ENG v SL 2024, ENG vs SL 2nd Test Match Report, August 29 – September 02, 2024

Lunch England 97 for 3 (Root 29*, Brook 9*) vs Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka backed up their decision to bowl by removing England’s top three in placid conditions on the first morning at Lord’s. There were wickets apiece for Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya as England made a stuttering start in the sunshine.

England’s new-look opening pair for this series produced their third consecutive stand in the 30s, before Dan Lawrence edged behind. The dismissal of Ollie Pope did more to unsettle the St John’s Wood regulars, as England’s stand-in captain flapped a short ball into the leg side to trail off disconsolately for 1 off 10 balls. Ben Duckett looked assured in making 40 from 47 balls, only to reverse-swipe the fourth ball of spin in the match down the throat of deep point to leave the score 83 for 3.

Dhananjaya de Silva’s decision at the toss caused more than a few raised eyebrows around the ground as it basked in late August sunshine. The Sri Lanka captain spoke of early swing assisting his attack, and while there was not much in the way of lateral movement they nevertheless picked up two wickets inside the first hour and had a third 20 minutes before the lunch break. Had Paul Reiffel been more generous in his interpretation of an lbw appeal against Joe Root, England would have been in an even dicier position.

When Duckett clipped three boundaries from Asitha’s second over of the morning, it seemed as if England were in the mood to ram home the point about Lord’s being a “look up, not down” ground. But Kumara, brought into the side for Vishwa Fernando, replaced Asitha and struck in his first over. Lawrence advanced looking to drive on the up only to tickle through to the keeper, Nishan Madushka, another change from Old Trafford, where Dinesh Chandimal had taken the gloves only to take a blow on the hand from Mark Wood.

Pope’s average as Test captain then dipped from 6.00 to 4.33 via another dismissal that would have made for uncomfortable viewing back in the dressing room, following his poorly conceived reverse-sweep in the first Test. Pope had spoken in the build-up about trying to separate captaincy duties from the processes required to bat at No. 3; perhaps he had been wrongfooted at the toss, having seen Dhananjaya call correctly and expecting to be put into the field.

Whatever the whys and wherefores, there was plenty to interrogate about the choice of shot, as Asitha switched to the Nursery End and induced an ungainly pull across the line that took the top edge and ballooned to Pope’s opposite number at square leg.

Sri Lanka, who have not lost a Test in London since 1991, had their tails up, with Asitha and Kumara probing for openings while Milan Rathnayake kept things tight at the other end. Kumara was wholehearted, pushing the speed gun up towards 90mph, and he might have had a second when bringing one down the slope into Root’s knee roll when the batter was on 11. The bowler bellowed an appeal, doubtless aware of the fine margins of umpire’s call: DRS duly had it clipping the top of leg stump, so Reiffel’s not-out stood.