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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
James Wallace (later) and Rob Smyth (earlier)

England v Sri Lanka: Root brings up record 34th Test century at second Test – as it happened

England Sri Lanka Test (Event) Gus Atkinson Mike Atherton Lord
Olly Stone celebrates after taking the wicket of Pathum Nissanka in gloomy conditions at Lord’s.
Olly Stone celebrates after taking the wicket of Pathum Nissanka in gloomy conditions at Lord’s. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

Report, reaction and analysis

Root makes historic ton as England close on series win

Joe Root chalked up a record 34th Test century as England raced closer to a series victory over Sri Lanka. Root equalled Sir Alastair Cook’s national benchmark this week and is now out on his own as, for the first time in his glittering 145-Test career, he registered a hundred in both innings.

His latest ton, the Yorkshire batter’s seventh at Lord’s, was his fastest ever off 111 deliveries before he holed out for 103, the backbone of England’s 251 which left Sri Lanka needing a world-record 483 to win.

Sri Lanka were left with seven sessions of this second Test to either haul down the mammoth total or bat for a draw to tee up a decider at the Oval next week and they closed on 53 for two as bad light ended play early.

The floodlights were on for most of the third day under gloomy skies but Root lit up the home of cricket as he became the 13th England player to amass a three-figure score in both innings of a Test. PA Media

That’s all from us today. I’ll be at Lord’s in the morning to bring you the action from day four as England look to wrap up the series win. Thanks for your company and comments – goodnight!

Updated

STUMPS - Sri Lanka 53-2 (430 runs behind)

It’s been called, that’s yer lot in terms of action for today.

Today at Lord’s has firmly belonged to one of England’s all time great players - Mr Joseph Edward Root.

Root had a few words for the BBC’s TMS not long after stumps were called about reaching a state of ‘batting nirvana’

“It’s as if you’re not there, as if you’re hovering outside your body and playing on autopilot. It probably only happens four or five times in your career.”

He’s nowhere near done yet. You know it. I know it. Neil Killick knows it:

“James - quite right not to elaborate on the most hundreds by the ‘Fab 4’ - just a couple of observations though which I equally offer without comment. I remember a time not so long ago when corridor whispers had Root as something of an also-ran amongst the four. Second, which I hadn’t appreciated, he’s the youngest.”

Updated

Joe Root can be spotted doing media interviews on the outfield so I think it is safe to say we are done for the day. England will come back tomorrow needing eight wickets to win the match. You could be there too.

Cheaper and easier to get hold of than tickets to see a certain simian strolling reforming rock band. (One for my good friend ‘Cecil’ there who spent five hours in a Ticketmaster queue today only to be called a ‘bot’ and booted out at the last. As they took his soul they stole his pride.)

Updated

“I wonder who will get the man of the match award. Can you think of an outstanding performance James?”

I’m stumped actually Paul Griffin. Ben Duckett’s second innings 24 (38 balls) was pretty good? Let’s go for that and say no more about it.

Updated

Plenty of debate about whether the players should be out there or not. Sky are showing a segment from earlier in the Test with Rob Key discussing selection. It is very interesting - not as much as actual cricket – but still.

I think we may well have seen our last action of the day.

Justin Horton offers an alternative view to James Brough. We’re all different aren’t we? We are.

“If I had been lucky enough to be at Lord’s today. I think I might very likely reflect that I had seen Joe Root become the English batsman with the highest number of Test centuries, that I was very unlikely to see anything more extraordinary or memorable that evening regardless of the light, and head off happily to the Tube and subsequently the pub to show off my ticket to anybody who cared to see it.”

Updated

Gloomwatch: It is still gloomy.

Just leaving this here and saying absolutely nothing:

James Brough emails in to the OBO mailbag. Safe to say he is from the Eoin Morgan Institute of Gerrrronwith It!

“I’m not impressed with Pope and England deciding to come off the field. People have paid to come and watch cricket. If it’s at all possible to play safely, then stay out and play, even if that involves just bowling spin. The state of the weather or of the light is luck of the draw. We have one front line and two part time spinners in the side. Get out there and use them as best you can to try to take wickets.”

Play suspended for bad light

The players amble from the field under the glare of the floodlights. I think England wanted to bowl their seam bowlers but the umpires said it was still too dark, in which case Ollie Pope and his senior cohort have decided that it’d be better for them to go off and see if the light improves. They have to be back on the field before 6pm otherwise it is called for the day.

20th over: Sri Lanka 53-2 (Karunaratne 23, Jayasuriya 3)

Updated

19th over: Sri Lanka 52-2 (Karunaratne 23, Jayasuriya 3) Root stitches together a maiden to Jayasuriya. Still too dark for seam. I think Pope is concerned that this passage of play with his spinners - he is being denied use of his pace bowlers because of the gloom – is going to rough up the new-ish ball too much with England needing eight wickets to secure the win.

