Series ends in drawn stalemate

Sri Lanka Under-19 542 (Lanka 213, Rajapaksa 129, Thakor 2-73) drew with England Under-19 373 (Wood 130, Ball 81, Jayathilake 5-57) and 324 for 7 (Wood 95, Jayasuriya 3-78)
Scorecard

Sri Lanka Under-19s Test series against England Under-19 ended in stalemate with another high-scoring draw in the second game at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. While Sri Lanka bossed the first two days, Yasoda Lanka compiling a double hundred and slow left-armer Supeshala Jayathilake taking 5 for 57 to force England to follow on, the visitors' batsmen continued to fight in their second innings and the match was called off 84 overs into the fourth day.

A 166-run partnership between Lanka and captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa formed the mainstay of Sri Lanka's innings. Conditions were heavily in favour of the batsmen once again and there was little joy for England's bowlers after they came together in the 30th over. Rajapaksa was the more aggressive of the two, reaching three figures in just 127 balls and hitting 12 fours and three sixes in his 129.

Lanka batted on after Rajapaksa was finally prised from the crease, caught behind off the bowling of medium-pacer Shiv Thakor, and found good support from Amila Aponso , who contributed 48 to an 84-run partnership for the seventh wicket on his Youth Test debut. England's slower bowlers proved the most effective, Thakor striking twice and spinners Jack Parsons and Gurman Randhawa also taking two wickets apiece as Sri Lanka reached 542 at four runs per over.

Sam Wood took the attack to Sri Lanka when England batted for the first time, sprinting to his hundred from just 109 balls and reaching 130 before he was trapped in front of his stumps to give Jayathilake his second wicket. Jayathilake struck again two balls later to remove Ateeq Javid and England had slipped to 237 for 6 before some stubborn lower-order resistance held up the Sri Lankans.

Christian Davis stuck around for 85 balls for his 31 and Adam Ball was last man out for 81 as England were bowled out for 373 and asked to follow on. Wood picked up where he left off when they did so, and looked set for his second century of the match before he fell to offspinner Shehan Jayasuriya for 95.

With Daniel Bell-Drummond and Thakor both making 40s and Javid making up for his first-innings lapse with an unbeaten half-century, England did enough to hold off Sri Lanka's spinners and ensure a 0-0 draw in the series.

The teams now face up in a five-match one-day series, with all the games to be held in Colombo with the first taking place at the Colts Cricket Club ground on January 28.