England secure a lead of 286 as wickets and runs flow on third morning
Lunch England 421 (Root 228, Lawrence 73) lead Sri Lanka 135 by 286 runs
Sri Lanka are facing a desperate fight for survival after Joe Root led England into an apparently impregnable position in the first Test in Galle.
Root’s double-century – the fourth of his Test career and his second as captain – helped England take a first-innings lead of 286 by the time they were bowled out on the brink of lunch on the third day.
The ease with which Root amassed his runs might give a somewhat misleading impression about the nature of this pitch. But while Root appeared to find life straightforward – he was last man out, caught on the long-on boundary, ten minutes before the scheduled lunch break – it might be noted that only two other men in the match so far have made more than 30 and the last five in the England side contributed only 17 runs between them. Sri Lanka claimed six wickets in the morning session, making use…