England v Sri Lanka: second men’s cricket Test match, day four – live | England v Sri Lanka 2024

46th over: Sri Lanka 114-3 (Karunaratne 55, Matthews 27) Bashir is varying his pace well to keep the Sri Lanka batters on their toes. All the while he chews his gum like a young Sam Allardyce and looks completely unfazed.

45th over: Sri Lanka 111-3 (Karunaratne 53, Matthews 26) Sri Lanka knuckle down still further, a couple off Stone’s latest.

Elsewhere…

44th over: Sri Lanka 109-3 (Karunaratne 52, Matthews 25) Anglelo Matthews releases some pressure with a powerful slog sweep for four. Bashir throws his head back, he knows that if the batter missed that then he was stone dead LBW.

Plenty of you coming off the long run vis a vis Lord’s ticket prices. James Syme writes that – “It’s also just terrible economics: there’s a huge difference between average ticket price and average revenue per attendee. Lord’s crowds typically spend a fortune on food, drink and merch, and (like Ryanair), a business with high fixed costs and high revenue per user needs to be sold out.

There’s also the sporting element in that, if this were to get tight, England would want a twelfth man in the footballing sense, dragging them towards the win.”

And here’s James Taylor:

“I live in North London and was seriously considering going down to the match today but £95 is seriously obstructive. When you factor in drink and food and travel (minimal though that may be) you’re looking at £150 each easily. As per one of your earlier contributors why the MCC can’t lower prices when they have so many tickets available is beyond me.

If they want to spread the appeal of the game they are going about it, putting it kindly, in an exclusionary way. Get bums on seats and it not only makes them money but also enhances the atmosphere in the ground. Stinks of exceptionalism to me.”

43rd over: Sri Lanka 103-3 (Karunaratne 51, Matthews 20) Olly Stone replaces Matthew Potts and sends down some short stuff. England having to dig in here as they continue to seek the breakthrough. The partnership from this pair heads into its second hour and 18th over.

Maybe Potts’ hairdoo has more historical influences than Paul Mescal?

42nd over: Sri Lanka 102-3 (Karunaratne 51, Matthews 19) Bashir gives a couple of deliveries some air and slides a few onwards. A yelp or two of excitement as Karunaratne and Matthews play him from the back foot in front of the stumps. Good resistance this from Sri Lanka.

41st over: Sri Lanka 101-3 (Karunaratne 51, Matthews 18) Potts keeps things tight, just a Matthews inside edge for one off the over.

“On the subject of the sparse crowd – my father & brother in law took our youngest and his cousin to Lords yesterday” emails Andy Townsend. “Tickets for all four cost £350. The boys tickets were £15. Throw in a beer at £9.50 a pint and a cardboard tray of mediocre chicken wings and chips at £15 and thats easily a £400+ day out. It was a great day to be there but was it worth that much..? Our astute 15 year old described it as a “ toff rinsing machine “. I don’t think the Northamptonshire father in law will ever get over the beer prices.”

‘Toff rinsing machine’. There’s a spot on the Guardian’s OBO for your young lad one day, Andy.

40th over: Sri Lanka 100-3 (Karunaratne 51, Matthews 17) Bashir probes away with catchers on the leg side. A single to each batter sees Sri Lanka bring up their hundred. 3.8 more of those and they’ve done it. Simple.

39th over: Sri Lanka 98-3 (Karunaratne 50, Matthews 16) Potts is looking dangerous when he pushes the ball a bit fuller, a shorter ball dies on the surface on the way through to Jamie Smith. A maiden.

38th over: Sri Lanka 98-3 (Karunaratne 50, Matthews 16) Bashir again in hot September sun. Just a Matthews single. Lord’s does look a picture, probably due to the sunlight bouncing off the empty seats…

“I’m similarly exasperated at the ticket pricing James” writes Guy Hornsby.

“I know Lord’s will say that these are the prices for games, but there’s a realism needed here, that not all opposition are the same. I don’t think it’s an insult to Sri Lanka to acknowledge that either. I’d imagine they’d want a full ground (at, say £30 a ticket for Day 4) than a few thousand in, when both make the same cash for the MCC. But it’s obviously bigger than that: the MCC and ECB can’t claim to grow the game then all charge most adults well over £100 a ticket irrespective of the opposition. It just jars, and they’ll have known in advance what ticket sales were. I went to Old Trafford last week and it was £55 for a decent ticket that would be double in North West London. It just doesn’t make sense, whatever the prestige of Lord’s to players and fans. It’s tone deaf.”

