England seal Sri Lanka series as Gus Atkinson adds five wickets to century | England v Sri Lanka 2024

There was not a substantial amount of encouragement from the Lord’s pitch and a skinny crowd made for a barely sleepy Sunday. However by 5pm, after one other five-wicket haul from the hovering comet that’s Gus Atkinson, England had sealed a collection win towards Sri Lanka and arrange the prospect of their first good Check summer time for 20 years.

Not since 2004, when New Zealand and West Indies had been swept apart by Michael Vaughan’s males, have England received each Check in a house season. Though they play one fewer as of late, a 2-0 lead over Sri Lanka – secured with a 190-run victory on this second Check – to comply with the 3-0 win towards West Indies nonetheless presents a uncommon alternative. Ollie Pope, two wins from two as stand-in captain however personally gentle on runs, will welcome the return to the Oval this week.

Just like the Vaughan classic, that is an England facet hoping to construct in the direction of a climax down the road; a piece in progress, fairly than the completed article. They’ve refreshed their group – not least the bowling assault – and even with three first‑alternative gamers misplaced to harm this collection – Ben Stokes, Zak Crawley and Mark Wooden – maintained successful methods. Their opponents this summer time could sit on the fallacious facet of the game’s titled international economic system, however credit score continues to be due.

It helps to have a batting galactico, after all, and Joe Root, the one ever‑current these previous two years, was fairly celestial at Lord’s. Past the dual a whole lot that took him to 34 general and knocked Alastair Prepare dinner all the way down to second on the checklist of Check centuries by an Englishman, most encouraging was the assertion that, aged 33 and out the opposite facet of captaincy, there are lots extra miles left on the clock.

This match was additionally a continuation of Atkinson’s exceptional begin to life as a Check cricketer. His 118 from No 8 within the first innings was no gunslinger’s knock by a chancy tailender, fairly the crisp and proficient innings of a real batter. Past the peroxide tipped hair – maybe a tribute to the pint of Guinness sunk by Anderson on the finish of his farewell Check – he has proved to be unshowy and steely in character.

Again within the day job, Atkinson additionally maintained his scorching personal streak of claiming at the least two wickets per innings since his debut in July. On a fourth day when wickets wanted to be chiselled out – and Sri Lanka delivered a spirited efficiency that might have been far handier the primary time round – along with his figures of 5 for 62 from 16 overs the vacationers had been bowled out for 292 in 86.4 overs of their pursuit of an unlikely 483 to win.

After Chris Woakes had wrapped up the win by inducing a top-edge from Lahiru Kumara it was Atkinson, not Root, who was participant of the match. The champagne was properly earned, too, with Atkinson solely the third England cricketer to attain a century and declare a five-wicket haul in the identical Check after Tony Greig and Ian Botham (even when Lord Beefy will probably level out he did it 5 occasions). Both means, the one that updates the Lord’s honours boards can in all probability etch Atkinson’s identify with their eyes shut.

In reality, the end result was already a formality at the beginning of play – one purpose, to go along with ticket costs, for the dearth of walk-ups – and it was a case of how lengthy the ultimate eight wickets would take.

The vacationers did muster three battling half-centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne (55), Dinesh Chandimal (58) and Dhananjaya de Silva (50) however each time a partnership crystallised out within the center and ideas of a potential return on Mondaypercolated, Pope and his males discovered a solution to shatter it.

The morning had signposted the necessity for endurance and as soon as Woakes noticed off Prabath Jayasuriya, the dangerous‑gentle hawk, it took an additional little bit of grunt from Olly Stone to ship the second with an 87.2mph supply speared into Karunaratne’s armpit that was gloved behind. Stone ended his comeback Check with 4 wickets and having clanged a couple of helmets whereas deputising for Wooden, his status was enhanced.

Shoaib Bashir carried out a stable position for Pope because the afternoon unfolded, his elimination of Angelo Mathews for 36 – across the wicket, teasing a chip to mid-off with some additional air – lowering Sri Lanka to 174 for 5.

Thereafter it was all about Atkinson. Already one to the nice from the earlier night, he worn out the well-set Chandimal and in-form Kamindu Mendis with the outdated ball earlier than tea after which returned to nip out two extra after its substitute got here out.

So not like a lot of London cabbies, the collection now heads south of the river to find whether or not England could make it six from six. For Atkinson, 33 wickets and a century from his first 5 Assessments, this summer time is already touching perfection.