Gus Atkinson continued his strong performance at Lord’s, taking five wickets as England romped to a commanding 190-run win over Sri Lanka in the second Test, then three games into an unassailable 2-0 lead chasing a record-breaking target of 483 to win the series, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 292 on Day 4 despite the dismissals of Dinesh Chandimal (58), Dimuth Karunaratne (55) and skipper Dhananjay de Silva ( 50) scored half-centuries Atkinson led the bowling attack with figures of 5-62.
Atkinson, who was named man of the match, earned 5th mention on the Lord’s Honors Board in only his second Test on the ground, having taken 12 wickets in his first match against the West Indies in July He joins an elite group of England cricketers, including Tony Greig and Ian Botham Apart from scoring a hundred in the same Test innings and taking five wickets to beside him, he became only the 3rd player after India Vino Mankad and Botham to achieve this double at Lord’s.
Atkinson’s Achievement Earns Spot on Lord’s Honors Board
The 26-year-old Surrey batsman’s brilliant effort helped England extend their winning streak against Sri Lanka to seven Tests, as the game was also crucial for Joe Root, who claimed a five-wicket haul in the first Test at Old Trafford, hitting centuries in both innings (143 and 103) in 145 Tests for the first time and setting a new record of 34 Test centuries for England.
With little time to regroup before the third Test at The Oval, Sri Lanka struggled throughout the game. De Silva admitted his mistake in choosing to bat first on the bat-friendly pitch. Sri Lanka’s batting was demolished despite some resistance, including Karunaratne’s 98-ball 50 and Chandimal’s aggressive 42-ball half-century. Sri Lanka’s batting was demolished despite some resistance, including Karunaratne’s 98-ball fifty and Chandimal’s aggressive 42-ball half-century.
