A tournament record second wicket partnership of 199 runs between Kyle Mayers and Evin Lewis was not enough to see St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to victory in the fifth match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in Basseterre. The St Lucia Kings completed an ice-veined run chase to pull off a five wicket win with 16 balls remaining.

An unbeaten century for Lewis off 54 balls and 92 from Mayers off 62 deliveries lit up the evening, with boundaries raining down on all corners of the ground, the Patriots pair hitting a combined 16 sixes and 13 fours to set a challenging target of 201-3.

The game looked all but gone for the Kings early in their response. At 24-4 inside four overs with opener and captain Faf du Plessis pocketed by countryman Anrich Nortje for 2 and Mayers doing early damage with the ball in hand to get rid of Johnson Charles and Ackeem Auguste.

A remarkable passage of play followed, Tim Seifert was dropped twice on his way to scoring 64 off 27 balls before Bhanuka Rajapaska (68* off 35) and David Wiese (34* off 20) beat the fielders and cleared the ropes with aplomb to knock off the runs with relative ease.

The rain fell at Warner Park but it wasn’t heavy or sustained enough to come to Patriots rescue, all of their bowlers shipped heavy runs apart from Nortje who finished with 2-29 from his four overs. Team captain Andre Fletcher intimated that his side need to improve in order to challenge in the competition.

“As a fielding unit, we are not helping the bowlers.” Fletcher said after the match. “We can't be dropping catches and expect to win matches against powerful batting line-ups. Catches win matches and we have to do that, and buck up on our fielding.”

It was a bittersweet evening for Kyle Mayers, who picked up the Player of the Match award for his outstanding all-round performance. “It was a good day for me but the team did not cross the line, so it is still sad. The difference between us and them was that they executed in the back end and the rain also kept our spinners out of the game.”

It as a confident start to the 2024 campaign by St Lucia Kings who chalked up victory in their first outing but plenty to ponder for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots with just one win from three matches so far.

A boundary blitzing innings by Quinton de Kock saw Barbados Royals inflict a nine-wicket win over Antigua & Barbuda Falcons in the fourth match of Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua on Sunday.

The Falcons were inserted under blue skies but struggled with the bat in the face of tight bowling, losing two wickets inside the Powerplay and two quick wickets straight afterwards to find themselves 47-4 and struggling to make a competitive total. 

After scoring an unbeaten 50 in the Falcons' first match of the campaign against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, 17-year-old Jewel Andrew starred once again with a counterattacking 48 off 35 balls including three fours and two sixes to help the Falcons post 145-9 as they looked for their first win of the tournament. 

An emphatic Powerplay from de Kock and fellow opener Rahkeem Cornwall took a sizeable chunk out of the target, the Royals rollocking to 76 runs without the loss of a wicket in the first six overs. 

De Kock batted through the innings, finding more fluency and increasingly audacious shots in his locker as the innings progressed. He finished the match in some style by driving Mohammad Amir over extra cover for four and then depositing the Pakistani quick bowler back over his head for six to finish unbeaten on 87 of just 45 balls and wrap up a swaggering victory for the Royals in their first match of the 2024 campaign.

The Royals looked good with both bat and ball and they also pulled off some fine catches and showcased tight ground-fielding to further restrict the Patriots. 

Jason Holder’s death bowling was impressive, he sent down 12 dots in his four overs and picked up two wickets for 21 runs. Spin bowlers Theekshana and Wellalage also clipped the Falcons' wings.

It was de Kock who bagged the Player of the Match award. Royals captain Rovman Powell explained after the game that the youngsters in the team are always picking the South African southpaw’s batting brains and he was pleased with his side’s first outing. “The guys looked sharp and ready in the first game, which doesn't always happen. It's great. Once we have Quinny in our team, it gets better.”  

Gus Atkinson says it will take time for his achievements to sink in after adding a five-wicket haul to his Test century against Sri Lanka at Lord's.

Surrey quick Atkinson crashed a remarkable 118 from just 115 balls in England's first innings before returning to tear through the visitors' batting line-up on Sunday.

