[themaclad]

Stumps England 339 for 9 (Root 186, Buttler 55, Embuldeniya 7-132) trail Sri Lanka 381 (Mathews 110, Dickwella 92, Perera 67, Chandimal 52, Anderson 6-40) by 42 runs

Another stunning knock by Joe Root frustrated Sri Lanka on the third day of the second Test at Galle, but his fall right on stumps swung the contest back in the home side's favour.


Root's near-flawless 186 sent England to the close still 42 runs adrift after Lasith Embuldeniya claimed seven wickets with his left-arm spin that bamboozled almost everyone, except Root.

It was testament to Root's exertions that he fell in gut-wrenching fashion in the last moments of the day, unable to drag his exhausted, cramping body back into his crease in time after nudging Dilruwan Perera to short leg, where Oshada Fernando fired the ball back onto the stumps with an excellent throw.

As James Anderson had said on the second evening, you're never too old to improve or too experienced to learn. And as he, Root and Jos Buttler lived that adage as the stand-out performers in a battling England effort in this match so far, the young and inexperienced members of the squad could learn a thing or two from them.

On the third day it was Root and, to a lesser extent, Buttler who set the example for the likes of Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence upon whom, as current selection goes, England are looking to build for the future.

Root's innings was a masterclass in playing spin. He made batting look easy when, in fairness to the other batsmen, it clearly wasn't as Embuldeniya spun his way to career-best figures and his third five-wicket haul in just his ninth Test.

Root, player of the match in England's seven-wicket victory in the first Test with a double-ton at the same ground, defied his team's woes with the bat in this match. So strong on the sweep the previous day, when he racked up 67 runs off 77 deliveries, Root continued in the same vein on Sunday, his effortless switch-hit to the boundary off Embuldeniya to move to 87 a case in point.

Embuldeniya broke a century stand between Root and Jonny Bairstow when he had the latter out on review. Bairstow, who resumed on 24, added just four more - a powerful drive off Embuldeniya to the rope at long-on - before he got an inside-edge onto his pad, which was collected by Fernando at slip. Initially given not out, UltraEdge revealed a clear spike as the ball passed the bat.

Lawrence, so impressive with fifty on debut in the first Test, fell cheaply to an excellent Embuldeniya delivery from around the wicket which turned sharply and found an outside edge, taken at slip by Lahiru Thirimanne. Up to that point, Embuldeniya had taken all four England wickets to fall, having accounted for openers Sibley and Crawley - both for the third time this series - on Saturday.

Root brought up his 19th Test century by punching a single off Perera to midwicket with Buttler still relatively new at the crease. The pair put on 97 runs together for the fifth wicket, with Buttler contributing 55 before his bizarre dismissal to debutant Ramesh Mendis. Reaching forward to reverse-sweep, Buttler struck the ball directly onto his boot and it looped to Fernando at short leg. It took an umpire review to confirm the dismissal after the soft signal had been not-out on the presumption that the ball hit the ground.

Perera took the second new ball and almost immediately thought he had Sam Curran out lbw, but umpire Kumar Dharmasena turned down the appeal and Curran narrowly survived the DRS on umpire's call.

Curran responded by sending the last ball of Perera's over for a huge six down the ground but Embuldeniya had him out two balls later, edging to Thirimanne at slip, sending England to tea still 129 runs in arrears.

Root was doing his best to keep cramping at bay - understandable given his toil in hot, humid conditions in this match and the last - and he brought up his 150 with a powerful sweep to the boundary off Embuldeniya which epitomised the ability to read the ball and position himself accordingly that had underpinned his fine innings.

Dom Bess provided solid support as Sri Lanka struggled to make the one further breakthrough that would have them eating into England's tail.

Root gave them a chance when he edged through the slips cordon, but Thirimanne didn't get a hand to what would have been a sharp catch.

Bess survived an even later chance when he edged Embuldeniya extremely low towards second slip but replays showed the ball had gone to ground. Embuldeniya had him two balls later, however, Thirimanne taking a more straightforward chance at first slip.