Updated

18th over: Sri Lanka 52-2 (Karunaratne 22, Jayasuriya 1) There’s a conflab after each over by Pope and co as they discuss whether to continue with spin. Nasser Hussain and Eoin Morgan think England should just suck it up, back their spin options and be more positive.

“Look like you want to be out there and try and win a Test match” says Morgan on the TV commentary in response to the lengthy and slightly slumped shouldered conversations from England between overs. If you ever needed an indication as to why England’s white ball teams were so successful under Morgan’s command then you have an insight right there.

Updated

17th over: Sri Lanka 49-2 (Karunaratne 22, Jayasuriya 0) Karunaratne plays with soft hands to a ball that grips from Root, the edge goes down and wide of the close in fielders for four.

16th over: Sri Lanka 45-2 (Karunaratne 18, Jayasuriya 0) Bashir twirls away with a leg slip, leg gully, short leg and regular slip in place. Captain Ollie Pope is under the lid at Boot Hill. Just a single off the over.

Salt, meet Wound – our man Simon Burnton sends a quick missive - “Another record that Alastair Cook has lost to Joe Root today - most catches by an outfielder at Lord’s”

15th over: Sri Lanka 42-2 (Karunaratne 17, Jayasuriya 0) Just a single off Root’s over. A stat flashes up to say that the catch he took in the last over off Stone was his 200th in Test cricket, he now just needs ten more snaffles to go level with Rahul Dravid at the top of the catching tree.

14th over: Sri Lanka 42-2 (Karunaratne 15, Jayasuriya 0) Sri Lanka send in Prabath Jayasuriya as a ‘light watchman’. The visitors aren’t happy with the gloomy conditions and sure enough there’s a delay whilst it is checked again. Joe Root is called for so it must be too dark for seam once more.

WICKET! Nissanka c Root b Stone (Sri Lanka 43-2)

Stone gets Nissanka for the second time in the match! A beauty of a ball that the batter couldn’t do much about as it climbed and moved away, taking the shoulder of the bat and flying straight into Joe Root’s bread basket.

Updated

13th over: Sri Lanka 42-1 (Karunaratne 15, Nissanka 14) On comes Potts. Shot! Nissanka showcases a velvet touch by gliding with an open face for four runs wide of the cordon. Lovely batting – Nissanka then drops on one knee to unfurl a beautiful cover drive for four more. Pope might wish he’d kept his spinners on…

Updated

12th over: Sri Lanka 34-1 (Karunaratne 15, Nissanka 6) Bashir is worked away for a couple of twos off the back foot by Karunaratne. Ollie Pope wants to use his seam bowlers with the new ball but the conditions are too gloomy. Pope talks to the umpires again and there’s a lengthy delay as the light is re-checked at the end of the over. Whaddyaknow apparently the light has improved a little, Matthew Potts is immediately called upon to bowl the next over.

11th over: Sri Lanka 30-1 (Karunaratne 11, Nissanka 6) Root is summoned to bowl from the other end. The man of the day drags one down and Nissanka plays a powerful sweep for four to release a bit of pressure for his side.

10th over: Sri Lanka 26-1 (Karunaratne 11, Nissanka 2) Slips and leg slips in place for Bashir as Pope goes on the attack under brooding clouds. The batters are watchful, hanging on the back foot and playing late. A couple of singles nibbled off the distant target.

Updated

9th over: Sri Lanka 24-1 (Karunaratne 10, Nissanka 1) England on the hunt in bowler friendly conditions. Dimuth Karunaratne edges Woakes wide of gully to pick up three runs. The umpires have indicated that it is too gloomy for the seamers so Shoaib Bashir is coming on for a twirl.

8th over: Sri Lanka 21-1 (Karunaratne 7, Nissanka 1) Pathum Nissanka is the new batter. He manages to keep another jagging delivery from Atkinson down and scampers a single to get off the mark. Karunaratne is then nearly run out by Olly Stone going for a quick single, Stone swooping in from cover and getting rid of the ball quickly, replays show the batter was out of his ground had the throw hit the stumps.

WICKET! Madushka c Root b Atkinson 13 (Sri Lanka 19-1)

Gone! Atkinson is having a glorious summer, he gets one to lift off the surface and Madushka fences to Root at slip. England’s two golden boys combining for the first wicket.

Updated

7th over: Sri Lanka 19-0 (Madushka 13, Karunaratne 6) Both openers nudge a single off Woakes, the light meters are taken out and a measure taken. The floodlights are on and exacerbating the shadows. Summer, glorious summer.

