England player ratings: Second Test player ratings as Gus Atkinson displays greatness while Ollie Pope struggles
Joe Root and Gus Atkinson starred for England during the second Test whilst stand-in captain Ollie Pope struggled; watch the third and final Test of the series at The Oval live on Sky Sports from Friday September 6
Monday 2 September 2024 13:31, UK
Take a look at how we rated England's players out of 10 in the 190-run win over Sri Lanka at Lord's in the second Test...
Ben Duckett - 6 (out of 10)
The left-hander made good inroads in England's first innings, reaching 40, but fell for 24 in the second innings. Duckett is a classic Bazball player but his figures didn't resemble the same destructive nature we've seen from him previously.
In the first innings, Duckett's 47-ball outing came to an end after he was caught by Lahiru Kumara sweeping off Prabath Jayasuriya - only the second time he had got out to that stroke in the 46 occasions he had played it in Test cricket.
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Dan Lawrence - 4
The England No 2 who has come into the side in place of the injured Zak Crawley was unable to stamp his authority on the top order.
He was dismissed for nine and seven, both times by Sri Lanka's pace bowler Kumara (5-154), during the second Test.
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Alongside team-mate Chris Woakes, the 27-year-old is the only player who made two scores in single figures across both innings.
Ollie Pope - 3
The stand-in England's captain had a tough time on the field. He was described as "fidgety" and as having a "scrambled brain" by Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain on commentary. Pope's body language, particularly when he was at the crease, looked nervy.
Pope made scores of one and 17 respectively during the second Test and so far across the series, he has amassed only 30 runs across four innings.
Pope also had eight incorrect reviews, two of which he burnt within half an hour of play on day four of the second Test, which was another sign of how his captaincy struggled.
The 26-year-old did well to change the bowlers when he needed to make something happen in the game. There was a clear change of plan after lunch on day four when Pope set a unique field with catches around leg-side and didn't over bowl his bowlers.
Joe Root - 8
The England centurion broke six records on day three alone which cemented his role in the England set-up and was a testament to his incredible skills.
He brought up his 34th ton on Saturday afternoon at Lord's to go past Sir Alastair Cook's record and became the first player to make centuries in both innings at the Home of Cricket since Michael Vaughan's hundreds against the West Indies in 2004, following on from the 143 in the first innings which saw him equal Cook's record.
Root also became the first England fielder to take 200 catches in Test cricket. However, he also dropped two vital catches, one in the deep on day three, and one in the slip cordon on day four, the latter of which was a regulation slip catch that should have been taken.
Harry Brook - 7
The England No 5 made scores of 33 and 37 across the second Test which included nine boundaries and one six, the only maximum to be hit from his side.
In the field he took two catches, to remove Sri Lanka's captain Dhananjaya de Silva for a duck and light watchman Prabath Jayasuriya for four.
The second catch in particular was a difficult one as Jayasuriya caught a thick outside edge off Woakes' (2-46) bowling and Brook took the grab behind his body.
Brook's versatility with the bat and agility in the field shows his importance to the team and, like Duckett, has attributes that captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum look for in their Bazball philosophy.
Jamie Smith - 7
Looking at England's wicketkeeper batter, it is difficult to believe he only made his debut seven weeks ago during England's 3-0 Test victory over the West Indies.
Since then, the 24-year-old has continued to impress with his glovework taking three excellent catches behind the stumps.
The right-hander made scores of 21 and 26 and continues to be the important glue between England's middle and lower order.
Chris Woakes - 6
The 25-year-old quick has stepped up to lead England's attack after the retirement of James Anderson earlier this year and he is looking for a spot in the winter touring squad.
Woakes took four wickets across two innings against Sri Lanka and finished with match figures of 4-67. He is usually able to provide good support with the bat but struggled in the second Test, making scores of only six and five.
Gus Atkinson - 9
Atkinson's love affair with Lord's continues.
It's the same ground he made his Test debut on where he finished with a 12-wicket match haul against the West Indies and just seven weeks later, he got to inscribe his name twice on the honours board.
His maiden Test century helped put the hosts into a commanding position and polished off the performance with a seven-wicket match haul.
"Obviously I couldn't have asked for much more. To get on both honours boards is incredible," Atkinson, who was named Player of the Match, said.
Matthew Potts - 5
The England seamer had an underwhelming performance, taking two wickets after making a return to the Test team in over a year, and was wicketless in the second innings going for nine runs.
He showed some resistance with the bat in the first innings with his 21 but the 25-year-old made just two in England's second innings.
Olly Stone - 7
The pace bowler, who is returning to the England set up after a three-year absence, made an impact throughout the game finishing with four wickets to his name.
He dismissed Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva twice in both innings to show his consistency in bowling and ability to attack the top order.
Shoaib Bashir - 4
The off-spinner who has been one of England's leading newbies only managed to take two wickets across both innings in the second Test during his allotted 30 overs, in which he also bowled two maidens.
Bashir has bowled better with the ball in previous Tests (during the first Test against Sri Lanka he picked up four wickets) but Lord's wicket and surface didn't offer him much.
Watch the third and final Test of the series between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Friday September 6 (first ball, 11am).
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