England wrap up series in front of sparse Lord's crowd
The Independent|September 02, 2024
England claimed a series victory against Sri Lanka, with Gus Atkinson taking five wickets in front of a meagre crowd at the Home of Cricket.
SONIA TWIGG
England wrap up series in front of sparse Lord's crowd

The tourists put up a strong fight, with Dimuth Karunaratne making 55 and Dinesh Chandimal 58, but Atkinson steered England to victory with another five-wicket haul in what has been a memorable maiden Test summer for the Surrey seamer.

Sri Lanka had started the day on 53 for two after bad light had forced a premature end to the evening session the night before, but the result already felt like a foregone conclusion with the tourists needing a world-record 483 to win, and Ollie Pope’s team claimed the 190-run victory just after 5pm on the fourth day.

Throughout the first three days of the Test match, while not sold out, the attendance at Lord’s was fairly solid, despite the start of the Premier League, and a significant improvement on Old Trafford for the first match. However, the fourth day of play was a markedly different scene, the top tiers of three of the stands around the ground were empty, with others sparsely populated. It was obvious from the mostly empty Tube station before the start of play that the normal buzz would at least be subdued.

This story is from the September 02, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 02, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE INDEPENDENTView All
Carse justifies England faith as the archetypal bold pick
The Independent

Carse justifies England faith as the archetypal bold pick

If you won a boxing match after your opponent continually punched themselves in the face, how much credit can you take?

time-read
3 mins  |
December 02, 2024
Tenacious Diallo the key to Amorim pressing machine
The Independent

Tenacious Diallo the key to Amorim pressing machine

Old Trafford has not seen anything like this before.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 02, 2024
Gold King Cole packs the Bridge with merry old souls
The Independent

Gold King Cole packs the Bridge with merry old souls

In the 83rd minute, the ball rolled to the feet of Cole Palmer in a bubble of space outside Aston Villa's box, and the crowd snapped to attention.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 02, 2024
Vibrant Anfield marks the changing of the Guardiola
The Independent

Vibrant Anfield marks the changing of the Guardiola

There was a lull in the noise, a break in the Anfield atmosphere, when a defiant chant emerged from a corner near Stefan Ortega’s goal.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 02, 2024
What is so daunting about Spain's new data checks?
The Independent

What is so daunting about Spain's new data checks?

Q You have written about the new “red tape” for visitors to Spain. So, as well as your usual passport details you will give a contact number, address and email. Not exactly the Spanish Inquisition, is it?

time-read
1 min  |
December 02, 2024
Sectarian clashes claim at least 130 lives in Pakistan
The Independent

Sectarian clashes claim at least 130 lives in Pakistan

At least 130 people were killed in deadly sectarian clashes in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram district in spite of a tentative ceasefire, days after gunmen opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying Shia Muslims, local officials said.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 02, 2024
Coalition government likely in Ireland as count proceeds
The Independent

Coalition government likely in Ireland as count proceeds

Fianna Fail say decisions on power-sharing for another day’

time-read
4 mins  |
December 02, 2024
How Syria's forgotten war is back on the world's agenda
The Independent

How Syria's forgotten war is back on the world's agenda

Many believed the country was lost in an unsolvable conflict, until everything changed in a matter of days, writes Bel Trew

time-read
4 mins  |
December 02, 2024
Assad regime scrambles to halt Syrian rebels’ advance
The Independent

Assad regime scrambles to halt Syrian rebels’ advance

Civilians reportedly killed by Russian and Syrian airstrikes

time-read
4 mins  |
December 02, 2024
Mother of poisoning victim says she knew she would die
The Independent

Mother of poisoning victim says she knew she would die

Lawyer Simone White succumbed to the effects of methanol while backpacking in Laos with two of her childhood friends

time-read
2 mins  |
December 02, 2024