NEW DELHI:
Gus Atkinson
took five wickets, earning a place on the Lord's honours board for the second time in the match as England claimed a 190-run victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday in the second Test.
The win sealed a 2-0 lead for England in the three-Test series.
Atkinson, who had already made a significant impact with a first innings century, produced figures of 5 for 62 in Sri Lanka's second innings, culminating in their collapse to 292 all out.
Sri Lanka, set a daunting target of 483 and resuming on 53 for 2 overnight, found the situation nearly impossible. Their approach was aggressive, focusing on attacking rather than match preservation, which led to a flurry of wickets and boundaries throughout the fourth day. The aggressive play sometimes made it appear more like a limited-overs contest.
During the morning session, Sri Lanka lost only nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya for 4 and Dimuth Karunaratne for 55.
Karunaratne, who made the first half-century by an opener in the series, struck Atkinson for three fours in one over before edging a lifter from Olly Stone to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
After the lunch interval, Angelo Mathews looked assured with his 36 runs before chipping a catch to Chris Woakes at mid-on off the bowling of Shoaib Bashir.
England's new frontline spinner, Bashir, initially struggled, conceding boundaries as Sri Lanka looked to force him out of the attack.
Chris Woakes, on the other hand, delivered with typical precision on his favorite ground, bowling seven maiden overs and giving England control. Dinesh Chandimal, who raced to a half-century off just 42 balls, appeared to be out leg before wicket by Woakes. However, a review showed the thinnest of edges and he survived briefly before being caught by Dan Lawrence at short-leg from an Atkinson delivery.
A notable aspect of the series was Sri Lanka's decision not to promote their most effective batsman, Kamindu Mendis, up the order.
Mendis came to the crease with Sri Lanka at 192 for 6, but this time failed to make an impact, scoring just 4 before being caught by Ben Duckett in the slips off Atkinson's bowling.
Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Milan Rathnayake provided some resistance with a partnership of 73 runs. De Silva scored 50 while Rathnayake added 43, as they countered England's short ball tactics. However, Rathnayake eventually fell, swinging at a short ball and giving Atkinson his fifth wicket.
Woakes then wrapped up the innings by inducing Lahiru Kumara to sky a catch, ending the proceedings.
England’s dominant position in the match was bolstered by Joe Root, who scored centuries in both innings. With his second century in the match, Root achieved his 34th hundred in Test cricket, becoming England's all-time top scorer of hundreds in Tests.
Despite the success on the field, there was a notable sore point for the game's administrators: the relatively sparse crowd. Lord's was only half full as England closed in on their series victory on a sunny September day.
The third and final Test of the series against Sri Lanka is set to begin on September 6 at the Oval, where the visitors will aim to avoid a 3-0 whitewash.
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