England defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets at Old Trafford on Saturday in the opening Test match thanks to Joe Root’s tenacious unbeaten 62.
England victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Old Trafford on Saturday was secured by Joe Root’s tenacious unbroken 62. When England’s great batsman Joe Root entered the field just before tea on the fourth day, they were trailing 56-2 and needed to win by 205. Although a still-slow outfield made boundaries difficult to come by, he and Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook (32) enjoyed a slogging partnership of 49 in 20 overs, a far cry from England’s “Bazball” strategy of previous years.
But with England 119-4 and needing 86 more runs to win, the match was once again in the balance when Brook chipped a return catch to left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.
However, England advanced 1-0 in a three-match series thanks to a stand of 64 between Jamie Smith, who had just scored his first Test century in the first innings, and Root. Smith finished with 205-5.
Smith’s exploits at bat in Manchester lessened the impact of usual skipper Ben Stokes’s absence due to a torn hamstring, demonstrating once again the 24-year-old wicketkeeper’s remarkable big-match composure.After losing to 6-3 in the first morning, Sri Lanka’s perseverance was evident as they managed to extend the contest into the fourth day.
On Saturday, they carried on with the brawl in the field until Smith broke the chains by hitting Jayasuriya with consecutive fours before pulling him for six.
Asitha Fernando bowled him, and England was leading 183-5 at that point.
