England v Sri Lanka: Root, Ali, Mathews and Chandimal the best of the second Test

Take a look at our four players of the day during the second Test at Durham

England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Investec Test series with a nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Durham. But who were the standout performers?

We picked out a player of the day at the end of each of the four days of the Test, with centurions Moeen Ali and Dinesh Chandimal both understandable inclusions while impressive knocks of 80 see Joe Root and Angelo Mathews round off our quartet.

That means no place for man of the match James Anderson as the seamer - impressive throughout - spread his eight wickets during the game across the three days England were in the field.

Click on the video at the top of the page to watch the quartet's top performances, with a rundown below of why they were selected.

DAY ONE - Having won the toss, England captain Alastair Cook elected to bat and will have been happy to see his side reach 310-6 at stumps. Root was the key man for England, making 80 in a positive knock that set the tone for the whole innings.

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DAY TWO - Beginning the day on 28, Ali was dropped early on before taking full advantage of his second chance to finish 155 not out. By that stage he had helped guide England up to 498-9 declared and the hosts drove home their advantage to reduce Sri Lanka to 91-8 at the close.

DAY THREE - England would have hoped to seal victory on day three after bowling Sri Lanka out for 101 and enforcing the follow on. However, the tourists finally showed some resilience with Mathews leading the way. The Sri Lanka skipper hit a well-made 80 to frustrate England.

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DAY FOUR - The Sri Lanka fightback continued on day four with Chandimal at the forefront. Having been dropped down to No 6, he responded superbly and had made 126, ensuring England would have to bat again, before he was bowled by Stuart Broad.

Watch England take on Sri Lanka in the third Investec Test at Lord's from 10am on Thursday June 9, live on Sky Sports 2 HD.

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