The 26-year-old finished with second-innings figures of 5-62, removing three of Sri Lanka's top four scorers, as England secured a 190-run victory to seal an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.

That made Atkinson just the third England player to both score a century and take five wickets in a single Test, and the first since Ian Botham in 1984.

Atkinson hopes for further success in the whites of his country as he attempts to settle down from his glory at the home of cricket.

"I couldn't have asked for much more, to get on both honours boards is incredible, will take a while to sink in, batting alongside [Joe] Root was special in the first innings," the bowler said. 

"Dad, I'm sure has had a great week. My first red-ball games at Lord's have gone my way, I enjoy bowling with the slope, long may it continue.

"The way we go about the game, we like to attack, and it's great to attack without worrying about runs."

Atkinson has now taken at least two wickets in each of his first 10 Test innings, while he is only the seventh bowler to achieve that milestone in the history of men's Tests, and the first since Brett Lee in 1999.

Though his introduction to red-ball internationals has been remarkable, Surrey team-mate Ollie Pope continues to struggle with the bat.

Stand-in captain Pope, in for the injured Ben Stokes, has managed only 30 runs in his two matches in charge.

Stretching further back, Pope has just 17 as his highest score in five Test innings, and England's number three knows personal improvements are needed.

"That's the way cricket is sometimes – form comes and goes," said Pope. "The best players are the ones who can draw a line under it. Hopefully, I can put a score together."

Pope has also come under scrutiny at the helm, with former England skipper Michael Vaughan saying the 26-year-old is "not the kind of personality I'd want as the England captain".

"Chatting to Stokesy before this series, when you're captain you attract a lot more [attention]," Pope responded to questions over his leadership capabilities.

"It's important to block it out and stay close with the people around me. There are a lot of voices, a lot of guys who want to have their say, past cricketers as well. That's completely fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion."

Gus Atkinson produced a second-innings five-for as England wrapped up a series victory over Sri Lanka, sealing a 190-run win at Lord's with a day to spare.

Atkinson's maiden Test century, as well as two tons from Joe Root, had helped England build a mammoth 430-run lead by stumps on day three, and Sri Lanka were unable to delay the inevitable on Sunday. 

Dimuth Karunaratne (55), Dinesh Chandimal (58) and Dhananjaya de Silva (50) all made valiant half-centuries for the tourists, who held England up with a steady showing in the second session.

However, Atkinson had Chandimal caught by Dan Lawrence to drop Sri Lanka to 192-6, then swiftly followed up by removing Kamindu Mendis – one of the bright sparks of this series for Sri Lanka – for 4.

Milan Rathnayake made 43 off 56 balls on just his second Test appearance to help Sri Lanka bat through tea, but both he and Dhananjaya fell victim to Atkinson late on.

That made Atkinson just the third England player to both score a century and take five wickets in a single Test, and the first since Ian Botham in 1984.

Chris Woakes then sealed the deal with his second wicket as Lahiru Kumara skied his delivery straight up for an Olly Stone catch, ensuring England did not need a fifth day to wrap up their victory.

The hosts will now target a series whitewash at The Oval, with the third Test set to get under way next Friday.

Data Debrief: Atkinson's lightning start continues

There have been no shortages of England highlights in this second Test, with Root taking centre-stage with his record-breaking 34th Test ton on Saturday.

On Sunday, it was Atkinson's turn to be the star of the show once again, finishing with second-innings figures of 5-62 and removing three of Sri Lanka's top four scorers.

He has now taken at least two wickets in each of his first 10 Test innings for England. He is only the seventh bowler to achieve that milestone in the history of men's Test cricket and the first since Brett Lee in 1999.

Liton Das' sublime stand of 138 defied the odds by getting Bangladesh back into the contest against Pakistan on day three.

At one point on Sunday, Bangladesh looked down and out, but they rallied to 262, cutting Pakistan's first-innings lead to a mere 12 runs in the second Test.

The hosts ripped through Bangladesh's top order, with Khurram Shahzad (6-90) and Mir Hamza (2-50) showing their prowess with the ball as they struck six times in 34 balls within the first hour.

