RECAP
Follow UsSmith swells England’s lead with a record hundred
The day started with England 23 runs ahead. Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson added another 46 runs between them to frustrate Sri Lanka. Atkinson dropped an anchor, scoring 20 off 65 balls.
Smith carried on to notch up his maiden Test hundred, mustering 111 off 148 balls. He broke Les Ames’ 94-year-old record of being the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test hundred for England.
Wood’s batting cameo
The 33-run stand for the ninth wicket between Mark Wood and Matthew Potts hurt Sri Lanka further. When Smith departed after his ton, Sri Lanka still had the chance to keep England’s lead under 100. However, England added another 43 runs for the final two wickets.
Wood led the way with his quickfire 22 off 13 balls, including three fours and a six. The Three Lions posted 358 to lead by 122 runs in the first innings.
Another disastrous start
Nothing went Sri Lanka’s way in the morning session. They had another poor start with the bat, losing Nishan Madhushka (three-ball duck) and Kusal Mendis (four-ball duck) within the first 10 balls of their second innings.
Sri Lanka batters had a handful of overs to negotiate in the session. However, they went for the lunch break at 10/2 in three overs.
Mathews, Kamindu keep SL in the hunt
Out for a duck in the first innings, while shouldering arms, Angelo Mathews showcased a tough fight under pressure in the second innings. He scored a determined 65 off 145 deliveries, scoring only two fours and a six. Mathews carried Sri Lanka from 1/2 to 173/5, batting for nearly 49 overs. He completed 1,000 Test runs against England and 15,000 runs in international cricket during this innings.
He forged a 78-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Kamindu Mendis, who remained unbeaten on 56 at the end of the day’s play.
Woakes, Root down Sri Lanka
The visitors lost their way in the middle of a good fight. The ball started to move, and Ollie Pope summoned Chris Woakes to the attack. The 35-year-old worked his magic, dismissing Mathews in the second over of his new spell.
Later, Milan Rathnayake slipped on the banana peel of Joe Root’s part-time off-spin, who was just completing Mark Wood’s over. The two wickets falling for 17 runs took the shine off Sri Lanka’s fight back with the bat.
They lead by 82 runs with only four wickets in hand. On the brighter side, Dinesh Chandimal returned to bat after being retired hurt from a Wood-bumper earlier in the day. He will start Day 4 alongside Mendis, who has looked good so far. Sri Lanka would want to add another 120-140 runs to their total.
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