Late on Day 4 of the first test, England defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets thanks to an unbeaten 62 from Joe Root.
England was trailing at 70-3 with 205 to win, but Root and Harry Brook (32) steadied the innings, and as the sun set on another glorious evening at Old Trafford, the former captain led his side home to victory.
The English defeated the West Indies 3-0 in July and finished on 205-5 to win their fourth consecutive test match this summer.
The victory in Manchester was noteworthy in addition because it might mean a change in direction for “Bazball,” the expansive strategy that coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes advocate.
“Root leads England to a nervous first-test victory over Sri Lanka by five wickets.”
By the end of the second inning, the run-rate had dropped to about 3.5 per over, so Root and his colleagues waited for their opportunities to attack.
Following the departure of No. 7 batter Kamindu Mendis for 113, the third century of his four-match test career, Sri Lanka was knocked out for 326 shortly after lunch. The final batsman to be dismissed for 79 was Dinesh Chandimal, who lost the last four wickets in 26 deliveries.
On the fourth day, after rejoining their second innings on 204-6, Sri Lanka scored an additional 122 runs.
Source: AP
