England ended day two of the second Test versus Sri Lanka with a commanding 256-run lead, having skittled the tourists for 196 off the back of Gus Atkinson's century.
Joe Root's record-equalling 33rd red-ball century had ensured England ended a difficult opening day with a chance to build a commanding lead, and they did just that early on as Atkinson took centre-stage.
Resuming at 74 not out, Atkinson brought up his maiden Test century with a fine drive past mid-on shortly before lunch, eventually ending his knock with 14 fours and four sixes.
He would later fall for 118 to the outstanding Asitha Fernando, who then completed a five-for by removing Olly Stone to wrap up the England innings at 427 all out.
Any hopes Sri Lanka had of making an early dent in that target were frustrated, however, as England shared the wickets around in a brilliant team bowling performance.
Chris Woakes and Stone, who removed Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka within the space of five balls – left the tourists teetering at 35-3 by the end of the 10th over, and there was little help to come from the middle order.
Matthew Potts took the ball and sent stumps flying to account for Angelo Matthews and Dhananjaya de Silva in the 21st over, with Woakes, Stone and Atkinson later also doubling up as the tourists collapsed.
Kamindu Mendis' steady knock of 74 off 120 balls brought some respite for Sri Lanka, but he edged Atkinson's delivery into the palms of Woakes for the final wicket, failing to match his ton from the first Test at Old Trafford on a miserable day for the visitors.
England then avoided any drama when taking up the bat for seven overs before stumps, and Ben Duckett (15) and Pope (2) will resume at the crease on Saturday, hoping to make their handsome lead an unassailable one.
Data Debrief: Atkinson's big moment
While Root's heroics put England in a decent position ahead of Friday's play, Atkinson's brilliant 118 – coming off 115 balls – could prove the difference in this Test, allowing England to build a strong lead despite a lack of support from the lower order.
Atkinson's previous best red-ball knock was a score of 21 not out versus West Indies at Trent Bridge in July.
Joe Root's record-equalling 33rd century led the fightback for England on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's.
Root's knock of 143 from 206 deliveries saw him go level with Alastair Cook for the most Test centuries for England as they closed the day on 358-7.
After losing the toss and being made to bat first, the hosts were reduced to 97-3 at lunch, with Dan Lawrence (nine), Ollie Pope (one) and Ben Duckett (40) all falling inside the first 20 overs of the contest.
Asitha Fernando claimed his second wicket of the afternoon with the dismissal of Harry Brook for 33, but Root was able to steady the ship as the wickets tumbled around him.
Root passed the half-century mark for the 65th time in this format earlier in the day, forming a seven-wicket stand of 92 with Gus Atkinson (74 not out) also scoring his maiden Test half-century.
Atkinson will resume at the crease alongside Matthew Potts (20 not out) as they look to add to England's total and their 50-run partnership on day two.
Data Debrief: Record-equalling Root
Root has now equalled Cook (33) for the most hundreds for England in men’s Tests; he’s scored 60+ in seven of his last nine Test innings (84, 68, 14, 122, 87, 62 and 143).
This was also Root's sixth Test century at Lord's, the joint-most by any batter in the format (including Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan).
Jack Grealish has earned a recall to the England squad under interim boss Lee Carsley, who has named four uncapped players in his first selection.
Gareth Southgate left his role as Three Lions manager in the wake of the 2-1 loss to Spain in the final of Euro 2024.
Grealish was a notable absentee from England's squad for that tournament, but the Manchester City attacker has returned to the fold for next month's Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
The 28-year-old is joined in the squad by four new faces, with Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Tino Livramento and Lille midfielder Angel Gomes all included.
Grealish's club-mate Kyle Walker has been left out, while Kieran Trippier confirmed his international retirement on Thursday.
Harry Maguire, who missed Euro 2024 due to injury, has been called up, as has Rico Lewis.
"I think it's a real proud moment, it's been a hectic few weeks to get used to the magnitude of the job," said Carsley, who managed England's Under-21s to European Championship glory in 2023.
"I think it's fair to say that the job that Gareth [Southgate] and Steve [Holland] did, and the position I'm now in picking the current job is completely different to what they inherited. I think the expectation around the squad is really exciting."