Let’s hope the powers that be are following the OBO. You’d hope others are in their ear about this right now too.

37th over: Sri Lanka 97-3 (Karunaratne 50, Matthews 15) Potts begins after the electrolytes have been slurped and there’s nearly another run out between this pair! Chaotic running from experienced Sri Lankan heads.

Gary Naylor is one of plenty emailing in with a solution to the high ticket prices that currently sees Lord’s sitting more than half empty with England looking to press for Test match victory.

“The solution to the tickets problem is dynamic pricing. It gets a bad rap, but anyone who remembers how much they paid to sit on a half-empty plane in the 90s, will understand how pricing tix to sell every seat can lower prices. If punters want a guaranteed spot, they can go online and pay the £95 in March and plan a Saturday evening in Regent’s Park watching Fiddler on the Roof and a Sunday afternoon round the corner at Lord’s. But if someone else looks at the weather forecast and is at a loose end on a late summer Sunday, why can’t they buy a seat for £30? There’s thousands available.”

36th over: Sri Lanka 95-3 (Karunaratne 50, Matthews 14) Shoaib Bashir comes on for a twirl, the first sight of spin as we tick into the second hour. Shot! Matthews dances down and drives through mid on to pick up four.

Time for a drink, Sri Lanka making England work hard. Just one wicket – that of Jayasuriya the nightwatchman – in the first hour.

35th over: Sri Lanka 91-3 (Karunaratne 50, Matthews 10) Dimuth Karunaratne opens the face to glide Potts away for four and then runs the single he needs to go to fifty. A very small celebration and then very nearly a run out off the final ball! Matthews belatedly called for a third run down to third and his partner has to motor to make his ground, Jamie Smith gathered the throw and whipped off the bails. The replays show the batter made it by a quarter of his blade. Too close for comfort.

34th over: Sri Lanka 82-3 (Karunaratne 45, Matthews 6) Stone goes back of a length and even shorter as England try a new tactic and spread the field on the leg-side. Stone has lost a touch of pace since suffering those horrible back injuries. It’s a testament to him that he is back out there at all in an England Test shirt.

33rd over: Sri Lanka 80-3 (Karunaratne 44, Matthews 5) Potts continues, Mescal-esque mullet blowing in the breeze. Am I right in thinking the long bit of a mullet is called a ‘cheddar’… or am I just getting peckish? Karunaratne takes a solitary single to cover off the over.

32nd over: Sri Lanka 79-3 (Karunaratne 43, Matthews 5) Stone is over the wicket to a packed cordon. Mathews gets a leading edge on a back of a length delivery but it evades the fielders and he picks up a couple of runs.

“Hello Jim, is there another captain to challenge the unenviable record of losing 7 reviews on the trot?”

I feel like there must be (Maybe another Joe Root record?) and will try and look it up shortly unless the OBO hive-mind can send in the answer… anybody?

31st over: Sri Lanka 77-3 (Karunaratne 43, Matthews 3) Matthew Potts replaces Woakes and the over sees a couple of singles, the first of which was a shocker and would have seen the demise of Karunaratne had Olly Stone’s throw hit the stumps as he swooped in from mid on. Hands on heads as the replay is shown on the big screen. Stone is now coming on for his first bowl of the morning. He could do with a few wickets to supplement his three in the match so far.

30th over: Sri Lanka 75-3 (Karunaratne 42, Matthews 2) Dimuth Karunaratne says enough is enough and decides to throw the blade at a couple of Atkinson deliveries to get Sri Lanka moving. He picks up a beautiful boundary through the covers, bending the back knee and following through with a flourish. He then rocks back to pull a shorter ball square of the wicket for four more. Atkinson responds by nipping one away that Karunaratne follows, the ensuing edge flying wide of gully for the third boundary of the over.

They all count, well batted that man.

29th over: Sri Lanka 61-3 (Karunaratne 29, Matthews 1) England are well and truly putting the squeeze on. Woakes is probing away on a good length, honing in on the stumps and the front pad. Another maiden. The pressure cooker hisses at HQ.

28th over: Sri Lanka 61-3 (Karunaratne 29, Matthews 1) Atkinson is finding some bounce off the custard cream coloured wicket, he reels off his third maiden of the morning.

27th over: Sri Lanka 61-3 (Karunaratne 29, Matthews 1) Angelo Matthews is the new batter, this could well be his final innings at Lord’s. He tickles a single off his pads to keep strike for the next over.

