Debut Test victory for Essex boy Lawrence
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Sri Lanka: 135 and 359
England: 421 and 76/3
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat – England won by seven wickets
Essex’s Dan Lawrence made a winning start to his Test Cricket career as England saw off hosts Sri Lanka by seven-wicket in Galle.
The Leytonstone-born Essex right-handed batsman became the 123rd player to play Test cricket for England this century and scored 73 off 150 deliveries as the tourists built a commanding first-innings lead of 285 (Root 255 – Perera 4/109)
The 23-year-old was in the middle for 182 minutes, hitting six 4s and one 6 amongst his haul before he was dismissed, caught at short leg by Kusal Mendis off Dilruwan Perera – His fourth-wicket partnership with skipper, Joe Root, 173.
Earlier, Sri Lanka were dismissed inside 47 overs for 135 – Deputising skipper, Dinesh Chandimal top-scoring with 28 – Dom Bess doing the majority of the damage with the ball, taking 5/30 from 10.1 overs.
However, the hosts faired far better second time around – Thirimanne top-scoring with 111 of their 359 (Leach 5/122).
But chasing only 74, was never really going to cause the tourists an issue, despite an uncomfortable start which left England on14/3.
Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley fell to left-arm Lasith Embuldeniya, while there was no repeat of Root’s tremendous first-innings knock after he was run out following confusion with Jonny Bairstow.
But Lawrence provided another mature performance in the middle and was unbeaten on 21 – his unbroken stand with Bairstow 62 – as England secured a series lead.
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal (Capt), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya, Asitha Fernando
England: Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (Capt), Dan Lawrence, Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Dom Bess, Jack Leach, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad
Officials: Handunnettige Dharmasena, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Lyndon Hannibal, Raja Wimalasiri and Ranjan Madugalle
