England Clinches Series with Dominant Victory Over Sri Lanka at Lord’s
Gus Atkinson shone brightly in his debut summer as an England Test cricketer, securing a five-wicket haul in the second innings to complement his maiden century, leading England to a resounding 190-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test at Lord’s.
Sri Lanka, facing a daunting target of 483 to save the series, displayed resilience in their fourth innings, with half-centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, and Dhananjaya de Silva. Despite their valiant efforts, Sri Lanka succumbed to defeat inside four days.
Atkinson, who has already etched his name on the Lord’s honours boards with his exceptional performances, removed Milan Rathnayake to end Sri Lanka’s resistance, bringing his tally to 19 wickets at an impressive average of 10.94 in just two Test appearances at the iconic venue. His remarkable all-round performance places him among a select group of England players who have scored a century and taken a five-wicket haul in the same Test.
England, needing eight wickets on the final day to seal the series, had to work hard as Sri Lanka’s batters put up a determined fight. Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, and Shoaib Bashir all contributed alongside Atkinson to eventually break Sri Lanka’s resistance.
Karunaratne set the tone for Sri Lanka with a gritty 55 from 129 balls, while Chandimal’s aggressive 43-ball fifty provided a spark. Dhananjaya de Silva also added a well-composed fifty, forming the highest partnership of the innings with Rathnayake. However, once Atkinson dismissed Dhananjaya with the second new ball, Sri Lanka’s hopes of a miracle began to fade.
England’s captain Ollie Pope shuffled his bowlers effectively, though his use of the Decision Review System (DRS) remained less successful, with three reviews being lost without overturning an on-field decision. The one moment of frustration for England came when Chandimal’s LBW decision was overturned due to a faint edge, but Atkinson soon ended Chandimal’s innings with a bat-pad catch.
Rathnayake and Dhananjaya briefly revived Sri Lanka’s hopes, but Rathnayake’s dismissal, caught behind off Atkinson, ended any chance of a comeback. Woakes then wrapped up the innings by removing Lahiru Kumara, sealing England’s fifth consecutive Test win this summer.
England’s bowling attack was relentless, with Woakes removing the stubborn Prabath Jayasuriya early in the day. The fourth-wicket partnership between Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews kept England at bay for a while, but Karunaratne’s dismissal, gloving a short delivery from Stone, was the turning point.
Chandimal’s counterattacking approach added some excitement after lunch, but England’s bowlers kept their composure, with Bashir tempting Mathews into a misjudged shot that ended his stay at the crease.
With this comprehensive victory, England took a 2-0 lead in the series, heading into the final Test of the summer at The Oval with momentum firmly on their side.
