Jonny Bairstow’s Test-best score of 156 not out yesterday strengthened England’s grip on the third Test against Sri Lanka.
At lunch, England, already 2-0 up in the three-match series, were 384-7.
Bairstow shared a seventh-wicket stand of 144 with Chris Woakes, whose 66 was his maiden Test fifty.
His latest innings meant that Bairstow has converted all five of his first-class fifties, shared between Yorkshire and England, this season into hundreds.
Stuart Broad was five not out.
England resumed on 279-6 with Bairstow, dropped on 11, 107 not out and Woakes unbeaten on 23.
Bairstow’s second century of the series — following his 140 on his Headingley Stadium home ground during an innings and 88-run victory in the first Test — helped rescue England from the depths of 84-4 on a first day when England captain Alastair Cook’s 85 was the only other major innings.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews appeared resigned to England reaching 300 as he spread the field early in yesterday’s play.
PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP
Woakes cut left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for four and then clipped paceman Nuwan Pradeep off his pads for another boundary.
Two balls later, Bairstow stylishly late-cut Pradeep to the third man rope.
Woakes — recalled for England’s series-clinching nine-wicket win in the second Test in Durham, England, after fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes was injured — then produced another shot straight out of the textbook when he cover-drove Shaminda Eranga for a resounding boundary.
Another four, this time behind square on the offside, off Eranga — playing, despite having his action reported in the second Test — saw Woakes to a fifty in 102 balls with seven boundaries.
Woakes proved just how docile conditions were on a pitch where the early seam movement had now evaporated by comfortably pulling a long-hop from Eranga — one of several persevering, but rarely threatening Sri Lanka quicks — in front of square for four.
TEST-BEST
However, just when it seemed England would get through the session without losing a wicket, the advancing Woakes was caught and bowled by Herath off a chipped drive.
Bairstow batted on, and his leg-glanced four off medium-pacer Mathews saw the wicketkeeper surpass his previous Test-best 150 not out against South Africa in Cape Town in January.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
RSS