Yahoo News Moeen Ali and Jack Leach spin England to first victory abroad for more than two years
England 342 & 322/6d defeated Sri Lanka 203 & 250 by 211 runs
England wrapped up their first overseas Test victory for more than two years, downing Sri Lanka at their Galle stronghold by 211 runs with a day to spare.
There have been 13 games since the last success on foreign soil - taking in trips to Bangladesh, Australia, India and New Zealand - but England banished their travel sickness in style, led by Moeen Ali's best match figures away from home.
He took four for 71 as the hosts were rolled for 250, and eight for 137 overall, with fellow spinner Jack Leach on hand to dismiss three of the top six.
READ MORE: Rare England win a fantastic start, says Root
READ MORE: It’s been a privilege and an honour, says retiring Herath
The final result might have seemed almost inevitable at the start of play, with Sri Lanka pursuing a world record chase of 462 or the equally unlikely prospect of batting two full days for a draw, but the scale of the achievement should not be underplayed.
Galle is considered a home banker in these parts, with Sri Lanka losing just four of their previous 18 Tests here in the past decade, and England winless in their four prior visits to this picturesque 16th-century fort.
At 103 for five on the first morning Joe Root's side seemed to be heading for more disappointment, but fine centuries in either innings from debutant Ben Foakes and opener Keaton Jennings provided the resistance and a three-strong spin attack flourished with 16 of the 20 required wickets.
The openers began the day well with a 51-run stand, rationing England to a solitary chance in the first hour - Dimuth Karunaratne uncharacteristically dropped by Ben Stokes at slip to deny Moeen.
Then Kaushal Silva (30) gave it away, stooping to sweep Leach and falling lbw after being beaten in the air. Having made the mistake he compounded it, burning a DRS review on his way.
Less than three overs later Karunaratne decided he would take the aerial route against Moeen, an ill-judged scheme that saw him club a firm return catch back at the off-spinner.
Stokes entered the attack just in time to strike another blow before lunch. One ball after Dhananjaya de Silva successfully overturned a caught behind decision, Stokes tightened up his line and took an indisputable edge that nestled safely in the hands of Root.
Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews cooled the charge in the afternoon, putting on 45 as Leach searched for his rhythm at one end and Stokes bombarded them with a snarling spell at the other.
The all-rounder deserved reward and would have had it when he hurried Mathews with a short ball on 17. The batsman turned a pull straight to James Anderson at midwicket, where a regulation catch popped out.
1st England Test win in 13 Tests overseas ...Same Team for next Test ... Simple ... No changes whatsoever .... #OnOn#SLvENG
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 9, 2018
While he made the most of it, reaching his half-century, Mendis gave his wicket away on 45. One ball after a loose lofted drive off Leach, he attempted an identical stroke and was caught by a back-pedalling Moeen.
Dinesh Chandimal can at least claim to have been beaten authentically, Leach drawing him in on a middle-and-leg line and finding sufficient turn to clip off stump.
What little hope there was in the home dressing room was extinguished in a hurry by Moeen. He accounted for Niroshan Dickwella with the first ball after tea, Stokes making amends for his earlier drop with a sharp take, then added a soft shot from Mathews (53) to his collection.
Moeen grabbed a fourth wicket of the day, Akila Dananjaya, to overtake his seven-wicket match haul in Durban three years ago, and Adil Rashid did for Dilruwan Perera.
Retiring hero Rangana Herath bowed out in disappointing fashion, run out sprawling to make his ground, but was clapped on and off the field in a show of respect by his opponents.
Among those celebrating in the middle just four were present in October 2016 at England's last away win in Chittagong - Root, Stokes, Moeen and Rashid.
The second Test
Begins at Pallekelle on Wednesday. Please join us for live coverage from 7am.
Scyld at sixes and sevens?
Rangana Herath speaks
"It's emotional but it's time to start another life though I may play some first-class cricket. The support from my wife and kids, it's because of them that I've come this far."
