Key events
James Brough emails in to the OBO mailbag. Safe to say he is from the Eoin Morgan Institute of Gerrrronwith It!
“I’m not impressed with Pope and England deciding to come off the field. People have paid to come and watch cricket. If it’s at all possible to play safely, then stay out and play, even if that involves just bowling spin. The state of the weather or of the light is luck of the draw. We have one front line and two part time spinners in the side. Get out there and use them as best you can to try to take wickets.”
Play suspended for bad light
The players amble from the field under the glare of the floodlights. I think England wanted to bowl their seam bowlers but the umpires said it was still too dark, in which case Ollie Pope and his senior cohort have decided that it’d be better for them to go off and see if the light improves. They have to be back on the field before 6pm otherwise it is called for the day.
20th over: Sri Lanka 53-2 (Karunaratne 23, Jayasuriya 3)
19th over: Sri Lanka 52-2 (Karunaratne 23, Jayasuriya 3) Root stitches together a maiden to Jayasuriya. Still too dark for seam. I think Pope is concerned that this passage of play with his spinners – he is being denied use of his pace bowlers because of the gloom – is going to rough up the new-ish ball too much with England needing eight wickets to secure the win.
18th over: Sri Lanka 52-2 (Karunaratne 22, Jayasuriya 1) There’s a conflab after each over by Pope and co as they discuss whether to continue with spin. Eoin Hussain and Eoin Morgan think England should just suck it up, back their spin options and be more positive.
“Look like you want to be out there and try and win a Test match” says Morgan on the TV commentary in response to the lengthy and slightly slumped shouldered conversations from England between overs. If you ever needed an indication as to why England’s white ball teams were so successful under Morgan’s command then you have an insight right there.
17th over: Sri Lanka 49-2 (Karunaratne 22, Jayasuriya 0) Karunaratne plays with soft hands to a ball that grips from Root, the edge goes down and wide of the close in fielders for four.
16th over: Sri Lanka 45-2 (Karunaratne 18, Jayasuriya 0) Bashir twirls away with a leg slip, leg gully, short leg and regular slip in place. Captain Ollie Pope is under the lid at Boot Hill. Just a single off the over.
Salt, meet Wound – our man Simon Burnton sends a quick missive – “Another record that Alastair Cook has lost to Joe Root today – most catches by an outfielder at Lord’s”
15th over: Sri Lanka 42-2 (Karunaratne 17, Jayasuriya 0) Just a single off Root’s over. A stat flashes up to say that the catch he took in the last over off Stone was his 200th in Test cricket, he now just needs ten more snaffles to go level with Rahul Dravid at the top of the catching tree.
14th over: Sri Lanka 42-2 (Karunaratne 15, Jayasuriya 0) Sri Lanka send in Prabath Jayasuriya as a ‘light watchman’. The visitors aren’t happy with the gloomy conditions and sure enough there’s a delay whilst it is checked again. Joe Root is called for so it must be too dark for seam once more.
WICKET! Nissanka c Root b Stone (Sri Lanka 43-2)
Stone gets Nissanka for the second time in the match! A beauty of a ball that the batter couldn’t do much about as it climbed and moved away, taking the shoulder of the bat and flying straight into Joe Root’s bread basket.
13th over: Sri Lanka 42-1 (Karunaratne 15, Nissanka 14) On comes Potts. Shot! Nissanka showcases a velvet touch by gliding with an open face for four runs wide of the cordon. Lovely batting – Nissanka then drops on one knee to unfurl a beautiful cover drive through the cover for four runs. Pope might wish he’d kept his spinners on…
12th over: Sri Lanka 34-1 (Karunaratne 15, Nissanka 6) Bashir is worked away for a couple of twos off the back foot by Karunaratne. Ollie Pope wants to use his seam bowlers with the new ball but the conditions are too gloomy. Pope talks to the umpires again and there’s a lengthy delay as the light is re-checked at the end of the over. Whaddyaknow apparently the light has improved a little, Matthew Potts is immediately called upon to bowl the next over.
11th over: Sri Lanka 30-1 (Karunaratne 11, Nissanka 6) Root is summoned to bowl from the other end. The man of the day drags one down and Nissanka plays a powerful sweep for four to release a bit of pressure for his side.
10th over: Sri Lanka 26-1 (Karunaratne 11, Nissanka 2) Slips and leg slips in place for Bashir as Pope goes on the attack under brooding clouds. The batters are watchful, hanging on the back foot and playing late. A couple of singles nibbled off the distant target.
9th over: Sri Lanka 24-1 (Karunaratne 10, Nissanka 1) England on the hunt in bowler friendly conditions. Dimuth Karunaratne edges Woakes wide of gully to pick up three runs. The umpires have indicated that it is too gloomy for the seamers so Shoaib Bashir is coming on for a twirl.
8th over: Sri Lanka 21-1 (Karunaratne 7, Nissanka 1) Pathum Nissanka is the new batter. He manages to keep another jagging delivery from Atkinson down and scampers a single to get off the mark. Karunaratne is then nearly run out by Olly Stone going for a quick single, Stone swooping in from cover and getting rid of the ball quickly, replays show the batter was out of his ground had the throw hit the stumps.
WICKET! Madushka c Root b Atkinson 13 (Sri Lanka 19-1)
Gone! Atkinson is having a glorious summer, he gets one to lift off the surface and Madushka fences to Root at slip. England’s two golden boys combining for the first wicket.
7th over: Sri Lanka 19-0 (Madushka 13, Karunaratne 6) Both openers nudge a single off Woakes, the light meters are taken out and a measure taken. The floodlights are on and exacerbating the shadows. Summer, glorious summer.
6th over: Sri Lanka 17-0 (Madushka 12, Karunaratne 5) Atkinson wraps Madushka on the pad and offers up a throaty appeal that dies out as the umpire says no and the keeper and slips intimate it was heading down the leg side. It has gone very gloomy at Lord’s, the umpire have started to get a bit twitchy.
A proud father ❤️
Joe Root embraces his Dad after walking off at Lord’s as England’s top century-maker 🏴 pic.twitter.com/68Aw6pFh4L
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 31, 2024
5th over: Sri Lanka 15-0 (Madushka 10, Karunaratne 5) Woakes is into his work and landing it on a postage stamp. Madushka pokes one down the ground for a single and it’s the only run off the over.
This made me chuckle:
Just once, I would like to see an ex-pro absolutely fuming at one of their records being broken
— Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) August 31, 2024
4th over: Sri Lanka 14-0 (Madushka 9, Karunaratne 5) Karunaratne drives Atkinson for four through the covers, the fielder – Potts I think – fumbling the ball on the slide and helping it over the sponge.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Madushka 8, Karunaratne 1) Woakes pins Dimuth Karunaratne on the pad and the umpire raises the finger but this looks a bit high to me on first glance. Sure enough the batter calls for the review and the DRS shows it hit him outside the line too. NOT OUT. Umpire Paul Reiffel has to change his decision and Karunaratne survives both the decision and a probing maiden over.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Madushka 8, Karunaratne 1) Gus Atkinson shares the new ball and is greeted by a lovely stroke by Madushka who flicks with a flourish off his legs and through midwicket for four. Atkinson tightens up but strays too straight off the last ball and is worked away in the same area for a couple more.
1st over: Sri Lanka 3-0 (Madushka 2, Karunaratne 1) No signs of movements from Woakes as both openers get off the mark with measured clips off the pads.
Have a look at this:
The players emerge after tea. Lord’s is basking in the warm glow of Root’s majesty. Much needed as the skies are grey and there is a bit of breeze billowing the shirts of the players. Chris Woakes is going to start with the new ball. Can Sri Lanka make a fist of this, they need their top order to properly fire for the first time in the series.
More reaction to Root’s record breaking hundred:
Root’s 34th Test hundred – an England record – is also his fastest, from 111 balls. Whaddaguy.
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) August 31, 2024
Joe Root’s 9th hundred in 28 Tests since stepping down as captain, averaging 60.65
— Matt Roller (@mroller98) August 31, 2024
🏴 THIRTY-FOUR TEST HUNDREDS! 🏴
Introducing Joe Root, England’s most prolific centurion 🤯 pic.twitter.com/lOeJvsdM5O
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 31, 2024
Root at the top of the English batting tree:
WICKET! Root c Mendis b Kumara 103 (England all out for 251)
Root tries to muscle a six over the fence off Kumara but Mendis clings on to a swirling catch to end a magnificent and history-making innings. The ground rises to Joe Root as he walks from the field. Sri Lanka will chase 483 runs to win. But first – Tea.
53rd over: England 250-9 (Root 103, Bashir 0) Root tries all manner of shots to Jayasuriya but none of them come off. One of the strangest maiden overs you’ll ever see.
WICKET! Stone c Nissanka b Kumara 7 (England 250-9)
Stone is caught on the fine leg boundary but there is still no declaration from Pope…
Record breaking century for Joe Root!
There it is! Root backs away and carves for four through the off side to bring up his 34th Test hundred. He takes off his helmet and raises his arms as the Lord’s crowd give him a louder than normal chorus of Rooooooooot and then applaud warmly. What a player.
52nd over: England 245-8 (Root 98, Stone 7) Olly Stone is nearly clean bowled twice by Jayasuriya and then mows a four through midwicket. Sublime and ridiculous. Right, over done – is now the moment for Joe Root?
51st over: England 245-8 (Root 98, Stone 3) I can’t handle too much more of this! Root flat bats a short ball from Fernando and decides he can get back for two runs… go go go! Again Root has to hurry to make his ground as the throw comes in from the deep and the bails are whipped off. He’s home. Phew. Fernando whangs consecutive deliveries down the leg side, frustrating Root.
He’s now gone past Graham Gooch to become the highest scoring batter at Lord’s and needs just two more to score a century in both innings of a Test match for the first time in his career and become the Englishman with the most Test hundreds in history.
50th over: England 239-8 (Root 96, Stone 3) Eeeesht. Root scampers a seemingly impossible two off Jayasuriya, he has to fire up the afterburners to make his ground but he does. A collective sigh of relief around North West London and beyond. Two more singles take Root to within shot of breaking two huge records in English cricket.