WICKET! Jayasuriya c Brook b Woakes 4 (Sri Lanka 60-3)

26th over: Sri Lanka 60-2 (Karunaratne 29, Jayasuriya 4) Atkinson keeps the pressure on for England with another maiden but Ollie Pope loses another review, his seventh on the trot. England were confident Karunaratne got a tickle through to Jamie Smith attempting a cross batted shot to a back of a length delivery. Dan Lawrence at short leg was particularly convinced. The replays showed… zilch. Nada. Nowt. England lose their second review. Tricky this captaincy lark.

25th over: Sri Lanka 60-2 (Karunaratne 29, Jayasuriya 4) Woakes is nagging again, another maiden from the Wiz.

Here’s today’s overseas TMS link courtesy of Wayne Trotman: https://www.youtube.com/live/vyk5dzYTniQ

“What a glorious day to be at Lord’s” emails Tom Driscoll. “Took a glance at ticket prices for today – £95 for the cheapest adult ticket. It’s all fine to say kids’ tickets are £15 but when you consider that those kids will need at least one adult with them, the cost goes up exponentially. That’s before you start adding in travel costs and the prices of food and drinks (which is a separate issue in and of itself). The test grounds really do need to look at their ticket prices – I was recently at The Hundred finals and that ticket, in the top of the grandstand, was £55 for a day’s cricket (equivalent to roughly 66.4 overs). The same ticket costs £140 today. What is the difference in terms of the amount of cricket between the two days?

Nothing against Sri Lanka but they are not a box office team, and if Lord’s/the MCC/the ECB really cared about the future of Test cricket in this country they’d seriously be looking at their prices and working out how they can attract more people to Test matches like this one. Games against teams like Sri Lanka, West Indies and others should be perfect to bring youngsters along to because England should dominate those games, which excites the kids and makes them want to come back. You can see how much passion the players have for it but they will soon be playing in front of empty stadiums if their bosses are not careful.”

Articulately put, Tom. They definitely do need to look at this issue, it’s been rumbling for a number of years and simply isn’t good enough from a governing body that is responsible for growing the game.

24th over: Sri Lanka 60-2 (Karunaratne 29, Jayasuriya 4)

Atkinson continues. Mike Atherton did an interesting segment on the Surrey bowler yesterday. He’s obviously has an incredible start to his Test career but his speeds have dropped off game on game. That will be something the England bowling coaches look. Atkinson’s won’t have experienced such high intensity workloads before and will need to be looked after. He will also be desperate to play a first Test match on his home ground next week.

Drop! Karunaratne cuts another rising ball from Atkinson and Root spills a hard chance in the slips. Tough chance that flew quickly but Root did get a good hand to it. He punches the turf in frustration as the ball whistles away to the boundary.

23rd over: Sri Lanka 55-2 (Karunaratne 25, Jayasuriya 3) Woakes sends down a maiden of his own, stitching together six balls outside off stump with a hint of movement back in. Karunaratne defends solidly.

Not many shadows being cast by supporters at Lord’s today.

22nd over: Sri Lanka 55-2 (Karunaratne 25, Jayasuriya 3) Gus Atkinson, with his chlorine affected stylishly bleached hairdo, from the other end. Jayasuriya is still there after coming in as a light/nightwatchman at about 4pm yesterday in the gloom. He does well not to glove a couple of sharply lifting balls from Atkinson. Decent bounce on this four day wicket. A maiden from Gus-Gus.

21st over: Sri Lanka 55-2 (Karunaratne 25, Jayasuriya 3) Chris Woakes gets the day started, Karunaratne flicks off his pads and down the slope for a couple to open the scoring.

Close! Woakes then spears one into Karunaratne’s back pad and England like the look of it… Umpire Reiffel says Not Out on the field but Pope gives the T-sign and calls for a review. Ah – the DRS shows that the ball pitched outside leg and so that’s the end of that. England lose a review in their first over.

The players head out onto the field under sunny skies at an extremely sparsely populated Lord’s. That could have *something* to do with this…

That story about Root not being able to hit it off the square when he was a stripling comes from a book he put out back in 2015. I mined it a few years back for some nice bits of detail to accompany a piece about how he always finds a way with the bat.

A century Down Under is the final piece of the puzzle for Root, there’ll be no question of him hanging up his cap until he’s had another crack down there at the end of next year.

