Twitter Reactions: England maintain dominance against Sri Lanka on Day 2 at Lord’s

Gus Atkinson. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)

Day 2 of the ongoing second Test between England and Sri Lanka saw England strengthen their position in the game even further. Day 1 ended with England having a score of 358 runs, with Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts on the crease. Atkinson put forth an exceptional performance, solidifying his side’s position in the game. 

Scoring 118 runs in 115 deliveries, Atkinson made a huge contribution in the first innings and helped England reach a total of 427 runs. As for Sri Lanka, Asitha Fernando was the highest wicket-taker with five wickets to his name. Lahiru Kumara and Milan Rathnayake took two wickets each, with Prabath Jayasuriya striking once. 

As Sri Lanka came in to bat in the first innings, the side got off to a subpar start as openers Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne departed for seven runs each. Furthermore, the side’s middle order could not amount to much as well. Pathum Nissanka and Angelo Mathews scored 12 and 22 runs, respectively, with Dinesh Chandimal adding 23 runs onto the scoreboard. 

Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva was sent packing to the pavilion for a duck, but Kamindu Mendis did attempt to stabilise his side’s innings. Playing a resilient knock, Mendis scored 74 runs in 120 deliveries and helped Sri Lanka post a total of 196 runs in the first innings. 

As for England, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, and Matthew Potts were the highest wicket takers with two wickets each to their names; Shoaib Bashir took one wicket as well. 

Coming into the second innings with a huge lead, Day 2 of the second Test ended with England batting on a score of 25 runs after having lost one wicket. The side will hope to pile on some runs on the board and post a big target for the visitors to chase down. 

Here’s how X reacted to day 2 of the second ENG-SL Test: