England’s push for victory was delayed by dangerous gentle on the third night. As Sri Lanka started Sunday on 53-2, an unbelievable 430 runs adrift, the query was not if England would win, however when.
The hosts had been initially held up by opener Karunaratne and nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya. England failed with two opinions in opposition to Karunaratne, whereas Root dropped the identical batter at first slip off Atkinson.
With little help for the bowlers, Pope shuffled his assault, adjusted his discipline to typically make use of as many as eight catchers, and requested Stone to bowl spells of bouncers.
Chris Woakes drew Jayasuriya into an edge to second slip, just for Chandimal to reach and add 55 with Karunaratne, then one other 59 with Angelo Mathews.
Although Stone’s hostility was rewarded with Karunaratne’s tickle down the leg aspect, Chandimal was aggressive, particularly in opposition to off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Chandimal’s 42-ball half-century was his quickest in Checks.
However after Mathews patted Bashir to mid-off, Atkinson bought the large wicket of Chandimal, caught at brief leg. When the in-form Kamindu Mendis flashed the identical bowler to second slip, the sport appeared up.
Sri Lanka dug in as soon as extra. Dhananjaya discovered help from Milan Rathnayake, the quantity 9 bravely coming by means of a blow to the helmet off Stone so as to add 73 for the eighth wicket.
England took the second new ball, Root put down a simple Rathnayake edge off Atkinson, so the bowler as an alternative hit the stumps off Dhananjaya’s toe finish.
Atkinson took the underside fringe of the swiping Rathnayake to affix Botham and Tony Greig as the one England males to do the hundred-five-wicket double in the identical Take a look at, then Woakes had Lahiru Kumara sky to mid-on to complete it.
