Mathews, Silva fight but England firmly on top

Going into the third day, the message to the Sri Lankan batsmen would have been pretty clear - bat, bat and bat for as long as possible. The visitors resisted but England were firmly on top at stumps on the third day of the second Test at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Sunday (May 29).

Sri Lanka were 309 for 5, still 88 behind England's first innings total of 498 after being asked to follow-on. Angelo Mathews (80), Kaushal Silva (60) and Dinesh Chandimal (54 not out) ensured England were still some distance away from a series win in this three-match series.

The visitors started the day at 91 for 8 and it took England just three deliveries into the day to strike. All Sri Lanka could add to their overnight score was 10 runs and they folded for 101 in 43.3 overs. The follow-on was, expectedly, enforced soon after.

Sri Lanka gained little in the three innings prior to this. Scores of 101, 109 and 119 paint a damning picture. The third day was not only a test of their skills in alien conditions but also their temperament.

They made a positive start - sort of - in their bid to save the Test. All the openers have managed in this series as a pair is 10, 10 and 10. Dimuth Karunaratne (26) and Silva scored 38 runs for the first wicket to keep England at bay. Chris Woakes gave England the first break when he dismissed Karunaratne caught at second slip.

At lunch, the scorecard read 58 for 1 in 20 overs. Silva was fighting hard while Kusal Mendis (35) looked elegant in their 41-run stand that came in just 5.3 overs. Mendis's promising innings was cut short from the delivery of the day from Anderson. The pacer got the ball to swing in, pitch on off, leave the batsman just enough to take the edge before Jonny Bairstow completed the formalities.

England kept chipping away with wickets, even as Sri Lanka put up their best performance. Mathews and Silva added 82 runs for the fourth wicket to frustrate the English pacers. England had run into a determined Mathews, who ensured he kept the scores ticking by scoring whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The ball nipped around, the England bowlers managed to extract extra bounce and at times sneaked it under the bat. Mathews was dismissed after a 105-ball stay, edging to the wicketkeeper.

Milinda Siriwardana replaced Dasun Shanaka, who impressed on debut, in this Test. After a duck in the first innings, the pressure must have been immense on the left-hander. With the last batting pair at the crease, both Siriwardana (35 not out) and Chandimal ensured a period of 20.2 overs followed where England were left searching for a wicket. The edges and chances flew past, but the intention to keep the runs flowing stood out.

Chandimal batted with an injured thumb, but the injury, seemingly, had little effect on his batting. The duo added an unbeaten 87 runs for the sixth wicket to keep their team afloat.

In the two Tests so far, Sri Lanka have gained little and more importantly lost a lot of confidence. However, their performance on the day, in testing conditions against a superior bowling attach, should hold them in good stead.

Brief scores: England 498-9 dec (Moeen Ali 155*, Alex Hales 83, Joe Root 80; Nuwan Pradeep 4-107) lead Sri Lanka 101 and 309-5 (f/o) in 84 overs (Angelo Mathews 80, Kaushal Silva 60; James Anderson 2-40) by 88 runs.