Root’s 186 helps England close in on Sri Lanka

Joe Root celebrates after scoring his century (File Photo)

Skipper Joe Root was run out shy of a second successive  double century yesterday as England scored 339 for nine in reply to Sri  Lanka’s 381 on day three of the second Test in Galle.   

Root was out to a direct throw from Oshada Fernando on 186  in the final over of the day as stumps were called with England trailing  by 42 runs.   

Sri Lanka’s Lasith Embuldeniya claimed seven wickets and  broke a key seventh-wicket stand of 81 between Root and Dom Bess, who  fell to the left-arm spinner for 32.   

Root, who completed his 19th Test ton in 99 matches before lunch, kept pushing in the marathon knock of 309 balls.   

The captain, who hit a match-winning 228 in his team’s  opening win, was helped along by wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler in a  partnership of 97 runs.   

Debutant Ramesh Mendis took his first international wicket  when he dismissed Buttler for 55 after the batsman’s reverse sweep hit  his boot and the ball lobbed for an easy catch to short leg.   

Buttler survived a similar call in the morning session when  replays showed his shot had hit the boot and ground, and he went on to  register his 18th Test fifty.   

Embuldeniya, who registered his third five-wicket haul,  struck twice early in the day with his left-arm spin, including the key  wicket of Jonny Bairstow, to break a 111-run third-wicket stand with  Root.   

Bairstow, who added just four more to his overnight 24, was  given not out by the umpire but Sri Lanka successfully reviewed the  call as replays suggested the ball had grazed the bat before hitting the  pad and being caught second slip.   

Root reached his hundred with a single off Dilruwan Perera  and raised the bat to an applauding dressing room and lone England fan  standing on the ramparts of the fort overlooking the picturesque ground.    

He went past England greats including Geoff Boycott  (8,114), Kevin Pietersen (8,181) and David Gower (8,231) in Test runs  before he attempted a cheeky single, and was run out while returning  back to his crease.   The series resumed on January 14 behind closed doors after being cancelled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)