Only Shadman Islam (10) reached double figures out of the tourist's first six batters, as he fell to Shahzad shortly after Zakir Hasan (one).

Then, up stepped Das. Along with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (78), he carried Bangladesh through the second session and into the third with his impressive 138, getting 13 fours and four sixes in his knock before Salman Ali Agha finally took him.

Bangladesh finished the day in the field, with Hasan Mahmud ensuring they made a strong start to the second innings by taking Abdullah Shafique for three before bowling Shahzad for a duck, leaving Pakistan at 9-2 going into day four. 

Data Debrief: Records topple

At one point on Sunday, it looked like Bangladesh set a new unwanted record, beating their lowest Test total of 43, but it was a danger that never came to pass. 

Das became the first player to score three Test centuries after coming in to bat at number six or lower with his team's score at 50 or fewer - no batter has more this century.

Their total of 262 is also the highest by a team after being six down for 50 or less, beating Pakistan's own record of 255 after being 41-6 against England at The Oval in 1967.

Barbados and West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach has rejoined Surrey for the final four matches of the County Championship, bolstering their pace attack as they aim for a third consecutive title.

The 36-year-old, who featured in Surrey's opening six matches of the season and took 18 wickets, has been a key figure in the club’s recent successes. Roach played a significant role in Surrey’s last two title-winning campaigns, and his return comes as a timely boost for the team, who are currently leading Division One by 35 points over second-placed Somerset.

“It’s great to be back at my second home with Surrey, and I’ve kept a close eye on the boys from afar," Roach said in an interview with Surrey's official website. "We know what the goal is, and I’m going to give everything to achieve it."

Roach's experience and skill will be vital as Surrey looks to secure their third consecutive championship. With a remarkable career record of 408 wickets across 82 Tests, 95 ODIs, and 11 T20Is for the West Indies, Roach's presence in the squad adds depth and a wealth of experience.

He will be available for selection for Surrey’s upcoming match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Thursday, where his contributions will be crucial in maintaining their lead at the top of the table.

Surrey's push for the title has been strengthened by Roach's return, and his impact on the field could be the decisive factor in their quest for another championship triumph.

The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has congratulated Dwayne Bravo on his fantastic performances with the tournament since its inception in 2013. The Trinidadian all-rounder has announced that this year’s CPL will be his last home event in a format that he has dominated. 

Bravo has been part of five championship-winning squads at the CPL claiming the title in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 making him the most successful player in the tournament’s history. He is also the league’s leading wicket-taker having claimed 128 victims across his illustrious CPL career. 

Bravo’s last season will be with his home franchise, Trinbago Knight Riders, with whom he has won four titles. The first match of his final tournament will be on 31 August against the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, a team he led to their maiden CPL title in 2021. 

Pete Russell, CEO of the CPL, said: “We are so grateful that Dwayne has been a part of our tournament since its inception in 2013 and his contribution to making the league what it is today is immeasurable. The CPL has become known around the world as the Biggest Party in Sport and Dwayne’s enthusiasm and amazing personality has done as much as anyone to bring that to life. We are certain that ‘Sir Champion’ will continue to play a massive role in T20 cricket going forward and we wish him all the best in the next chapter.” 

A high-scoring run-fest at Warner Park saw Trinbago Knight Riders defeat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by 44 runs in the third match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Saturday night. 

 Patriots captain Andre Fletcher won the toss and inserted the Knight Riders on what turned out to be a good batting wicket. Sunil Narine hit three fours and four sixes to get the Knight Riders off to a rapid start and they never looked back. 

 The boundary was peppered and cleared all evening, Nicholas Pooran scooping the Player of the Match award for a thrilling innings of 97 off 43 balls that fully deserved a century. Keacy Carty piled on the pain for the Patriots by striking 73 off just 35 balls in a visceral display of strokemaking, the pair of batters leaving the opposition bewildered in the face of boundaries struck all-round the relatively short-sided ground in Basseterre.  

