Bye!published at 12:29 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
You're coming back tomorrow, right?
Catch up on today's action here and with the Test Match Special podcast, which will drop shortly.
Play starts at 4:30 tomorrow morning. I'll see you then.
Summary
Root bats all day for 186 - run out from last ball
Root now fourth on all-time England Test runs list after passing Pietersen & Gower
Buttler (55) and Bess (32) offer stoic support to Root
Sri Lanka spinner Embuldeniya takes seven wickets
Second Test, day three, Galle, England 1-0 up in two-match series
Bye!published at 12:29 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Postpublished at 12:27 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match SpecialEngland are asking Sri Lanka a tricky question of what they should do tomorrow.
The third innings can a difficult one, but my advice would just be to take the confidence from the first innings.
For England, the spinners will have to show up and do the main wicket taking of the day.
'We're all in awe of Root'published at 12:25 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports ExtraMore from Jos Buttler: "We're in all awe of what Joe Root has just achieved really. It's amazing his powers of concentration and talking about how quickly he picks and length and line of the delivery, and he barely put a foot wrong in the space of two days. It is fantastic to watch.
"Root is one of the finest players of spin in the world and for all of us in the dressing room it is a great strength to have, and someone to learn from. Learning is a great skill I think because you've got to work out how you can bring bits into your own game to still be authentic to yourself, but as an example of how play spin there isn't many better than Joe."
Postpublished at 12:23 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
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End of twitter postPostpublished at 12:21 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match SpecialJoe Root's innings was a copy and paste job from last week. The best praise I can give him is that I've not seen a right hander, for many many years - you can put Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson in there - play spin so well as Root has just done in the space of eight or nine days.
If there are young kids out there who want to learn how to play spin they should study Root. Just his set-up and how he plays the game and everything about him is absolutely perfect to play spin.
'Root's innings a great education'published at 12:18 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports ExtraEngland wicketkeeper Jos Buttler on Test Match Special: "It is fantastic to watch Joe Root. It has been a great education to watch him - his game plan is so sound and he's got shots all around the wicket. The use of the sweep shot to move fielders and he was finding it that easy he was playing some left-handed shots."
'England would have collapsed two years ago'published at 12:14 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match SpecialIt has been a tremendous day for Test match cricket. With England losing those two early wickets it could have been the day, and they may still go on and lose the Test match and Sri Lanka are clear favourites in my mind with the three wickets at the end, but I really think England deserve some praise.
Two years ago this was probably a day England would have collapsed and be looking down the barrel of a 150-run deficit. They have just hung in and given themselves a sniff. They know they'll have to bowl well, catch well, their spinners will have to perform and whatever they have to chase in the fourth innings is not going to be easy.
They've played in a manner that the captain needs them to. Two years ago they were flamboyant and risky and you were thinking there was a collapse round the corner and if you look at the dismissals today there was only really Mark Wood's you can question.
get involved Get Involvedpublished at 12:12 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
#bbccricket
Paul Roberts: Earlier talk of Root relinquishing the captaincy to rediscover his form has been firmly swept to the boundary.
Postpublished at 12:11 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Sir Alastair Cook
Former England captain on BBC Test Match SpecialSri Lanka have pretty much just bowled the same throughout and haven't made Joe Root change his game at all. It might not have worked, he might just be a level above what their spinners can cope with, but I thought they'd try something. Root was allowed to score pretty much when he wanted to.
Postpublished at 12:08 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Image source, Sri Lanka CricketJoe Root's stats: 186 from 308 balls, with 18 fours, and at a strike rate of 60.39.
It works out at about eight hours and 25 minutes at the crease, which is truly remarkable.
From the virtual press boxpublished at 12:06 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
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End of twitter postPostpublished at 12:05 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
And it's just started snowing in South Manchester.
'The most extraordinary batting you can see'published at 12:03 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Sir Alastair Cook
Former England captain on BBC Test Match SpecialIt is the only sport where it happens like that - he has played unbelievably well, two of the best innings you'll see and yet he's walking off here absolutely gutted that he didn't bat the day.
It was the most extraordinary batting you can see and he'll be sitting in his chair absolutely gutted. Cricket does it for you.
Close of playpublished at 12:02 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
That is play done for the day.
It'll be down to Jack Leach and Jimmy Anderson to hustle England past the 42 runs they need to have parity with Sri Lanka.
Postpublished at 12:02 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Joe Root looks disappointed as he walks off, but we have seen something truly special today.
Postpublished at 12:01 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Sir Alastair Cook
Former England captain on BBC Test Match SpecialIt's great work to be doing that in the last over of the day.
The bail took forever to come out of the groove.
WICKETpublished at 114.2 overs
Root run out (O Fernando) 186 (Eng 339-9)
It was always going to take something spectacular to get rid of Joe Root.
Root clipped the ball into the leg side and Oshada Fernando, at short leg, just stuck a hand out, clung on by his finger tips and threw the ball back to the stumps. The bail took a long time to lift up but it came out of the groove with Root short, and that is the end of a truly magnificent innings.
Postpublished at 12:00 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Simon Mann
BBC Test Match SpecialIt is a great reaction. I think this is out.
Postpublished at 12:00 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
This is a super piece of fielding from short leg in the last over of the day.
I think this is out.
Umpire reviewpublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January 2021
Oh my word, has Joe Root been run out?!
A wonderful piece of work from short leg! Upstairs we go.