses to bat first puts England in. Perhaps he can see clouds overhead that nobody else has spotted.
Preamble
Morning everyone and welcome to the Lord’s Test. That seems an odd thing to be saying at the end of August, and on closer inspection this match turns out to be the second-latest Test ever staged at Lord’s (after England v West Indies 2017, which began on 7 September). The more senior members of MCC will be in grave danger of slipping on the first conker of autumn. But the weather gods have decided to pretend that it’s still high summer: not till Monday afternoon does the chance of rain in any given hour go above 10 per cent.
For Ollie Pope’s England team, there’s a series to be won after they crept to victory at Old Trafford in a style to which they are now unaccustomed. For Sri Lanka, who lost that match but won acclaim for their tenacity, there’s a jolt of pressure, which could be bracing: they simply have to win this time. For MCC, there will be swathes of empty seats if the game goes into a fourth day. That Test in 2017 didn’t make it to a third tea-break as West Indies scored 300 in both their innings combined, but a line-up with Kamindu Mendis down at No 7 can surely do better than that.
Play starts at 11am UK time and I’ll be back 25 minutes before that with news of the toss.