 Fittingly, Carty hit the final ball of the innings for six to see the Knight Riders post a mammoth score of 250-4. The Patriots cleared the two hundred run mark themselves in posting 206-8 in what turned out to be the highest-scoring match in CPL history between the sides but in truth, Andre Fletcher’s side never truly looked like they were going to haul in the target despite a fabulous 56 from Mikyle Louis with support from Evin Lewis and Tristan Stubbs, who each scored 39.

 Just a few hours before the game began 41-year-old Dwayne Bravo announced that this year’s CPL would be his last, the tournament’s all-time leading wicket-taker and five-time champion writing on Instagram that, "It's been a great journey. This season will be my last one and I'm looking forward to playing my final professional tournament in front of my Caribbean people… TKR is the place where everything started for me and will end with my team."

 Bravo went wicketless in his three overs but along with Narine was one of only two Knight Riders bowlers to go at an economy rate of less than ten runs per over. Narine picked up 2-24 off his four overs and only went for three boundaries.

 Earlier, Pooran looked like he’d reached three figures in style. Anrich Nortje sent down a full and wide delivery in the 18^th over that the batter climbed into with relish. It wasn’t to be, the sliced shot fell into the hands of Drakes on the boundary at deep point and the batter could not hide his disappointment. 

Nevertheless, Pooran could comfort himself in the knowledge that his innings contributed to a resounding win for his side, saying afterwards, “At the end of the day, I want to win matches and tournaments. I want to win the CPL and if I want to do that, I need to keep doing my job.” 

 It was a case of 'job done' for the Knight Riders as they chalked up their first win of the 2024 campaign.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors secured a stunning last-ball win over the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons thanks to a brilliant batting cameo from Dwaine Pretorius. In a match that swung one way and then the other throughout it was the last-gasp batting effort of the South African all-rounder who secured the win. 

It was the second night in a row where the game was won off the final delivery of the match with the Falcons on the losing side both times. The Falcons had recovered from a stuttering batting display in the face of strong bowling from Gudakesh Motie to post a competitive total of 168-6. 

The Warriors also struggled to maintain batting consistency throughout their innings and it looked as if the game was heading towards a Falcons’ win when the target was 47 runs from 18 balls, but a nerveless batting display from Pretorius and the Warriors tail took them to a three-wicket win. 

 Having won the toss, the Amazon Warriors chose to bowl first and they claimed an early breakthrough when Teddy Bishop was run out by a fine piece of fielding from Shai Hope to leave them 10-1 at the end of the second over. 

After a relatively slow opening two overs and the loss of one of their openers, there was a need to rebuild, and that is what they got thanks to a 73-run stand between Fakhar Zaman and Kofi James that took the rate to close to 10 an over. 

 James’ wicket was the start of a Falcons collapse that saw them lose four wickets for the addition of just 29 runs. Motie was the destroyer in chief as he bowled Sam Billings with a clever delivery that beat the England batter when he advanced down the pitch. He also had Jewel Andrew caught at deep mid-wicket by Shimron Hetmyer when the 17-year-old batter tried to hit back-to-back sixes. 

From there it was about Imad Wasim who played a brilliant counter-attacking knock that brought the Falcons right back into this match after a middle-order stumble. The Pakistani all-rounder scored 40 from 21 balls to propel the Falcons to a total that they could look to defend.

 The Amazon Warriors opted to promote Motie up the order to open and he scored a six in the first over but was bowled for six from four balls. Gurbaz also went inside the PowerPlay when he was dismissed by a juggling catch by Shamar Springer at midwicket. 

The Falcons spinners did a good job at tying down the Warriors once the fielding restrictions loosened as the rate began to climb. Shimron Hetmyer looked to steady things for the Warriors and build a platform but he was bowled by Imad. When Azam Khan hit his stumps with his bat after a vicious Springer bouncer the Warriors had stumbled to 77-.  

Shai Hope was still in the middle, and last year’s Player of the Tournament was looking dangerous in the death overs but he was bowled for 41 and it appeared that the game was gone for the Warriors with the required rate at more than 15 an over. 

