Key events
101st over: England 426-9 (Bashir 6, Stone 15) “Ben Stokes would have declared by now and approach lunch with Sri Lanka 4 down,” reckons krishnamoorthy v. “Is a Pope always so conservative?” Anywho, it’s time for drinks.
100th over: England 421-9 (Bashir 1, Stone 15) Time for Shoaib Bashir to give it a hefty swing.
WICKET! Atkinson c Rathnayake b A Fernando 118 (England 420-9)
Atkinson gloves an Asitha bouncer over the keeper’s head for four before swivelling again, swatting the ball to fine leg for another boundary. But a staggering catch ends the innings! Atkinson laces a pull, but Milan Rathnayake, running to the rope at deep midwicket, dives towards the crowd, both feet off the ground, and plucks the ball out of the air. Atkinson walks off for 118, the end of his greatest innings.
99th over: England 412-8 (Atkinson 110, Stone 15) Jayasuriya is nurdled away for three singles. He’s not going for any boundaries, but he’s not stopping the flow either.
98th over: England 409-8 (Atkinson 108, Stone 14) Asitha Fernando and Sri Lanka opt for the bouncer barrage. It returns a maiden. Anyway, here’s a rather lovestruck Robert Wilson:
In all the giggly, schoolboy praise of Root, I think we’ve actually missed one of his crucial features. I watched yesterday’s highlights and it was particularly evident. When you compare batters, you are essentially comparing their range of mastered strokes and the particular beauty of one or two of their best (the frankly supremacist Ricky Ponting pull, Robin Smith’s piratical square cut, Viv’s actual walk to the wicket). But Root has an extra quality that few have shared – Dravid, Lara and Mark Waugh sometimes. It’s what causes that whole ‘hey, suddenly he’s got 30 odd on the board’ sensation. With Root, it’s almost like he’s not doing it. It’s as though it is just happening.
Something about his specific gravity at the crease repels the ball safely along the ground for a nice two or three. These moments don’t feel like strokes, they feel like like laws of physics. Some blighter chucks the ball at the blameless Joe and the Gods of Probity and Innocence snick it off his hip or through third man, because they love him. I watched Dravid score hundreds of runs with basically his batting stance. Root does the same. It must get him 20 runs in every hundred. Lucky bugger. I wonder how bowlers feel about it.
Decent.
97th over: England 409-8 (Atkinson 108, Stone 14) Jayasuriya runs through his work quickly once again, with Stone clipping away to nick three off the over.
96th over: England 406-8 (Atkinson 108, Stone 11) Stone lets loose through the covers, inviting himself to Atkinson’s summer blowout.
Matt Roller, of ESPNcricinfo fame, sends a quiz question my way. Gus Atkinson hit a hundred for Surrey’s second XI against Worcestershire in 2018. Which one-cap England international was in the Worcester attack?
95th over: England 399-8 (Atkinson 108, Stone 4) Prabath Jayasuriya takes the ball; Sri Lanka have their two best bowlers in play. The left-arm spinner is knocked around for four. Worth noting that Atkinson went to his ton in under half an hour this morning. Ice-cold behaviour, that.
94th over: England 395-8 (Atkinson 107, Stone 1) Olly Stone is in and he’s no slouch with the bat either, having hit three half-centuries in the County Championship this year from nine innings.
WICKET! Potts c Madushka b A Fernando 21 (England 393-8)
Asitha Fernando enters the attack and strikes. He gets the ball to move away from Potts, who throws the bat at it and edges behind to Madushka. Finally some joy for Sri Lanka.
Gus Atkinson hits his maiden Test century!
And on to 99 he goes, punching Kumara through cover for four. Nervous nineties? Nah … until he threatens to edge one behind, reaching out for a wide one. And then the off-drive for four, the arms up in the air, a Test century at Lord’s for Gus Atkinson. Wow. 103 off 103 balls. A thumping pull takes him to 107. This bloke’s ridiculous.
93rd over: England 393-7 (Atkinson 107, Potts 21)
92nd over: England 381-7 (Atkinson 95, Potts 21) Atkinson dabs the ball behind point for a single; his rotation of strike has been as impressive as his six-hitting. Rathnayake unfurls a gorgeous outswinger to beat Potts’ prod forward.
“My brain resembles a scrambled spaghetti right now after I tried to understand the big cup draw from last evening,” writes krishnamoorthy v. “So, I am looking forward to some simple and straight cricket to ease my brain.”
91st over: England 380-7 (Atkinson 94, Potts 21) Kumara bowls a loose bumper, with Atkinson pulling away to move to 93. A stylish single behind point follows. Get there with a six, Gus! Kumara ends the over by beating Potts outside off.
90th over: England 375-7 (Atkinson 89, Potts 21) Milan Rathnayake takes the ball from the Nursery End and strays down the leg side with a no ball; Atkinson tucks it away to fine leg for four more. He’s sprinting to that ton. Atkinson and Potts exchange singles, England already enjoying themselves under blue skies.
89th over: England 367-7 (Atkinson 83, Potts 20) Atkinson is on strike … and he begins with a clip down the leg side for four off Lahiru Kumara. And then another boundary off the next ball, driving through the covers! What a start.
But then he’s given out! Kumara angled the ball in, struck the pad, and it took a while for the finger to go up. Atkinson reviews immediately, as it could be going down the leg side. And it’s shown to be missing! What an eventful start to the day. Marcus Trescothick punches the air from the dressing-room balcony. Atkinson gets lucky with an inside-edge that evades the stumps; he’s throwing the bat at it, unwilling to get caught up in the nerves of the occasion. It’s going to be his day, I feel it.
Rob Smyth, who’ll be on after me, sends in the list of Test centurions for England from No 8 or below. Gus Atkinson is 26 runs away from joining it.
Steve Finn, suited and booted, rings the five-minute bell. Let’s get going.
“The funny thing is he’s captaining pretty well, so given that Stokes is (hopefully) coming back soon, I’d leave him to it, rather than compromising someone else’s batting form by making them skipper,” writes Nick Way about Ollie Pope. “The question of whether he keeps his place when Stokes returns is one for another time …”
Get around Dominic Booth, making his debut on the county blog today.
“Hi Taha.” Hi David. “Ollie Pope. Discuss.”
Ollie Pope, born in Chelsea, is a professional cricketer for England and Surrey … OK, I think I know what you’re getting at. It’s a strange one, isn’t it. He’s built a good record at No 3 for England over the last couple of years but, 48 Tests in, it’s also true that he hasn’t fully convinced. He can look skittish and nervy one day and then negotiate a stellar South African pace attack the next (as he did at this ground in 2022 when no one else could lay a bat on it). So, yeah, I’m sitting on the fence at the moment.
Here’s the good stuff from yesterday.
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to HQ for day two of this second Test between England and Sri Lanka. The opening day belonged to the hosts – just about – after Joe Root’s 33rd Test ton (!) and Gus Atkinson’s unbeaten 74. The latter, playing just his fifth Test and already on the Lord’s honours board for his bowling, is finding Test cricket way too easy at the moment. The morning’s subplot will be whether he can get himself to three figures.
Sri Lanka were poor in that final session yesterday but they’re still very much in this game. I don’t think people have clocked just how good their batting lineup is; they just need one of the top three to fire to back up a very accomplished middle order. Here’s to a tight day two that sets up a proper Test match.
I’ll be with you for the first half of the day. Send in your thoughts/queries/summer highlights/film recommendations/worries/wisdom/wishes/whatever provides you the most joy.