Embuldeniya bagged his seventh wicket when Mark Wood edged to Thirimanne, whose effort leaping high to his left made him the first Sri Lanka fielder to take five catches in a Test innings.

Just as Anderson overcame injury which curtailed his 2019 season and near-constant murmurings about his age to pass 600 Test wickets, just as Buttler thought he was playing his "last match" for England before a pivotal innings against Pakistan last summer turned his batting - and keeping - for the better, it was just over a year ago that Root scored the most patient of centuries in New Zealand, his first Test ton in eight months.

Now Root is back in sublime touch, passing Kevin Pietersen and David Gower to move into fourth on England's list of leading run-scorers with 8238.

Before this match, Root said he had faith that Sibley and Crawley would emerge stronger from a tough introduction to Asian conditions on their maiden tours to the region. On Sunday, all they had to do was watch and learn.

Valkerie Baynes is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo

[Lord Snooty]

When Joe overtakes Alec Stewart, the top three scorers will all be double O's.

Cook
Gooch
Root

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

When Joe overtakes Alec Stewart, the top three scorers will all be double O's.

Cook
Gooch
Root

The chances of a maiden Test call-up for Scooby Doo are increasing by the day.

[themaclad]

Well, well, well 115-8 wicket turning square lead of over 150 interesting

[themaclad]

Stumps England 344 (Root 186, Buttler 55, Embuldeniya 7-137) and 164 for 4 (Sibley 56*, Buttler 46*, Embuldeniya 3-73) beat Sri Lanka 381 (Mathews 110, Dickwella 92, Anderson 6-40) and 126 (Embuldeniya 40, Bess 4-49, Leach 4-59) by six wickets

England took what they needed from those who had to give it most as they secured victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test in Galle.


On an enthralling day when 15 wickets fell, England's frontline spinners came to the fore and opener Dom Sibley scored an unbeaten half-century to help defeat Sri Lanka by six wickets with a day to spare and win the series 2-0.

Lasith Embuldeniya followed his 7 for 137 in the first innings with 3-73 to take 10 for the match, but it was not enough as Sibley, in need of runs, played exactly the innings that was required of him - patient, productive and at times fortunate.

Going into the final session on day four, the tourists still needed 118 runs and they got there via an unbroken 75-run partnership between Sibley and Jos Buttler, who followed his 55 in the first innings, where he played a fine supporting role as Joe Root scored his wonderful 186, with 46 not out alongside Sibley, who hit the winning run to end unbeaten on 56.

Earlier, England extracted the performance they required from spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach - just about - although it fell to Root to plug the gap, his part-time spin breaking stubborn resistance from Sri Lanka's tail to contain the hosts' lead to 163.

Sri Lanka held a 37-run first-innings advantage after claiming England's last wicket with the 11th ball of the morning. But after collapsing to 78 for 8 at the hands of Bess and Leach, who took four wickets each, the hosts' second innings looked set to rival their 135 all out in the first innings of the first Test for impotence.

That was until an excellent rearguard by Embuldeniya and Suranga Lakmal posed some danger on a pitch where Embuldeniya had already proved effective in England's first innings, prompting Root, the star of England's first innings with a defiant 186, to bring himself into the attack and he took two in two balls to finish Sri Lanka off.

By tea, Embuldeniya had claimed an eighth wicket for the match when he dismissed Zak Crawley for the fourth time this series, caught at gully for 13. It was the first time Crawley had reached double figures in the two Tests here.

Fellow opener Sibley survived three reviews for lbw on umpire's call, first off Embuldeniya - who had him out three times up to that point - and then off Dilruwan Perera and Ramesh Mendis. Coming off scores of 4, 2 and 0 in the series, Sibley capitalised on his reprieves and found a way to hold the innings together after Embuldeniya dismissed Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence to claim 10 wickets for the match. Root was back at the crease seemingly moments after his brilliant display in England's first innings, and he was denied the chance to see his side home when, perhaps still feeling the effects of the exertion which saw him cramping severely on the third evening, he was bowled round his legs by Ramesh Mendis for 11.