That was before Pretorius took 18 runs from the final six balls as the Warriors started the defence of their title in the most dramatic way possible. 

Joe Root hit a record-breaking century as England edged closer to sealing their series victory over Sri Lanka at Lord's.

Root, who equalled Alastair Cook's record during the first innings of the second Test, made 103 from 111 balls for his 34th Test ton.

England resumed on 25-1 at the start of day three, with Root leading the way for the hosts and the crowd rose as one when a sweeping four completed his landmark century.

He helped his nation set their opponents a target of 483 after they were 251 all out.

As the light faded over Lord's, so too did Sri Lanka's momentum in their record-attempting chase, with Gus Atkinson and Olly Stone claiming Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka respectively.

Play was eventually halted due to bad light, and called off to be resumed on Sunday with the tourists at 53-2 with Dimuth Karunaratne (23) and Prabath Jayasuriya (three) at the crease.

Data Debrief: Root revels on record-breaking day

Day three of the second Test belonged to Root, whose century was also his quickest in Test cricket.

Adding to his 143 in England's first innings, he registered two tons in a match for the first time, while becoming only the fourth player to achieve that feat in a Test at Lord's.

Root also joins Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar in scoring 5,000 Test runs in two different decades, while closing the gap on Cook's all-time England tally (12,472) to just 95.

If that was not enough for him, he also took the catches for both of Sri Lanka's wickets, making him the first England player to reach 200 in Test cricket.

Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo says this year’s edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be his last hurrah as he announced his retirement from the tournament on Saturday.

Bravo, who represents the Trinbago Knight Riders, made the revelation on his Instagram account hours ahead of the franchise’s opening contest against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre, scheduled for 7:00pm.

“It's been a great journey, and I'm looking forward to playing my final professional tournament in front of my Caribbean people," Bravo said in his post.

“TKR is the place where everything started for me and will end with my team,” he added.

The 40-year-old’s post all but indicates the end of a decorated professional career, as he retired from international cricket in 2021 after the T20 World Cup and also announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) a year later after being part of four title-winning Chennai Super Kings campaigns.

Bravo, known for his flair and skillful batting and bowling, is currently the CPL’s highest wicket-taker with 128 scalps in 103 games at an average of 22.40 and economy rate of 8.69.

In fact, Bravo is the leading wicket-taker in all T20s, with 630 scalps in 578 matches. He has also scored 6,970 runs with the bat.

No doubt the electrifying Trinidad and Tobago stalwart will go down as one of T20's early legends, having played seven World Cups in the format, winning two titles, as well as over 15 franchise league titles. He is the first bowler to get to 500 T20 wickets.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dr. Kishore Shallow says plans are already afoot to host a domestic T20 competition next year to determine the Caribbean representative(s) for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Shallow, once again welcoming cricket’s return to the Olympic Games, pointed out that his administration is already in dialogue with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) hierarchy to stage the domestic competition in 2025.

Cricket, which last featured at an Olympic Games in 1900, was always set for a long-awaited return to the global multi-sport showpiece, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year confirmed it and four other sports—baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash—for the LA Games.

“To add cricket to the agenda in the next Olympics is certainly going to be something tremendous, as we did in the Commonwealth Games a couple years ago when we had one of our teams representing the females. We at the time chose our original women’s tournament, and the winner at the time was Barbados, so they represented the region,” Shallow said.

“We anticipate something similar will be done unless they tell us all the teams can come and participate, which would be ideal, but it is unlikely for that to happen,” he added.

Shallow also explained that the CPL champions cannot represent the region at the Olympic Games given that the tournament is franchise-based and involves players from other parts of the world.

As such, he revealed that he has engaged CARICOM leaders regarding plans for a domestic T20 competition from which the winner or top finishers would secure the coveted Olympic Games spot(s).

“We have been in discussion with CPL for them to fund a domestic T20 tournament starting next year. I think Miles Bascombe and his team have already scheduled a window for that next year in 2025. Once we are able to have that tournament, then we can use that to determine which team or teams will participate in the Olympics on behalf of CWI,” Shallow shared.

“We can’t use the CPL as it is now because it’s franchises. But in the domestic tournament that we’re having, which will still have a commercial model to it but not to the extent of CPL, but that will more than likely be territories instead of franchises, so we will be able to identify teams,” he noted.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed five wickets to hand Bangladesh the advantage against Pakistan, with the hosts bowled out for 274 on the second day of their rain-hit second Test. 

Miraz, who took five wickets during the opening Test, again starred with the ball for Bangladesh, crucially dismissing Saim Ayub (58) and Shan Masood (57). 

Taskin Ahmed (3-57), who was brought in for the injured Shoriful Islam, got Bangladesh off to a flying start with the wicket of Abdullah Shafique (0) in the very first over. 

Ayub and Masood steadied the ship to have the hosts 99-1 at lunch, only for the latter to fall soon after, which resulted in the wickets beginning to tumble. 

Babar Azam again struggled with the bat, scoring 31 from 77 deliveries, with Khurram Shahzad (12), Mohammad Ali (two) and Abrar Ahmed (nine) all falling victim to Miraz's impressive bowling display. 

Bangladesh openers Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan ended the day at the crease with the visitors 10 without loss as they look to confirm the series triumph on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Miraz the man

Miraz's impressive bowling display proved to be the difference on the second day, putting Bangladesh in a strong position in the series. 

It was also the 10th five-wicket haul of his career, three of which have come away from home.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors secured a stunning last ball win over the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Friday thanks to a brilliant batting cameo from Dwaine Pretorius.

In a match that swung one way and then the other throughout it was the last gasp batting effort of the South African all-rounder who secured the win.

It was the second night in a row where the game was won off the final delivery of the match with the Falcons on the losing side both times. The Falcons had recovered from a stuttering batting display in the face of strong bowling from Gudakesh Motie to post a competitive total of 168/6.

The Warriors also struggled to maintain batting consistency throughout their innings and it looked as if the game was heading towards a Falcons’ win when the target was 47 runs from 18 balls, but a nerveless batting display from Pretorius and the Warriors tail took them to a three-wicket win.

Having won the toss, the Amazon Warriors chose to bowl first and they claimed an early breakthrough when Teddy Bishop was run out by a fine piece of fielding from Shai Hope to leave them 10/1 at the end of the second over.

After a relatively slow opening two overs and the loss of one of their openers there was a need of a rebuild, and that is what they got thanks to a 73-run stand between Fakhar Zaman and Kofi James that took the rate to close to 10 an over.

James’ wicket was the start of a Falcons collapse that saw them lose four wickets for the addition of just 29 runs. Motie was the destroyer in chief as he bowled Sam Billings with a clever delivery that beat the England batter when he advanced down the pitch. He also had Jewel Andrew caught at deep mid-wicket by Shimron Hetmyer when the 17-year-old batter tried to hit back-to-back sixes.

From there it was about Imad Wasim who played a brilliant counter attacking knock that brought the Falcons right back into this match after a middle order stumble. The Pakistani all-rounder scored 40 from 21 balls to propel the Falcons to a total that they could look to defend.

The Amazon Warriors opted to promote Motie up the order to open and he scored a six in the first over but was bowled for 6 from four balls. Gurbaz also went inside the powerplay when he was dismissed by a juggling catch by Shamar Springer at midwicket.

The Falcons spinners did a good job at tying down the Warriors once the fielding restrictions loosened as the rate began to climb. Shimron Hetmyer looked to steady things for the Warriors and build a platform but he was bowled by Imad. When Azam Khan hit his stumps with his bat after a vicious Springer bouncer the Warriors had stumbled to 77/4.

Shai Hope was still in the middle, and last year’s Player of the Tournament was looking dangerous in the death overs but he was bowled for 41 and it appeared that the game was gone for the Warriors with the required rate at more than 15 an over.

That was before Pretorius took 18 runs from the final six balls as the Warriors started the defense of their title in the most dramatic way possible.

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.