Sri Lanka versus England Test Series, 2024

2nd Test

Day-3 Evening Session Highlights:

Joe Root has played an important role for England team on the Day-3

At The Stumps of Day-3:

England scored 427 (1st Innings) & 251 (2nd Innings), where as Sri Lanka scored 196 (1st Innings) & 53/2 (2nd Innings).

So, finally England lead by 429 runs.

England tightened their grip on the Lord’s Test with a near-flawless third day, setting Sri Lanka a formidable target of 483 runs and further denting their chase by taking two crucial wickets before stumps.

During the day, Joe Root scored his 34th Test century, surpassing Alastair Cook to become England’s leading century-maker.

Root’s century, achieved in just 111 balls, was his fastest in Test cricket, placing him joint-sixth on the all-time list of Test centurions, alongside legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Younis Khan, and Mahela Jayawardene.

Root reached his milestone century with a stylish punch through the covers towards the end of the afternoon session.

Despite Sri Lanka claiming six wickets for 92 runs in the session, Root managed to forge crucial partnerships, pushing England’s lead close to 500.

England were eventually bowled out for 251 in under 55 overs when Root, after cleverly accumulating runs, was caught off a short ball in the deep.

Sri Lanka made regular breakthroughs in the middle session.

Prabath Jayasuriya struck early for the visitors, trapping Jamie Smith LBW in the second over after Lunch.

However, Jayasuriya struggled against Root, who dispatched him for three boundaries in a single over.

Chris Woakes was dismissed for 5, caught at short cover off Milan Rathnayake, while Gus Atkinson, the centurion from the first innings, top-edged a reverse pull off Asitha Fernando.

Matthew Potts didn’t last long either, edging one down the leg side after a successful review by Sri Lanka.

Earlier in the day, England added 134 runs to their overnight total in the morning session despite losing three wickets.

Ben Duckett, unbeaten overnight on 15, managed to add only nine more runs before he was caught behind off Rathnayake, thanks to a relay catch that rebounded off the gully’s hands and settled into Angelo Mathews’ hands at slip.

Both Rathnayake and Lahiru Kumara posed significant challenges with the ball, beating the bat several times during their opening spells.

For Ollie Pope, the short ball proved his undoing.

Asitha Fernando dismissed the stand-in captain with his very first delivery, as Pope, attempting to cut the ball, found the fielder at deep point.

Sri Lanka’s plight worsened when Nishan Madushka dropped Harry Brook on 16, only for Brook to hit a six off the next delivery.

Brook and Root added 58 runs for the fourth wicket before Brook was finally caught in the deep off Jayasuriya’s bowling, safely pouched by Madushka this time.

As the day drew to a close, Sri Lanka’s troubles deepened when they lost Nishan Madushka early, with Gus Atkinson finding an edge outside off-stump.

Pathum Nissanka followed soon after, nicking a delivery from Olly Stone to Root in the slips.

Dimuth Karunaratne remained unbeaten on 23 and will be key for Sri Lanka as they look to save the series with more than two days remaining.