Today is the fourth day of the second test between England and Sri Lanka. Yesterday Joe Root got a brilliant 186 runs for his side however they still trail by 42 runs with one wicket remaining. Lasith Embuldeniya has got seven wickets for his side and hasn’t been by far the best bowler for his side.
Both sides are coming out know with James Anderson and Jack Leach coming out to bat for England. Dilruwan Perera is going to continue the over yesterday that he started before Root was run out yesterday.
115th over: Maiden over for Perera that lasted between two days due to the wicket of Root. Anderson 0, Leach 1. 339-9. England trail by 41 runs.
116th over: Anderson batting as if he was opening, performing the reverse sweep and got a boundary for his side. Anderson 4, Leach 1 344-9. England trail by 36 runs.
REVIEW FOR ENGLAND: Leach is given out for LBW but he reviewed the decision because he would be the last wicket and England have a review left.
WICKET FOR SRI LANKA: Leach out for LBW after the ball hit his pads right in front of the stumps.
England all out with 344 with Root top scoring with 186 runs however they are still behind by 36 runs.
The Sri Lanka batsman are out to extend the lead for their side.
Kusal Perera is opening the batting with Lahiru Thirimanne. Anderson is going to open the bowling for England.
1st over: Three runs from the first over for Sri Lanka off Anderson which they will be happy with. Perera 1, Thirimanne 2. 3-0. Sri Lanka lead by 40 runs.
Sam Curran is bowling from the other end today.
2nd over: Curran bowled a good first over only going for one run and he is able to swing the ball. Perera 2, Thirimanne 2. 4-0. Sri Lanka lead by 41 runs.
3rd over: Sri Lanka has got off to a good start rotating the strike well and getting runs off Anderson which they couldn’t really get runs off in the first innings. Perera 3, Thirimanne 4. 7-0. Sri Lanka lead by 44 runs.
4th over: Good over from Perera scoring two runs against the bowling of Curran both of them driven through cover. Perera 11, Thirimanne 4. 15-0. Sri Lanka lead by 52 runs.
Bess is now into the attack and will introduce spin for England. Bess didn’t get a wicket for England in the last innings.
5th over: Good start from Bess with the first ball going through Thirimanne but not hitting the stump. Bess already looking more dangerous in this innings than he did in the first. Perera 12, Thirimanne 4. 17-0. Sri Lanka lead by 54 runs.
Leach is now in for his getting ready to bowl.
REVIEW FOR SRI LANKA: Perera given out for LBW but has reviewed the decision.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Leach gets England’s first wicket off the innings. The review was given as umpires call so Sri Lanka don’t lose their review. Perera out for 14 runs lbw Leach.
Oshada Fernando is now in for his side. He didn’t score in the last innings and will hope to do better this time.
6th over: Good first over for Leach getting the wicket of Perera and looking dangerous. Thirimanne 4, Fernando 0. 19-1. Sri Lanka lead by 56 runs.
7th over: Bess not bowling full enough so the Sri Lanka batsman was able to cut the ball and get some runs in the over. Fernando was able to score his first runs in the game. Thirimanne 6, Fernando 2. 23-1. Sri Lanka lead by 60 runs.
8th over: Leach not getting his line and length right like he did in the first over. Thirimanne 8, Fernando 3. 25-1. Sri Lanka lead by 63 runs.
9th over: Better from Bess as he was more consistent with his bowling in that over which made it harder to score runs. Thirimanne has been looking good at the moment hoping to scoring a lot of singles for his side. Thirimanne 8, Fernando 3. 26-1. Sri Lanka lead by 63 runs.
10th over: Leach looking dangerous with how he is bowling, challenging the Sri Lanka batsman. Thirimanne 9, Fernando 3. 27-1. Sri Lanka lead by 64 runs.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Bess gets the wicket of Fernando after the batsman edges the ball onto his pads and the ball went straight to short leg. Fernando out for three runs bowled Bess caught Zak Crawley.
Angelo Mathews back in for his side after scoring a century in the last innings for his side and will need to score runs for his side again.
11th over: Bess able to get his first wicket off the game in the over. Mathews is looking aggressive for his side today compared to his last innings. Thirimanne 10, Mathews 1. 30-2. Sri Lanka lead by 67 runs.
12th over: Good over for Sri Lanka consistently getting singles throughout the over. Doing this is very important gradually increasing the lead for their side. Thirimanne 11, Mathews 3. 33-2. Sri Lanka lead by 70 runs.
