With a tense finish at Old Trafford in Manchester, Joe Root He was instrumental in England’s narrow five-wicket win Sri Lanka. In the first Test of the three-match series, England chased down a target of 205 runs after a shaky start.
Sri Lanka’s struggle with the bat in the first innings
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka managed to post just 236 runs in their first innings. Dhananjaya de Silva and Milan Rathnayake made important contributions after the team found themselves in a precarious position at 113 for 7. England responded with a total of 358 first innings. Jamie SmithBy scoring 111 runs, he scored his maiden Test century, becoming the youngest England wicketkeeper to achieve the feat.
In their second innings, Sri Lanka set a tough target by scoring 326 runs. Kamindu Mendis shines with a remarkable 113 runs. It took England 205 runs to secure victory. However, the chase got off to a frustrating start for the hosts as they lost three wickets for just 70 runs.
Along with Root’s half-century of calm and composed vital contributions Harry Brooke and Smith steadied the innings. England eventually reached 205 for 5clinging to the game and taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Player of the Match
Smith’s performance earned him the Man of the Match award and he expressed his pride in his contribution to the team’s success.
“Having conceded 5 runs in the previous series, it’s a great milestone (registering his first international century) feels great” Smith said in the post-game presentation.
“To get over the line and put us in the lead is amazing. It’s a really amazing feeling when you come back after a day of gaming and check the messages of all the people who have been a part of your journey and supported you throughout. A very proud moment” he added.
Also READ: Youngest wicket-keeper to destroy Test century for England – feat Jamie Smith
“To put us in that position (to take the lead in the first innings) is very pleasing because we knew it wasn’t going to be easy to finish fourth on this surface. It was always a semi-difficult chase, it got old and it was a nice wicket, but they batted beautifully. Root played well and let everyone play around him. “It’s a real honor to be part of the team, to be there and represent your country.”
Here’s Twitter’s reaction:
Really matches the innings won by Joe Root – great mastery. It was just a boundary that reached a half century and then another boundary which was the match winning stoke!
Brilliant test cricket – a perfect battle between ball and bat.
Ben Stokes missed. Hopefully he… pic.twitter.com/QboivUcfDA— Basit Subhani (@BasitSubhani) August 24, 2024
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO#ENGvSL
— The Barmy Army of England 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) August 24, 2024
THIS IS JOE ROOT 👊
– No Stokes, No Crawley, England chased down, lost a couple of quick wickets and Root means England, What a player, What a cricketer. The best in batting from England. pic.twitter.com/TFHwBIJTiI
– Jones. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 24, 2024
– 61 on average in 2021.
– 45.75 on average in 2022.
– 65.58 on average in 2023.
– 51.07 on average in 2024.
THE PEAK OF JOE ROOT IN TEST CRICKET – England’s best knock ever #joeroot #CricketUpdate #TestCricket #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/RGMOP9wXpN— Sahidul Islam (@Sahidul4u) August 25, 2024
150 runs in the match, 🙌
Maiden Test century, Man of the Match, 4 game dismissal #JamieSmith #ENGvSL #SLvENG
📸/ @englandcricket pic.twitter.com/6zKDFjpnMD-Pragnesh Patel (@Pragnesh1935) August 25, 2024
19500 International runs for Joe Root.@root66 #ENGvSL @englandcricket
— JaayShaan (VaidhyaJayaShankar) (@JaayShaan) August 25, 2024
A winning start to the 3-match Test series for England in Manchester! 🏴💪
England take a 1-0 lead in the series with a clinical win over Sri Lanka. 👏
It also marks Ollie Pope’s first Test win as England captain. 👊#OlliePope #EnglandCricket #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/gOOwxNhQB1
— Saabir Zafar (@Saabir_Saabu01) August 24, 2024
In fourth innings victories, Joe Root has amassed an impressive 602 runs at an average of 100.33. 🥶💥
-The only player in Test history with a better average and more runs is Kane Williamson who boasts 682 runs at 171.50.💥🔥
-Can Root close the gap? 🤔 #ENGvSL
— Ajay Chorage (@_AjayChorage) August 25, 2024
Joe Root is the greatest batter I will ever watch. Under any conditions, whoever the opponent is, he is the one and only, Joe Root, thanks for every run #engvsl pic.twitter.com/wDCp5Mtr4H
— Jordan Davies (@jordandavies09) August 25, 2024
England beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in the Manchester Test
Account card: https://t.co/mQ9OCUDp8k#ENGvSL #Tests #cricket #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/IvTiS7AC7j
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) August 25, 2024
