Kamindu Mendis, once again, displayed his resilience by hitting a resolute 74 runs against England’s formidable bowling attack.
However, despite his efforts, Sri Lanka still gave the visitors a significant first-innings advantage. Despite having a 231-run advantage, England captain Ollie Pope decided against enforcing the follow-on.
Instead, he chose to bat again to solidify their position in the contest. Despite losing Daniel Lawrence to the persistent bowling of Lahiru Kumara just before the end of the day’s play, England maintained a strong position, leading by 256 runs with nine wickets remaining and three full days of the game remaining.
During the earlier part of the day, the bowlers from England demonstrated their superiority over the bowlers from Sri Lanka by showcasing their exceptional skills in taking advantage of the playing conditions at Lord’s.
The surface, which had already exhibited some favorability towards the seamers on the initial day, further intensified in pace on the subsequent day, ideally complementing England’s pace attack. Olly Stone and Gus Atkinson employed their additional speed, while Matthew Potts (2-19) and Chris Woakes (2-21) inflicted most of the harm with their persistent accuracy.
Atkinson and Stone contributed by taking two wickets each, albeit they gave away more runs. Despite England’s overwhelming control, Mendis demonstrated composure at the batting position, displaying his perseverance and expertise against a problematic group of bowlers.
At a particular juncture, Sri Lanka encountered a precarious situation with a score of 118/7, facing the imminent risk of being dismissed rapidly. If it had occurred, the Pope might have contemplated implementing the follow-on.
Nevertheless, Mendis successfully established a 35-run alliance with Prabath Jayasuriya (8) and a 32-run collaboration with Lahiru Kumara (0), impeding England’s victory.
Mendis shouldered most of the batting responsibilities while the lower-order batters provided supplementary assistance.
Regrettably, Sri Lanka’s chances were diminished after Jayasuriya carelessly lost his wicket to Shoaib Bashir, and Kumara was dismissed due to a misunderstanding with Mendis.
Both dismissals occurred at pivotal junctures, precisely when Sri Lanka appeared to be constructing some form of opposition. Atkinson ultimately dismissed Mendis, resulting in Sri Lanka’s innings concluding at 196.
Although Mendis’ resistance was praiseworthy, the most notable moment of the day unquestionably belonged to Gus Atkinson.
Atkinson accomplished a significant feat in the morning session by reaching one hundred runs. After Sir Ian Botham, he became the second Englishman to earn both a century and a ten-wicket haul at Lord’s in the same season.
His exceptional overall performance was crucial in England’s remarkable improvement in batting, elevating them from a vulnerable score of 216/6 on the first day to a dominant total of 427.
London is expected to have good weather for the rest of the days, making it difficult for Sri Lanka to avoid losing.
Lawrence’s dismissal late in the day is clear proof that the pitch still has a significant amount of vitality.
Furthermore, the surface is anticipated to become even more challenging due to the increasing amount of unpredictable bounce. Sri Lanka must demonstrate remarkable resilience to withstand England’s powerful bowling attack in the last innings.
Summary of scores
England scored 427 runs, with Joe Root scoring 143 and Gus Atkinson scoring 118. Asitha Fernando took five wickets for Sri Lanka, giving away 102 runs.
Sri Lanka scored 196 runs, with Kamindu Mendis scoring 74 and Matthew Potts taking two wickets for England, giving away 19 runs. Chris Woakes also took two wickets for England, giving away 21 runs.
England currently leads by 256 runs, with a score of 25/1, with Lahiru Kumara taking one wicket for Sri Lanka and giving away ten runs.