From there, Sibley and Buttler got the job done, Buttler surviving on 18 when he sent a sharp return catch to Mendis, who couldn't hold on diving left on his follow-through.

Wicketless in Sri Lanka's first innings when England's seamers - namely James Anderson - dominated, Leach and Bess found their range and plenty of turn to reduce the home side to 67 for 6 at lunch, and they added one more wicket each in the middle session.

Leach entered in the sixth over, immediately after Bess, and struck with his second ball, coming round the wicket to Kusal Perera, who dropped to one knee shaping to slog-sweep and was struck in line with middle stump. A review found the ball to be clipping the bails, umpire's call.

Crawley claimed three catches at short leg as the Sri Lanka batsmen appeared spooked by the way England's spinners were now making the most of the deteriorating Galle pitch. Bess removed the threat of Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's first-innings centurion, for just 5 with a full ball that spun sharply and clattered into off stump as Mathews attempted to sweep.

It was an excellent running catch by Anderson that accounted for Dinesh Chandimal, who attacked Leach and sent a top edge in the direction of mid-on where Anderson had to move deeper at speed while turning more than once to follow the flight of the ball, which seemed to take an eternity to drop over his shoulder and into his hands.

In a reversal of fortunes that made Jos Buttler's freak dismissal on the third day look less bizarre, he and Leach combined to remove debutant allrounder Mendis in similar fashion when Mendis, attempting to sweep, bottom-edged the ball onto his boot and was caught behind.

With Root off the field it fell to Buttler, England's vice-captain and wicketkeeper, to decide whether to use their remaining review when Mendis was initially adjudged not out. Buttler took the chance, confident of a dismissal which was a near copy of his own the previous day when he was caught at short leg off Mendis, and he was proved right.

But Embuldeniya, so damaging with the ball, countered on the way to his highest first-class score. He helped himself to a six off Leach over long-off and slog-swept Bess for four to frustrate England's efforts.

Root brought himself on in a bid to break his union with Lakmal and almost did when Embuldeniya, on 39, edged to slip where Bairstow grasped at a fast-moving chance but couldn't hold it. Bairstow made no mistake in Root's next over, however, as Embuldeniya poked a fuller delivery straight into his hands.

Root then had Asitha Fernando out with his next ball, a wider delivery that the batsman managed to drag back on to his stumps.

England next head to India, where they will likely face sterner opposition from the side who recently toppled Australia, but they will do so with more than one player beginning to click with the conditions.

[themaclad]

India tour to be shown by Channel 4

[spireitematt]

India tour to be shown by Channel 4

There also going to be using 'Mambo Number 5' again as the theme.

I used to love watching the cricket on C4 when I was a kid, watching the Ashes and test matches in the summer and watching the One Day Cup final as well. 2005 was such a good test, the whole nation was glued to it and then Sky went and bought the bloody rights to it.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

England won the toss and chose to bat this morning, and for the most part it's been a good, watchful start. Only two wickets to fall so far are Rory Burns with an atrocious reverse sweep, and Dan Lawrence LBW to a Bumrah jaffer. 140-2 at tea.

[Lord Snooty]

And another ton for little Joe Root.

[themaclad]

First Test, Chennai (day one)
England 263-3 (89.3 overs): Root 128*, Sibley 87
India: Yet to bat
Scorecard
Joe Root marked his 100th Test with a commanding century - his third in as many matches - as England made an impressive start to the first Test against India.

The England captain hit a brilliant 128 not out in Chennai and led his side to 263-3 at the close.

Root shared a stand of 200 with opener Dom Sibley, who ground out 87 from 286 balls before falling in the last over of the day.

The late wicket boosted India but the high-class partnership helped England recover from 63-2, having lost Rory Burns for 33 and Dan Lawrence for a duck on the stroke of lunch.

Root, who hit 228 and 186 against Sri Lanka last month, became the ninth player to mark his 100th Test with a century.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan described the innings, which began in circumspect fashion and became increasingly aggressive, as "the perfect hundred".