An 11-year-old boy wears his cap everywhere, pulled low down over his brow, all the better for displaying the white rose stitched above his eyeline. He wears it when he accompanies his mum, Helen, around the shops in Sheffield. He wears it when he goes with his younger brother, Billy, to watch his dad, Matthew, play at the local cricket club. Being the older brother, the boy bats first, in his cap, while his brother bowls at him on the boundary edge.

A few months later the headwear in question, a Yorkshire schoolboy’s cricket cap, is still firmly perched atop the boy’s bright blond hair on a family trip to Trent Bridge to watch Nasser Hussain’s England play India. It’s still there after the close of play as he waits with his mum in the car park for the players to emerge. One of them, Craig White, notices the small boy’s head gear.

“Is that a Yorkshire cap?” White asks the lad. “Yes it is” replies the boy, beaming underneath its brim. “Brilliant,” White shoots back. “Maybe one day you’ll get to play with me.”

Five years later the boy, now a few inches taller but still small for his age, is about to make his debut for Yorkshire’s second XI. White is also playing. The boy plucks up the courage to remind White of their previous encounter. White is kind but it is clear he doesn’t remember. The boy does. It’s a special moment in the early age of Joe Root.”

“Hi James, thank you for steering us through the morning.”

Pleasure Rob Durbin. Thanks for tuning in.

“My aging memory may be playing me false but I’m pretty sure that in 2004 the visitors were New Zealand and West Indies and England won all seven tests. So don’t think Vaughan got his two centuries against India unless it was in their previous tour in 2002.”

You are absolutely right Rob. I stand corrected (‘said the man in the orthopaedic shoes’) Vaughan got a ton in each innings against West Indies in 2004 after having a batting mirabilis in 2002. He didn’t even get man of the match either – The King of Spain took nine wickets to pip him to that accolade.

Incidentally, 2004 was the last summer in which England’s men won every single home Test, a feat they can repeat with victory here and at the Oval next week.

“Worried” emails Nick Way. “Am I the only one not taking this victory for granted? It’s a monstrous (and unprecedented) target, but if anyone could chase it down, it would be Matthews, Chandimal and Mendis, so while any of those are still at the crease, England shouldn’t be complacent.”

Worried wouldn’t be the word I use Nick. If Chandimal, Matthews, Mendis and whoever else come to the party with the bat today then it will be great to watch. At the moment, I’m more worried for anyone with day five tickets though.

Simon Burnton took at a rubbish shot selfless approach from Ollie Pope:

What Pope needed in this situation was clear: any kind of score, at any kind of speed, that would keep his critics quiet and let him see out the remainder of his three-game captaincy in peace and in credit – and in doing so position himself as the obvious candidate when England are next in need of a full-time leader. But what his team wanted was something different: runs at decent pace, and for their lead to grow quickly enough to allow them to end their innings in the mid-afternoon, to profit from the best bowling conditions of the match, and to be on the golf course by Monday. And Pope chose team.

In his first press conference as captain, Ben Stokes described his vision for the side: “In terms of on-the-field stuff, a great starting point for me is I want to have selfless cricketers who make decisions based on what they can do to win a game.” The manner in which he lost his wicket was a failure for Pope, but it was also an affirmation, proof of something. It was a poor shot, accomplishing the unlikely task of taking a crowded leg-side field out of play only to perfectly find the solitary deep fielder on the off. But attempting it was so obviously against his interest that he has to emerge with some kind of credit.”

Catch up on our reports from yesterday’s history making day at Lord’s.

Ali Martin focused on Root:

In his current form, there is every chance. Since that third Test against India in February, when his reverse scooped demise triggered a series-defining collapse and an outcry with it, Root has compiled 884 runs in 12 innings at an average of 88.4 and in gimlet-eyed, albeit easy-on-the-eye fashion. The reverse scoop came out here – fresh air met when he was on 69 – but that day in Rajkot has increasingly felt like a pivot point in the 33-year-old’s relationship with so-called Bazball.

Root is too selfless a cricketer to get full-blown tunnel vision, but his hunger since has seldom felt greater. Following that crucial 143 on day one, this was the first time Root has made a century in both innings of a Test and by doing so at Lord’s, where feats seem to take on an even greater significance, he joined an elite club that featured George Headley (106 & 107 in 1939), Graham Gooch (333 & 123 in 1990) and Michael Vaughan (103 & 101* in 2004). Root also went past the latter pair for Test centuries in NW8 by turning a joint-record six into an outright record seven.”

Preamble

James Wallace