Thirimanne leads Lanka fightback after Root’s double ton

Root's 228 had provided England a strong total of 421 and a meaningful first innings lead of 286, but Thirimanne stood firm for two sessions to remain unbeaten on 76 off 189 balls

Galle: Lahiru Thirimanne led Sri Lanka’s gallant fightback to cut England’s lead to 130 after captain Joe Root hit his fourth double century in tests on the third day of the first cricket test on Saturday.

Root’s 228 had provided England a strong total of 421 and a meaningful first innings lead of 286, but Thirimanne stood firm for two sessions to remain unbeaten on 76 off 189 balls and carried Sri Lanka to 156-2 at stumps. Thirimanne’s patient knock which included six boundaries was in sharp contrast to Sri Lanka’s first innings effort when the whole team was rattled for 135 in two sessions on the first day.

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Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 135 & 156/2 in 61 overs (Lahiru Thirimanne 76 batting, Kusal Perera 61) Vs England 421 (Joe Root 228, Dan Lawrence 73; Dilruwan Paerera 4/109, Lasith Embuldeniya 3/176).