Keaton knows he needs runs

KEATON JENNINGS is set to be handed the chance to continue his indifferent Test return next week, admitting: “I need to get runs.”

For an opening batsman that much is obvious, but for a man who has averaged just 19 since his recall in the summer the pressure could be suffocating when the first Test against Sri Lanka gets under way in Galle.

A confident innings of 45 before he retired in England’s final 50-over red-ball warm-up in Colombo will have done him good while Joe Denly struggled.

Rory Burns will be his opening partner but all eyes will be on Jennings and whether he can find the form that saw him score a century on his debut. “At the start of the Test you walk in with a fresh set of ideas because that hundred was two years ago and everyone will be under pressure,” said Jennings. “I’m a better person second time round. There are a lot of things that you go through being in this bubble and I’ve put in a lot of things in my life to stabilise myself. “Whether that makes you a better player I’m not sure, that is up to performances to talk for and I need to get some runs.” JENNINGS MAX WHITLOCK missed out on becoming the first Briton to win three consecutive world titles by the narrowest of margins. Whitlock tied Xiao Ruoteng’s 15.166 score for his pommel routine but had to settle for silver because of his rival’s higher execution score. are up here and in the gym for an hour every morning, then hitting balls, then playing.

“It’s more the fact energy levels are high at the end of day because the body is not knackered from playing 18 holes. That was the case.

“It was like Humpty Dumpty: every time I finished playing you had to put me back together again.”

Rose hit his second 65 of the week as he bids to retain his title and reclaim world No1.

But a stacked leaderboard, including Tommy Fleetwood at eight under, promises a thrilling finale.