[ad_1]
| First test, Galle (day two) |
| Sri Lanka 135: Bess 5-30, wide 3-20 |
| England 320-4: Root 168 *, Lawrence 73; Embuldeniya 3-121 |
| England lead by 185 races |
| Scorekeeper |
Captain Joe Root scored an undefeated 168 as England built a substantial lead over Sri Lanka on the second day of Test 1 in Galle.
Rookie Dan Lawrence made 73, adding 173 with Root to help the Tourists close at 320-4, a 185 lead.
Although rain allowed only 53 overs on the day (the start was delayed 70 minutes and no play was possible after tea), Root and Lawrence put England in a position of total dominance.
Root played beautifully in his 18th century test, his first since November 2019.
He will resume on Saturday alongside Jos Buttler, who is unbeaten in seven, and his goal will be to declare and hit just once on a pitch that is already breaking and offering more and more spins and rebounds.
The game will start 15 minutes earlier at 04:15 GMT on Saturday.
England said it was “not concerned” after reports that two staff members tested positive for Covid-19.
Root said, “All the guys feel very safe right now and I hope that continues throughout the tour.”
England’s limited tour of South Africa he was abandoned in December after several positive tests.
Root lives up to its words
The root is often compared Virat Kohli from India, Steve Smith from Australia and Kane Williamson from New Zealand as England’s lynchpin, but in comparison, he may fail to capitalize on the outings.
Having reached 50 four times since his previous century, he said before this series that he needed to be “selfish” and turn beginnings into “great contributions to winning games”, but “something great is just around the corner.”
He was proven right on Friday.
He overruled a 20 lbw decision on day one and survived a lbw review, when he was off the line, on the second ball on day two, but it was a no-chance tackle.
Root, undefeated at 66 overnight, has a natural strike rating that makes him a dangerous test player, and he was happy to rotate the strike and allow Lawrence to find the limit more easily.
The sweep has always been one of Root’s strengths, and he played it excellently throughout his 254-ball innings, both to find the limit and to rotate the strike, as he surpassed Kevin Pietersen’s 151 in Colombo in 2012 as the highest score by an England player. in Sri Lanka.
“I talked a lot before this game so it’s really nice to follow that,” said Root.
“It’s something I’ve always been desperate to do: turn fifty into great hundreds. Tomorrow I’ll try to turn it into a really great one.”
At the start of a busy year that includes nine Tests at home and away against India, potentially two against world number one New Zealand and an attempt to win back the Ashes in Australia, this has so far been the perfect start for Root and England. .
New kid Lawrence seizes the chance
Lawrence has had to wait for an opportunity since he impressed on the England Lions tour of Australia earlier last year, with England winning their last three Test series and having an established batting lineup.
The Essex batsman made it into the playing area nine balls on the day after Jonny Bairstow, who couldn’t add to his 47 overnight when England resumed at 127-2, was caught on the slow second arm slip. left Lasith Embuldeniya.
Lawrence is averaging 63.5 against the spin in first-class cricket and his confidence against it was immediately apparent as he took a single from his first ball before driving the second to the coverage limit.
The 23-year-old continued to look strong on the outside side, hitting behind the square several times, and as his innings increased, he looked more at ease around the wicket, hitting the only six of the game in the middle of the wicket.
He was knocked down twice: in ’60 when Kusal Mendis on the second slip couldn’t hold onto a leading edge off Wanindu Hasaranga, and in ’68 when he charged into Embuldeniya and goalkeeper Niroshan Dickwella put up an edge.
Lawrence finally fell when Dilruwan Perera encountered a sharp turn and bounced around the wicket to be caught on the short leg through the glove.
‘Lawrence looked like he belonged’ – reaction
England Captain Joe Root: “This is as good as missing the pitch, being in this position is fantastic.
“It’s really important that we make the most of this opportunity and be really ruthless tomorrow morning.
“Obviously, Dan has a great ability. I’m not comparing him to Kevin Pietersen, but he has that ability to be able to do things that other players can’t and to take certain shots that other people can’t. It’s really exciting to watch.
“It showed exactly why he deserves the opportunity to play. Hopefully it will be the start of something very special for him.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on BBC Test Match Special: “Dan Lawrence seems confident in his game.
“There will be bigger obstacles, but the first challenge in test cricket is to make it feel like you belong there and you can play at that level, so you can mix it up with players like Joe Root.
“From what we saw, it looked like it belonged there.”
Former Sri Lankan SUV Russel Arnold: “It’s going to be tough for Sri Lanka, it will come down to focus, application and mindset, and the hitter of late hasn’t shown it.
“The lead will increase to at least 300, and it will be very difficult for Sri Lanka to carry it to the fourth and fifth day.”
Sri Lankan bowling coach David Saker: “Joe Root is an experienced player and he has a really good game plan.
“He’s always putting pressure on the bowler and our guys haven’t been good enough to fight him.”
[ad_2]
