Sri Lanka charge towards fourth-innings target after seamers fight back

In a match as changeable as the weather in south London, Sri Lanka took control of the third and final Test against England on the third day at The Oval. After a wretched execution on the first day of the season when their bowlers neglected to underwrite in prime circumstances after winning the throw, Sri Lanka needed to watch Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett radiate through the above despair. Then, two sharp entries of swing bowling - on a dim second day, then under splendid skies on the third - had the travelers back in conflict, yet not before Jamie Smith had pummeled Britain out of critical difficulty. In any case, when terrible light halted play not long before quarter to seven on Sunday night, the match was Sri Lanka's to lose. In any case, the detail around those key minutes recount the account of where this Test sits heading into the last day. Aside from Pope and Duckett, no Britain player passed 20 in their most memorable innings, as they were bowled out for an unexceptional 325. In spite of Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis and Pathum Nissanka all passing fifty, nobody compressed onto a major score that would have taken Sri Lanka past Britain, who drove by 62 sudden spikes in demand for first innings. Then a striving Dan Lawrence seemed to be top-scoring for Britain's second innings with his series-best 35 preceding Smith's severe 67 off 50 balls made them the main home players to pass 12 on the third day as Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando - with his staggering inswingers - held them under control. Thus, when terrible light brought another early close, Sri Lanka were 94 for 1 and requiring 125 something else for a reassurance win. Chris Woakes' eminent return get taken out Dimuth Karunaratne for only 8, yet that was the main wicket to fall in Sri Lanka's free-scoring fourth innings. Nissanka arrived at his final part century of the match from only 42 balls by crunching a Josh Body conveyance to the rope wide of mid-off not long before the light mediated, leaving him unbeaten on 53 with Kusal Mendis 30 not out. Sri Lanka's bowlers, drove by Vishwa, were making the ball move in what were by a wide margin the most splendid states of the match up to this point, in spite of two or three short interferences for what added up to sun-showers. However at that point Smith wallop 52 runs off the last 19 balls he confronted, taking 20 runs off one Milan Rathnayake over to lead Britain's second-innings recuperation from 82 for 7 to 140 for 8. When Olly Stone tumbled to give Kumara his fourth wicket and Asitha Fernando had Shoaib Bashir likewise gotten behind by Nishan Madushka - subbing for the harmed Dinesh Chandimal - Britain enjoyed extended their benefit to 218. Two early strikes had given Sri Lanka trust during a morning meeting broadened as a result of terrible climate over the initial two days as Duckett and Pope fell economically. Lawrence crushed Asitha for six over lengthy off and, two balls later, cut deftly through point for four. In any case, having bettered his past series best by one run, he was brought scattered by a Kumara conveyance that moved away late and kissed the edge of the bat prior to arriving in Chandimal's gloves. Vishwa entered the assault in the fifteenth over and he hit third ball with a great inswinging yorker that hit Joe Root on the boot straightforwardly in front. Harry Creek had experienced harsh criticism for his peevish response to Sri Lanka's fruitful bid to disappoint him by bowling outside off stump in the principal innings. This time, he surrendered to another late inswinger which nailed the front cushion with nail guide exactness toward leg stump in Vishwa's next finished. Kumara had Woakes gotten behind for a six-ball duck however at that point Chandimal must be offed the field subsequent to jumping stop an unpredictable Kumara conveyance down the leg side to Gus Atkinson, harming his lower back all the while. Atkinson was caught lbw by Rathnayake, having confronted 14 balls for his 1 preceding Smith stalled out in. Prior, Frame and Stone enjoyed saved Britain's benefit after Sri Lanka continued for the day on 211 for 5, following by 114. Frame set things straight for dropping Dhananjaya on the second night when he had the Sri Lanka captain gotten for 69 with his eleventh bundle of the day, an endeavored pull circling off the top edge to profound in reverse square. That ignited a parade of five wickets for 52 runs in 13.3 overs, Frame, Stone and Woakes sharing four of the five wickets to fall with Atkinson off the field nursing a thigh issue from which he recuperated adequately to bowl in the fourth innings.