England take on Ireland in Dublin on September 7, before hosting Finland three days later.
England's squad in full:
Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope(Newcastle United); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City),Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City); Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal); Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
Kieran Trippier has announced his retirement from international football.
The 33-year-old was handed his debut by Gareth Southgate against France in June 2017 and represented his national side 54 times.
That includes six appearances in the Three Lions' run to the final of Euro 2024.
The Newcastle United right back played in four major tournaments and scored England's opening goal during their 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia in 2018.
In a statement on Instagram, Trippier said: "I never thought as a young lad from Bury that I would play for my country let alone achieve 54 caps.
"It's been one of the biggest honours of my life to represent my country at four major tournaments.
"Thank you to all my team-mates - we have had some very special moments reaching two Euro finals, and a World Cup semi-final and I am sure in the future this group of players will win a major tournament."
Trippier made 45 starts for his country and supplied five assists.
Trippier made his first start of the season for Newcastle in Wednesday evening's EFL Cup shootout win over Nottingham Forest, but there is still uncertainty over his future, with the transfer window closing on Friday.
Eddie Howe reiterated his desire for him to stay, saying: "I don't want to weaken the squad. We are looking to do business the other way and not lose our best players."
West Indies players enjoyed big moves in the ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings, which serves as just reward for another convincing 3-0 series sweep of South Africa in Trinidad and Tobago.
Wicketkeeper batsman Nicholas Pooran moved three spots to break into the top 10 after scores of 65 not out, 19 and 35 across the three games. The aggressive left-hander is now the Caribbean side’s highest-ranked batsman in the format, overtaking the injured Brandon King, who slipped one place down to 10 after he sat out the series.
Johnson Charles, who also didn’t feature in the series, also slipped one place down to 11th, while West Indies captain Rovman Powell stood still at number 34.
Shai Hope continues to prove his worth in the games shortest format, as his scores of 51, 41, and an unbeaten 42 saw him jump 32 places up to 40th, overtaking out-of-favour Kyle Mayers, who slipped three spots down to 42nd as the next West Indies players in the top 50.
Despite the loss, South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks also made gains, as he moved up to 13th position.
In the bowling rankings, West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein of moved up four places to second position after taking four wickets in three matches. He was joined by fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who moved 10 slots up to third, while Romario Shepherd moved 13 spots up to 31st position.
Alzarri Joseph, who slipped four spots to 15th, Jason Holder (44th) and left-arm seamer Obed McCoy (50th) are the other West Indies bowlers in the top 50.
Meanwhile, England batter Harry Brook moved up to fourth position, while Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Rizwan have reached career-best positions in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after their fine performances over the past week.
Brook’s scores of 56 and 32 in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka in Manchester lifted him three places to fourth position, just one adrift of his career-best third position attained following his second-innings century against the West Indies at Trent Bridge last month.
Bangladesh batter Mushfiq’s match-winning 191 in the first Test of the WTC series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi has helped him advance seven places to a career-best-equalling 17th position, while Pakistan’s Rizwan is in the top 10 for the first time after scores of 171 not out and 51.
Others to move up the Test rankings include Sri Lanka batters Dinesh Chandimal (up four places to 23rd) and Kamindu Mendis (up eight places to 36th), Bangladesh’s Liton Das (up two places to 27th) and England’s Jamie Smith (up 22 places to 42nd).
In the Test bowling rankings, England’s Chris Woakes is up four places to 16th after taking three wickets each in both innings against Sri Lanka while Asitha Fernando is up 10 places to 17th after also finishing with six wickets in the match.
Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah (up four places to 33rd), England’s new-ball bowler Gus Atkinson (up four places to 42nd) and Matthew Potts (up five places to 57th) are the prominent movers in the bowling rankings.
Jonny Bairstow must recapture his pre-injury form if he is to regain his place in the England white-ball set-up.
That is according to England's chief selector, Luke Wright, following the decision to leave Bairstow out of the squad to face Australia in a limited-overs series next month.
Bairstow has missed out on England's first white-ball series since the T20 World Cup, with fellow veteran campaigners Chris Jordan and Moeen Ali also left out.
