Joe Root’s 34th century solidifies his place as England’s greatest batter, setting a new record in Test cricket, making him England’s top batter with the most centuries, breaking Sir Alastair Cook’s record. Root’s century, his second in this Test, was smooth and seemed easy. He scored 103 runs in just 111 balls, making it his fastest century in Test cricket.
After Root got out, England finished with a total of 251, leaving Sri Lanka with a huge target of 483 to win and level the series.
In the evening session, under tough conditions, Gus Atkinson took Nishan Madushka’s wicket, and Olly Stone got Pathum Nissanka out, both catches taken by Root at first slip, bringing his total to 200 Test catches.
As it got darker, England had to use spin bowling from Shoaib Bashir and even Root himself. The light was so poor that the umpires were checking it often, and it was clear the game would be interrupted. Sri Lanka sent Prabath Jayasuriya to bat at number four to try and last until the delay.
When the interruption happened, Sri Lanka was 53-2, still 430 runs behind, with Dimuth Karunaratne on 23 and Jayasuriya on three. Play stopped for the day at 6:00 PM BST.
England will come back on Sunday with two days left to get the eight wickets they need to win the series 2-0.
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