England on brink of series win in Sri Lanka
England are three wickets away from a series-clinching win against Sri Lanka in the second Test after rain brought a halt to their victory charge yesterday.
Moeen Ali trapped Angelo Mathews (88) lbw in the first over after tea to end the senior batsman’s solid resistance that had kept alive Sri Lanka’s hopes of chasing down a target of 301.
Jack Leach struck soon after to get Dilruwan Perera for one when torrential rain halted proceedings for the day with Sri Lanka on 226-7 in Kandy.
The hosts, who trail the three-match series 1-0, need another 75 to win with three wickets and three sessions in hand. Niroshan Dickwella is unbeaten on 27.
“It is evenly poised. Unfortunate I got out at a very crucial time. But we still have got a batter at the crease,” a confident Mathews said after an intriguing day’s play. “Then guys like Akila Dananjaya and Suranga Lakmal are no mugs with the bat. So we are not out of the game. If we get one good partnership we are in with a win.” Leach has claimed four wickets with his left-arm orthodox spin while Moeen has taken two on a turning pitch.
Mathews, who hit his third half-century of the series, took the crease with Sri Lanka looking shaky on 26-3.
The former captain played a gritty innings that lasted 137 deliveries. His 73-run fifth-wicket stand with Roshen Silva (37) frustrated the English spinners in the afternoon session.
Moeen had Silva caught behind with a faint edge. The umpire had given Silva not out before England successfully reviewed the decision in their favour. “It is a wicket where there is lot of assistance to the spinners. Credit to England for bowling so well. They didn’t give too many loose balls. We had to work extremely hard to score runs,” Mathews said.
“Dimuth [Karunaratne] was superb today with the bat and it was extremely unfortunate that he had to fall for a brilliant catch. That changed the game. He was the batsman in form.”
Keaton Jennings produced two world class pieces of fielding that earned the tourists a couple of vital wickets.
The first saw him take a stunning catch at short leg to remove Dhananjaya de Silva.
The second arrived in unusual fashion when Jennings brilliantly parried a Karunaratne sweep shot up in the air for wicketkeeper Ben Foakes to complete the catch.
Leach had rattled the Sri Lankan top-order with three early wickets after the tourists were bowled out for 346 in the morning session.
England, who had resumed the day on 324-9, stretched their second innings lead to 300 with overnight batsman Foakes hitting an unbeaten 65.