PALLEKELE, Friday – In an extraordinary third day’s play England captain Joe Root scored an important hundred which could turn out to be a series deciding one, and Sri Lanka spinner Akila Dananjaya with a point to prove after being reported for his action in the Galle Test took a career best six wickets for 106 runs – his third five-fors in just three Tests to have the second cricket Test in the balance at the Pallakele International Stadium yesterday.
At the end of the third day brought forward by bad light and rain that lopped off 15 overs of the day’s quota England finished on 304 for nine wickets in their second innings to lead overall by 278.
Ben Foakes was batting on 51 scored off 102 balls (3 fours, 1 six) and Jimmy Anderson was on four. England’s last wicket pair will look to extend the lead as close to 300 when play resumes on the fourth day today and then try and bowl Sri Lanka out to give them a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The pitch for all the turn, bounce and bite it produced on the first two days, seemed to have settled down to a slow turner with only the odd ball providing unusual bounce whenever it hit a rough patch, otherwise as Joe Burns, Root, Jos Buttler and Foakes showed batting was not as all difficult as it was on the first innings.
The fact remained that six batsmen got out sweeping and there were just three maidens out of a total of 76 bowled in the England innings thus far, which speaks volumes of England’s spirited approach.
The way England batted it looked as if they had found a way of making batting progress on turning pitches for virtually all the batsmen took the risk of using the sweep and reverse sweep shots to good effect.
There was less turn and bounce and the unplayable delivery for the Lankan spinners who tried too hard for wicket balls rather than trying to build up pressure.
England lost four wickets in the morning session that produced 131 runs, but only two more in the afternoon when they added a further 128 with Root holding centre stage going to tea on 98 not out. Burns completed his maiden Test fifty before falling lbw to Malinda Pushpakumara for 59 scored off 66 balls (7 fours).
Root brought up his 15th Test hundred and second against Sri Lanka off the second ball after tea guiding the ball from Suranga Lakmal between slip and gully to the third man boundary for his eighth four amidst a loud roar from the England supporters who outnumbered the locals on the ground.
Buttler (34) helped his captain add 74 for the fifth wicket and Foakes a further 82 for the seventh. In between these stands Dananjaya kept England on their toes by picking up wickets constantly and was on a hat-trick when he dismissed Root for 124 scored off 146 balls (10 fours, 2 sixes) and first innings top scorer Sam Curran for a golden duck off successive deliveries in the 70th over.
It is unfortunate that Sri Lanka will not have the services of Dananjaya for the third and final Test at the SSC starting on November 23 as he is due to travel to Brisbane to undergo biomechanical testing on his bowling action after it was reported at the end of the first Test at Galle.
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