6th over: Sri Lanka 17-0 (Madushka 12, Karunaratne 5) Atkinson wraps Madushka on the pad and offers up a throaty appeal that dies out as the umpire says no and the keeper and slips intimate it was heading down the leg side. It has gone very gloomy at Lord’s, the umpire have started to get a bit twitchy.

5th over: Sri Lanka 15-0 (Madushka 10, Karunaratne 5) Woakes is into his work and landing it on a postage stamp. Madushka pokes one down the ground for a single and it’s the only run off the over.

This made me chuckle:

4th over: Sri Lanka 14-0 (Madushka 9, Karunaratne 5) Karunaratne drives Atkinson for four through the covers, the fielder – Potts I think – fumbling the ball on the slide and helping it over the sponge.

3rd over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Madushka 8, Karunaratne 1) Woakes pins Dimuth Karunaratne on the pad and the umpire raises the finger but this looks a bit high to me on first glance. Sure enough the batter calls for the review and the DRS shows it hit him outside the line too. NOT OUT. Umpire Paul Reiffel has to change his decision and Karunaratne survives both the decision and a probing maiden over.

2nd over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Madushka 8, Karunaratne 1) Gus Atkinson shares the new ball and is greeted by a lovely stroke by Madushka who flicks with a flourish off his legs and through midwicket for four. Atkinson tightens up but strays too straight off the last ball and is worked away in the same area for a couple more.

1st over: Sri Lanka 3-0 (Madushka 2, Karunaratne 1) No signs of movements from Woakes as both openers get off the mark with measured clips off the pads.

Have a look at this:

The players emerge after tea. Lord’s is basking in the warm glow of Root’s majesty. Much needed as the skies are grey and there is a bit of breeze billowing the shirts of the players. Chris Woakes is going to start with the new ball. Can Sri Lanka make a fist of this, they need their top order to properly fire for the first time in the series.

More reaction to Root’s record breaking hundred:

Updated

Root at the top of the English batting tree:

WICKET! Root c Mendis b Kumara 103 (England all out for 251)

Root tries to muscle a six over the fence off Kumara but Mendis clings on to a swirling catch to end a magnificent and history-making innings. The ground rises to him as he walks from the field.

Sri Lanka will chase 483 runs to win. But first – Tea.

Updated

53rd over: England 250-9 (Root 103, Bashir 0) Root tries all manner of shots to Jayasuriya but none of them come off. One of the strangest maiden overs you’ll ever see.

WICKET! Stone c Nissanka b Kumara 7 (England 250-9)

Stone is caught on the fine leg boundary but there is still no declaration from Pope…

Updated

Record breaking century for Joe Root!

There it is! Root backs away and carves for four through the off side to bring up his 34th Test hundred. He takes off his helmet and raises his arms as the Lord’s crowd give him a louder than normal chorus of Rooooooooot and then applaud warmly. What a player.

Updated

52nd over: England 245-8 (Root 98, Stone 7) Olly Stone is nearly clean bowled twice by Jayasuriya and then mows a four through midwicket. Sublime and ridiculous. Right, over done – is now the moment for Joe Root?

51st over: England 245-8 (Root 98, Stone 3) I can’t handle too much more of this! Root flat bats a short ball from Fernando and decides he can get back for two runs… go go go! Again Root has to hurry to make his ground as the throw comes in from the deep and the bails are whipped off. He’s home. Phew. Fernando whangs consecutive deliveries down the leg side, frustrating Root.

He’s now gone past Graham Gooch to become the highest scoring batter at Lord’s and needs just two more to score a century in both innings of a Test match for the first time in his career and become the Englishman with the most Test hundreds in history.

Updated

50th over: England 239-8 (Root 96, Stone 3) Eeeesht. Root scampers a seemingly impossible two off Jayasuriya, he has to fire up the afterburners to make his ground but he does. A collective sigh of relief around North West London and beyond. Two more singles take Root to within shot of breaking two huge records in English cricket.

Updated

49th over: England 234-8 (Root 92, Stone 2) Root takes a single off the fourth ball after declining to pick up a couple earlier in the over. Stone is left with two balls to face from Asitha Fernando… he survives two short balls. You could cut the tension with a spoon.

James Brough is feeling positive…

“So, Joe Root needs 5 more to become leading run scorer at Lords, 9 (8 now) more to become leading England centurion and have 2 hundreds in a match for the first time, 37 more to overtake Sangakkara and go 6th leading Test run scorer and 110 more to overtake Cook and become leading England Test scorer and 5th in the world.

Going to be quite an anti-climax if England collapse and he’s left 96 not out.”

