Joe Root's Record 34th Test Century Powers England Towards Series Victory Over Sri Lanka

Joe Root scored his 34th test century, surpassing Alastair Cook's England record, and moved England closer to a series victory against Sri Lanka at Lord's. Root's century, his fastest at 111 balls, pushed England's lead to a formidable 483. Sri Lanka ended the day at 53-2 as bad light curtailed play.

Joe Root achieved a historic milestone by scoring his 34th test century for England, putting the team in a commanding position against Sri Lanka in the second test at Lord's.

Surpassing Alastair Cook's record on Thursday, Root's latest century, his seventh at Lord's, came off just 111 deliveries, marking his fastest ton to date. Root's innings formed the backbone of England's 251, setting Sri Lanka a daunting target of 483.

Sri Lanka closed the day on 53-2 as bad light brought an early end to play. Root's father was in the stands to witness his son move into the company of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Younis Khan, and Mahela Jayawardene with his record century. Root also inched closer to Cook's all-time England benchmark of 12,472 test runs.

(With inputs from agencies.)