England and Sri Lanka draw third Test after near-washout ruins fifth day at Lord's
England have drawn the third Test with Sri Lanka after a second successive day of rain ensured the final game of the three-match series ended on a damp note at Lord's. The tourists had been set a record 362 to win the contest and claim a consolation win, with England chasing 10 wickets on day five. James Anderson did trap Kaushal Silva (16) lbw during one of two periods of play, but there was simply not enough time for a result.
Play was eventually called off at 5:19pm following another bout of rain, handing England a 2-0 series win, ahead of Alastair Cook's side facing Pakistan in a four-Test series starting on 14 July. In between, England face Sri Lanka in five one-day internationals, a series which starts on 21 June, and a one-off T20 international at the Rose Bowl.
Cook said: "It would have been a good day's cricket, would have been good to see our guys under pressure but the English weather got in the way. Pretty good three games, but always room for improvement.
"Alex Hales has come in and done really well, from what happened in South Africa, a real desire to play Test cricket has been seen in those two 80s and a 90. There is always room for improvement, but one of our strengths is we do bat deep. We've scored the runs but our top order have struggled in tough conditions."
Uncapped pair Tymal Mills and Dawid Malan have been called into the England squads for the ODI series against Sri Lanka for the first time. Hampshire's Liam Dawson, who is also yet to make his 50-over debut for England, is also selected in a squad which will again be led by Eoin Morgan. The T20 squad sees Moeen Ali, Alex Hales and Joe Root all rested, while Ben Stokes is absent from both squads due to an ongoing knee problem.
"We have made good progress over the past 12 months in all white ball cricket, which has been very encouraging," national selection James Whitaker said. "The IT20 squad has a balanced feel to it with an exciting blend of youth and experience. This is our first test since reaching the final of the ICC World T20 and we know the players will want to ensure that they play well and win the match.
"This is also an opportunity, if selected, for two new players to showcase their skills at this level. Tymal Mills has been one of the standout performers with the ball in the NatWest T20 Blast competition this season and deserves his chance. Dawid Malan has made great strides as an attacking batsman, both with Middlesex and the England Lions."
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