48th over: England 227-8 (Root 91, Stone 2) Thanks Rob and hello everyone. There’s a hum of expectation at Lord’s as the camera operator focuses on an owlish Ollie Pope looking out of a small window in the changing room. I *think* he’ll let Joe Root get to a record breaking 34th century before he decides to declare…

A clip for two into the leg side takes Root into the nineties and a controlled drive into the covers takes him nine runs away from history.

47th over: England 227-8 (Root 88, Stone 0) The umpires take drinks with England leading by 458. That’s all from me for today; Jim Wallace is ready to hold your hand and (hopefully) see Joe Root home. Bye!

WICKET! England 227-8 (Potts c Chandimal b Asitha 2)

Asitha Madusanka Fernando, born 31 July 1997, continues to slam the ball halfway down. Potts mistimes a pull down the leg side for a single, Root nails one but also only gets a single.

There’s a review for caught behind when Potts pushes at a short ball down the leg side. Did it brush the glove? Yes it did and Potts is on his way. That was a good review.

Updated

46th over: England 225-7 (Root 87, Potts 1) Root sweeps three more; he’s 13 away from a moment of history.

“The funny thing with Root is he arguably doesn’t have a definitive innings - think Atherton at Johannesburg KP at the Oval, Stokes at Headingley,” says Max Williams. “Or even a definitive series like Cook in 2010/11. I guess partly a case of being too good to be defined by one, partly the shrinking nature of Test cricket (India and Australia the only Real Quizzes left) and England’s lack of Ashes since 2015. He came mighty close to scoring three centuries vs Australia last year - would be lovely if he could win one Down Under.”

That’s another quality he shares with Graham Thorpe. He’s played so many great innings but I’ll always be fond of Cardiff 2015, partly because I told anyone who’d listen before the series (when most people thought England would get hammered) that if Root made big runs in the first innings of the first Test they would win. Truth be told, it’s disgusting narcissism and I need to take a long, hard look in some grass. But it is nice to get it right when you go against the prevailing wisdom, because you usually end up looking like an eejit.

Updated

45th over: England 221-7 (Root 84, Potts 0) As Will Denton mentioned a couple of overs ago, if Root gets a century today it’ll be his 34th, a new England record. He’s currently level on 33 with Sir Alastair Cook.

“Who is the Avisha of whom you speak?” writes Robert Peveler. “Do you mean Aitha?”

Wasn’t that a Death in Vegas song? (Yes, fair enough, I’ve had a shocker there. I know why I made the mistake but that’s not an excuse and it’s none of your business anyway.)

WICKET! England 221-7 (Atkinson c Kumara b Asitha 14)

Oh this is hilarious. Atkinson tries to reverse hook Asitha, top-edges the ball high in the air and is caught by Kumara, lurking on the boundary almost as a back stop. We’ve never seen the like.

Updated

44th over: England 214-6 (Root 83, Atkinson 9) A bit of turn for Jayasuriya, which will interest Bashir. Root misses a slog-sweep, losing his shape in the process, then top-edges an orthodox sweep for two. He’s into the effortless eighties and England lead by 445.

“Re: Root’s ‘seemingly effortless half-century’, Carlos Brathwaite talked earlier this summer of playing against Root and he doesn’t seem to be doing much, then you look up and he’s on 20, then he’s on 40 and suddenly he’s approaching 100 and still not really doing much,” says Adam Roberts. “Also, as you posted that, Atherton and Broad were marvelling at his ability to get up every match day and get his mind ready to score runs and want to score runs and to be ready to do it.”

That’s a really important point. How he scored so many runs in 2021, while captaining a mess of a team during Covid, I will never know. As for the first part, unobtrusiveness is one of his greatest qualities isn’t it? Another thing he shares with Thorpey, or at least 21st century Thorpey.

43rd over: England 208-6 (Root 78, Atkinson 8) Avisha Fernando returns for another spell of short stuff from around the wicket. Really, lads? Six short balls, four successful pulls or hooks, four singles.

“You say in years to come nobody will remember this Root innings,” says Will Denton, “but if he makes it to three figures to break the English century record I rather suspect they might...”

Yes, you’re right. What I should have said is that nobody will put it in his top five or ten hundreds, yet it has been almost flawless. When his mind is right and he is totally at peace with his method, it’s almost impossible for him to fail. He’s that good, the best England batsman of my lifetime without doubt.

42nd over: England 204-6 (Root 76, Atkinson 6) A quiet over from Jayasuriya. Since you asked, three players have made two centuries in a Lord’s Test: George Headley in 1939, Graham Gooch you know when and Michael Vaughan in 2004.

“Just been catching up on the morning’s OBO and saw James Butler’s story about the Alsager run-up record,” says James Brough. “I was brought up on the mean avenues of Alsager (it’s way too middle class to have streets). Blimey. Not a name I expected to see mentioned today.”

