NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka was bowled out for 196 on Day 2 at Lord’s, trailing significantly in the second Test against England after Gus Atkinson‘s maiden century put the hosts in a commanding position.
England chose not to enforce the follow-on and ended the day at 25 for 1, leading by 256 runs.
Kamindu Mendis was the standout performer for Sri Lanka, scoring 74 before being the last man out.He attempted to hit Atkinson but ended up giving a simple catch to Chris Woakes.
“We’re well ahead of the game after day two with loads of time left,” Atkinson told the BBC. “Hopefully we can push on to a big lead tomorrow and then bowl them out again.”
Sri Lanka lost their last three wickets after tea with Prabath Jayasuriya (8) charging past a ball from Shoaib Bashir that turned sharply to hit leg stump.
Lahiru Kumara was then run out by Ollie Pope while trying to secure a single for Mendis, who was stranded as he couldn’t add more runs to his tally.
The afternoon saw Sri Lanka lose five crucial wickets, including veterans Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal in quick succession. Olly Stone, making his first Test appearance since 2021, claimed his second wicket, finishing an over he started before lunch when Pathum Nissanka edged a catch to Matthew Potts at leg slip.
Mathews and Chandimal managed to stitch together a 48-run partnership before Matthew Potts’ double-wicket maiden over gave England the upper hand. Mathews fell for 22, playing around a straight ball, and captain Dhananjaya de Silva was caught by Harry Brook at second slip for a three-ball duck, leaving Sri Lanka at 83-5.
Chandimal contributed 23 before edging a catch to Dan Lawrence at leg slip off Atkinson. Sri Lanka’s position deteriorated to 87-6. Milan Rathnayake then counter-attacked briefly, scoring 19 before Chris Woakes had him nicking to keeper Jamie Smith, leaving Mendis to battle with the tail-end.
Earlier, Sri Lanka lost both openers before lunch. Nishan Madushka chopped a wide delivery from Woakes onto his stumps and Dimuth Karunaratne was dismissed in an identical manner by Stone, both for single digits.
England started the day at 358 for 7, with Atkinson quickly adding boundaries off Kumara’s first over. Initially given out lbw, Atkinson survived on review as the ball was shown to be drifting down the leg side. He reached 99 with a cover drive and completed his century shortly after with a straight drive to the boundary.
Sri Lanka conceded 35 runs in the first five overs of the day before Asitha Fernando bowled Potts for 21, caught behind by Madushka. Atkinson’s innings ended at 118 when Rathnayake took a brilliant catch at midwicket off Fernando’s bowling. Stone was the last wicket to fall, giving Fernando figures of 5-102, as England added 69 runs to their overnight total, finishing at 427.
England secured a win in the first Test at Old Trafford by five wickets, and are looking to clinch the series at Lord’s. Sri Lanka needs a win at Lord’s to stay in the hunt for the series victory.
Despite the daunting situation, Kamindu Mendis expressed hope for a Sri Lankan comeback.
“I think if we can keep them under 150, 175 (we have) a chance to win the game,” he told reporters.
England chose not to enforce the follow-on and ended the day at 25 for 1, leading by 256 runs.
Kamindu Mendis was the standout performer for Sri Lanka, scoring 74 before being the last man out.He attempted to hit Atkinson but ended up giving a simple catch to Chris Woakes.
“We’re well ahead of the game after day two with loads of time left,” Atkinson told the BBC. “Hopefully we can push on to a big lead tomorrow and then bowl them out again.”
Sri Lanka lost their last three wickets after tea with Prabath Jayasuriya (8) charging past a ball from Shoaib Bashir that turned sharply to hit leg stump.
Lahiru Kumara was then run out by Ollie Pope while trying to secure a single for Mendis, who was stranded as he couldn’t add more runs to his tally.
The afternoon saw Sri Lanka lose five crucial wickets, including veterans Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal in quick succession. Olly Stone, making his first Test appearance since 2021, claimed his second wicket, finishing an over he started before lunch when Pathum Nissanka edged a catch to Matthew Potts at leg slip.
Mathews and Chandimal managed to stitch together a 48-run partnership before Matthew Potts’ double-wicket maiden over gave England the upper hand. Mathews fell for 22, playing around a straight ball, and captain Dhananjaya de Silva was caught by Harry Brook at second slip for a three-ball duck, leaving Sri Lanka at 83-5.
Chandimal contributed 23 before edging a catch to Dan Lawrence at leg slip off Atkinson. Sri Lanka’s position deteriorated to 87-6. Milan Rathnayake then counter-attacked briefly, scoring 19 before Chris Woakes had him nicking to keeper Jamie Smith, leaving Mendis to battle with the tail-end.
Earlier, Sri Lanka lost both openers before lunch. Nishan Madushka chopped a wide delivery from Woakes onto his stumps and Dimuth Karunaratne was dismissed in an identical manner by Stone, both for single digits.
England started the day at 358 for 7, with Atkinson quickly adding boundaries off Kumara’s first over. Initially given out lbw, Atkinson survived on review as the ball was shown to be drifting down the leg side. He reached 99 with a cover drive and completed his century shortly after with a straight drive to the boundary.
Sri Lanka conceded 35 runs in the first five overs of the day before Asitha Fernando bowled Potts for 21, caught behind by Madushka. Atkinson’s innings ended at 118 when Rathnayake took a brilliant catch at midwicket off Fernando’s bowling. Stone was the last wicket to fall, giving Fernando figures of 5-102, as England added 69 runs to their overnight total, finishing at 427.
England secured a win in the first Test at Old Trafford by five wickets, and are looking to clinch the series at Lord’s. Sri Lanka needs a win at Lord’s to stay in the hunt for the series victory.
Despite the daunting situation, Kamindu Mendis expressed hope for a Sri Lankan comeback.
“I think if we can keep them under 150, 175 (we have) a chance to win the game,” he told reporters.
