SL vs ENG 1st Check: England height order stumbles, wishes additional 36 to win

England’s height order came upon a turning wicket after Sri Lanka burnt up an enormous deficit and setup a tough goal of 74 runs at the fourth day of the primary verify on Sunday.

Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya grabbed 2/13 whilst first innings double century-maker Joe Root was once brilliantly run out by means of Niroshan Dickwella for 1 as England went to stumps on a nervy 38/3.

Jonny Bairstow, who additionally escaped a run-out, was once unbeaten on 11 whilst debutant Dan Lawrence was once now not out on 7 as England nonetheless wanted 36 for victory.

Sri Lanka had previous defied England spinners via Lahiru Thirimanne’s (111) first verify century in virtually 8 years and a preventing 71 off 219 balls by means of Angelo Mathews to succeed in 359.

Leftarm spinner Jack Leach (5-122) were given a five-wicket haul and offspinner Dom Bess (3-100) completed with 8 wickets within the recreation, however Mathews dug in neatly towards each spinners to push the fit into the general day.

It was once a outstanding turnaround in batting type of the house crew, which was once skittled out for simply 135 within the first innings sooner than Root’s 228 had led England to a frightening 421 and gave the guests a significant 286-run lead.

Sri Lanka was once simply 10 runs forward when it misplaced its 7th wicket on 296, however Mathews was once neatly supported by means of No. 10 batsman Dilruwan Perera (24) to stretch the result in 73.

England had its possibilities, however Jos Buttler neglected a troublesome stumping when Mathews was once on 58 whilst Bairstow couldn’t hang onto a pointy low catch on the subject of the wicket sooner than Perera had scored.

Buttler, taking part in in his 48th verify fit, in spite of everything were given his first stumping within the five-day structure when he had Perera sooner than Leach grabbed his 2nd five-wicket haul towards Sri Lanka when Mathews in spite of everything edged to Root within the lone slip.

The 87-test veteran Mathews, who got here to the crease in the second one over of the day, batted for 5 hours and 44 mins to boost his 36th verify part century and hit 4 obstacles.

Bess had struck two times within the heart consultation when he had stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal stuck within the slip within the first over after lunch.

Dickwella (29) added 48 runs with Mathews sooner than taking part in a unfastened minimize towards the offspinner and were given a thick edge to wicketkeeper Buttler sooner than Leach blank bowled Dasun Shanaka (4) with a full-pitched supply that went beneath the bat to hit the stumps.

Previous, Thirimanne’s affected person century, spanning simply over six hours and that includes 12 fours, carried Sri Lanka to 242-Four at lunch after the house crew resumed on 156-2.

Sam Curran (2-37) supplied the much-awaited leap forward when he were given the interior edge off Thirimanne’s bat from a supply that nipped again into the left-hander.

Mathews, who was once dropped on 11 at ahead quick leg, reached his 2nd slowest fifty in verify cricket off 164 balls in the second one consultation sooner than England struck via its spinners.

However Thirimanne, who wouldn’t have performed had common captain Dimuth Karunaratne recovered from a thumb damage, grabbed the chance with each palms on a troublesome wicket the place the ball was once spinning.

He installed a decided effort towards spinners and speedy bowlers alike in elevating most effective his 2nd verify century in his 37th verify.

England’s spinners had created alternatives to push aside Thirimanne after Bess had got rid of in a single day batsman Lasith Embuldeniya for nought in the second one over when the batsman performed a unfastened shot to quick additional duvet.

Bess two times got here on the subject of claiming the wicket of Thirimanne, who resumed on 76. First Dom Sibley dived complete duration for a catch at quick additional duvet however the ball raced to the boundary after which a top-edged slog sweep landed in no-man’s land.

Thirimanne reached his hundred off 227 balls with a sq. minimize boundary off Bess. It was once Thirimanne’s first verify hundred in 54 verify innings since he scored 155 now not out towards Bangladesh on the identical venue in March 2013.