13th over: Bess is turning the ball well for his side at the moment as is looking good. He needs to make sure he is consistently challenging the Sri Lanka batsman. Thirimanne 12, Mathews 4. 35-3. Sri Lanka lead by 72 runs.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND. Brilliant catch from Crawley at short leg catching Thirimanne, reacting very quickly to catch the ball. Thirimanne hit the ball off the middle of the bat so Crawley had to react quickly to hold onto the ball. Leach was able to get his second wicket of the innings. Thirimanne out for 13 runs bowled Leach caught Crawley.
The Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal is now in for his team.
14th over: Good over for Leach getting rid of Thirimanne out and only going for a few runs. Chandimal 0, Mathews 5. 37-3. Sri Lanka lead by 74 runs.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Bess is able to get rid of the man who scored a century in the last innings. Good ball from Bess as he was able to bowl Mathews who missed the sweep shot. Mathews out for five runs bowled Bess.
Niroshan Dickwella is now in for Sri Lanka who might get a lot of sledging from the England batsman when he is on strike.
15th over: Brilliant wicket maiden from Bess. The young spinner was able to get the wicket of Mathews. Chandimal 0, Dickwella 0. 37-4. Sri Lanka lead by 74 runs.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Chandimal had score two boundaries in the over and tried to get another one but Leach bowled a slower ball and the Sri Lanka captain hit the ball straight into the air and was caught by Anderson who had a difficult job to catch it. Chandimal out for nine runs bowled leach caught Anderson.
16th over: Chandimal looked good in the over but made a mistake trying to get his third boundary in the over and lost his wicket. Expensive over for Leach but was able to get the wicket of the Sri Lanka captain. Dickwella 1. 47-5. Sri Lanka leads by 84 runs.
Ramesh Mendis is in for his side hoping to get off the mark in Test cricket after getting a duck.
17th over: Mendis is able to score his first runs in test cricket by sweeping the ball for a boundary. He will be happy with that to get off a pair on debut. Dickwella 1, Mendis 4. 51-5. Sri Lanka leads by 88 runs.
REVIEW FOR ENGLAND: England are reviewing the umpires decision for a inside edge.
Review lost for England as Dickwella didn’t edge the ball.
18th over: Good over from Leach making things difficult for the Sri Lanka batsman. Dickwella 1, Mendis 4. 53-5. Sri Lanka leads by 90 runs.
19th over: Not a great over from Bess going for 7 runs in the over and showing his inconsistencies when he is bowling for his team. Dickwella 6, Mendis 6. 60-5. Sri Lanka leads by 97 runs.
20th over: Mendis almost got caught by edging the ball through Root and Bairstow at slip. Another expensive over for England which they will be disappointed with. Dickwella 7, Mendis 11. 66-5. Sri Lanka leads by 103 runs.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Dickwella drives the ball straight to Dan Lawrence who takes a good catch. Another wicket for Bess who has three now. Dickwella out for seven runs bowled Bess caught Lawrence.
Dilruwan Perera is now in and will try and recover the current situation Sri Lanka is in.
21st over: Another chance for England to get another wicket but Root could not hold on the ball with the last ball in the session. Another wicket for England in the over which they will be happy with. Mendis 11, Perera 1. 67-6. Sri Lanka is leading by 104 runs.
Good session for England getting six wickets already and putting pressure on the Sri Lanka side. The home side will be disappointed with how they batted as they was giving away their wickets like they did in the first game. Sri Lanka still are leading the game but would have hoped for a better batting performance.
Both sides are coming out now with Leach going to continue bowling for his side.
22nd over: Perera tried to get a boundary by running down the ground but didn’t hit the ball as far and only score two. Perera 4, Mendis 11. 70-6. Sri Lanka leads by 107 runs.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Bess gets another wicket getting rid of Perera with Crawley getting another catch at short leg. Perera out for four runs bowled Bess caught Crawley.
Lakmal is now in for Sri Lanka as the home side are struggling.
23rd over: Another good over for Bess getting another wicket for his side and are getting closer to getting Sri Lanka all out. Lakmal 0, Mendis 11. 71-7. Sri Lanka leading by 108 runs.
REVIEW FOR ENGLAND: Root has gone upstair as he believes Mendis and edged but the umpire didn’t give it.
Poor review from England the ball was very far away from the bat as another sweep shot was missed by a Sri Lanka player.
24th over: Mendis has looked good early on after getting a duck in the first innings getting some boundaries for his side. Mendis is Sri Lanka’s batsman that is still in so he will need to survive with the tail. Mendis 15, Lakmal 2. 76-7. Sri Lanka leading by 113 runs.
25th over: Lakmal scored his first run in the innings as both batsman get a single in the over. Mendis 16, Lakmal 3. 78-7. Sri Lanka leading by 115 runs.
