COLLAPSE LEAVES SL FACING WHITEWASH
An all-too-familiar Sri Lankan batting collapse left England just six wickets away from a series whitewash, on day three of the third Test which continued at the SSC Grounds in Maitland Place yesterday. At stumps the hosts were 53 for four, with the challenging target of 327 runs now almost certainly out of reach even with two full days of play remaining.
Kusal Mendis, desperately short on runs, was unbeaten on 15 along with nightwatchman Lakshan Sandakan who had a run to his name.
In what has been a recurring theme for the hosts this entire series, they lost four wickets for 37 runs, after their openers had scored the first 15 runs of the chase.
First to go was opener Danushka Gunathilaka who had curbed some of the aggression that cost him his wicket in the first innings, only to give up an edge lunging forward to Moeen Ali in the sixth over.
Even Sri Lanka’s three best batsmen of the series, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews, were not immune to this collapse, with all three falling before stumps.
De Silva, who had not scored in the 11 deliveries he faced, was initially given not out to spinner Jack Leach in the ninth over, but England seemed confident enough to challenge the decision.
It proved to be the right call, as replays suggested the ball, pitching on middle and leg, had straighten enough in direction to go on and hit the stumps.
POOR DAY FOR UMPIRES
That reversal emphasised what was an overall poor day for both Umpires, who had as many as six decisions overturned on review – five of those reversals coming in the final session alone.
Ben Stokes, who bounced out three Sri Lankan batsmen in the first innings, found success in his third over, when Mathews pulled a short ball to the waiting fielder at mid-wicket, Stuart Broad, who took a diving catch. Having gifted England a valuable 96-run advantage at the end of their first innings, Sri Lanka started the day needing early wickets and Dilruwan Perera delivered three to put the hosts in a strong position.
Perera struck with the very first ball of the day, and set the tone for Sri Lanka’s best of the day, removing four English batsmen for 39 runs.
Perera had Keaton Jennings trapped legbefore wicket and then, in almost identical fashion, dismissed Rory Burns six overs later.
First innings centurion Jonny Bairstow then fell to a sharp catch by substitute fielder Kaushal Silva at short leg, before England lost their Captain, Joe Root, nine balls later when he returned a catch to left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara.
A budding partnership between Ben Stokes and Jos Butler was helped by some erratic bowling from Sandakan, who conceded four boundaries in his first two overs, eventually going for 30 runs in the five overs he bowled ahead of lunch.
In those five overs Sandakan dismissed Stokes twice, when the all-rounder was on 22 and 32, but on both occasions the bowler had overstepped the crease, resulting in the batsmen being recalled.
UNTIMELY OFFENCE
It was an untimely offence, but was not entirely surprising, as Sandakan and Perera had been close to over stepping on several of England’s first innings dismissals.
Stokes added a third boundary in the fourth over after the break, but couldn’t clear the mid-on where Pushpakumara took the catch.
It was left to Butler to ensure England would have a defendable total on the board, and his excellent use of feet, coming out to the pitch of the ball, saw him frustrate Sri Lanka’s spinners.
He used the approach to good measure and effectiveness on the way his 12th Test half century that lacked his typical aggression but didn’t lack in quality.
It also brought his downfall when he charged Sandakan, only for the spinner to send the ball down the leg side for keeper Niroshan Dickwella to effect the stumping. This time, as replays suggested, Sandakan had not overstepped, but was dangerously close to.
The wrist-spinner had a second, when Moeen was surprised by some extra bounce, guiding the ball to De Silva at slip.
England added 20 runs to their total in 10 post-tea overs, 13 of those coming in the last wicket partnership between Ben Foakes and Jack Leach which last 43 balls.
Pushpakumara accounted for two of those scalps, Rashid caught behind and Broad caught at short leg, with Dilruwan Perera completing his five-wicket haul when Leach edged to Dickwella to score a 13-ball duck.
It was the eighth five-wicket haul for the spinner, who conceded 88 runs in his 29.5 overs.