ENG vs SL | England assume ascendancy with middle-order excellence despite dogged Lankan efforts on Day 2

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Only 57 overs of play were possible on Day 2 at Old Trafford as rain washed out the entire first session and a significant part of the final session. Sri Lanka managed to eke out six wickets in the meanwhile but fifties from Harry Brook and Jamie Smith ensured England a first innings lead.

Brief score: ENG 259/6 [Smith 72*, Brook 56; Asitha 3/68] lead SL 236 by 23 runs at Stumps on Day 2

David Lloyd rung the bell after an early Lunch to signal the start of play on Day 2 and Sri Lanka responded to the call to action by taking just 15 deliveries to muster the first breakthrough. Ben Duckett was trapped plumb in front by a lovely inswinger from Asitha Fernando and the right-arm quick made it a double whammy by a wondrous nip-backer to rattle stand-in skipper Ollie Pope's top of off for a paltry score of six. Nevertheless, make shift opener Dan Lawrence refused to back down and raced to 30 with two consecutive boundaries, prompting Dhananjaya de Silva to switch around the ends for his bowlers. The decision reapeed rewards instantly as Vishwa Fernando's angle from over the wicket was enough to take the batter's outside edge, leaving England reeling at 67/3.

Yorkshiremen Joe Root and Harry Brook thereafter took over the responsibility to stabilize proceedings with a counter attacking 58-run stand, enabled by a spread out Lankan field. However, the ball then began to reverse swing and Asitha capitalized by tempting Root into a drive and have him caught behind eight short of another Test half-century. Jamie Smith, promoted up the order in absence of Ben Stokes, ensured there were no more blows in the session and along side Brook took the team to the break at a comfortable 176/4.

The smooth sailing was quickly halted by Prabath Jayasuriya's brilliance shortly after Tea as a square-turning ripper embarrasingly squared up Brook to break the 61-run partnership. Chris Woakes met with a similar fate 18 overs later as Jayasuriya produced a xerox copy of what Sangakkara called 'the finger spinner's version of the ball of the century,' but the all-rounder's 65-ball resistance for 25 as part of a 51-run stand had handed England the lead. Smith, meanwhile, brought up his third half-century and had begun to take the attack to the Lions when rain stopped play and eventually forced stumps with the Surrey batter unbeaten on 72, alongside Gus Atkinson batting on four.

He is on fire

The master

Another one

His reaction

Surprising

What a bowler

Well played

Strikes twice

Good performance

Unplayable

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