“With the Duke ball we use here it can wobble a lot in England, especially at Lord’s where the ball can drop by as much as a foot just about before it’s about to go into the gloves”.
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But England’s hopes of pushing for a 3-0 Investec series whitewash then receded after Bairstow dropped a straightforward chance which reprieved opener Dimuth Karunaratne on 28.
Jonny Bairstow’s unbeaten knock of 167 was the second-highest Test score by an England wicketkeeper – behind Alec Stewart’s 173 at Auckland in 1996-97 – and the second-highest by any keeper in England, behind West Indian Clyde Walcott’s 168 not out at Lord’s in 1950.
The 27-year-old remains philosophical about his misfortune, however, with the Australian umpire Rod Tucker – present for the first and most recent of the three chances – instead taking the blame.
Karunaratne s exit ended an opening stand of 108 with Silva – easily Sri Lanka s best top-order partnership of the series.
He later took a decent chance down the leg side to give Steve Finn a welcome wicket, then missed a devilishly hard chance off the inside edge of Kaushal Silva’s bat inside the final hour, his glove arriving a fraction of a second after the ball flashed past.
“But still we have to play really well to score runs – they (England) have a quality attack”. He came around the wicket, chucked it into the rubbish for a bit, I got frustrated and gave my wicket away. It’s Test cricket, you’ve got to adapt to the conditions. “That is the nature of cricket”. To go one step further and make a hundred in front of a packed house at Lord’s is a very special feeling.
Bairstow, as if forecasting his own error in dropping Karunaratne, although in reality making a statement of fact, added: “There are going to be more chances put down”. Herath’s intelligent slow bowling brought him 4-81, Sri Lanka’s best figures. England resumed on 279/6 with Bairstow 107 not out and Woakes unbeaten on 23.
Bairstow made amends by grabbing Karunaratne down the legside off Steven Finn (1-31) soon after he’d reached his half century, but it was to be England’s only wicket of the day.
England (1st Innings): A. Cook lbw b Pradeep 85, A. Hales c Mathews b Herath 18, N. Compton c Chandimal b Lakmal 1, J. Root lbw b Lakmal 3, J. Vince b Pradeep 10, J. Bairstow (not out) 167, M. Ali c Mathews b Herath 25, C. Woakes c and b Herath 66, S. Broad c Mendis b Lakmal 14, S. Finn c Lakmal b Herath 7, J. Anderson c Chandimal b Eranga 4. Extras: (lb16) 16.
Woakes reached his 50, from 102 balls, with his seventh boundary – flashed past point off Shaminda Eranga.
But Woakes fell when caught and bowled by Herath off a chipped drive.
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Bairstow batted on, however, and his leg-glanced four off Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews saw him surpass his previous Test-best 150 not out against South Africa at Cape Town in January.
