A magnificent innings of 118 from just 115 balls by Gus Atkinson, the sixth fastest century scored at Lord’s, ensured that England reached an impressive total of 427 before being dismissed just over an hour at the start of the second day’s play in the second Test. They had resumed their first innings on the overnight score of 358 for 7 and Atkinson was not out on 74.
He resumed his innings in the most aggressive manner hammering two fours off the first two balls of the day off Lahiru Kumara and kept up the hitting spree with three fours off the same bowler in the 93rd over. He progressed from 80 into the nineties in three scoring shots and on 99, with yet another four, he brought up not only his first Test century but, indeed, his first ever century in first-class cricket.
In response, Sri Lanka, having begun their innings 40 minutes before lunch, struggled to 129 for seven by tea with England totally in control of the match. They claimed the first wicket on 18, in the seventh over with Nishan Madushka playing-on to all by Chris Woakes and on the stroke of lunch, three overs later Dimuth Karunaratna chopped the ball on to his stumps off Ollie Stone. Sri Lanka were 32 at lunch with both openers gone in 9.1 overs.
The tourists batting misery continued after the break with Stone completing his over and accounting for Pathum Nissanka’s wicket for 12. It was a fine ball from him, angling away and taking the edge for a catch at leg slip with just three runs added to the lunch total and Stone had two wickets for 6 in two overs.
There was some respite for Sri Lanka with their fourth wicket stand between Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal added 48 in ten overs. But then both batsmen fell on the total of 83. Matthew Potts moved a ball away to hit the top of Mathews off stump with the batsman on 22 and four balls later Dhananjaya De Silva looped a catch to Harry Brook at second slip without scoring.
There was no sign of any recovery to come in the innings when on 87 the sixth wicket fell with the top scorer at this point Dinesh Chandimal on 23, attempted to play a ball from Gus Atkinson to leg and got snapped up behind square. It appeared from the replay that he seemed to lose his grip a little on the bat handle.
Kamindu Mendis and Milan Ratnayake saw the hundred on the scoreboard from 118 balls Ratnayake on 15, was hit on the helmet by a ball from Stone as he took his eye off the ball, turning his head away and there was a brief stoppage. He would have been somewhat shaken as four runs later in the next over a rising ball which moved away a little from Ratnayake took an edge and resulted in a fine diving catch behind the stumps. That was 118 for seven and the batsman had 19.
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