edged but rolls to slip
BATSMEN | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lahiru Thirimanne*Â (lhb) | 76 | 189 | 6 | 0 | 40.21 |
Lasith Embuldeniya (lhb) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
BOWLERS | O | M | R | W | ECON |
Dom Bess (ob) | 13 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 2.31 |
Jack Leach (sla) | 20 | 2 | 67 | 1 | 3.35 |
MAT | RUNS | HS | AVE |
---|---|---|---|
37 | 1532 | 155* | 23.57 |
8 | 56 | 24 | 5.60 |
MAT | WKTS | BBI | AVE |
11 | 24 | 5/30 | 34.63 |
11 | 36 | 5/83 | 30.81 |
Glad to have had your company today. From Alan, Thilak and I, Shashank, it's goodbye. Don't forget to join us at 9.30am tomorrow for all the build-up leading up to the first ball. George Dobell's bulletin will be up soon, while we will have post-day pieces from Andrew Miller and Andrew Fernando. You don't wanna miss those.
Joe Root is chatting with the host broadcasters: "Felt great, to be in a position we are right now after having lost the toss is pleasing. We had a clear message to play each individual bowler, wanted to minimise risk as much as possible. I've changed a few things. Tried to get more rhythm into my batting, get triggers that I can do that gives me rhythm to things. Looks different to previously, but feels good. Trying to clear my mind.
"I've spent lot of time with myself, had so much time to look back, watch cricket around the world. Learning off my peers, it's important to do that. The way Kane has been batting has been unbelievable. We've also got some great coaches, trying to tap into their minds, Kallis, Collingwood, Graham Thorpe. 2020 was lean, I expect a lot from myself, nice to have started well, it won't mean half as much if we don't get a result out of this game. Means more when we win, hopefully we can get a few early wickets and hammer home this advantage."
5.20pm The light is poor and they're walking back to the pavillion. So that could be it for the day. What a sterling comeback from Sri Lanka. Backs to their walls, with a big, big deficit to wipe out, they come back in with the openers putting together a century stand. But they'd be gutted to have lost Kusal Mendis at the time he was dismissed, just a couple of overs before they eventually walked off for bad light.
All said and done, Sri Lanka's first goal would be to wipe out these 130 runs losing no more than a wicket or two, and then try to drive the game forward so that they have something to bowl at on a wearing final-day surface. So much cricket left to be played still, but make no mistake. There's little doubt that England are the happier side still.
Finn: "I don't understand how the umpires are allowed to deem it to dangerous to bat due to the current light. I don't think Joe Root or Dom Bess are life threatening bowlers and Embuldeniya seemed fine facing that last over." - They have a set reading, and once it goes below that, it doesn't matter who bowls. Unlike earlier, they can't ask the batsmen either.
fired full on the stumps, kept out
Five close-in fielders now
lunges forward to defend, gets an edge that rolls to gully
sharp turn from outside off, left alone
whips this to square leg, risky single. He just took off, Sam Curran just couldn't pick it up cleanly to release the ball. Embuldeniya would've been gone had he done so at the striker's end
mistimes a cut to point
full outside off, defended back
Nightwatchman in Lasith Embuldeniya comes out. Sri Lanka believe we may not be out thee for much longer.
massive, massive wicket! Leach's persistence has paid off. Draws him forward by tossing it up, getting it to turn and bounce off the rough, Kusal gets a thin edge and Buttler follows the ball nicely to take an excellent catch. It was the previous delivery that caused some doubts in Kusal's mind so he had to play at this, or so he thought.
brave leave, this one drifts him and bounces off the rough as it goes on, close to the stumps
goes right back into the crease, gets besides the line and bunts it into the off side
makes room and punches to cover, misfield but no run
stabs it away into the off side as he gets forward
The light meters are out. The umpires are having a discussion
right on top of the bounce as he defends back
pushed back down the pitch
ducks under this short ball angling down, swung a long way after it passed Thirimanne
nice and full outside off, pushed into the covers
right behind the line as he defends
squirted off a thick outside edge to backward point
punches to cover, good stop there by Bairstow
smothered nicely as he gets forward again