REVIEW FOR ENGLAND: Third time lucky? Another review for England as they believe Mendis edged the ball onto his foot.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: England finally get a review right this innings as Leach gets the wicket of Mendis. Buttler was able to take a catch behind the stumps from the bowling of Leach. Mendis out for 16 runs bowled Leach caught Buttler.
Embuldeniya is now in for Sri Lanka
78-8! ๐คฏ
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) January 25, 2021
Mendis caught off the boot on the sweep – just as Buttler was in England's first innings! ๐ฑ
Great review from Buttler with Root off the field & a fourth wicket for Leach! ๐
Sri Lanka lead by 115 #SLvENG ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ๐
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26th over: Good over for Leach getting the wicket of Mendis as now England are only facing tail end batsman. Embuldeniya 1, Lakmal 3. 79-8 Sri Lanka leading by 116 runs.
27th over: Embuldeniya able to get a boundary off the last ball in the over. England will be hoping to get rid off the tail soon so they will have a small total to get. Embuldeniya 6, Lakmal 4. 85-8 Sri Lanka leading by 122 runs.
28th over: The two Sri Lanka batsman are doing to slowly increase the Sri Lanka lead. Embuldeniya 7, Lakmal 5. 87-8 Sri Lanka leading by 124 runs.
29th over: Embuldeniya has looked good since coming out to bat as he has scored a few boundaries now for his team. Lakmal has done well to support his partner. Embuldeniya 12, Lakmal 5. 92-8 Sri Lanka leading by 129 runs.
30th over: Embuldeniya has looked very good so fair has he was able to score Sri Lanka’s first six this innings. He seems to be the aggressor for his side. Embuldeniya 24, Lakmal 5. 104-8 Sri Lanka leading by 141 runs.
31st over: Good over from Bess making it difficult for the home side to score runs and increase their lead. Embuldeniya 25, Lakmal 6. 105-8 Sri Lanka leading by 143 runs.
32nd over: Embuldeniya scored two more boundaries in the over and is scoring possibly game winning runs. Embuldeniya 34, Lakmal 6. 115-8 Sri Lanka leading by 153 runs.
33rd over: Embuldeniya scoring more boundaries for his side have helping Sri Lanka to a total they would be able to defend when England are batting. Embuldeniya 39, Lakmal 7. 120-8 Sri Lanka leading by 158 runs.
Joe Root is putting himself onto bowl.
34rd over: Maiden over for Root who had Bairstow drop a catch off Embuldeniya. The England captain looked good when he was bowling. Embuldeniya 39, Lakmal 7. 120-8 Sri Lanka leading by 158 runs.
35th over: Lakmal now getting his first boundary by running down the ground to score four runs. Embuldeniya 40, Lakmal 11. 126-8 Sri Lanka leading by 164 runs.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: The captain gets the wicket off Embuldeniya with Bairstow getting the catch at slip. The captain has done a good job for with the bat for his side and now has a wicket. Embuldeniya out for 40 bowled Root caught Bairstow.
Asitha Fernando is the last batsman in for his side.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Fernando is out first ball again from Root as he drags the ball onto his stumps. Fernando out for 0 runs bowled Root.
Sri Lanka all out for 126 with England needing to chase 164 runs. All ten wickets for England was from spinners as Bess and Leach took four wickets each.
England openers are coming out now. Both Crawley and Sibley have struggled too far this series. Embuldeniya is opening the bowling hoping to add to his seven wickets in the first innings.
1st over: Good start from the England openers. Crawley was able to get a boundary with Embuldeniya bowling a full toss. Crawley 6, Sibley 1. 7-0. England need 154 runs to win.
Perera is going bowl from the other end for England.
2nd over: Both the England openers scoring singles in the over. The openers will be feeling under pressure due to their performance in the series as a whole. Crawley 7, Perera 2. 9-0. England need 152 runs to win.
3rd over: Good over for England getting two singles as well as Embuldeniya giving England a free run by bowling a no ball. Crawley 8, Sibley 3. 12-0. England need 149 runs to win.
4th over: Crawley is looking good for his side at the start of the innings scoring 5 runs in the over. The Kent batsman was able to maintain the strike for the next over. Crawley 13, Sibley 3. 17-0. England need 144 runs to win.
WICKET FOR ENGLAND: Embuldeniya strike again getting Crawley four times out of four in this series. The batsman edged the ball and Fernando was able to react quickly and take the catch. Crawley out for 13 bowled Embuldeniya caught Fernando.
Johnny Bairstow is now in for England.
