Joe Root Equals England Record of 33 Test centuries
The modern-day great, Joe Root, continued his remarkable form in Test cricket as he reached another historic milestone in his illustrious career. On the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's, London, Root crafted a magnificent 143-run innings, rescuing England from a precarious position.
Coming to the crease with England struggling at 42/2, Root steadied the ship despite wickets falling at the other end. He formed valuable partnerships with Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, and Gus Atkinson before eventually falling to Milan Rathanayake.
The 33-year-old's superb knock equaled Alastair Cook's record for the most Test centuries scored by an England batsman. He also matched Graham Gooch's record for most hundreds at Lord's, and is closing in on the 2000-run mark at the iconic venue.
Root's 6634 runs in 77 matches at Lord's, including 20 centuries, have elevated him to the top 10 list of most centuries scored in men's Test matches. He is now tied with Cook and needs just two more centuries to surpass Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, and Younis Khan.
Moreover, Root requires 42 runs to surpass Sir Alastair Cook as the third-highest run-scorer in Test matches for England against Sri Lanka. He is also 52 runs away from reaching the 2000-run mark against the island nation.
Can Sri Lanka make a Comeback?
With England ending the first day of the second Test at 358/7, Sri Lanka will need to quickly dismiss the remaining English batsmen to avoid a substantial first-innings deficit. The pitch has become increasingly conducive to batting, making it imperative for Sri Lanka to capitalize on their bowling opportunities.
The stakes are high for Sri Lanka, as eight World Test Championship points are up for grabs. A strong batting performance in their second innings will be crucial to outplay England and secure a victory. Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne will be key at the top of the order, while experienced players like Angelo Matthews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Kusal Mendis will be expected to contribute significantly.
England, on the other hand, will aim to further extend their lead by scoring as many runs as possible. With Gus Atkinson well-set on 74 and Matt Potts looking solid on 20, they are well-positioned to surpass the 450-run mark, which would make it extremely challenging for Sri Lanka to chase down.
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