I had no idea it was middle class. I went to university at Keele and get a load of the surrounding towns mixed up. For a minute I thought Alsager was where we lived in second year when we all kept baseball bats under the bed.

41st over: England 200-6 (Root 74, Atkinson 4) Imagine how many singles Thorpe and Root would steal: no call, just a look and they’re off. How they’d manipulate the field and go up and down the gears to support each other. Most of all, imagine how much fun they’d have, how much they’d laugh between overs.

Enough, if I carry this on it’ll start raining on my face. Atkinson edges his first ball for four to bring up England’s 200.

WICKET! England 196-6 (Woakes c Nissanka b Rathnayake 5)

Time to look up players who have made two centuries in a Lord’s Test. Root is racing along now and moves into the seventies with a perfectly placed pull for four off Rathnayake. The joyous brilliance of his batting almost brings a lump to the throat, and that’s before you consider how much Graham Thorpe would have enjoyed this masterclass. It’s only slightly simplistic to say that Root is an even better version of Thorpe. Imagine them batting together!

Back in real time, Woakes slaps Rathnayake straight to cover. England lead by 427.

Updated

I wondered why Mike Atherton referred to Chris Woakes’ “supersonic record” at Lord’s when he came out to bat. Turns out he and Stuart Broad were trying to slip in as many Oasis song titles as possible. Athers also managed Roll With It, Broad chipped in with Some Might Say.

“Embarrassing…” says their colleague Nasser Hussain.

40th over: England 191-5 (Root 69, Woakes 5) Root sweeps Jayasuriya to cow corner two boundaries in three balls, both immaculately placed shots. In years to come nobody will remember this Root innings, yet it has been remarkably accomplished. He’s scoring at a run a ball and I can hardly remember a risk of a false stroke.

He makes it three in four balls with a lovely reverse sweep round the corner. This is quite masterful.

39th over: England 178-5 (Root 56, Woakes 5) A good bouncer from Rathnayake hits Woakes and flies away for four. Paul Reiffel gives runs rather than leg-byes, which also means there’s no concussion check. That’s a loophole cricket needs to tighten up.

38th over: England 171-5 (Root 54, Woakes 0) Smith was slightly more plumb than the last Surrey keeper-batsman to be dismissed LBW b Jayasuriya.

WICKET! England 171-5 (Smith LBW b Jayasuriya 26)

Jamie Smith’s cameo ends when he misses a sweep and is hit in front by Jayasuriya. He reviewed, but only because England have three left. That was plumb.

37th over: England 171-4 (Root 54, Smith 26) Gorgeous from Root, a delicate late cut for four off Rathnayake. We’re all running out of ways to say we’re running out of superlatives.

36th over: England 166-4 (Root 50, Smith 25) Root works Jayasuriya for a single to reach a seemingly effortless half-century from 65 balls. ‘Seemingly’ is the word, because it really isn’t. Root’s risk-management in the last few months has been as good as any time in his career.

Updated

35th over: England 164-4 (Root 49, Smith 23) Milan Rathnayake bowls the first over of the afternoon session, who keeps things moving with a pair of twos.

Lunch summary

Ali Martin and Simon Burnton have been joined today by Nathan Weekes, a young journalist who is at the match on the Bethan James Bursary. Here’s his summary of the morning session.

Three wickets fell during an eventful morning session at Lord’s. The atmosphere was very relaxed, with kids around the ground playing mini-cricket matches. It’s good to a crowd like this at a Test match given the concern about its appeal to younger generations.

“Some middle-aged blokes are taking in their daily intake of booze and having a jolly good old time. Gareth Southgate is at the cricket on a Saturday, one of the benefits of his decision to resign as England manager.

Lunch: England lead by 390 runs

34th over: England 153-4 (Root 45, Smith 23) England started slowly, losing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, but Harry Brook gave them some impetus, Joe Root scored at a strike rate of 78 with barely a risk and Jamie Smith came out swinging just before lunch. The last 13 overs the session yielded 73.

33rd over: England 153-4 (Root 43, Smith 20) Smith plays another savage pull four, this time off the bowling of Kumara. Looks like there’s time for one more over before lunch.

32nd over: England 149-4 (Root 42, Smith 16) Jamie Smith rocks back to smash a long hop from Jayasuriya to cow corner for four. He’s batted in a number of different match situations in his short Test career. This, the declaration push, is another – and one that any Adam Gilchrist tribute act will surely relish.

31st over: England 140-4 (Root 39, Smith 10) Since the infamous Rajkot Test, when he reverse ramped Bumrah to slip and sent Middle England into apoplexy, Root has scored 822 runs at an average of 91. That’s more than twice the next best England batsman, Jamie Smith with 390.

