2 months ago
358
First Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day four of five)
Sri Lanka 236 (Dhananjaya 74; Woakes 3-32) & 358 (K Mendis 113, Chandimal 79)
England 358 (Smith 111, Brook 56; A Fernando 4-103) & 205-5 (Root 62*, Smith 39)
England won by five wickets, lead three-match series 1-0
Joe Root’s nerveless half-century helped England overcome some significant scares to defeat Sri Lanka on a tense fourth day of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford.
Set 205 for the lead in the three-match series, England were wobbling at 70-3 following the dismissals of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence.
Root and Harry Brook were required to show the utmost caution as spinner Prabath Jayasuriya caused problems from one end and the seamers probed from the other. Brook could have been caught by flying sub fielder Ramesh Mendis on four when England had 78.
The Yorkshire pair added 49 for the fourth wicket, but England still needed 85 when Brook was caught and bowled by Jayasuriya for 32.
Root was immaculate, while Jamie Smith provided momentum with 39 from 48 balls. Though Smith was bowled with 22 required, Root was joined by the dependable Chris Woakes and the former captain was 62 not out when a five-wicket win was sealed at 19:16 BST.
All this after England endured a concerning morning when Sri Lanka looked primed to post an even larger target.
Kamindu Mendis moved to a fine 113 and Dinesh Chandimal 79, their stand for the seventh-wicket partnership worth 117 as England struggled without the injured Mark Wood.
The second new ball came to the hosts’ rescue, Sri Lanka losing their last four wickets for only 19 runs to be bowled out for 326.
Wood, who has a thigh injury, seems likely to miss the second Test at Lord’s on Thursday, leaving Olly Stone set for his first cap in more than three years.
More to follow.
This was a slow-burner of a Test, one that built to a gripping conclusion on a sunny Saturday afternoon, curiously in front of the smallest crowd of the match.
England made the running for most of the first three days, then were made to work incredibly hard to get over the line by a spirited Sri Lanka.
The visitors, who improved as the game progressed, may wonder how things might have been were they afforded more than one warm-up game. In a tight contest, the most obvious difference between the sides was Sri Lanka finding themselves 6-3 in the first innings and 1-2 in the second.
For England, this was a hard-fought win for a young team led by stand-in captain Pope. They proved they can adapt their Bazballing instincts, at one stage in the run-chase inching along at two runs an over.
Ultimately, it was a master-and-apprentice combination that put the result beyond doubt. Root used all of his nous and experience, while 24-year-old Smith’s immense talent is matched by a temperament perfectly suited to Test cricket. This knock followed his maiden century in the first innings.
Between them, they staved off not only the prospect of defeat, but also the match bleeding into a rain-threatened Sunday.
A target of 205 was never likely to be a gimme for England, at a venue that has recently been the hardest in this country to chase runs, on a pitch occasionally playing tricks, and against a skilful and willing attack.
Duckett survived a superb leg-side catch by stand-in wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, who dragged the ball along the ground in his dive, only to edge Asitha Fernando to the same man. Pope, characteristically skittish, toe-ended a reverse-sweep off Jayasuriya and Lawrence, on 34, played across Milan Rathnayake to be lbw.
Brook joined Root with England under pressure and Sri Lanka buoyant. The key moment was when Brook’s sweep off Jayasuriya bounced out of the right hand of diving sub Ramesh at square leg. It would have been a breathtaking catch.
Both men were patient with solid defence, and both survived Sri Lanka reviews. Runs were devilishly difficult to come by, yet England looked to have control until Brook stubbed a return catch to Jayasuriya.
Root remained, nudging and pushing, running hard. He did not find the boundary until the 95th delivery he faced. The former skipper was joined by Smith, at the opposite of end his career but equally unflappable.
Any question of a fifth day was ended when Smith swatted Jayasuriya for six. Shadows lengthened, Smith was bowled by an Asitha yorker, but Root was not to be denied.
