Gus Atkinson delivered a standout performance by capturing five wickets as England dominated Sri Lanka with a 190-run victory in the second Test at Lord's on Sunday, securing an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka, tasked with a new Test record fourth-innings target of 483, were all out for 292 after tea on the fourth day, despite notable contributions from Dinesh Chandimal (58), Dimuth Karunaratne (55), and captain Dhananjaya de Silva (50). Fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who had previously scored his maiden first-class century in England's first innings of 427, spearheaded the bowling attack with figures of 5-62.
This achievement earned Atkinson the player-of-the-match award and marked his fifth appearance on the dressing room honors boards at the 'Home of Cricket', following his 12-wicket haul on debut against the West Indies at Lord's last month. He joined an elite group of English players, Tony Greig and Ian Botham, as the only ones to score a century and take five wickets in the same Test.
Atkinson's impressive performance contributed to England's seventh consecutive win over Sri Lanka, following their five-wicket victory in the first Test at Old Trafford. The match also marked a personal milestone for Joe Root, who scored centuries in both innings—143 and 103—setting a new record of 34 Test centuries for an England batsman.
Sri Lanka faces a quick turnaround before the third Test at the Oval, Atkinson's home ground, begins on Friday. They started the day at 53-2 in front of a sparse yet sunlit audience. Despite the challenging odds, early on Sunday, Root missed a chance to dismiss Karunaratne, who went on to score 55 before being caught by Jamie Smith off a rising delivery from Olly Stone.
Sri Lanka's innings saw a brief counter-attack from Chandimal, who scored a quick fifty, but they ultimately fell short, with England sealing the victory.
