England’s celebrations were delayed but yesterday, the fourth evening at Chester-le-Street, they were finally able to cheer both Alastair Cook’s 10,000th run and series victory.

Dinesh Chandimal’s 126 led the Sri Lanka resistance which left England needing to bat again after all to complete a nine-wicket, rather than innings, win and take the series 2-0.

It was a comforting and historic by-product that Cook — after falling short at Headingley last week and then again in the first innings here — could take an unexpected opportunity to reach five figures as England knocked off the 79 runs required.

They got the job done in the hour after tea — for the loss of only Alex Hales, bowled off his pads by Milinda Siriwardana — with Cook unbeaten on 47, after others had conspired to set the captain’s stage.

Cook hailed the feat but highlighted that the there is more to cricket than personal accolades.

“It’s a very special moment for me,” he said. “But the game is not about personal milestones, it’s about winning games and scoring runs to do that. But it’s a real special day and it’s great that my family are here to see me do it.

“Once you get within five, you think you’re going to do it. For the people who haven’t got it, for me to get it makes it even more special. It’s ironic that it was a clip off my legs. It was a great moment for me. It’s certainly driven me personally. To score 10,000 runs was one of those goals.”

Cook praised Sri Lanka for making hard it hard work for England’s bowlers before confirming that the squad will remain unchanged for next week’s Test at Lord’s.

“It’s hard for the Sri Lankan batters in one sense but they are very good players and most of the time on flat wickets you have to work very hard against them. I’ve just been speaking to the selectors and we’re gong to have the same 12 for Lord’s.”

England bowler James Anderson was named man of the match for taking 5-58 and eight wickets in the match, saying: “It’s been an up and down journey over the past 10 years.

“It’s a fantastic achievement by Alastair. He’s a frustrating guy to bowl to in the nets, so I know what opposition bowlers go through.

“Wickets are wickets, it doesn’t matter what pitch you play on. I am surprised to be here, I thought Moeen Ali’s knock was a match-winning one.

“It’s been difficult to find swing, but the pitch offered a little bit in the first innings. It got flatter as it went on, so more difficult to get wickets here than at Headingley.”