Sri Lanka v England: Joe Root's sublime 124 places tourists first

England captain Joe Root spent a majestic century putting his team in a good position to win the series against Sri Lanka on the third day of the second test.

Root dominated the spinners, scoring freely to reach his 15th test ton and his first outing trip since replacing Alastair Cook as skipper last year.

He dropped 124 to Akila Dananjaya (6-106), but Ben Foakes failed to bring England to 324-9 and a 278-point lead when the bad light stopped the game.

England leads the three sets 1-0.

Opener Rory Burns scored his first test fifty, scoring 73 with Keaton Jennings (26) in the morning after night goaltender Jack Leach was fired early.

Sri Lanka fought back to bring England back to 109-4, but Root, Buttler (34) and Foakes built an impressive target at Pallekele, despite a field that may not have been so difficult to defend that expected.

Although seven of the nine English wickets were swept or swept, their offensive approach has troubled the hosts and brought tourists closer to a first victory in Sri Lanka since 2001. The game starts on Saturday 15 minutes earlier at 4:15. GMT.

A special handle

Before the series, Root called for his side to be "bolder" and more "brave" on the subcontinent and to illustrate the merits of this positive approach in a truly exceptional shot, one of the best of his career.

He used his feet well and demonstrated a good selection of shots – sweeping and sweeping only full or wide deliveries and not having problems with premeditated hits that proved the loss of others.

Even after Ben Stokes, who dropped to five to allow Root to beat at four, fell for a duck, the captain respected his beliefs, scoring 74 goals in just 83 balls with Buttler.

The game was still in the balance once Buttler and Moeen Ali (10) were sacked to leave the tourists at six down and 173 ahead, but Root firmly pushed the way to England, pivoting the strikes and hits two big six to help his team add 128 points in the afternoon

Resume 98 after tea, Root reached three characters with perhaps the most arrogant shot of his sleeves. He beat the third man for four before tearing off his helmet and screaming for joy to celebrate only his second cent this year.

He continued in the same vein, surpbading Nbader Hussain's previous mark of 109 for the highest score of an English captain in Sri Lanka, before missing a ball that straightened with a slightly tired blow. to get trapped at the bottom.

Live by sweeping, die by sweeping

It was the most obvious day of Root's tenure as captain. England looked like his team, playing as he wished and incorporating the calculated risk that made the success of the international team one day.

As always, such a positive approach comes down to execution. Do it badly and it looks reckless. Do it right, like Root, and you can confuse the opposition by making mistakes.

After Leach played a game against Dilruwan Perera, Burns and Jennings beat hard to quickly wipe out the 46-run deficit in the first run, with Burns being particularly good at judging the length to attack the spinners.

Substitute captain Suranga Lakmal was reluctant to place more than two players on the field – Root, Buttler and Foakes took advantage later – while the hosts could only play bowling. two girls all day.

England was far from perfect. Jennings swept a ball too short and spread the ball from his body so that he slid first, while Buttler attempted in the same way to reverse the shot, which Akila could send way much slower and shorter than the previous ball and trimmed on his stumps.

Burns and Stokes simply missed deliveries that recovered, but then squandered the two English journals on unresolved decisions, while Moeen and Adil Rashid could have used them later to be recovered for being hit outside the line and the inner edge, respectively.

However, the daring of England has borne fruit in all.

Fine Foakes still impresses

Foakes showed that there was another way to play on this pitch, usually standing upright and returning to the ball game squared on both sides, although he also touched a mighty six on the mid-wicket to overtake 50.

Speaking on The Social Cricket, Zafar Ansari, a former all-around player in England, said his former Surrey teammate had reshaped his technique after seeing Australian Steve Smith in the Ashes series of the season. ;last year.

After his turn of the century at Galle, the 25-year-old has regained his composure and remained calm even after Akila's dismissal at Root and Sam Curran to allow England to add 23 other vital points before the bad day intervenes, shortly followed by heavy rains.

With its superior ability behind Buttler and Jonny Bairstow strains, Foakes is positioned as the long-term test stand guard of England.

"England will win from here" – badysis

Simon Hughes, the badyst, on The Cricket Social: "England will win, I do not see Sri Lanka get more than 200.

"I think the English spinners will have learned of the day and I do not think Sri Lanka will sweep as well."

BBC Cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew in Pallekele: "It was really a remarkable day of cricket.

"You would like that to end tomorrow in one way or another.After starting the Sri Lankan support day, I change my chances, because England should have enough on table."