In the first two Test matches against England, Sri Lanka battled valiantly in spurts but was unable to sustain those performances to win either match. They were defeated by 190 runs in the second game after losing the first by five wickets. The former captain of Sri Lanka and opener Dimuth Karunaratne has described the batting conditions in England as difficult ahead of the third Test at The Oval.
In the first two Test matches, Karunaratne scored just 91 runs at an average of 22.75, with one half-century in four innings. It is noteworthy that, with 203 runs at an average of 50.75, Kamindu Mendis is the second-highest run scorer in the series. Aside from Joe Root, Karunaratne claimed that all other batters found it difficult to bat and that even the hosts struggled.
“Battering conditions are difficult in England, as demonstrated by the struggles of both their openers and No. 3 players. Even though this was their home, everyone else struggled, with the exception of Joe Root. It’s a long time since we’ve played here,” Karunaratne was cited as adding.
Joe Root’s innings have been crucial moments in the matches. Dimuth Karunaratne
Notably, experienced England batsman Joe Root has been on a century-scoring rampage and has been in incredible form. He pulled the game away from the visitors in the second Test by scoring hundreds in both innings. At the legendary Lord’s, the right-hand hitter scored 143 and 103 runs, respectively. Root was acknowledged by Dimuth Karunaratne as the team’s headache, and he described his innings as game-changing moments.
Also Read: ‘One of the best tonnes I’ve seen’ – Adam Gilchrist backs Virat in Kohli-Root argument
“We have made a few attempts to harm Joe, but they have all failed. Those Joe Root innings, in my opinion, have been the game-changing moments. He’s hit big runs even when we’ve played at Galle, but his surrounding hitters haven’t scored as much. We must seriously reduce the number of runs he is scoring,” Karunaratne said.
Home