“Imagine,” begins Niall Mullen, “being (one-tenth) as good at anything as Root is at cricket…”

I can’t, my imagination is only a fiftieth as good as Root’s batting.

30th over: England 137-4 (Root 38, Smith 8) Just over ten minutes to lunch. As Nasser Hussain says on Sky, the pitch has behaved well this morning. It still looks awkward, a bit two-paced, but there has been no inconsistent bounce and very little movement.

29th over: England 134-4 (Root 36, Smith 7) “Ooooh, ouch, pick the bones out of that one, as my dear old mother used to say,” says Robert Wilson. “That Pope out was a worldie, a true, authenticated belter. But relax, it’s not a character flaw. It’s an extremely sharp-edged and luminous illustration of something Northern Irish people used to call ‘The Headstaggers’. That moment when solid, dependable citizens suddenly lose all grip on their civic rigour and wake up in the Ladies’ Toilets of a burger bar in Bogota or a Latvian correctional facility.

“The headstaggers is an empathetic term, suggesting a necessary, or at least inevitable, escape valve for a life too rigidly lived. Not so much irresponsible as diagnosable, magistrates and bishops alike smile indulgently upon it. Clemency is automatic and envy not infrequent. It’s been decades since I’ve seen such a lovely pure form of the headstaggers. The way Pope’s sporting IQ fell off that silly cliff was classic, inspiring. Deserves some kind of medal. I hope it really cleared his tubes for him.”

28th over: England 128-4 (Root 36, Smith 1) England lead by 359.

WICKET! England 127-4 (Brook c Madushka b Jayasuriya 37)

Two strikes and out for Harry Brook. He pulls a short ball from Jayasuriya to deep midwicket, where Madushka backpedals to take a good catch. That was very similar to the chance he dropped earlier.

Brook is annoyed and punches his bat as he walks off. It’s another unconverted start, but England are pushing for a declaration so he shouldn’t be too hard on himself.

Updated

27th over: England 126-3 (Root 45, Brook 37) Avisha’sAsitha’s spell of rough stuff is over. He’s replaced by Kumara, whose first ball is driven handsomely over extra cover by the rare talent that is Harold Cherrington Brook. That’s 72 unforced errors 37 from just 34 balls for Brook.

Updated

26th over: England 120-3 (Root 35, Brook 31) England are on the charge. Root runs down the track to drive Jayasuriya for two boundaries in three balls, one either side of mid-on. After a slow start to the day, England have hit 40 in the last five overs.

“You’re right: Harry Brook is so watchable,” says David Horn. “I’ve never seen him live, only on highlights packages, but it seems as if he can play any shot to any ball and his only problem is deciding which one to play. When his exit is more batter error than bowler jaffa, it just looks like he wasn’t able to decide quite quickly enough. But his fluency and confidence are a pure treat to watch.”

Updated

25th over: England 110-3 (Root 25, Brook 31) Avisha Asitha is no-balled for sending down a third delivery above shoulder height. The extra delivery, pitched up for once, is driven blisteringly through mid-off for four by Brook. He is so watchable.

Updated

24th over: England 104-3 (Root 24, Brook 27) Good over from Jayasuriya, two from it.

23rd over: England 102-3 (Root 23, Brook 26) Brook makes room to flat bat Avisha Asitha through point for four. That’s basically the shot Pope was trying to play. It’s the start of a productive over for England: three singles, an overthrow and a deft steer for three from Brook. He has raced to 26 from 18 balls.

Updated

22nd over: England 91-3 (Root 20, Brook 18) Brook is dropped! He slog-swept Jayasuriya miles in the air towards deep midwicket, where the backpedalling Madushka fumbled a two-handed catch above his head. That should have been taken.

Brook applies sodium to the wound by nailing the same shot for six off the next ball.

Updated

21st over: England 80-3 (Root 19, Brook 8) Another over of short stuff from Avisha Asitha. It’s a legitimate tactic, and England used it for for about three hours against Australia last summer, but it’s not exactly a pulse-quickener. Two from the over.

“New Zealand trundler Richard Collinge in a candidate,” says Steve Laville. “Ran in like Linford Christie, bowled the ball like Agatha Christie. John Arlott once unkindly suggested that if he simply carried on running, he would arrive alongside the batsman before the ball. Had an endearing talent for taking the wicket of Geoff Boycott though...”

Updated

20th over: England 78-3 (Root 18, Brook 7) Root has to scramble to make his ground after being sent back by Brook, who then runs down to meet Jayasuriya on the full and drive a classy first boundary through extra cover. I don’t think he plans on booking in for bed and breakfast.

“All run up and no trousers should really go to Madan Lal from India,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “He had a funny delivery action too. Chandrasekhar probably bowled faster than Madan Lal. The title for lazy run up (bordering on reluctance) and bowling balls so slow that batsmen like Viv lost their concentration belongs to Mohinder Amarnath.”

