After a seven-wicket win, a double-century innings and two five-wicket hauls for the bowlers, England captain Joe Root still felt that his side “got away” with too many mistakes against Sri Lanka.
England yesterday won the first Test in Galle with Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence negotiating what Bairstow called a “tricky” finish after losing three quick wickets before the close on Sunday.
Bairstow, who cracked a four to pass the winning target, and Lawrence steadied the innings, scoring the required 36 runs in less than 10 overs.
Photo: AFP
The crumbling pitch gave Sri Lanka’s spinners hopes of claiming more wickets, but Bairstow (35) and Lawrence (21) took England to 76-3 after resuming at 38-3.
The win should have been a stroll after Sri Lanka collapsed to 135 in the first innings and England made 421, with a Root double-century, but the hosts hit back with a determined 359 in their second innings, before having England in trouble at 14-3.
“These run chases are always a little bit nervy,” said the England captain, who hit 228 in the first innings when he also saw six England batsman fall in a single session, tarnishing the big total.
Root said the team’s lack of preparation before the match — stuck in a biosecure “bubble” — had been a handicap, but the five-wicket hauls by spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach were a “brilliant achievement.”
Bairstow’s role overcoming the general batting jitters in his first Test since 2019 was also a plus.
Root already has his thoughts on the second Test starting in Galle on Friday, then four tough Tests in India.
“There are things and mistakes in this game that we have probably got away with, but I am really proud of these guys,” he said.
England have now won four consecutive away Tests, their best performance since 1955-1956.
Root has 24 Test wins as a captain, two behind Michael Vaughan’s all-time record of 26.
“We are not the finished article, we have a long way to go,” Root said. “If we can keep improving all the time, keep learning from the things and the little mistakes we made, then we can keep getting better.”
Root said that Sri Lanka are a “very proud” side and England must expect a backlash in the second Test.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal is also looking for more of the attitude from the second innings, when Lahiru Thirimanne scored a stubborn 111.
Chandimal admitted his side gave away the game on the opening day.
“We were outplayed in the first innings with the bat and ball,” he said. “As a batting unit, we have to get a big total in the first innings. It cost us the game.”
AUSTRALIA V INDIA
AFP, BRISBANE, Australia
Mohammed Siraj yesterday completed his first five-wicket haul in just his third Test as India bowled Australia out for 294 to set up an enthralling final day of the four-Test series in Brisbane.
With the series locked at 1-1, India need 328 runs for victory or to bat all day for a draw to pull off the remarkable feat of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, despite being severely weakened by injuries and captain Virat Kohli’s paternity leave.
Siraj had Josh Hazlewood caught on the boundary to end Australia’s innings and return figures of 5-73 as clouds formed over the Gabba.
India openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill then faced just 11 balls, reaching 4-0, before light rain ended play for the day.
Siraj and fellow quick Shardul Thakur (4-61), playing only his second Test, were exceptional as they kept the scoring rate largely under control while taking wickets at regular intervals.
“It was my dad’s dream that I should play for India, that the whole country will watch his son play,” said Siraj, whose father died in November last year. “How I wish he was here today with me, he would have been very happy. It is thanks to his blessings that I could take five wickets today. I am speechless, I am unable to speak about my performance.”
The highest run chase to achieve victory at the Gabba is the 236 that Australia scored to beat the West Indies in 1951.
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