Brief score: SL 204/6 [Mathews 65, Kamindu 56*; Woakes 2/34] & 236 lead ENG 358 [Smith 111, Brook 56; Asitha 4/103] by 82 runs at Stumps on Day 3
Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson began Day 3 exactly where they had left of the previous evening as the former played aggressor to tick forward the incumbent 20-run partnership. Sri Lanka only aided their cause with inexplicable tactics, allowing the two to rotate strike comfortably even when the former got into his 90s. The Surrey batter eventually registered a maiden Test ton and commemorated it with a stoic celebration two balls before Milan Rathnayake opened his Test account by having Atkinson strangled down leg to end a 76-run stand. Smith did not last long thereafter either and ended up nicking a wide delivery from Prabath Jayasuriya to depart for 111. The new ball had also become available just then but the Lions failed to capitalize and were subjected to a rapid 22-run cameo from Mark Wood as well as a composed 17 from Matthew Potts before ultimately folding out the hosts for 358.
The visitors thus took to the field facing a deficit of 122 with just three overs to go for Lunch and suffered a disastrous start. Nishan Madushka shouldered arms on the third ball of the innings that crashed into the stumps while Kusal Mendis nicked behind off Atkinson as the team headed into the break at 10/2. The experienced duo of Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews decided to go for the counterattack in the second session and built a 50-run partnership on the back of it, prompting Ollie Pope to bring Wood into the action. The express quick got rid of Karunaratne with his very first delivery and then two overs later injured Dinesh Chandimal’s thumb with a nasty 149ks bumper. Dhananjaya de Silva further dented the team’s hopes by succumbing to Potts at the stroke of Tea and the team were left reeling at 107/4.
With the ball old and ineffective heading into the final session, Kamindu Mendis and Mathews joined hands to patiently bring up their respective half-centuries. However, once the umpires agreed to the hosts’ plea for a change of balls, the tables turned again. Mathews was immediately pinned down by the return of swing and eventually fell prey to Woakes after 23 consecutive dot balls, shortly before Rathnayake holed out to Joe Root’s golden arm. Chandimal was thus forced back onto the field and the veteran played admirably through the pain to cut the Lions’ losses who ended the day with a lead of 82 runs.
Joe Root comes and gets a wicket pic.twitter.com/3xcKb90aTK
— Tyson (@tyson18__) August 23, 2024
Played well
Kamindu Mendis is some player WOW
Has played Wood’s extra pace exceedingly well without much sweet
That 63 FC Avg is not a mirage then
Best SL player of highpace & vs Hard lengths#ENGvSL— SINLESAN (@SINLESANN) August 23, 2024
Fastest
Kamindu Mendis 🇱🇰 becomes the fastest Sri Lankan player to completed 5 fifty-plus scores in Tests. #ENGvSL
7 innings – Kamindu Mendis ***
8 innings – Thilan Samaraweera
8 innings – Malinda Warnapura pic.twitter.com/aiEQRahQuH— Thurunu Jayasiri (@ThurunuJ) August 23, 2024
Woakes dismisses Mathews for 65 🏏
After a stubborn innings, Angelo Mathews falls for 65 👏 pic.twitter.com/6CBvbnJbYq— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 23, 2024
Fine wine
Highest ever
Angelo Mathews batting average of 45.1 in England (496 runs) is the highest ever for any Sri Lankan batter and the best among all active Asian cricketers with a minimum of 10 innings…
He last played a Test in England at the age of 29 and is still going strong at 37… pic.twitter.com/bTsbLAUIjy— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) August 23, 2024
MATHEWS DROPPED ON 65 😮
Joe Root drops Angelo Mathews off Matthew Potts’ bowling 🇱🇰 pic.twitter.com/AoXrS63wDZ— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 23, 2024
Thumb injured
Retires
Dinesh Chandimal retired hurt.
Poor lad. He was undone by lack of bounce in the first innings and now injured by extra bounce in the second. #ENGvSL— Shubh Aggarwal (@shubh_chintak) August 23, 2024
Petition to make Mark Wood the King of England pic.twitter.com/hMg1mhcrU7
— Bex #Denly(x2)MemeTeam 🎄 (@Psychadelick69) August 23, 2024