But Wright says the door remains open for Bairstow, if the 34-year-old can play his way back into the form he showed before sustaining a broken leg while golfing in 2022.
"One of Jonny's great strengths is how much he wants to play," said Wright. "He's hugely disappointed.
"We just want him back to being one of the best players in the world. He had that horrific injury, and that’s been the message. Can we get you back to where you were pre-injury?
"He understands that. He doesn’t like it. One thing Jonny will do is fight back, and I hope he does and gets himself back in the team."
Wright is hoping the refreshing of England's squad in the wake of their T20 World Cup disappointment helps spur Jos Buttler's team on, with coach Matthew Mott having also left after that tournament.
"The one thing we don't lack in England is the amount of talent that's around," Wright said.
"More than anything, the character these young players show in taking the game on.
"What a great time to be in English cricket."
England's Test team, meanwhile, have made one alteration to the team that featured in the first match against Sri Lanka, ahead of the second contest of the series, with Olly Stone replacing the injured Mark Wood.
Barbados-born Jacob Bethell has received his maiden call up to the England squad for their three T20 Internationals and five One-Day Internationals against Australia in September.
Bethell, 20, a left-handed batter and spin bowler, has been picked for the three-match T20 series and five one-day internationals that follow after scoring 356 runs for Birmingham Bears in the Vitality Blast this season, including a 15-ball fifty against Northamptonshire.
Bethell’s Warwickshire team-mate Dan Mousley, 23, another left-hander who also offers a slow-bowling option, was also included in the T20 squad for the first time after amassing 375 runs in Birmingham's run to the Blast quarter-finals.
Leicestershire left-arm seamer Josh Hull and right-arm Hampshire quick John Turner could also make white-ball debuts after being included in both groups, while a fifth uncapped player, Essex batter Jordan Cox, is in the T20 party.
England white-ball stalwarts Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Jordan have been left out and may very well have played their last international matches.
England T20I squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner
England ODI squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has died at the age of 76 after being diagnosed with cancer.
Eriksson, who led England between 2001 and 2006, announced in January he had "best case, a year" to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The Swede was subsequently the subject of an Amazon Prime documentary, in which he delivered an emotional farewell message to fans.
"I hope you will remember me as a positive guy, trying to do everything he could do," Eriksson said in the documentary.
"Don't be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds. It's been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life, and live it."
A widely reported statement released by Eriksson's family on Monday read: "After a long illness, Sven Goran-Eriksson died during the morning at home surrounded by family.
"The closest mourners are daughter Lina; son Johan with wife Amana and granddaughter Sky; father Sven; girlfriend Yanisette with son Alcides; brother Lars-Erik with wife Jumnong.
"The family asks for respect for their wish to mourn in private and not be contacted."
Eriksson was the first foreign manager to lead England and oversaw runs to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as well as Euro 2004.
He oversaw 67 games in charge of the Three Lions, with only Walter Winterbottom (139), Alf Ramsey (113), Gareth Southgate (102) and Bobby Robson (95) leading the team on more occasions.
Eriksson's move into international management came after he won league titles with Benfica and Lazio, also lifting the Coppa Italia while in charge of both Roma and Sampdoria.
He also had spells in charge of Manchester City, Mexico, Ivory Coast and Leicester City after leaving the England job.
After revealing his cancer diagnosis, Eriksson said it was his "lifelong dream" to coach Liverpool and was invited to lead a team made up of Reds greats in a charity game versus Ajax legends at Anfield.
Having received a standing ovation from a capacity crowd, Eriksson described the occasion as "absolutely beautiful", adding: "That will be a huge memory in my life."
Mark Wood has been ruled out of the rest of England's series against Sri Lanka after suffering a muscle strain in the first Test.
The seamer limped off late on day three, with scan results ruling him out of the last two Tests, with Josh Hull receiving his first senior call-up as his replacement.
Hull, who stands at 6ft 7ins, has played 10 first-class matches and took five wickets for the England Lions in their tour game against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
Olly Stone, who was in the squad for the first Test at Old Trafford, is likely to take Wood's place in the XI at Lord's, with the Test starting on Thursday.