5th over: Wicket maiden for Embuldeniya getting rid off Crawley in the over. Bairstow 0, Sibley 4. 19-1. England need 144 runs to win.
7th over: Bairstow is off the mark for his side. He is one of England’s better player of spin and will need to score a lot of runs for his side if they are going to chase this total. Bairstow 2, Sibley 5. 21-1. England need 142 runs to win.
Mendis has now joined the Sri Lanka bowling attack.
8th over: England done well during the over scoring singles and just ticking the scoreboard over and getting closer to their target total. Bairstow 3, Sibley 7. 24-1. England need 139 runs to win.
Embuldeniya is now bowling from the other end.
9th over: Good over for England with both batsman scoring a boundary with Bairstow getting a boundary with a reverse sweep. Bairstow 8, Sibley 12. 35-1. England need 128 runs to win.
10th over: Another good over for England with Bairstow getting the first six off the innings as he smashed the ball over backward square leg. Bairstow 15, Sibley 13. 43-1. England need 121 runs to win.
REVIEW FOR SRI LANKA: The home side has appealed a LBW however the umpire and turned down the appeal. Sibley was back on his stumps again like his dismissal in the first innings.
The decision was umpires call so Sibley is still in for his side.
11th over: Both batsman was able to score singles in the over with Sibley surviving a review. Bairstow 16, Sibley 14. 45-1. England need 119 runs to win.
REVIEW FOR SRI LANKA: Another review for Sri Lanka which ended with umpires call again which means Sibley survives again.
12th over: England was only able to score one run in the final over as Sibley survives another review due to umpires calls. Bairstow 17, Sibley 14. 46-1. England need 118 runs to win.
The 2nd session of the day has finish with England on 46-1 and will be happy with how things are going so far for their team. Embuldeniya was able to get the of Crawley however Bairstow and Sibley have looked good early on.
The final session of the day has started with Bairstow and Sibley out to bat for England with Embuldeniya bowling the first over in the session.
REVIEW FOR SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka believe that they have got the wicket of Bairstow.
Sri Lanka lose their first review because the third umpire believes that the ball didn’t hit Bairstow’s glove.
13th over: Good over from Bairstow as he was able to score seven runs and survive a review. The Yorkshire batsman was also able to maintain the strike for the next over. Bairstow 24, Sibley 14. 53-1. England need 111 runs to win.
14th over: England able to score another nine runs in the over which included four leg byes. Sri Lanka also had a stumping decision turned down by the third umpire. Bairstow 29, Sibley 14. 62-1. England need 102 runs to win.
REVIEW FOR ENGLAND: Bairstow is given out for LBW and has reviewed the decision.
WICKET FOR SRI LANKA: Bairstow was given out by the third umpire thanks to the umpire decision. England didn’t lose their review but they lose the wicket of Bairstow. Bairstow out for 29 runs lbw Embuldeniya.
Root is now in for his side. Root is the main danger man for England
15th over: Wicket maiden for Embuldeniya getting rid of Bairstow and bring in Root. Root 0, Sibley 14. 62-1. England need 102 runs to win.
16th over: Root is off the mark for his side with a single in the over. Sibley is able to score a single for his team as they need 100 runs to win. Root 1, Sibley 15. 64-1. England need 100 runs to win.
17th over: Another over where both the batsman score one single each and are getting closer to win this game and the series. Root 2, Sibley 16. 66-1. England need 98 runs to win.
18th over: Maiden over for Sri Lanka which will help them slow done the run rate and frustrate the England players. Root 2, Sibley 16. 66-1. England need 98 runs to win.
19th over: Good over from England as they were able to score six runs and relieve some pressure as they are getting closer to their target score. Root 4, Sibley 20. 72-2. England need 92 runs to win.
20th over: Sri Lanka needs to stop bowling no balls as they are giving England free runs. If they do these they will definitely lose this games especially if Root stays in. Root 5, Sibley 22. 76-2. England need 88 runs to win.
21st over: Root is looking strong again defending ball on the back foot when his has too. Root 6, Sibley 23. 78-2. England need 86 runs to win
Mendis is back on for Sri Lanka as they are searching for another wicket.
WICKET FOR SRI LANKA: Huge wicket for Sri Lanka as they get the wicket off Root and they will be feeling really confident now that they can get rid of the rest of the England line up. Root out for 11 bowled Mendis.
Dan Lawrence in for England who will need a big performance for his side.
22nd over: Huge over for Sri Lanka getting rid of Joe Root. Now England will be very nervous losing their star batsman. Lawrence 1, Sibley 24. 85-3. England need 79 runs to win.