This is how it ended:
Joe Root speaks
"I'm very proud. The way we played for the four days was excellent. That partnership between Jos and Ben Foakes was outstanding. It was very tacky at the start of the day and we wanted to score a ta a decent rate rather than sit in the bunker. At least we got 100 for five not 50 for five. Then it dried out and it got easier. For Ben to bat like that on debut ... [As for the bowling] we did our homework and bowled very well as a unity, not just the spinners. We know we can't rest on our laurels and we will work extremely hard to prepare for the second Test. The support has been magnificent. It's marvellous and all the lads appreciate it."
Ben Foakes is man of the match
"It's been surreal." he says. "A dream. Mentally trying to stay switched on is hard. I've been out to Sri Lanka a good few times and that must help. It's been like a dream. come true Jonny will probably be fit for the secodn match so we'll have to see what happens. It's been one of the best weeks of my career ... probably the best to be fair."
Here's how Rangana Herath finishes his magnificent career
And a lovely man to boot.
ENGLAND WIN BY 211 RUNS
England have taken all 10 wickets in a shade over 2½ sessions of the fourth day to win their first away Test for 25 months, winning for the first time at the fifth attempt at Galle (after two draws and two defeats) and racking up their first away victory under Joe Root's captaincy.
For England to win in Galle of all places - and so well - is a hell of an achievement. Brilliant!
— Peter Baxter (@PbackersPeter) November 9, 2018
The excellent Ben Foakes made a Test century on debut and bagged a deft stumping, Keaton Jennings confounded his critics with a fine, unbeaten 146, Ben Stokes batted magnificently in a counter-attacking second innings knock, and England's bowlers put in a complementary, cohesive performance in both innings and Moeen ends the match with eight for 137. Good show all round (apart from the batting at numbers three and four) and canny, mature captaincy in the field from Root.
Wicket!
Herath run out 5Scrambling to make two, He has to dive after being given the hurry up by Stokes' flat torpedo throw and his bat didn't cross the popping crease, stuck on the whitewash as Foakes whipped them off. FOW 250
OVER 84: Sri Lanka 248/9 (Lakmal 14* Herath 3*)
Keaton Jennings makes an outstanding effort to cut off a boundary at cover having sprinted from point. He makes a headlong dive but is inches short. Lakmal, after defending four, feasted on the width of a big leg-spinner to flog it with a cut in front of square. Rashid continues to play with his pace. Clever stuff.
OVER 83: Sri Lanka 244/9 (Lakmal 10* Herath 3*)
Herath plays tip and run by pushing the ball into the onside and Lakmal fiddles a pull round the corner for another. That's the cue for drinks.
OVER 82: Sri Lanka 242/9 (Lakmal 9* Herath 2*)
Rashid is ratcheting back his pace to an almost absurd degree, down to 56kph with one tossed up high. Lakmal waits and waits to play it, gulping as he did so because it turns a mile. A couple of singles and some meaty blocks as Rashid plays with the time-space continuum. Fifty-six kilometres an hour!
OVER 81: Sri Lanka 240/9 (Lakmal 8* Herath 1*)
Maiden for Moeen to Herath. A phalanx of former team-mates, including Sanga and Mahela, are on the boundary edge waiting to chair Herath off.
OVER 80: Sri Lanka 240/9 (Lakmal 8* Herath 1*)
Heartless Erasmus almost sawed off Herath in his last innings for a golden duck. Thank goodness they had kept a review handy. Rashid has bowled beautifully since being brought into the attack just before tea and deserved his wicket. The one that almost bagged Herath turned at right angles and gulled the umpire. After the reprieve Herath gets off the mark with a short-arm pull for a single.
Sri Lanka review
Herath c Foakes b Rashid Caught sweeping off the first ball of his last innings! Erasmus has given it. But he didn't hit it. Not out.
Wicket!
Dilruwan c Stokes b Rashid 30That's a gorgeous dismissal, drift, dip and turn. It takes the edge and pops into first slip's hands. FOW 239/9
OVER 79: Sri Lanka 238/8 (Dilruwan 30* Lakmal 7*)
Lakmal gets off the mark with a steepling six over long on. He channelled Gene Kelly to chasse towards Moeen then thrashed the pants off it with a such a full swing that he almost slapped his own tuchas with the force of his followthrough.
