Root hits record 34th century as England near win

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

England 427 (Root 143, Atkinson 118; A Fernando 5-102) & 251 (Root 103)

Sri Lanka 196 (Kamindu 74; Potts 2-19, Woakes 2-21) & 53-2

Sri Lanka need 430 runs to win

Scorecard

Joe Root further cemented his status as England’s greatest batter with a record-breaking 34th Test century in the march towards victory over Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

Root’s second century of the second Test took him past Sir Alastair Cook for the most tons by an England batter.

His 103, made across the third morning and afternoon, was both effortless and inevitable. Made from 111 deliveries, it was also Root’s quickest in Test cricket.

When Root became the last wicket to fall, England were 251 all out and Sri Lanka left an improbable record 483 to level the series.

In dark and difficult conditions in the evening session, Gus Atkinson accounted for Nishan Madushka and Olly Stone had Pathum Nissanka, both caught by Root at first slip, taking him to 200 Test catches.

The gloom closed in. England were forced to bowl the spin of Shoaib Bashir and Root. As the umpires fiddled with their lightmeters, an interruption was so predictable that Sri Lanka promoted Prabath Jayasuriya to number four to see them to the delay.

When it came, Sri Lanka had reached 53-2, 430 adrift, with Dimuth Karunaratne on 23 and Jayasuriya on three. Play was finally called off for the day at 18:00 BST.

England will return on Sunday knowing they have two full days to take the eight wickets they need for an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

Record provides Lord’s theatre

Realistically, this contest was ended by England’s romp through the Sri Lanka batting line-up on Friday, yet the prospect of a moment of history ensured an electric atmosphere on a murky Saturday.

When England resumed on 25-1, 256 ahead, the most pressing issue surrounding their batters was the opportunity for Ollie Pope to make his first significant score as a stand-in captain. He looked to have come through some early jitters, only to fall for 17, cutting the first delivery of Asitha Fernando’s short-ball plan to deep point.

There was no such uncertainty for Root, who was in complete control to register two hundreds in a match for the first time in his 145-Test career. Just three other players have made twin centuries in a Test at Lord’s.

Sri Lanka slowed Root’s process through the 90s, growing the tension as Root had number 10 Stone for company.

When Root stepped back to slap Fernando for four and reach his magnificent milestone, everyone inside a jam-packed Lord’s rose in a spine-tingling ovation.

At that moment it felt as if there would not be enough time left for England to force victory, and the Sri Lanka batting and bad light proved as much. It mattered not. This day belonged to Root.

Root, runs and records

England’s strong position and desire to push the game on led to a number of cameos and wickets as a result of attacking shots. Pope, Ben Duckett for 24, Harry Brook for 37 and Jamie Smith for 26 all fell into that category.

Root’s super strength is his ability to score steadily without inviting danger. This was an exhibition of risk-free run-making, done in less time than most of the country waited in line for an Oasis ticket.

An edge between slip and gully when he had two was the closest Root came to an error. He regularly fetched the spin of Jayasuriya to the on-side boundary and swatted away baseball-style when the seamers tried leg theory. He attempted, and missed, a reverse scoop on 69.

As England batters came and went, the main danger to Root was running out of partners. As Stone arrived Root farmed the strike, but was made to wait for his ton by Sri Lanka’s deep-set field.

Eventually, when he carved Fernando into the vacant off side, Root leapt for joy. He was dropped off the next ball, then hooked Lahiru Kumara to deep square leg and departed to another standing ovation.

The knock also took Root past Graham Gooch as the player to have scored most Test runs at Lord's.

In among the records, Root joined Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar as batters to have 5,000 Test runs in two different decades. More importantly, he is 95 behind Cook’s all-time England total of 12,472, which seems primed to go in next week’s final Test at The Oval.

Lightwatchman holds up England

This has been a draining experience for Sri Lanka, who chose to bowl on winning the toss and have since spent the majority of the three days in the field.

Rolled over in 55.3 overs in the first innings, the 40 overs under lights in the final session felt like a time of huge peril for the tourists.

In the third over, left-hander Karunaratne was given lbw to Chris Woakes for one, only for the decision to be overturned on review.

Umpires Joe Wilson and Paul Reiffel had a first conference about the light, then decided to play on. From the next ball, Madushka poked Atkinson to Root.

Pope was ordered to employ the spinners, but a brighter spell allowed the introduction of Stone. He immediately took the edge of Nissanka for Root’s 200th Test catch, another England first.

Jayasuriya emerged as a lightwatchman, rather than a nightwatchman. It got dark again to necessitate more spin and darker still to send the players from the field.

'That was good fun' - reaction

England batter Joe Root, speaking to Test Match Special: "That was good fun.

"I wasn't nervous. I didn't want the game to stand still, that was the main thing on my mind."

Former England spinner Phil Tufnell: "I don't think making Ollie Pope skipper has done him any favours.

"He is a great chap and I reckon he is a great vice-captain, but I don't know whether it suits him being captain."