This time, Sri Lanka faced defeat at Lord’s as well. After losing two consecutive Tests, Dhananjaya de Silva’s team lost the three-match series. They failed to handle the pace and swing of the English bowlers. Similar to the first Test, Sri Lanka couldn’t avoid defeat against England in both batting and bowling. England won the match by 190 runs within four days.
Joe Root scored centuries in both innings of the Lord’s Test. This match will remain memorable for him and Gus Atkinson. Atkinson scored a century in the first innings and took 5 wickets in Sri Lanka’s second innings. He set a rare record by scoring a century and taking 5 wickets in the same match.
In the first innings, England scored 427 runs. Root scored 143 runs, and Atkinson made 118 runs. Their contributions helped the team reach a big total. In response, Sri Lanka’s innings ended at 196 runs. Kamindu Mendis scored 74 runs, while the other players didn’t contribute much. For England, Chris Woakes, Atkinson, Ollie Stone, and Matthew Potts each took two wickets, while spinner Shoaib Bashir took one.
Despite having a lead of over 200 runs, England chose to bat again in the second innings. They set a target of 483 runs for Sri Lanka after scoring 251 runs in that innings. Root scored another century, making 103 runs. The target of 483 runs was too challenging for Sri Lanka, and they were bowled out for 292. Dinesh Chandimal scored 58 runs, and captain de Silva made 50 runs. Atkinson took 5 wickets for England, while Woakes and Stone each took two, and Bashir claimed one.
The final Test will be held at The Oval, starting on September 6. Although the series is already England’s, Sri Lanka will be trying to avoid a whitewash by winning the last match.
