ENGLAND EXTEND LEAD AFTER SL BATSMEN FLOP
There may have been similarities in how the top order of both teams batted in their respective first innings, but there was nothing alike in the position that England and Sri Lanka found themselves in at stumps on day two of the second Test at the Galle International Stadium. By the close of play yesterday, England had extended their first innings lead by 38, with all of their second innings wickets in hand, to go with a comfortable 177-run buffer – well and truly ahead in a Test that Sri Lanka would have banked on winning. It was a testament to England’s middle and lower order batting that despite being 105 for 5 after one session on day one, they ended their first innings on 342.
For Sri Lanka, outside of a session of respite during which Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal put on 75 runs for the fifth wicket, there was no similar contributions from their lower order after losing their first four wickets for 40 runs by the lunch break yesterday. They also lost their last five wickets for 88 runs in contrast to the lower order partnerships that revived the opposition’s innings.
Much like the English top order, who were maligned on the first day for the lack of application and patience required for this particular Galle wicket, Sri Lanka’s openers were both dismissed with the team still on 10.
Dimuth Karunaratne edged James Anderson’s second ball of the innings to Ben Foakes before Sam Curran trapped Kaushal Silva leg before wicket three overs later.
Kusal Mendis followed up two streaky boundaries, that flew through the vacant space in the slip cordon, with more controlled shots – an on-drive and a straight drive – but he threw away his start when he lunged forward to Jack Leach and was caught by Ben Stokes at first slip. Six runs later, Sri Lanka were 40 for 4, when Dhananjaya de Silva moved across his stumps and attempted a sweep, but in missing it had also exposed his stumps for Ali to pick up the first of his four wickets. There was more caution from Mathews and Chandimal, who absorbed the pressure and focussed on running between the wicket, giving Sri Lanka some hope that one of them could give Sri Lanka a Foakes-like revival.
He did reach his 30th Test half century, which came off 121 balls. But that came after Chandimal, with his injured groin restricting him, attempted to charge Adil Rashid who brilliantly spun the ball away from the right hander for Foakes to complete an easy stumping. The tea break was called for prematurely when Niroshan Dickwella, who had partnered for 21 runs with Mathews, swept the ball straight into the back of Rory Burns’ head which resulted in a short stoppage of play. The first ball after that break, Mathews was caught at short leg as Sri Lanka fell further behind England on 136 for 6, with the 35-run partnership between Dickwella and Dilruwan Perera the last major contribution to the innings.
Ali, who accounted for Mathews and Dickwella, also had Akila Dananjaya caught behind, to finish with four wickets. Leach added a second wicket when Perera was caught by Jos Buttler, with Rashid ending the 28-run last wicket partnership.‘
Outside of Stokes’ expensive four overs, England’s bowlers for the most part were excellent, sharing all ten wickets between them. Earlier, Foakes took on more aggressive approach to reach his maiden Test century, after overnight partner Leach was caught behind in the fifth over of the day. With Anderson the last partner he would have to try and reach that milestone, Foakes struck two boundaries off Lakmal’s next over to reach his century, and adding a third before being brilliantly caught by de Silva.