TOP SPIN ON THE TEST: Joe Root's 186 moves him up England leaderboard
TOP SPIN ON THE TEST: Joe Root’s marathon 186 takes him past Geoff Boycott, Kevin Pietersen and David Gower on England’s all-time run list… and he’s scored more than all of his team-mates put together in Sri Lanka!
- Joe Root hit a second innings total on 186 during the second Test in Sri Lanka
- The England captain was run out on the final ball of the day – England are 339-9
- Root has more runs this series than the rest of his England team-mates combined
Joe Root starred once again for England with a second successive 150 total on day three of the second Test in Sri Lanka.
The England captain managed to muster 186 before being dismissed by a run out on the final ball of the day.
With Lasith Embuldeniya bringing his second innings record to 7-132, he tourists will resume on 339-9 on day four, trailing Sri Lanka by 42 runs.
Sportsmail’s LAWRENCE BOOTH looks at the main takeaways from the day’s action in Galle…
After passing Geoff Boycott’s Test tally of 8,114 runs on Saturday, Joe Root overhauled Kevin Pietersen’s 8,181 on Sunday morning, and David Gower (8,231) on Sunday evening.
Joe Root’s brilliant 186 brought England into contention in the second Test at Sri Lanka
Root has managed more runs (415) this series then the rest of his England team-mates (383)
Only three players are ahead of him in England’s all-time list: Alastair Cook (12,472), Graham Gooch (8,900) and Alec Stewart (8,463).
After being run out in the last over of the third day, Root had made 415 runs in this series. All his team-mates put together had totalled 383.
He has faced 633 balls across the two Galle Tests, and been run out twice. The only time he has fallen to a bowler was when he slogged Dilruwan Perera to deep midwicket in the first innings of the first Test with only No 11 Stuart Broad for company.
Among visiting batsmen in Sri Lanka, only West Indies’ Brian Lara (688 runs in six innings in 2001-02) and Australia’s Mike Hussey (463 in five in 2011) have made more runs in a Test series.
Root is the first England player to score 150 or more in successive tests in 16 years
On Sunday, Root went past Sachin Tendulkar’s 390 in five innings in 2010.
Root has now passed 150 nine times in Tests. Only four England players have done so more often: Alastair Cook (11 times), Wally Hammond, Len Hutton and Kevin Pietersen (10 times each).
He is the first England player to score 150 or more in successive Test innings since Marcus Trescothick made 194 at Lord’s and 151 against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street in 2005.
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