England‘s first difficulties against the new ball were overshadowed Joe Root‘s 33rd Test century and Gus AtkinsonOn the 1st day of the second Test, 74 appeared in front of him Sri Lanka in his Lord. Sri Lanka’s pace trio – Asita Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Milan Rathnayake – each of them showed their effectiveness on a difficult pitch and took several wickets.
England’s early struggles and Joe Root’s resilience
England faced early difficulties as the Sri Lankan bowlers took advantage of the conditions, losing the toss and being asked to bat first. England’s captain, despite meeting his first batting chance Ollie Pope saw his high rank weakened. Lahiru Kumara was fired Dan Lawrence seventh, and Don’t miss Fernando‘s change of ends caused the removal of the Pope within the first hour. Despite these setbacks, Ben Duckett scored a solid 40 before being dismissed when attempting a reverse sweep against the spin. presentation of Harry Brooke Along with Root, he steadied the innings as the duo added 97 runs in 23 runs before lunch to take the team to 97 for three.
Also READ: ENG vs SL: Fans go wild as Joe Root equals Alastair Cook’s record for England with Lord’s 33rd Test century.
The position and subsequent dismissal of Harry Brook and Root
In the second session, Brook and Root’s partnership remained steady until Fernando’s swinging delivery deceived Brook, who made 33. However, Root continued to anchor the innings and notched up his 65th fifty in Test cricket. Jamie SmithDespite struggling at times, he was dismissed by Milan Rathnayake for 21, leaving England with tea at 200/5, Chris Woakes joining Root.
Root’s stage and Gus Atkinson’s heyday
They faced short deliveries from Woakes and Root Lahiru KumaraKumara eventually dismissed Woakes on 59. Root reached his 33rd Test century, matching Sir, by facing twelve dot balls Alastair Cookrecord for most Test centuries by an English batsman. Atkinson then displayed his batting prowess with impressive high throws, cover drives and power shots. The pair added 92 runs for the seventh wicket to take England past the 300-run mark. Root’s innings ended for 143 after a reverse spoon attempt just before the second new ball. Despite this, the Sri Lankan players could not take advantage of the new ball and Matthew Potts and Atkinson added another 50 runs before stumps to leave England at 358/7.
1st day ✅
Special to Gus Atkinson and Joe Root 🙌 pic.twitter.com/IlIwBIsgDY
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 29, 2024
