England Claims Victory Against Sri Lanka, Reaches 2-0 Lead in the Series
England reached a landmark victory against Sri Lanka by 190 runs on the fourth afternoon at Lord's, propelling them to an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. The triumphant outcome was their fifth consecutive win this summer and the second one under the guidance of stand-in captain Ollie Pope.
Gus Atkinson, who outstandingly scored a century in the first innings, emerged as the star in the second inning as well, with a five-wicket haul that significantly contributed to bowling out Sri Lanka for 292. England's victory was concluded shortly after tea, with three swift wickets taken after the introduction of a new ball.
Notably, Dhananjaya de Silva, who accomplished his 16th Test fifty, inadvertently directed an Atkinson delivery onto his stumps. Shortly after, Milan Rathnayake edged behind. Chris Woakes wrapped up the innings and secured the win for England with an off-pace delivery to Lahiru Kumara, given the slow pitch.
Though England inflicted most of the damage in the afternoon, the second session started with Dinesh Chandimal hitting a series of boundaries. Chandimal soon made a half-century off 42 balls, the quickest by a Sri Lankan at Lord's. However, England quickly regained control after the milestone with the dismissal of Angelo Mathews.
Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Milan Rathnayake pulled together with an addition of 73 runs for the eighth wicket. De Silva impressively made his 16th Test fifty with a ground drive but was dismissed shortly after following a low delivery by Atkinson.
Sri Lanka had a slow start with a score of 136 for 4 by the morning session, despite Dimuth Karunaratne's defiant half-century. Their hope took a hit with Karunaratne's dismissal just before the break. England's bowlers, notably led by Olly Stone, took advantage of these vital moments, keeping Sri Lanka under substantial pressure.
Brief scores displayed that Sri Lanka (196 & 260/7), with standout performances from Chandimal (58) and de Silva (50), lost to England (427 & 251) by 190 runs.
