Joe Root continued his remarkable form as he struck a record-equalling century on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Root, who had played a match-winning knock in Manchester, reached his 33rd Test century, matching the record for the most Test centuries by an England player, held by Alastair Cook.
England ended the day at 358 for 7, thanks largely to Root’s superb 143 off 206 balls, which included 18 boundaries. His century was his sixth at Lord’s, making him the player with the most Test centuries at the iconic venue.
The day, however, didn’t start well for England. Root came to the crease with the team struggling at 42 for 2 after opener Dan Lawrence (9) and stand-in captain Ollie Pope (1) fell cheaply. Ben Duckett, who looked in good touch, was dismissed for 40, leaving England at 82 for 3.
Despite brief partnerships, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith were unable to convert their starts into big scores, and Chris Woakes fell cheaply as well. England found themselves in a precarious position at 216 for 6, facing the prospect of being bowled out on the first day.
Root, however, found an able partner in fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who played a career-best knock of 74 not out off 81 balls. The duo added 93 runs for the seventh wicket, guiding England to a strong total by the end of the day.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers had mixed success, with Asitha Fernando, Milan Rathnayake, and Lahiru Kumara each picking up two wickets. Despite their efforts, they struggled to contain Root and Atkinson in the latter stages of the day.
Brief Scores:
England 1st Innings: 358/7 in 88 overs (Root 143, Atkinson 74, Duckett 40, Brook 33, Smith 21, Potts 20*; Asitha Fernando 2/84, Rathnayake 2/80, Kumara 2/75, Jayasuriya 1/81).*
