England captain Alastair Cook makes history by reaching 10,000 Test runs
Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs as his side beat defiant Sri Lanka by nine wickets to seal a series victory after Dinesh Chandimal made a magnificent century on day four.
Cook must have been expecting to become the youngest player to reach the landmark in the third and final Test at Lord’s, with England looking set to wrap up another innings victory at Chester-le-Street on Monday.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Chandimal (126) and spinner Rangana Herath (61) had other ideas, putting on 116 for seventh wicket to frustrate England before James Anderson (5-58) took his third five-wicket haul of the series.
Anderson also passed 450 wickets in Tests as Sri Lanka were all out for 475 after making only 101 in the first innings and captain Cook’s historic moment finally came after England were set only 79 to win.
The 31-year-old opening batsman needed only five runs to reach five figures and made an assured 47 not out as England took an unassailable 2-0 lead.
England looked to be heading for another innings victory when Milinda Siriwardana (35) was caught by Alex Hales in the gully off Anderson without adding to his overnight score.
The tourists still trailed by 83 with England needing only four wickets to seal the series and Chandimal ought to have been on his way when he edged Anderson behind on 69, but wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow put him down.
Chandimal rubbed salt into the wounds of England’s leading Test wicket-taker by drilling him through the covers for four from the final ball of the same over and continued to play expansive shots to frustrate Cook’s side.
The composed Chandimal continued to make the most of a flat pitch and bellowed out a roar of delight after edging Woakes to the boundary to bring up his sixth Test century.
Burly spinner Herath ensured England would bat again when he pulled Woakes to midwicket for a single and had a second Test half-century to his name after being given a life on 46 when James Vince dropped a skier off Anderson.
Anderson finally ended a magnificent stand when he trapped Herath leg before to reach the 450 mark and flattened Shaminda Eranga’s off stump to complete yet another five-wicket haul.
Chandimal drove Moeen Ali down the ground for four and dispatched the spinner’s next ball over midwicket for six with a slog sweep before he was bowled by Broad, who took a catch off Woakes’ (2-103) bowling to end the innings.
Cook’s historic moment came when he guided Nuwan Pradeep to the midwicket boundary to get a sparse crowd on their feet and saw England to a comfortable victory along with Nick Compton (22no) after Hales had fallen for 11.
