England needed three more wickets to claim a first Test victory over Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 33 years and move into an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Gus Atkinson took three wickets and the hostile Olly Stone two as Sri Lanka were reduced to 260 for seven at tea on the penultimate day of the second day in an unlikely pursuit of a world record 483.
Contrasting fifties from Dimuth Karunaratne (55) and Dinesh Chandimal (58) stalled England’s charge for a fifth successive win this summer while Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva is unbeaten on 45.
Having folded meekly in the first innings, this was an impressive show of resilience from the tourists’ batters, albeit one played disappointingly in front of a sparse crowd at the home of cricket.
While tickets for under-16s were just £15, the cheapest available for adults turning up on Sunday morning to watch England claim a first win in six attempts over these opponents at this ground – after five draws – were priced at £95.
Chris Woakes snaffled the edge of nightwatcher Prabath Jayasuriya for four but it was an otherwise frustrating opening hour as Joe Root spilled a difficult head-high chance when Karunaratne was on 25.
England also unsuccessfully queried not out verdicts against the opener twice, continuing Ollie Pope’s luckless use of DRS – in his seven reviews, he is yet to overturn the original on-field decision.
There was a hint of up and down for the seamers but precious little movement in the morning, prompting Stone to be deployed as a short-ball battering ram, which was rewarded as his extra zip got one to lift off the surface to tickle the glove of Karunaratne down the leg-side.
Stone dug another one to welcome Chandimal, who uncertainly periscoped the delivery and decided either side of lunch that attack was the best form of defence.
He contributed 51 to a 59-run stand with Angelo Mathews, who grafted unobtrusively for 36 but his innings ground to a halt and, having soaked up 19 successive dots, the pressure told as he uppishly crunched Shoaib Bashir to wide mid-off.
Chandimal, who flicked unwittingly over the slips to reach a 42-ball fifty, was saved by a faint inside edge after being given out on 55 but he added just three more before flicking on to his pad off Atkinson, with Pope vindicated for putting in a short-leg as Dan Lawrence took an easy catch.
Kamindu Mendis has been the biggest batting thorn in England’s side in this series but he lasted just five balls before throwing his hands at Atkinson from round the wicket, with Ben Duckett taking the edge.
There was no quick finish, though, despite Milan Rathnayake weathering a blow to his helmet in the next over off Stone, who was clobbered for three fours in an over by the lower-order batter.
England burned their final review on Rathnayake, with Bashir’s delivery sliding down leg to extend Pope’s woes, while part-timer Lawrence almost struck gold after being introduced, with an inside edge saving Dhananjaya.
Bashir sent down England’s 80th over before the tea break and it seems likely they will take the second new ball on the resumption as they look to claim victory.