19th over: England 72-3 (Root 17, Brook 2) It seems no modern Lord’s Test is complete without a spell of short stuff. Avisha Asitha continues to harass the middle of the pitch and is pulled for three singles. England lead by 303, which will please the Fatboy Slim fans out there.

“From the school of inefficient runups, I always had a soft spot for Jacob Oram,” says Rob Little. “Not a bad bowler, but given a) his long run up and b) his enormous frame (he was probably 6 foot 6?), the speed that the ball was delivered at always seemed a bit underwhelming…

“Also relatedly, have always found it funny how slowly Jason Holder bowls (again, an excellent bowler) because given his height you’d expect it to come out more Joel Garner than Mark Ealham…”

Updated

Dumb shot or dumb luck?

WICKET! England 69-3 (Pope c Jayasuriya b Asitha 17)

This is a strange and pretty ugly dismissal. Avisha Asitha goes around the wicket to bounce Pope, who swats the first ball straight to the man running round from deep backward point. He was the only deep fielder on the off side. Not sure I’ve ever seen a top-order batsman get out quite like that.

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18th over: England 69-2 (Pope 17, Root 16) A full toss from Jayasuriya is swept easily through square leg for four by Root, who overtakes Pope despite facing around half as many balls. Pope could learn so much from Root, who makes a fast start in an almost every innings without ever looking frantic.

Pope laps nicely for three to move back ahead of Root.

“With commiserations to Ben Duckett, I really do enjoy a juggling slip catch, especially one involving multiple parties,” writes Brian Withington. “I was too young to see it, but I still recall reading Richie Benaud describing the touring Australian team taking a remarkable three-person catch that ‘deserved to be booked immediately as a variety act for the London Palladium’. I guess I was a bit of a cricket badger in my youth and thanks to my dad was always reading (auto)biographies of players of that post-war era like Benaud (The Way of Cricket, Tale of Two Tests) and Compton (In Sun and Shadow). There were many, many more.”

Do you remember which tour it was? I’d like to read up on that.

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17th over: England 59-2 (Pope 13, Root 10) Asitha Fernando replaces Rathnayake and tempts Root into a loose drive that connects with nothing but fresh air. Root pushes a single off the final ball to keep the strike.

16th over: England 58-2 (Pope 13, Root 9) Time for spin, our friend Prabath Jayasuriya. Root drives a dipping full toss through the covers for the first of three singles in the over. He has 9 from 11 balls, Pope 13 from 35. It’s good to see Pope taking his time rather than trying to smack his way back into form.

“This is a 90s-England deep cut, but Peter Such’s run-up was too long for the speed he bowled, whereas Shane Warne would take three steps before delivering his leg spin,” writes Andy Flintoff. “Warne could probably have spun the ball just as efficiently standing still.”

15th over: England 55-2 (Pope 12, Root 7) That ball also ran away for four leg byes, which takes England’s lead to 286.

“I believe Alsager CC set a world record this summer when one of their bowlers delivered the ball following a run up of around 11km,” writes James Butler. “Sadly I don’t know what happened to the ball in question...whether the batter kindly patted it back (which would have been in the spirit of proceedings) or murdered it over long off for six.”

Here’s the man himself talking about it.

Pope is not out!

He pushed around a good delivery that came back to hit him in front of middle. It’s certainly straight enough – but the technology suggests it would have bounced over the top. That’s an excellent decision from Paul Reiffel; I was giving it out from miles away.

Sri Lanka review for LBW against Pope!

Pope accepts a freebie from Rathnayake, clipping his first boundary through square leg, and then there’s a huge LBW appeal! Paul Reiffel says no but Dhananjaya reviews with one second left. This looks seriously close.

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14th over: England 47-2 (Pope 8, Root 7) Pope tries to pull Kumara, is too early on the shot and takes an unpleasant blow on the right elbow. He’s struggling a bit, though it’s more to do with rhythm than the F-word. He may also have lost feeling his elbow because Root seems to be encouraging him to get the physio out.

“Though few can compete with John Price, who would be starting behind the sponge these days (as would Peter Lever, but he was 10mph quicker), I’d nominate Martin Bicknell for distance vs pace,” says Gary Naylor. “At the Oval, he ran in from Michael Holding’s mark from 1976, but, instead of 90mph rockets, he bowled lovely little outswingers at medium-fast. Excellent bowler, but he wore out the shoe leather.”

13th over: England 45-2 (Pope 7, Root 6) Pope almost yorks himself by walking down the track to Rathnayake. In isolation this is a dicey little spell for England, but their lead is such that it doesn’t feel like there’s much jeopardy.

