A record-breaking 34th Test century for England from Joe Root put them in a commanding position against Sri Lanka at Lord's; the tourists ended day three 53-2, chasing 483 to win; watch day four live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am (first ball, 11am)
Saturday 31 August 2024 20:16, UK
Joe Root’s record-breaking 34th Test century helped put England on the verge of a match and series victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test at Lord’s.
Already in a commanding overnight position, Root and Harry Brook's fourth-wicket partnership of 58 helped grow England's lead to 390 runs by lunch and they eventually left Sri Lanka facing an improbable target of 483 after being bowled out for 251 late in the afternoon session.
Root led the way for the hosts with 103, passing Alastair Cook's record for Test hundreds for England, which he had equalled in the first innings, and becoming the first player to make tons in both innings at Lord's since Michael Vaughan against the West Indies in 2004.
Needing what would be a record run-chase in Tests on this ground to win, Sri Lanka were 53-2 when bad light stopped play around 5.05pm, eventually bringing an end to day three.
Seeking early wickets with England leading by 256 runs at the start of day three, Sri Lanka made a breakthrough in the fourth over of the morning as Ben Duckett flashed at one from Milan Rathnayake and caught for 24 thanks to some fine relay work from gully Nishan Maduskha and slip Angelo Mathews.
Ollie Pope's poor run with the bat since being appointed Ben Stokes' stand-in captain continued as he made just 12, falling in the 19th over of the innings after picking out Rathnayake, the only fielder in the deep on the off side, with a cut off a short ball from Asitha Fernando.
The ever-reliable middle-order pair of Root and Brook steadied things with a half-century stand to help England's lead become ever-more imposing, although Brook was eventually out for 37 from 36 balls, caught by Madushka off Prabath Jayasuriya having been dropped on 12.
Root and Jamie Smith then saw England through to 159-4 at lunch, but the wicketkeeper was only able to make 15 before being trapped lbw by Jayasuriya followed by Chris Woakes (5) three overs later when he hit Rathnayake straight to Nissanka at extra cover.
Gus Atkinson was unable to build on his maiden century in the first innings either, departing for 14 when he tried a pull shot off Kumara which went straight to Fernando on the boundary, who then got Matthew Potts out for two at the end of the 47th over after replays showed the ball brushed his glove on the way through to Dinesh Chandimal.
Root, however, looked imperious and went on to pass Graham Gooch's record of 2,015 Test runs at Lord's as he closed in on a new mark for England and overhauled the record of six centuries at the Home of Cricket which was jointly held by him, Gooch and Vaughan.
Then, in the 58th over, the right-hander crunched Kumara through the covers to the boundary to take him past the 100-mark with a four, followed by him jumping and punching the air in delight, and soaking in the acclaim of the Lord's crowd who rose to their feet to applaud.
It went with him passing Cook's record for the most runs in home Tests earlier in the match as well and made the Yorkshireman only the fourth place to score a century in both innings of a Test at Lord's.
Olly Stone's dismissal for seven and Root's eventual departure for 103, both caught by Nissanka going for big shots off Kumara, saw England eventually dismissed with under half an hour to go until tea.
As Sri Lanka began the onerous run chase, opener Dimuth Karunaratne survived an lbw call against him in the third over with just one run to his name when he successfully overturned it with a DRS review, but Madushka was gone for 13 five overs later when he edged Atkinson to Woakes.
The tourists lost their second wicket seven overs later when Nissanka edged Stone to Root, who broke another record by becoming the first English player to take 200 catches in Test cricket as well.
However, the deteriorating light saw England forced to bowl their spinners and eventually play curtailed when Pope wanted to bring his seam bowlers back on, with Sri Lanka set to resume on day four still trailing by 429 runs.
Joe Root, after setting a new record for most Test centuries by an England player:
"It was a pretty cool feeling...I'm very proud and nice to share a moment with my dad walking off the field, that was really quite special.
"They are all things in a few years' time I might be able to look back and enjoy. At the minute I still have a lot of cricket to play."
"It is always a new opportunity to get your team into a position to win the game.
"As a group, to be smart and get them to consistently five or six an over made us get to that position earlier."
Watch day four of the second Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Sunday September 1 (first ball, 11am).
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