IN A FIX is straight out of luck

IT’S NEU BOTHER!

and James Vince, bowled while shouldering arms first ball, were the other batsmen to fall early.

While Root’s place is cemented, Vince has yet to show his potential that is so apparent at county level with Hampshire.

Vince will almost certainly be handed the first two matches against Pakistan, though, to prove he deserves to play at this level. A lack of obvious replacements may also aid him.

England bowled with an impressive discipline for most of the first two sessions Sri Lanka batted, exploiting more bowler- f r i e n d l y overcast conditions than the first two days.

The floodlights were on all afternoon, such was the lack of natural sunlight. Sri Lanka resumed on 162-1 and were soon 169-4 after Chris Woakes (left) took a wicket with his first ball of the day, trapping Kusal Mendis lbw for 25. Opener Kaushal Silva gave away the chance of a precious Lord’s century when he nibbled outside off-stump at a probing Stuart Broad delivery and was caught behind for 79. Then Woakes picked up his second wicket by persuading the dangerous Angelo Mathews to nick to Root at second slip for three. Steven Finn joined in the celebrations with two quick wickets to reduce Sri Lanka to 205-6 after Dinesh Chandimal was gone lbw to a full-length ball. Then Lahiru Thirimanne was caught by Root at slip for 17.

It was an intriguing, well-fought battle between Woakes and Finn given one of them is likely to make way when Ben Stokes recovers from his knee injury.

Woakes – after his first innings 66 and increased pace in his bowling – is probably edging that race.

Kusal Perera and Rangana Herath then put on a fighting stand of 71 for the seventh wicket to reduce England’s mammoth lead.

Left-arm spinner Herath grew in confidence, pulling Broad to the Tavern Stand boundary for four, until the latter had his revenge, bowling him for 31.

That was 276-7 and the tourists then lost their last three wickets for no runs, as Jimmy Anderson weighed in with two late wickets, including that of Perera, who

hit a gutsy 42.