“Not a Test bowler but ‘Tall’ Paul Walter has a long run-up, all 6ft 7ins of him, yet he bowls in the high 70s,” says Guy Hornsby. “He’s got a great slower ball, though.”

12th over: England 45-2 (Pope 7, Root 6) Sri Lanka have been excellent so far – disciplined with the ball and full of intensity in the field. In fact they were too good a moment ago when a throw from the outfield hit the stumps and ricocheted for an overthrow.

Root stays on strike as a result and is pretty fortunate when an edge off Kumara flies bisects gully and slip before racing to the boundary.

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11th over: England 38-2 (Pope 4, Root 2) I was just about to say that Madushka had given the wicketkeeping gloves back to Chandimal, which is why he was in the gully.

That will frustrate Duckett, who has had a few nothing scores since that mighty hundred in Rajkot: 4, 11, 15, 27, 2, 3, 71, 76, 3, 25*, 18, 11, 40, 24.

WICKET! England 36-2 (Duckett c Mathews b Rathnayake 24)

Gone! Duckett edges a flashing drive towards gully, where the diving Madushka fumbles a tough chance to his right. Happily for Sri Lanka the ball flies straight towards second slip, where Big Ange takes a smart reaction catch.

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10th over: England 36-1 (Duckett 24, Pope 4) Duckett steals a second to fine leg, a good piece of running, and then forces Kumara square on the off side for three. Everything he does is so positive. Pope then plays his first good shot of the morning, a flashing cut for two runs. Would’ve been four but for a fine stop by Karunaratne.

“Watching Kumala trundle in from a Michael Holding length run-up,” begins Jon Salisbury, “I wonder which bowlers had the longest run up for the least return (John Price with his long curving approach?) and conversely shortest runup with lightning speed ( Bumrah, Wasim Akram etc).”

Has to be Bumrah for the latter, doesn’t it? I forget who it was but somebody said he’s the only cricketer who could bowl fast from almost a standing start. Any suggestions for bowlers who were all run-up and no trousers?

9th over: England 29-1 (Duckett 19, Pope 2) Milan Rathnayake is preferred to Avisha Asitha Fernando, a bit of a surprise given Avisha’s Asitha’s performance in this series to date. A wide ball is dabbed efficiently for two by Duckett, who keeps strike with a single off the last ball.

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8th over: England 26-1 (Duckett 16, Pope 2) Pope survives a huge appeal for caught behind in the first over of the day. It was very similar to Dan Lawrence’s dismissal last night, with one key difference: Pope didn’t inside edge the ball onto the pad and through to the keeper.

I thought it was out in real time; so did the bowler Kumara, who celebrated first and appealed second. But Dhananjaya de Silva decided against a review and the replays showed it was a good decision.

TMS overseas link

Thanks to Wayne Trotman for doing the necessary.

Play is about to begin at Lord’s. It’s an overcast morning so this could be a decent time to bowl.

“Good morning,” writes John Starbuck. “Here’s hoping the match can be concluded by tomorrow, said he selfishly, as I have a hospital procedure on Monday afternoon. We all have different desires.”

We all wish you well John. (Well, I assume we all do.)

Simon Burnton on Gus Atkinson

It was impossible not to imagine a fretful evening, a night of interrupted, restless sleep, a tight fist of tension settling in his gut through the morning, swelling and clenching and twisting sadistically, and, after all that, it being something of a triumph simply to haul his body to the crease, prospects ruined by the moment’s ripe potential and by being forced to spend so long pondering it.

Clearly these are thought processes that are not conducive to sporting success, and evidently Atkinson did not endure them.

Read Ali Martin’s day two report

Preamble

Good morning. I said good morning. Now, what comes next in this list: 1959, 1967, 1978, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2022? England will hope the answer is 2024, because those are the summers in which they have won at least five Tests.

If all goes to plan, the team nobody is calling the Class of 24 will join the list sometime tomorrow. England are in total control at Lord’s after their most dominant day of the series, the highlight of which was Gus Atkinson’s stupendous maiden Test century.

They resume on 25 for 1, a lead of 256, with an unspoken remit to blast Sri Lanka completely out of contention by tea. The greater good comes first, but a few players could do with some runs. Ben Duckett has had a relatively lean spell since his astonishing 153 at Rajkot in February, Ollie Pope has loudly had a poor series and Harry Brook has temporarily forgotten how to convert starts: five of his last seven scores have been between 32 and 56.

There are some emerging demons in the pitch so this won’t necessarily be a day at the buffet for England. But it’s hard to see how they don’t win this game and therefore the series. Sri Lanka were admirably competitive for the first five days of this series; yesterday felt like another demonstration of Mike Atherton’s favourite analogy.

Updated

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