Jack Leach now has 15 wickets in three Tests at an average of 24.46Second Test, Pallekele (day five)England 290 346: Root 124, Foakes 65*, Burns 59, Akila 6-115Sri Lanka 336 243: Mathews 88, Karunaratne 57, Leach 5-83, Moeen 4-72England win by 57 runsScorecardMoeen Ali struck twice and Jack Leach claimed his maiden five-wicket haul to bowl England to their first series win in Sri Lanka since 2001 with a 57-run victory in the second Test.The hosts resumed on 226-7, needing 75 more, and calmly added 14 in 28 balls.But Moeen drew Niroshan Dickwella into edging to first slip for 35, before bowling Sri Lanka captain Suranga Lakmal two balls later for a duck.Leach had Malinda Pushpakumara caught and bowled soon after to seal the win.England lead the three-match series 2-0 with the final Test in Colombo starting on Friday.It is England's first away series win since beating South Africa in 2016 and first away series victory under captain Joe Root.Spinners took 38 wickets in the match, a record in Test cricket.England hold their nerveHistory suggested England were favourites to wrap up victory on day five, with only four teams since World War One having scored 65 or more runs with three wickets left to win a Test.There was still plenty of trepidation among England fans that Sri Lanka could reach their target of 301, not least with the irrepressible Dickwella at the crease and capable of scoring quickly.And when he largely shelved his attacking instincts to comfortably tap singles with Akila Dananjaya, it felt like the Test was heading for a tight and thrilling finish.But Moeen showed skill and guile to lure Dickwella into a flashy drive, giving a full delivery more flight and dip before it turned to take the edge as Ben Stokes claimed the catch.Moeen's second was even better - a dream dismissal for an off-spinner - angling the ball towards slip from around the wicket and finding sharp turn to bowl Lakmal through the gate.A magnificent Test then ended in slightly anticlimactic fashion as England waited for the third umpire to confirm that Pushpakumara had not hit the ball into the ground in chipping it back to Leach, who finished with 5-83.England end barren run as Root era beginsBetween the 2-1 victory in 2001 and this win, England have played three Test series in Sri Lanka, losing 1-0 in 2003-04 and 2007-08 and drawing 1-1 in 2011-12.This Sri Lanka side may be shorn of former greats who played in those series, but did beat South Africa 2-0 in July and this remains a tough place to play.The result is also impressive given England's dire struggles over the past two winters - a 4-0 Ashes defeat followed by losing in New Zealand last year and a 4-0 thrashing by India after a draw with Bangladesh under Root's predecessor Alastair Cook the year before.England's spinners lacked control at times but outperformed their Sri Lankan counterparts, with Leach, Moeen, Adil Rashid and Root taking 19 wickets in the Test, the other coming from a Stokes' run-out.It is only the third time in England's 363 Test victories they have won without a seamer taking a wicket, with Sam Curran and James Anderson hardly used on a turning pitch but both contributing vital lower order runs in the first innings.This Test could prove the moment England become Root's side outright.
He talked before the series about wanting to be more "courageous" on subcontinent pitches and his team bought into it here.They batted positively, mostly with calculated risk among some more rash shots, to put the pressure back on Sri Lanka's bowlers, while Root largely marshalled his spinners well and played the most decisive innings of the game with a sublime 124 on day three.This is also the first time an England side have won all three series in all formats on tour, albeit they only played Sri Lanka in a one-off Twenty20.More to follow.