Joe Root passed 150 after Stuart Broad’s quickfire 47 helped take England to 8-473 against Sri Lanka at lunch on the second day of the first Test at Lord’s on Friday.
It was the first time in 14 Tests that England had reached the benchmark innings score of 400.
Root, England’s overnight century-maker, was 152 not out after dashing left-handed batsman Broad dominated a seventh-wicket stand worth 64.
England, who had been struggling at 2-22 and 3-74, resumed on Friday well-placed on 5-344.
Root, recalled after being dropped for the final Test of England’s 5-0 Ashes drubbing in Sydney in January, notched his second century in as many Lord’s Tests after the 23-year-old Yorkshireman’s Test-best 180 against Australia last year.
Meanwhile Matt Prior, dropped from the side for the final two Ashes Tests, made 86 after only narrowly surviving a second-ball lbw appeal from left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
Sri Lanka, who’d struck early with the new ball on a green pitch after captain Angelo Mathews won the toss, found wickets increasingly hard to come by.
Nevertheless, with the new ball only nine overs old, Sri Lanka unsettled both Root and wicketkeeper Prior by stationing a leg slip as pacemen Nuwan Pradeep and Shaminda Eranga pitched short from around the wicket.
It was a tactic that twice yielded a dividend.
Prior fended a rising Eranga delivery to short leg having helped Root add 171 for the sixth wicket.
Chris Jordan, one of three home debutants in this match along with Sam Robson and Moeen Ali, struck three boundaries in eight balls.
But the all-rounder’s run-a-ball 19 came to an end when he lobbed a gentle catch off Eranga to wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene.
Broad kept the runs coming, however, with a flurry of boundaries, including two dismissive square-cuts off Pradeep.
However, he pulled Pradeep straight to deep mid-wicket to end a run-a-minute innings.
Liam Plunkett was then dropped on two when Eranga at mid-wicket put down a routine chance off Pradeep.
Root then rounded off an excellent session for England with a three off Herath that saw him to 150 in 246 balls including 12 fours.