"His 50 to 100 was magnificent," said Vaughan, speaking on The Cricket Social. "He went up in the gears, which is exactly what this team needed.

Only once has a team reached stumps on day one of a Test in India, having lost three wickets or fewer, and lost (won 27, drawn 47, tied one, lost one)
The late loss of Sibley, lbw to an inswinging yorker from Jasprit Bumrah, will take the gloss off England's day, but it was still a very impressive start to a much-anticipated series.

First, Root crucially won the toss and then, despite a wobble which included a rash stroke from Burns, he took advantage of a slow, flat pitch.

The hosts, through their three frontline bowlers - Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin - applied intense pressure after lunch but Root and Sibley came through and were then able to profit against India's less experienced bowlers.

India, the leaders in the World Test Championship standings, have only lost one match at home since 2013 and come into the four-match series buoyed by their historic win in Australia last month.

But it was England who had the better opening day, although many more runs are needed.

England scored 477 in their first innings on this ground during their last tour and lost by an innings, after India racked up 759-7 declared.

Root, who battled cramp late in the day, said his side had to aim for a score of "600 or 700".

"The foot holes are starting to wear quite quickly so if we can bat the whole of tomorrow and maybe into day three then things can speed up pretty quickly," he said.

In Root, who was awarded a special cap to mark his landmark Test before play, England have a player in the form of his life.

After a lean 2020, during which he did not record a century, the Yorkshireman has begun 2021 - a year in which England play India home and away and visit Australia for the Ashes - in incredible touch.

In Sri Lanka he batted positively, almost from the outset, but in this innings he was more measured against a far superior bowling attack.

His first 25 runs took 72 balls before he reached his hundred from 164 as his attacking intent grew.

He swept with ease, albeit to a lesser extent than against Sri Lanka, and played a number of excellent shots through the off side off the front and back foot.

In Sibley he found a perfect foil - the England opener doggedly making an impressive score, with clips through mid-wicket his main scoring option.

Sibley had seen his opening partner Burns glove a catch when playing a reverse sweep, but provided no such gifts.

When the few mistakes did come in their dominant partnership, edges dropped short due to the slow nature of the pitch.

India were scrappy at times - they bowled 11 no-balls and there were fielding errors - and looked weary by the end but, as their recent series victory in Australia showed, they are never out of a contest.

'A very special day' - reaction
England captain Joe Root: "It was a very special day. The guys organised a surprise for me last night and Ben [Stokes] in particular said some really nice things.

"It's a really impressive start but it's just a start. We've got to back it up tomorrow.

"We need to make best use of the pitch because it could be a crucial toss. Hopefully we can really make it count. We've got to at least match it tomorrow and get a big first-innings lead."

Indian first-class batsman Abhishek Jhunjhunwala: "India will have wanted to have got four or five wickets from 90 overs. But they won't be too disappointed because even if England get 450/500, India still need to bat.

"The wicket will start behaving differently in the third innings and if England get out cheaply then India could be back in the game. England should be looking at 550 minimum."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "Every Test team needs a Dom Sibley or Cheteshwar Pujara who will wear the bowlers down. "Too long we've criticised England for being too flamboyant but now we've got a cricketer who plays the right way."

BBC Cricket Social statistician Andy Zaltzman: "The stat that grabbed me today is the list of players outside of Asia who have scored centuries in three consecutive Test in Asia: Alastair Cook against India in 2012 and then Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Ken Barrington, Garfield Sobers and Everton Weekes. It's an incredibly illustrious list."

How social media reacted to Root's hundred
Neil Gibbons on #bbccricket: The guy is unreal! He is going to be the greatest ever!

Ruth Brooksbank: Joe Root is the most naturally talented England batsman I've ever seen. He's also a great captain, a fantastic ambassador for cricket, and will no doubt go on to be our greatest ever batsman.

Jonathan Doidge: Why not just write your own scripts eh Joe Root?! 100 in his 100th Test. Three in a row. Dream stuff. Incredible. Take all the plaudits young man. Richly deserved!

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A Channel 4 slight connect it used to be Good Morning Richie, now it's Good morning Rishi