England in Control as Sri Lanka Face Uphill Battle to Save Series
England in Control as Sri Lanka Face Uphill Battle to Save Series: England tightened their grip on the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, ending day three with the visitors struggling at 53-2 while chasing a daunting target of 483 to level the three-match series. England’s Joe Root was the star of the day, scoring his 34th Test century to surpass Alastair Cook’s record and become England’s greatest centurion in Test cricket.
Root’s century, his second of the match following a brilliant 143 in the first innings, took England to a total of 251 in their second innings. This left Sri Lanka needing to make history to secure an unlikely victory, as the highest successful run chase in Test cricket remains 418, achieved by the West Indies against Australia in 2003.
Sri Lanka’s chase began poorly as they lost openers Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka early in the innings. Madushka was caught behind for 11 off the bowling of James Anderson, while Nissanka fell for 12, bowled by Ollie Robinson. At stumps, captain Dimuth Karunaratne remained unbeaten on 23, alongside nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya, who is yet to get going on 3. Poor light forced an early end to the day’s play, leaving Sri Lanka with a mountain to climb.
Earlier, England resumed their second innings on a gloomy day in north London, looking to build on a first-innings lead of 231 runs. Root, batting with purpose, quickly found his rhythm despite the tricky conditions. The day began with the hosts losing wickets steadily. Ben Duckett (24) was the first to fall, caught in a spectacular two-man effort at gully by Nishan Madushka and Angelo Mathews off the bowling of Milan Rathnayake.
Captain Ollie Pope (17) followed soon after, slashing at a wide delivery from Asitha Fernando that sailed to Jayasuriya at deep backward point. Harry Brook (37) played aggressively but was caught on the boundary by Madushka after an earlier reprieve.
Despite the steady fall of wickets, Root remained unfazed, inching his way toward another century. After lunch, England lost Jamie Smith (26), Chris Woakes (5), Gus Atkinson (14), and Matthew Potts (2), but Root continued to bat with determination. Reaching the nineties, he flicked Rathnayake through mid-wicket to bring up his record-breaking century, much to the delight of the Lord’s crowd. He celebrated with a leap and a salute to the stands, his teammates applauding from the pavilion balcony.
With England in a commanding position, Sri Lanka faces an uphill battle to avoid defeat and keep the series alive. The tourists will need to produce a monumental effort with the bat on day four if they hope to chase down the target and avoid falling 2-0 down in the series. The stage is set for an intriguing finish at Lord’s, but the advantage remains firmly with England as they look to wrap up a comprehensive victory.
