England's bowlers, led by Gus Atkinson, put the team in a commanding position by stumps on Day 2 of the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka. England leads by 256 runs, having scored 427 in their first innings and 25/1 in their second innings, while Sri Lanka scored 196 in their first innings.

Sri Lanka versus England Test Series, 2024

2nd Test

Day-2 Evening Session Highlights:

Gus Atkinson and the bowlers has put England team in a commanding position

Gus Atkinson scored a century while batting at number 8. © Getty

At The Stumps of Day-2:

England scored 427 (1st Innings) and 25/1 (2nd Innings), where as Sri Lanka scored 196 (1st Innings).

So, finally England lead by 256 runs.

For the second consecutive game, Kamindu Mendis (74) came to Sri Lanka’s rescue, but his resilient effort was insufficient to prevent the visitors from conceding a substantial first-innings lead.

England captain Ollie Pope chose not to enforce the follow-on, opting to bat again to build on their first-innings lead of 231.

Despite losing Daniel Lawrence to the relentless Lahiru Kumara just before stumps, England remained in a commanding position.

They lead by 256 runs with nine wickets in hand and three full days left to play.

Earlier, England’s bowlers not only outperformed their Sri Lankan counterparts but also demonstrated a masterclass in exploiting the Lord’s pitch, which continued to offer assistance to the seamers.

The pitch quickened on the second day, playing into the hands of England’s pace attack, particularly Olly Stone and Gus Atkinson.

However, it was the precise accuracy of Matthew Potts (2-19) and Chris Woakes (2-21) that inflicted the most damage.

Atkinson and Stone also claimed two wickets each but were relatively expensive.

Despite England’s dominance, Mendis looked assured at the crease and batted with skill.

Sri Lanka were at 118/7 and on the brink of a swift collapse.

Had they been bowled out quickly, Pope might have considered enforcing the follow-on.

Instead, Mendis battled through a 35-run stand with Prabath Jayasuriya (8) and a 32-run partnership with Lahiru Kumara (0).

The tailenders supported Mendis, who did most of the heavy lifting.

Jayasuriya’s rash shot against Shoaib Bashir and Kumara’s run-out due to a mix-up with Mendis were both crucial dismissals.

Mendis eventually fell to Atkinson, becoming the last man out.

While Mendis’ resistance was notable, Atkinson’s historic century in the morning session was the standout moment of the day.

He became only the second Englishman after Sir Ian Botham to achieve a century and a ten-wicket match haul at Lord’s in the same season.

His performance was pivotal to England’s dramatic recovery from 216/6 on the first day.

With fair weather expected in London, Sri Lanka faces a monumental challenge to avoid defeat.

The pitch is likely to show increasing variable bounce in the final days, as demonstrated by Lawrence’s dismissal.

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