Captain Root has a ball in Kandy

– Captain Joe Root smashed 124 and newcomer Ben Foakes again hit valuable tail-end runs to put England in command of the second Test against Sri Lanka yesterday.

England reached 324/9 – a second-innings lead of 278 – when bad light stopped play for the day at Kandy.

Foakes was on 51 alongside James Anderson on four.

Spinner Akila Danajanya, whose action is under investigation by the International Cricket Council, claimed six wickets on the turning pitch.

He trapped Root lbw and then bowled Sam Curran for nought with his next ball. Adil Rashid thwarted the hat-trick but soon fell to Dananjaya’s guile for two.

It was his third five wicket haul in just his fifth Test for Dananjaya, who must now rush off to Australia after the game for an ICC examination of his bowling action. –

Kandy