England’s Jonny Bairstow celebrates scoring a century-Action Images via Reuters

AFP: Jonny Bairstow rode his luck to again rescue England from a top-order collapse with a century on the first day of the third Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday.

At stumps, England were 279 for six, having been 84 for four when Bairstow (107 not out) came to the crease.

It had been a similar story when Bairstow revived England from the depths of 83 for five in the first Test with a superb 140 on his Headingley home ground in a match England eventually won by an innings and 88 runs.

Rather than scoring a maiden Test century at Lord’s, Bairstow should have been out for 11 on Thursday when he clipped Nuwan Pradeep firmly off his pads straight to mid-wicket only for Shaminda Eranga to drop the catch. 

The Yorkshireman had another break when Eranga, selected despite having his action reported in England’s series-clinching nine-wicket win in the second Test at the Riverside, reviewed a rejected lbw appeal when the batsman had made 56.

Replays showed the ball hitting leg stump, but not enough, according to the Decision Review System, to overturn Indian umpire S Ravi’s original not out decision.

Apart from Bairstow, only England captain Alastair Cook (85), who won the toss in sunny conditions ideal for batting, passed fifty on Thursday, with Chris Woakes 23 not out at stumps. 

Sri Lanka performed admirably with the ball, albeit they were again sloppy in the field, on a good pitch where there was a touch of seam movement.

Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep shared four wickets while impressive left-arm spinner Rangana Herath rook an economical two for 45 in 21 overs.

England had already won this three-Test series at 2-0 up.

Cook insisted in the build-up to this match that England were determined to correct their habit of losing ‘dead’ Tests in series they’d already won following heavy defeats at the end of victorious campaigns at home to Australia in 2015 and away to South Africa earlier this year.

Cook, presented with a commemorative bat before play to mark his achievement in becoming the first England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs, a landmark he reached at the Riverside, and fellow opener Alex Hales compiled a fifty stand in 74 balls.

But Herath struck with just his fourth ball he had Hales (18), slogging across the line of a ball that turned, caught by Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews at slip.

By his own admission, Nick Compton was playing for his Test place. But England’s number three, on his Middlesex home ground, fell for one when he was caught behind off a gentle Lakmal away-swinger. Lakmal struck again when he had Joe Root (three) lbw, hitting across the line.

Pradeep got in on the act by bowling James Vince for 10 and England were now 84 for four -- the fifth time in their last seven Test innings they had lost four wickets before reaching 100.

Left-handed opener Cook was closing in on his 29th Test century when, shortly before tea, he was plumb lbw to Pradeep, bowling from around the wicket.

Cook faced 173 balls, including nine fours. Moeen Ali, fresh from his Test-best 155 not out at the Riverside, followed Hales in falling to the Herath/Mathews combination for 25.

Bairstow, strong off his pads and on the drive, cut Pradeep for four to go to 94. He then equalled his previous Test-best at Lord’s of 95, made against South Africa in 2012 before a single off Herath saw him to a 160-ball century.

Sanga, Sanath unhappy with DRS

By Madushka Balasuriya

The Umpire Decision Review System (DRS) came under fire again yesterday, after England’s Jonny Bairstow survived a close lbw call on the opening day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

The incident in question took place during the final session when a straight Shaminda Eranga delivery beat Bairstow’s inside edge and hit him on the back pad in front of the stumps. The umpire gave him not out, however with Bairstow on 56 at the time and England precariously poised on 182/5, Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews opted for a review. 

Hawk-Eye showed the ball crashing into leg stump, but with the middle of the seam marginally on the wrong side of the middle of leg stump, it came down to the umpire’s call and a reprieve for Bairstow, who ended the day on 107 not out. The decision left the Sri Lankan team puzzled, and put DRS under the spotlight once again.

“High time the ICC got rid of this umpires call. If the ball is hitting the stumps it should be out on review regardless of umps [sic] decision,” tweeted the recently retired Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara. 

“The Umpires call makes a good review useless. It should be out or not out on review. Otherwise it becomes a bit of a farce,” he continued in a subsequent tweet.

Sangakarra’s tweet, which received several hundred likes and retweets, was backed by cricket commentator Mike Haysman who tweeted in response: “Yes @KumarSanga2 -agree mate. Have a ‘red zone’ inside stumps with agreed margins of error built in. Hit that = out!”

Haysman went on to clarify his viewpoint in subsequent tweets stating that viewers are “puzzled” by the “umpire’s call” option, and that it should be replaced by an ‘Out Zone’ whereby if any part of the ball hits that zone it should be out on review.

“To be clear ... I am suggesting:

1. No umpires call. 

2. An ‘Out Zone’ designated inside the stumps with a built in margin of error.”

“Cont..

3. If any part of the ball hits that ‘Out Zone’ on review it should be out. 

4. Keep it simple. Viewers are puzzled by umpires call.”

Haysman and Sangakkara were not alone in voicing their thoughts on DRS, Sri Lanka Cricket’s Chairman of Selectors Sanath Jayasuriya, also took to social media to voice his displeasure.

“Im not happy abt the umpires call option. When there is a review it should be out or not out. Otherwise review system may be useless,” tweeted the former Sri Lankan opener.

This is not the first time DRS has come under scrutiny. India have been vocal objectors to the system, with them vetoing its use in all their bilateral series since its inaugural use, as they believe it is not 100% accurate. 

Hawk-Eye officials, meanwhile, admitted in 2014 that their ball projection technology used for an lbw decision in a Test between Pakistan and New Zealand was incorrect.