In South Africa, with runs hard to come by, Hales would have snapped your hand off for a near hundred. Now, after two eighties in this series had cemented his place, he had eyes on the Lord’s honours board, and immortality. After rain had wiped out the opening session, Hales had advanced his overnight score smoothly and confidently in the afternoon to within a solitary hit of the landmark that weighs down on Lord’s: Sri Lanka, with all second-innings wickets in hand, need 330 runs to beat EnglandIt is a sign of the progress that Alex Hales has made this summer that the end of such an innings could engender such feelings of desolation.

Source: The Times June 12, 2016 21:31 UTC