Wood has shone on the international stage so far this summer, taking 11 wickets in three Tests, while also providing some exciting performances with the bat.
It is thought the 34-year-old will be back in time for their Test tour of Pakistan in October, when England will also hope to have captain Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley back after their own respective injuries.
Ollie Pope believes England's five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka showed they are not a "one-dimensional" team after battling through difficult conditions at Old Trafford.
England showed possible signs of a collapse after falling to 70-3 early on, only for a calm showing from Joe Root to steady the hosts' run chase.
Their 205-run pursuit was eventually completed in the 58th over, having at one stage scored just two runs an over, with Root finishing on an unbeaten 62.
England have been known for their aggressive approach during the Bazball era, but stand-in captain Pope insists the triumph has shown a different side to the team.
"On another day you might see us try to knock that off in 20 less overs," Pope told BBC Sport.
"It shows where we're coming on as a team overall, we're not just a one-dimensional team where we want to go out and score quickly.
"We want to keep reading situations slightly better and try to be as ruthless as we can.
"If we feel like that is a way to go, it's not all about trying to score as quickly as we can, it's about getting the job done."
Pope is serving as captain for the injured Ben Stokes, who has been with the squad throughout the first Test to offer guidance to the Surrey man.
He led England for the first time in Manchester despite only taking charge of one previous first-class match, and will remain in charge for the rest of the three-match series.
"It was different, more so in the field," said Pope. "There were some good lessons learned for me.
"I think Stokesy was bored at times. He'd much rather be playing. He was great. Every now and again I'd pick his brain, more than he comes to me.
"He wanted to give me my own space to do it my own way, but I know there will be conversations with him and [McCullum] while we're on the pitch about potential plans for different batters, which is great to have when we come off for a break."
Joe Root guided England through a tricky final session as the hosts beat Sri Lanka by five runs in Manchester.
England looked like they could collapse when they were left at 70-3 following the dismissals of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence on Saturday.
Yet Root, along with Harry Brook, steadied the ship before the latter was caught and bowled by Prabath Jayasuriya on 32, leaving the hosts on 116-4, chasing a target of 204 to win.
Root, however, remained nerveless, with Jamie Smith contributing an entertaining and useful 39 from just 48 balls in a brief stint at the other end.
Smith's stand came to an end with England still 21 runs shy of their target, but Root would not let victory slip through their fingers.
And it was Root who fittingly had the final say as he struck his second boundary to take himself onto 62 and seal a convincing win.
Data Debrief: Root comes up big
Root has scored 60+ in five of his last seven Test innings, after managing 42 in the first innings of this match (84, 68, 14, 122, 87, 42, 62).
He is just one century away, meanwhile, from matching Alastair Cook's record of 33 Test tons for England.
Mason Greenwood seems set to switch allegiance from England to play for Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz under new manager Steve McClaren, according to reports.
It has been widely reported that Olympique Marseille winger has started the process after the English Football Association was approached by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to formally request a transfer of Greenwood’s international registration.
The 22-year-old former Manchester United starlet, who made his England debut in a UEFA Nations League game at 18 years old, has not featured for the Three Lions since, as he has endured international exile since being charged with attempted rape and assault, which he denied. The charges were later dropped.
As per FIFA rules, Greenwood can change allegiances as he was under 21 years old when he competed for England in 2020.
The JFF’s initial attempt to get Greenwood to switch his international allegiance was unsuccessful, as the player declined with hopes of reviving his career with England.
However, this latest breakthrough was said to be aided by the recent appointment of McClaren as Reggae Boyz Head coach, as the former Manchester United assistant has persuaded Greenwood, who, according to The Sun, is eligible to play for Jamaica through his father, Andrew, to make the move.
Greenwood, who played one season for Spanish La Liga club Getafe last season on loan from Manchester United, later moved to Marseille, where he scored twice and contributed two assists in a 5-1 win over Brest last weekend.
McClaren’s first game as Reggae Boyz Head coach will be a Concacaf Nations League fixture against Cuba on September 6, followed by an away contest against Honduras. However, Greenwood’s transfer may not come through in time for him to play.
Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham has spoken of his frustration at a muscle injury he sustained in training via his account on social media website X.
According to reports, it is expected to keep the 21-year-old out of action until at least the end of September.
That means he will miss his club's next three matches along with Lee Carsley’s opening two fixtures as England’s interim manager.
In an official statement, Real Madrid said, “Following tests carried out today [Friday] on Jude Bellingham by Real Madrid’s medical team, the player has been diagnosed with an injury to the plantaris muscle in his right leg. His progress will be monitored.”
On his enforced time off, Bellingham tried to find the positives despite admitting his frustration, as he suggested last season's exploits have perhaps taken a toll on his fitness.
“Nothing I hate more than missing games but trying to see the positive side and maybe my body is telling me it needs a bit more rest,” he wrote on X.
“I’m very frustrated but I’ll be supporting the lads like a fan until I can rejoin them again in my best and strongest form.”
Sri Lanka batting coach Ian Bell believes Jamie Smith will be a "world class player" for years to come with England after striking his maiden century against Sri Lanka on day three of the first Test.
Smith, who started on 72 after rain halted play on the second day, scored 111 from 148 deliveries at Old Trafford, claiming his ton in the 77th over of proceedings.
He had a strike rate of 75.00 and showed 90% control through the balls he faced, the most controlled Test century by an Englishman since Joe Root versus India at Edgbaston in 2022 (92%).
Smith also became the fifth wicketkeeper to score a ton for England at Old Trafford, after Alec Stewart (three times), Godfrey Evans, Jack Russell and Ben Foakes.
And Bell, whose 7,727 runs put him ninth on England's all-time list in Tests, has seen first-hand the 24-year-old's talents, having worked with him for England Lions and Hundred side Birmingham Phoenix.
"He's going to be a world-class player for England over a long period of time," said Bell. "He's confident, and he's taken to international cricket with ease," he said.
Surrey's Smith was given the gloves by England ahead of county team-mate Foakes and Jonny Bairstow for the series against West Indies.
He missed out on a maiden century in the third Test against the Windies, scoring 95 at Edgbaston, but made no mistake with 111 in Manchester on Friday.
But Bell believes there is still more to come from Smith on the international stage after his showing in Manchester.
"The small part that I played in his development, I've watched a guy who's worked extremely hard," said Bell.
"I'm sure he's going to be a massive part of this England team in all formats over a long time."
Jamie Smith completed his maiden Test century but it was England's bowlers who took centre-stage on Friday as they assumed control of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Wicketkeeper Smith resumed on 72 following a rain-affected second day at Old Trafford, and he batted patiently early on before clinching his ton in the 77th over of the innings.
His excellent knock of 111 was brought to an end three overs later with England 315-7, with Prabath Jayasuriya earning his third wicket as Smith toe-ended his ball through to Dinesh Chandimal.
Sri Lanka quickly polished off the tail as Mark Wood (22) and Matthew Potts (17) fell within a further six overs, leaving England with a first-innings lead of 122 runs.
The hosts started brilliantly with the ball to assume a more dominant position, though, with Sri Lanka's first two wickets falling for just a single run within 10 balls.
They shared the spoils as Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson struck early to dismiss Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis for ducks, then Wood and Potts got in on the act to drop Sri Lanka to 95-4.
Angelo Mathews' defiant knock of 65 helped Sri Lanka steady the ship and reach 173-4, but his luck ran out in the 51st over after a couple of near-misses, as he looped Woakes' seam ball through to Potts.
Root dealt another blow to the tourists to remove Milan Rathnayake for 10 late on, with Sri Lanka closing at 204-6, 82 runs ahead but with wickets running out.
Data Debrief: Smith joins Old Trafford club
Smith had a first Test century in his sights by stumps on day two, and he got over the line in composed fashion on Friday, becoming just the fifth wicketkeeper to score a ton for England at Old Trafford, after Alec Stewart (three times), Godfrey Evans, Jack Russell and Ben Foakes.
He had a strike rate of 75.00 and showed 90% control through his 148 balls faced, the most controlled Test century by an Englishman since Joe Root versus India at Edgbaston in 2022 (92%).
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
