Cook reaches milestone as England clinch series

Anderson named man-of-the-match

CHESTER-LE-STREET, United Kingdom, May 30, (AFP): Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs as his side sealed a series win over Sri Lanka at the Riverside on Monday.

England won the second Test by nine wickets after tea on the fourth day to go an unassailable 2-0 up in the three-match series.

Set 79 for victory after making Sri Lanka follow-on, England finished on 80 for one.

England captain Cook was 47 not out and Nick Compton, who hit the winning runs, 22 not out.

“It’s a very special moment for me, but the game is not about personal milestones, it’s about winning games and scoring runs to do that,” said let-handed opener Cook at the presentation ceremony.

England paceman James Anderson was named man-of-the-match after taking a combined eight for 94 across both innings.

Moeen Ali had set the game up for England with a Test-best 155 not out in a first innings total of 498 for nine declared.

“Jimmy’s a genius and I’m glad to captain this bowling attack,” said Cook. “It was a brilliant hundred from Mo.” Cook’s innings Monday saw him score the five he needed to become just the 12th player of all time to make 10,000 Test runs.

Cook reached the landmark when he clipped Nuwan Pradeep for four through mid-wicket, having got off the mark with an edged single against left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

At 31 years and 157 days he was the youngest player ever to achieve the feat, beating the previous record of India great Sachin Tendulkar (31 years and 326 days).

Earlier, Dinesh Chandimal’s excellent hundred kept England waiting as Sri Lanka made 475 in their second innings.

Chandimal’s 126 was his sixth hundred in 27 Tests but first outside Asia.

He received excellent support from Herath (61) in a seventh-wicket stand of 116.

Sri Lanka resumed on 309 for five, 88 runs behind.

Chandimal was 54 not out overnight and Milinda Siriwardana unbeaten on 35 after Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews (80) and Kaushal Silva (60) initially kept England at bay.

Monday’s initial cloud cover promise to assist both Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Siriwardana had not added a run to his overnight score when he edged Anderson straight to Alex Hales at gully to end a partnership worth 92.

England’s captain Alastair Cook plays a shot on the fourth day of the second Test cricket match between England and Sri Lanka at the Riverside in Chesterle-Street, north east England on May 30.