Root hits double century as England post 421
January 16, 2021 01:17 pm
Joe Root scored 228 and passed 8,000 Test runs as England made 421 all out in the first Test to lead Sri Lanka by 286 after first innings in Galle.
Root, who began day three unbeaten on 168, reached his fourth Test double hundred from 291 balls, fittingly with a sweep for four, before he was last man out, caught in the deep off Dilruwan Perera.
The England captain had previously reached 200 against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 2014, against Pakistan in Manchester in 2016, and New Zealand in Hamilton in 2019 - only Wally Hammond (7) and Sir Alastair Cook (5) have more double centuries for England.
Root had earlier become the seventh England batsman to reach 8,000 Test runs, after Cook, Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart, David Gower, Kevin Pietersen and Sir Geoffrey Boycott.
The 30-year-old is the second-quickest to the milestone in terms of innings played, doing it in 178 knocks, behind only Pietersen, who achieved the feat in 176 innings.
Root surpassed 8,000 Test runs during the course of the innings. He is the seventh England player to reach the landmark and, in terms of innings (this is his 178th) the second quickest after Kevin Pietersen, who reached the milestone in 176 innings.
Root took his fifth-wicket stand with Jos Buttler (30) to 68 after England resumed on 320-4 with a lead of 185 - only for a change of ball to bring about two wickets in as many balls.
Seam bowler Asitha Fernando first had Buttler caught behind from a ball that moved away from the right-hander before bowling the left-handed Curran first delivery with a ball that shaped in.
Dom Bess (0) survived the hat-trick ball but was later run out after a mix-up with Root, while Jack Leach (4) and Mark Wood (2) were dismissed by off-spinner Dilruwan (4-109).
Stuart Broad, who twice overturned lbw dismissals against Dilruwan, was unbeaten on 11 when Root swatted to deep midwicket.
Broad and England’s bowlers will now be looking to rip through Sri Lanka for the second time in the game after the hosts collapsed to 135 all out after electing to bat on day one.
Sky Sport
