On the third day of the second Youth Men’s Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Cheltenham, Rocky Flintoff put on a record-breaking display while the English continued to dictate play.
With an astounding 106 to help the Young Lions record 477 and build a 324 lead in the first innings, the 16-year-old became the youngest player to score a century for the England Under-19s, all while being watched by his father, former England all-rounder Andrew.
Just last month, Flintoff junior signed his first professional deal with Lancashire. He faced 181 balls, hit two sixes and nine fours, and together with Jack Carney, scored 78 runs for the sixth wicket to ensure that England easily defeated Sri Lanka’s 153 for the first innings.
The tourists finished the game on 246 for 7, 78 runs behind, despite playing stronger batting in their second innings. They will need to work hard to win the game. The home team reinforced their dominance as Harry Moore and Farhan Ahmed both got 2 for 41. Mahith Perera scored 61 and Dinuru Kalupahana 40 to add 88 for the fifth wicket.
If England’s goal at the beginning of the day was to put more pressure on Sri Lanka and accelerate the pace of scoring, they achieved both goals in the morning session, which produced an additional 76 runs in 22 overs.
In an attempt to advance the score, Carney made a mistake by pushing a ball from Vihas Thewmika towards the off side and trying to score a single, only to be run out by Thisara Ekanayake’s lightning-fast reflexes. In a crucial partnership of 78 runs in 24 overs for the sixth wicket with Flintoff, England’s wicketkeeper made 29 runs and helped to neutralise the new ball’s threat.
Pushing a ball from Chanthuka to mid-off and finishing a hasty single, Rocky Flintoff reached his hundred from 178 deliveries, pounding the air in joy and sending the grateful Festival crowd to their feet.
While flashing flashes of his extraordinary brilliance, Flintoff’s innings were marked by alertness as he prioritised his team’s needs. Although his leisurely manner may suggest a relaxed attitude, his stoic career was built on focus and drive.
Flintoff, trying to speed up, holed out to long-on off Praveen Maneesha’s bowling for 106, putting England far ahead of 300 at that time.
Before being caught in the deep by Praveen Maneesha’s bowling, Moore amassed a solid twenty-four from forty-two balls, which included two sixes and a four. Thewmika then quickly removed tailenders Ahmed and Charlie Barnard to complete the innings. Despite difficult conditions, Sri Lanka’s bowlers persevered, with spinners Thewmika and Maneesha contributing figures of 3 for 82 and 3 for 112, respectively, to contain the damage.
In the second innings, England’s bowlers found the conditions unsatisfactory and had to work hard on a pitch that had become somewhat flat during the first day of play. However, they were still able to make significant progress, with Moore, their speed leader, playing a pivotal role.
Gaining momentum from the College Lawn end, the 17-year-old Derbyshire prospect first held Pulindu Perera at first slip with the score at 48. Afterwards, he made excellent use of his 6ft5in height, pulling off a spectacular catch at mid-off to remove Sharujan Shanmuganathan off Noah Thain’s bowl.
Quick friend Just before teatime, Naavya Sharma delivered a crucial blow when first-inning hero Gayana Weerasinghe was caught at slip, bringing Sri Lanka to 104 for 3. In the last session, with the score at 128 after England had switched to spin, Ekanayake stole a delivery from Charlie Barnard and went for a 127-ball 39.
Perera and Kalupahana mustered defiance just when it was most required, adding 88 runs between them to temporarily dampen English ambition. Perera, who was under pressure, played with grace and made an impressive fifty off fifty-seven balls, including nine fours and a six. However, Kalupahana was ten runs short of the same mark when spinner Farhan Ahmed found an edge and Thain made a superb catch at slip to remove the captain of Sri Lanka.
When Diniru Abeywickramasinghe was caught behind off Ahmed’s bowling long before the end, the tourists were 236 for 7 and in serious difficulty. Moore had Perera pull straight to mid-wicket in the next over.
India
