Atkinson century leads England dominance of Sri Lanka

Second Test, Lord's (day 2 of five)

England 427 (Root 143, Atkinson 118; A Fernando 5-102) & 25-1

Sri Lanka 196 (Kamindu 74; Potts 2-19, Woakes 2-21)

England lead by 256 runs

Scorecard

Gus Atkinson continued nan sensational commencement to his profession pinch a maiden period arsenic England utterly dominated time 2 of nan 2nd Test against Sri Lanka astatine Lord’s.

Atkinson, who took 12 wickets connected debut against West Indies connected this crushed past month, became nan first England number 8 to make a Test ton successful 11 years, earlier joining a gait quartet that laid discarded to nan Sri Lanka apical order.

The 26-year-old, playing only his 5th Test, needed 22 deliveries connected Friday greeting to move from an overnight 74 to his first period successful master cricket.

Only 2 England number eights person made much than Atkinson’s 118 successful Tests and it took a breathtaking diving drawback by Milan Rathnayake to disregard him arsenic portion of nan location side's eventual 427 each out.

In blameless conditions, Sri Lanka should person made England activity hard, only to fold successful nan look of immoderate relentless gait bowling.

Olly Stone took 2 wickets successful an complete successful his first Test for much than 3 years, while Matthew Potts repeated nan dose successful a calamitous spell erstwhile Sri Lanka collapsed from 83-3 to 87-6.

Resistance came from Kamindu Mendis, who followed up his period successful nan first Test pinch a defiant 74. His was nan past wicket to autumn to time off Sri Lanka 196 each out, 231 behind.

England opted against nan follow-on and Dan Lawrence felt aggrieved to beryllium caught down for seven.

Ollie Pope joined Ben Duckett and England closed connected 25-1, a lead of 256.

England are racing towards their 5th successive Test triumph and an unassailable 2-0 lead successful nan series.

For Sri Lanka, this was a chastening day, 1 that near them ruing their determination to vessel first. The visitors battled difficult earlier being beaten successful nan first Test, yet had small tummy for nan conflict connected this 2nd day astatine Lord’s.

Atkinson and Kamindu proved that run-scoring could beryllium straightforward connected a placid surface, but Sri Lanka were near wanting by England’s expertise to find conscionable capable movement.

Even arsenic Kamindu counter-punched, stand-in England skipper Ollie Pope’s biggest determination was whether aliases not to bat again. The past clip England enforced nan follow-on, against New Zealand successful Wellington past year, they suffered a historical and thrilling one-run defeat.

Pope’s prime gave different chance to makeshift opener Lawrence and his wrong separator disconnected Lahiru Kumara was correctly detected connected review. That brought nan skipper to nan crease for his opportunity to beryllium he tin harvester activity pinch runs astatine number three.

Surrey’s Atkinson was made to hold for his Test bow, carrying nan drinks for nan full bid successful India earlier this year, but since getting his chance against nan Windies, he has go a fixture successful nan England team.

His 12-106 are nan fourth-best bowling figures by a Test debutant and group him connected nan measurement to being man of nan series.

Now, strokeplay fitting of a subordinate higher successful nan bid intends Atkinson has a five-wicket innings, 10-wicket lucifer and a period wrong only 5 days of Test cricket astatine this celebrated venue. Overall, he became conscionable nan sixth man to gain a spot connected each 3 Lord’s honours boards.

The first shot of nan day, bowled by Kumara, was clipped good by Atkinson for four. The adjacent shot was driven connected nan up for four. The 3rd transportation was fixed lbw, only for nan reappraisal to show it missing limb stump and bring a relieved cheer from nan expectant crowd.

On 99, Atkinson fiddled nervously astatine Kumara and could person fixed an edge. He followed up pinch a thrust done mid-off for 4 to bring up 3 figures successful 103 deliveries, nan sixth-fastest Test 100 connected this ground.

A guidelines of 85 pinch Potts was ended erstwhile Potts edged Asitha Fernando down for 21, past came Rathnayake’s flying drawback moving backmost toward nan mid-wicket statement to clasp Atkinson’s top-edge.

Stone was caught astatine good limb to springiness Fernando his 5th wicket and reason England’s innings, nan hosts having added 211 runs from their 216-6 connected Atkinson’s presence astatine nan crease.

In nan rebuilding of England’s gait attack, this is their first Test astatine Lord’s without 1 of James Anderson aliases Stuart Broad for 17 years. In their absence, a new-look foursome were superb.

Each of Atkinson, Potts, Stone and Chris Woakes held a afloat magnitude to inquire questions nan Sri Lankans had nary reply to.

Nishan Madushka chopped connected disconnected Woakes, while Dimuth Karunaratne did akin to Stone’s seventh transportation backmost successful Test cricket. In nan aforesaid Stone over, Pathum Nissanka tamely turned to limb slip.

Potts produced nan champion transportation of nan day, nipping down nan slope to trim Angelo Mathews’ disconnected stump and 3 balls later had skipper Dhananjaya de Silva held astatine 2nd slip. When Dinesh Chandimal was caught connected nan limb broadside disconnected Atkinson, Sri Lanka were successful tatters.

Left-hander Kamindu, though, is different who has made a superb commencement successful Test cricket and seems excessively debased successful nan bid astatine number seven. He marshalled partnerships of 31 pinch Rathnayake, 35 pinch Prabath Jayasuriya and 42 pinch Kumara, of which Kumara scored none.

As Stone tested him pinch bouncers, Kamindu hooked 2 sixes and top-edged different maximum that struck a spectator successful nan pavilion. Kumara was tally retired by Pope’s nonstop deed from nan adjacent delivery, past Kamindu miscued Atkinson to mid-off.

England bowler Gus Atkinson, speaking to BBC Test Match Special: "It's very surreal! I've ever thought of nan Lord's honours committee increasing up and pictured myself up location for my bowling, truthful it's unthinkable to spot myself up location pinch nan bat! I couldn't inquire for more."

Former England spinner Phil Tufnell: "A fabulous time of Test cricket, it had it all.

"It is simply a time Gus Atkinson will retrieve for nan remainder of his life."

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan: "Every changeable Atkinson played was perfection. He must beryllium a superb poker subordinate arsenic he gives perfectly thing away.

"As bully a 100 I person ever seen."

Ex-Sri Lanka all-rounder Russel Arnold: "A very reliable day. Atkinson piled connected nan agony this greeting and you could spot nan Sri Lankans getting disappointment successful nan field, which past translated into nan batting."