Alastair Cook scores 85 but Nick Compton struggles again...
Friday 10 June 2016 20:41, UK
Jonny Bairstow survived a number of scares to score a third Test ton and guide England to 279-6 on day one of the third Investec Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's.
Bairstow was dropped on 11, in danger of being run out on 44, and on the right side of a tight lbw call on 56 as he added an unbeaten 107 to his century in the first Test of the series at Headingley and his maiden hundred versus South Africa in Cape Town over the winter.
The Yorkshireman shared stands of 80 with captain Alastair Cook (85) and 63 with Moeen Ali (25) as England rebuilt after slipping to 84-4 in the final Test of a series they wrapped up with their nine-wicket triumph in Durham last week.
Cook became the first Englishman, the youngest player and the 12th batsman overall to surpass 10,000 Test runs at Chester-le-Street and he completed two milestones in the morning session in north London after electing to bat under cloudless skies.
The opener overtook Ian Bell's tally of 13,331 to become his nation's second leading run scorer across all formats - only Kevin Pietersen (13,779) is ahead of him - and, alongside Alex Hales (18), shared the first half-century opening stand of the series for either side.
Sri Lanka, though, fought back after ending the Cook-Hales stand at 56, England losing four wickets for 28 runs once Hales unleashed an ugly swipe in Rangana Herath's first over and was caught at slip.
Nick Compton (1) edged his 11th delivery behind on his home track - the 32-year-old now collecting just 98 runs in his last nine Test innings - while Joe Root (3) fell lbw on review with Hawk-Eye showing the ball would have crashed into leg, Suranga Lakmal the bowler on both occasions.
James Vince (10) was bowled by a Nuwan Pradeep bail-trimmer after lunch and the tourists should have had England five down with the score on 102, Shaminda Eranga shelling a routine catch to dismiss the in-form Bairstow at midwicket.
Bairstow soon punished Sri Lanka, drilling the next ball to the boundary and bossing his partnership with Cook before the skipper was pinned lbw by Pradeep with the tea break approaching - the left-hander collecting a 48th Test fifty but now having gone 16 innings without a Test ton.
Bairstow enjoyed a lucky escape post-tea after dozily stepping out of his crease, seeing the shy from gully scuttle away for four byes rather than into his stumps, while he then withstood an lbw review, the decision remaining umpire's call despite technology suggesting leg stump was set to be hit.
Herath became the third Sri Lankan to claim two wickets on the day when he had Moeen snaffled sharply by Angelo Mathews in the cordon, the visiting captain adding a second catch to his earlier grab to dismiss Hales.
Chris Woakes proved another fine foil to Bairstow, though, adding an unbeaten 23 and embracing his team-mate as he brought up three figures off 160 deliveries shortly before the close.
Watch live coverage of day two of the third Investec Test from 10.30am on Friday on Sky Sports 2. Before then, catch highlights from day one at 8pm on Sky Sports 2, followed by The Verdict - with Charles Colvile, Bob Willis, Jonathan Trott and Russel Arnold - at 9pm on the same channel.
