All-round England beat Sri Lanka in first Test: Records broken
England beat Sri Lanka in the first Test to take a crucial 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Joe Root's sublime 228 runs and a strong show by spinners Dominic Bess and Jack Leach helped England script this win in Galle. Sri Lanka showed character in the second innings before England survived a scare in the chase but got home. Here's more.
How did the first Test match pan out?
SL were bowled out for 135 with Dinesh Chandimal scoring 28. Bess (5/30) and Stuart Broad (3/20) ran through the Lankan batsmen. England responded with three crucial stands that helped them post 421/10. Root brought up his fourth double ton to lead the way. In reply, Lahiru Thirimanne (111) batted well as Lanka scored 359. England lost three quick wickets but rallied on.
Joe Root smashes a host of records with his double-century
Root smashed his 18th career Test century, including a fourth double ton. Notably, this was his second double-century against Sri Lanka. Root became the second Englishman to register four double centuries, equaling Leonard Hutton's feat. Root became the first England batsman to score a double hundred in Lanka. He is also the first man to post multiple Test centuries in Lanka for England (2).
Root gets past 8,000 career Test runs
Playing his 98th Test match, Root surpassed 8,000 career runs in the format (8,052). Root has become only the 31st cricketer overall and seventh Englishman in Test history to get past 8,000 Test runs. Meanwhile, he went past former West Indies legend Gary Sobers (8.032) and Australian batsman Mark Waugh (8,029) in terms of career Test runs.
Unique records for Root and Buttler
As per Opta, Root's 228 is now the second-highest Test score recorded by an English batsman in Asia after Alastair Cook's 263 versus Pakistan in the UAE in 2015. Jos Buttler recorded his first stumping in Test cricket (48th match).
Notable records scripted by the Sri Lankan batsmen
Lanka's Chandimal went past 4,000 career Test runs with scores of 28 and 20 (4,035). He has achieved this milestone in 107 innings. Thirimanne smashed his second career Test century. He also went past 1,500 career Test runs (1,567). Kusal Perera scored 62 in the second innings. He now has seven Test fifties under his belt.
Mathews becomes fifth Lankan to amass 6,000 Test runs
Veteran Sri Lankan cricketer Angelo Mathews scored 27 and 71 in the Test match. Mathews smashed his 36th fifty in Test cricket. He also went past 6,000 career Test runs and became the fifth Sri Lankan player to do so. Mathews now has 6,079 runs at an average of 45.36.
Mathews brings up 36th Test fifty
Five-wicket hauls for England duo Bess and Leach
Dom Bess has raced to 27 career Test scalps. He picked up seven wickets in this match. Bess also claimed his second five-wicket haul, besides registering his best bowling figures. Fellow spinner Leach claimed six wickets in this match. He now has 40 Test scalps. Leach claimed his second five-wicket haul as well.
