Sports News: England clinched a hard-fought 190-run victory on the fourth afternoon at Lord’s, securing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series against Sri Lanka. This victory marked England’s fifth consecutive win this summer and the second under stand-in captain Ollie Pope.
Gus Atkinson, who had already impressed with a century in the first innings, was the standout performer with the ball in the second, taking a five-wicket haul that helped bowl out Sri Lanka for 292. The win was sealed shortly after Tea, as the new ball brought three quick wickets. Dhananjaya de Silva, who recorded his 16th Test fifty, inside-edged an Atkinson delivery onto his stumps, and Milan Rathnayake was caught behind soon after. Chris Woakes completed the innings and secured the victory with a clever off-pace delivery to dismiss Lahiru Kumara on a slow pitch.
While most of the damage was done by England in the afternoon session, the second session began with a flurry of boundaries from Dinesh Chandimal. Chandimal found success against Shoaib Bashir’s offspin but struggled against Chris Woakes, who bowled a probing six-over spell without taking a wicket. Chandimal, however, reached his half-century off just 42 balls, the fastest by a Sri Lankan at Lord’s.
Chandimal and Angelo Mathews added a fifty-run partnership for the fifth wicket before England broke through, with Bashir setting up Mathews to chip a catch to mid-off. Chandimal was eventually dismissed in a fresh spell from Atkinson, who induced an inside edge that lobbed to short leg. Atkinson struck again in his next over, removing the in-form Kamindu Mendis caught behind.
Dhananjaya de Silva (45) and Milan Rathnayake (26) then added an unbeaten 60-run stand for the eighth wicket, with de Silva looking particularly impressive during his 62-ball stay. However, he faced a tough challenge with the second new ball looming after Tea.
Earlier in the morning session, England reduced Sri Lanka to 136/4 despite a resilient half-century from Dimuth Karunaratne. His dismissal just before the break put Sri Lanka on the back foot. Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews had earlier stabilized the innings with a 50-run partnership after Prabath Jayasuriya’s early dismissal. England’s bowlers, led by Olly Stone, capitalized on key moments to keep Sri Lanka under pressure.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 196 & 260/7 (Chandimal 58, de Silva 50; Atkinson 5-62) lost to England 427 & 251 by 190 runs.
