England continued their strong form in the longest format, defeating Sri Lanka by 190 runs in the second Test at Lord's on September 1. This victory gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
England clinch series with dominant win over Sri Lanka in 2nd Test
Following their 3-0 whitewash of West Indies, England appear poised for another dominant home series performance. Sri Lanka apparently surrendered to Joe Root's twin centuries and Gus Atkinson's seven-wicket haul to suffer their first defeat in Test at Lord's since 1991.
Sri Lanka entered the second Test match at Lord's Cricket Ground reeling from a heavy defeat in the first Test, where England had triumphed by 5 wickets. In the second fixture, Sri Lanka won the coin toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that initially seemed promising.
The choice appeared justified as England lost key wickets, Daniel Lawrence, captain Ollie Pope, and Ben Duckett, within the first 19 overs, managing only 82 runs at that stage. Despite a few valuable partnerships, the score reached 216 before Chris Woakes was dismissed.
Joe Root-Gus Atkinson, England's heroes
At the score of 216/6, a significant turning point occurred as Joe Root and Gus Atkinson began to build an impressive partnership. Their performance led to notable individual achievements and a pivotal moment in the match. White Root scored 143, which was his 33rd Test ton, Atkinson notched a brilliant 118 down the order
Root and Atkinson broke several records with their centuries, helping England reach 427 in their first innings. In response, Sri Lanka's batting struggled, and they were bowled out for 196 in their first innings. Atkinson also contributed with an impressive spell in which he took two wickets.
England chose not to enforce the follow-on, and a classic performance from Joe Root led the home side to a total of 251. The crowd at Lord's rose to their feet in admiration as the 33-year-old Root, with this 34th Test ton in the second innings, surpassed Alastair Cook to become England’s leading century-maker in the longest format.
Set a daunting target of 483 runs, Sri Lanka faced an uphill battle to pull off an upset. Although valiant efforts from Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Dimuth Karunaratne provided a glimmer of hope, the English bowlers, spearheaded by Gus Atkinson, who dazzled with another fifer, ultimately dismissed Sri Lanka for 292. This result secured a series victory for England.
Notably, England's victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka marks their fifth consecutive win and their second series victory of the summer, following a 3-0 sweep against West Indies in July. This is Sri Lanka's first defeat in six visits to Lord's, with their previous five visits resulting in draws. The final Test of the series begins on Friday at The Oval, where England aims to achieve their first 100% Test summer since 2004.
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