England Under-19s continued their dominance in the second Youth Men's Test against Sri Lanka at Cheltenham, thanks to a record-breaking performance by Rocky Flintoff. The 16-year-old became the youngest player to score a century for England Under-19s, hitting an impressive 106 to help the Young Lions post a mammoth 477 in their first innings.
Flintoff, who recently signed his first professional contract with Lancashire, faced 181 balls and struck nine fours and two sixes. He added a crucial 78 for the sixth wicket with Jack Carney, ensuring England extended their lead to 324 runs.
Sri Lanka's bowlers, led by Vihas Thewmika and Praveen Maneesha, stuck to their task but were unable to contain England's relentless batting.
In their second innings, Sri Lanka showed more resilience but still face an uphill battle to save the game. Mahith Perera and Dinuru Kalupahana added 88 for the fifth wicket, but England's bowlers, led by Harry Moore and Farhan Ahmed, made crucial breakthroughs to leave the tourists 78 runs behind at the close of play.
Moore, a 17-year-old Derbyshire prospect, played a key role with two wickets, while Ahmed also took two. Spinner Charlie Barnard chipped in with a wicket as England reasserted their superiority.
Sri Lanka's bowlers, Thewmika and Maneesha, returned figures of 3 for 82 and 3 for 112 respectively in the first innings, but found conditions less favorable in the second innings.
England's victory in this match will give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The final match will be played at Lord's from August 17-20.
Tags: #Cricket, #YouthTest, #EnglandU19, #SriLankaU19, #RockyFlintoff
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