ENG vs SL | Twitter stunned as Prabath's dream ripper bamboozles squared up Brook to hit top of off

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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English conditions and spinners have never been friends, especially when the two meet in the middle of August at cold and damp Old Trafford. Yet, Prabath Jayasuriya on Wednesday further cemented himself as a generational spinner by extracting turn from a dead track to outdo Harry Brook in style.

‌Despite losing three wickets within the first hour of play on Day 2 while pursuing Sri Lanka's first innings total of 236, England quickly gained ascendancy in Manchester courtesy some solid knocks from their middle order batsman. The revivial began with a 58-run stand between Yorkshiremen Joe Root and Harry Brook, with the latter going on to score a resplendent half-century in the company of young Jamie Smith. Heading into Tea, the hosts were well palced at 176/4 and seemed set to grow the 51-run stand into something big in the final session but Prabath Jayasuriya had other plans.

The left-arm spinner, who since his debut has become his team's primary strike option as one of the most prolific spinners around the world, was trusted to begin the final session by his skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and soon found himself up against Brook in the 40th over. There had been little on offer for the wily operator through the second session, with no hints of turn and only one ball in his 10-over spell keeping bizzarely low, which meant the odds were stacked against Prabath. Nevertheless, he trundled in from around the wicket and angled the Duke's into middle and leg from slightly wide on the crease. It quickly became evident how much rip he ahd imparted on the ball as it dipped sharply to land on good length before inexplicably turning square without warning. Brook, who had already been caught inside the crease owing to the length, tried to salvage the situation with a straightforward defence but was left utterly shocked when it whsitled past his outside edge and rattled into the top of off stump.

The corker was as unplayable as deliveries get in Test cricket and Twitterati was unsurprisingly all in praise of the brilliant exhibition of spin bowling from the up-and-coming Prabath Jayasuriya.

What a ball

That look

Beauty

Astonished

Good one

Test stats

Different garvy

That cover drive

Underrated

Not for SENA

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