23rd over: Maiden over for Sri Lanka as Dan Lawrence done well defending 6 balls as he has just came in for his side. Lawrence 1, Sibley 24. 85-3. England need 79 runs to win.
24th over: England was able to score three runs in the over and relieve some pressure after losing the wicket of their captain Root. Lawrence 2, Sibley 26. 88-3. England need 76 runs to win.
WICKET FOR SRI LANKA: Lawrence is out for edging the ball onto the his foot and getting caught by Dickwella behind the stumps. Embuldeniya has picked up his 10th wicket off the game. Lawrence out for two runs bowled Embuldeniya caught Dickwella.
25th over: Big over for Sri Lanka getting another wicket and are now six wickets away from winning the game. Sibley 28. 90-4. England need 75 runs to win
Jos Buttler now is in for his team who’s experience is needed for his team.
26th over: Brilliant shot at the end of the over from Buttler to relieve some pressure for him and his side. Buttler 4, Sibley 28. 94-4. England need 70 runs to win.
27th over: Good over for England Sibley was able to get a lucky boundary and get some valuable runs for his side. Buttler 4, Sibley 34. 100-4. England need 64 runs.
28th over: Sibley has looked focus since the start of the innings slowing scoring run and getting his side closer to winning the game and the series. Buttler 6, Sibley 36. 104-4. England need 60 runs to win.
29th over: Sibley is looking strong defensively and not giving Sri Lanka many opportunities to get him out. The England opener was able to maintain the strike for the next over. Buttler 6, Sibley 37. 105-4. England need 59 runs to win.
30th over: Another good over for England as both batsman was able to score a couple of runs each in the over. Sri Lanka will need to break this partnership then they will be facing the weaker England batsman. Buttler 8, Sibley 39. 109-4. England need 55 runs to win.
Perera is back in the bowling attack for Sri Lanka.
31st over: Good work from Buttler in the over scoring two runs twice in the over. The wicketkeeper batsman has been in good form in test cricket in the last year for England. Buttler 12, Sibley 39. 113-4. England need 51 runs to win.
32nd over: Good work from the two England batsman being able to score 5 runs and consistently scoring single in the over. They are rotating the strike well which will relieve pressure off the batsman. Buttler 14, Sibley 42. 118-4. England need 46 runs to win.
33rd over: England was only able to score one run in the over. Buttler 14, Sibley 43. 119-4. England need 45 runs to win.
REVIEW FOR SRI LANKA: LBW appeal for Sri Lanka given not out.
Third time Sibley survives with the umpire call for LBW.
34th over: Both batsman was able to score singles in the over after Sibley survived the review. Buttler 15, Sibley 44. 121-4. England need 43 runs to win.
35th over: Buttler was able to score three runs for his side in the over and is helping his side get closer to their target. Buttler 18, Sibley 44. 124-4. England need 40 runs to win.
36th over: Mendis had a chance to catch Buttler but couldn’t do it and dropped it. Buttler was able to score two runs after in the over. Buttler Buttler 18, Sibley 44. 124-4. England need 38 runs to win.
37th over: England now six runs closer to getting to their their target total. Buttler has been the aggressor for England in the last few overs. Buttler 25, Sibley 45. 132-4. England need 32 runs to win.
38th over: Buttler and Sibley was able to reach the 50 partnership during the over and score 10 runs and are close to getting to winning the game and the series. Buttler 33, Sibley 47. 142-4. England need 22 runs to win.
39th over: Only one run in the over was score with Sibley scoring a run with the last ball in the over and keeping the strike. Buttler 33, Sibley 48. 142-4. England need 22 runs to win.
40th over: Another six runs for England in the over with Buttler scoring a brilliant boundary driving the ball through the on side. Buttler 38, Sibley 49. 151-4. England need 16 runs to win.
41th over: Buttler was able to score two more runs for his side as they are closer to winning the game. Buttler 40, Sibley 49. 151-4. England need 15 runs to win.
HALF CENTURY FOR SIBLEY: Brilliant half century for Sibley who has returned to form and played brilliantly.
42nd over: Only one run in the over which bought Sibley his half century. Buttler 40, Sibley 50. 152-4. England need 14 runs to win.
43rd over: England practically confirmed victory thanks to this partnership from Buttler and Sibley. England was able to score nine runs in the over and only need three more runs. Buttler 45, Sibley 54. England need 3 runs to win.
ENGLAND WIN: England have won the game by six wickets which means they won the series 2-0. The partnership between Sibley and Buttler was huge for England’s win. Embuldeniya was brilliant with the ball for Sri Lanka getting ten wickets. However man of the match and man of the series has to go Joe Root who batted brilliantly throughout scoring 426 runs in the two games in the series.
