Joe Root has equaled the record for the most Test centuries among English cricketers. On the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, the English batsman scored his 33rd career century. He has matched Alastair Cook’s record. This is his sixth Test century at Lord’s.
When Root came to the crease, England’s score was 42 for 2 wickets. By the end of the first day, they had reached 358 for 7 wickets. Root was dismissed after scoring 143 runs. No other top-order English batsman could score more than 40 runs. Opener Ben Duckett made 40 runs.
However, fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who came in to bat at number eight, remained unbeaten on 74. Playing in his fifth Test, Atkinson scored his first half-century. He provided excellent support to Root, adding 92 runs in 19 overs for the seventh wicket partnership.
Earlier in the match, England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope was dismissed for 1 run. This was his third consecutive innings where he was out for a single-digit score. Sri Lanka took 3 wickets, including Daniel Lawrence, Pope, and Duckett, before lunch.
However, England bounced back strongly, thanks to Root’s brilliant batting. Root’s 143-run innings came off 206 balls, including 18 fours. For Sri Lanka, Asitha Fernando, Milan Ratnayake, and Lahiru Kumara each took two wickets.
Score:
England 1st innings: 358/7 in 88 overs (Root 143, Atkinson 74, Duckett 40, Brook 33, Smith 21, Potts 20; Asitha Fernando 2/84, Ratnayake 2/80, Lahiru 2/75, Jayasuriya 1/81).
