Lawrence shines in Galle bow

FORTY players have made their England debut since Joe Root scored 73 in Nagpur – but few have done so in the style and swagger of Dan Lawrence.

The Essex batsman scored exactly the same as his captain did in his first innings in Galle, and then added 21 not out for good measure to see England home on the final morning.

Root was full of praise for the latest addition to England’s middle order, despite the headache Lawrence (above) will undoubtedly cause when Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, and Rory Burns return in India.

“He was very impressive in the way he handled himself throughout the whole Test match,” said Root. “On debut to play that way and look so at home is testament to his character.”

Even England’s most experienced player in the team in Galle, Stuart

Broad, who also made his debut back in Sri Lanka nearly 14 years and 144 matches ago, was taken with the performance.

Broad said: “Everything I’ve seen about him in this Test makes me feel like he has already played 50 Test matches, which is a great testament for a 23-year-old.

“He has got a fantastic presence about him. Good players seem to have that about them when they are on the field and he has naturally got that.

“He’s very clear about how he wants to go about his business, he’s uncomplicated.

“And batting on that pitch, you don’t really see much of that as a young player growing up in England.

“To be able to cope with that and be there at the end on his debut is brilliant.

“Generally debuts are a bit of a blur aren’t they?

“But for him to have looked as calm as he did throughout this game is a great positive.”