OVER 78: Sri Lanka 230/8 (Dilruwan 29* Lakmal 0*)
Lakmal, who is likely to have to captain Sri Lanka for the second Test given Chandimal's injury, is struck on the side of the index finger of his right hand by Dilruwan's powerful on drive off the googly. It never rains ... On comes the physio and the spray. Some hand jangling and freezing occur but he is smiling as he puts his glove back on.
OVER 77: Sri Lanka 229/8 (Dilruwan 28* Lakmal 0*)
Moeen begins with a full toss that Dilruwan pummels back over his head for six. Over-compensation brings a drag-down that the batsman collars by pivoting to smash through midwicket for four. But he ends the over triumphant with his fourth wicket of the innings and eighth of the match.
��️ "He's down, but not out!"
Rashid takes a tumble, throwing himself into his action but doing so with such force he rolls to the turf without releasing the ball!
Watch #SLvENG here �� https://t.co/AgoUHQz056
Over-by-over blog �� https://t.co/seYIArYqTRpic.twitter.com/5xPDGtJdJF— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 9, 2018
Wicket!
Akila c Stokes b Moeen 8After a loose start to the over, Moeen diddles the left-hander with a peach that pitches on off and middle, turns and takes the edge by the maker's name and flies through to slip. Good catch by Stokes as he was partially unsighted by Foakes. FOW 229/8
OVER 76: Sri Lanka 212/7 (Dilruwan 17* Akila 8*)
Adil Rashid trips himself up duiring his delivery stride by catching the studs of his right boot into the trouser flare of his left leg. Like trousers like brain, as we used to say. Akila crouches to cut two through point and then bunts a low full toss through cover for three.
OVER 75: Sri Lanka 212/7 (Dilruwan 16* Akila 3*)
Foakes, an acrobat behind the stumps, all soft hands and keen anticipation, no goalie he, makes a bold attempt at a diving catch off Dilruwan's arm guard. He didn't get there, there was no glove but it was a spectacular effort. Maiden.
OVER 74: Sri Lanka 212/7 (Dilruwan 16* Akila 3*)
Akila tries the Gatting method and top edges over the keeper. They run two but that was a dicey shot when you can't pick Rashid. The bowler goes wider on the crease, round the wicket to the left-hander, who times a more assured sweep for a single.
OVER 73: Sri Lanka 208/7 (Dilruwan 15* Akila 0*)
The advice of Mike Gatting, a fine player of spin, to batsmen on how to approach spinners was similar to a cat's to cream. 'Lap it, lap it , lap it,' he would say. And Dilruwan does just that to Moeen, sweeping him behind square for four.
OVER 72: Sri Lanka 204/7 (Dilruwan 11* Akila 0*)
Bug turn and handsome dip from Rashid baffles Dilruwan who plays and misses as the ball zips past his edge. He looks lost for four deliveries then whips a slightly shorter one through midwicket for a single.
OVER 71: Sri Lanka 203/7 (Dilruwan 10* Akila 0*)
Dilruwan disperses the murder of crows at deep extra with a sumptuous cover drive for four. Moeen gets one to bounce up at him from outside off and England squeal in hope when he shapes to tuck it off his hip. The ball falls beyond short leg's reach and the replay shows he didn't hit it anyway but apart from that ...
OVER 70: Sri Lanka 197/7 (Dilruwan 4* Akila 0*)
Dilruwan gets up on to his toes to flick a single through the onside. Akila can't pick Rashid at all and prods nervously but survives.
OVER 69: Sri Lanka 197/7 (Dilruwan 4* Akila 0*)
After defeats at Dhaka, Vizag, Mohali, Mumbai, Chennai, the Gabba, Adelaide, the Waca, the SCG and Auckland, drwas in Rajkot, the MCG and Christchurch, England are going to win an away Test match for the first time in 746 days.
Wicket!
Mathews c Buttler b Moeen 53Undone by one that stuck in the pitch a little, ruined his timing and all he could do was flap it with a hoick to midwicket where Buttler bent forward to grasp it at ankle-height. FOW 197/7
OVER 68: Sri Lanka 195/6 (Mathews 53* Dilruwan 3*)
Rashid has been much tighter in his second spell. A big googly foxes Dilruwan and spits out of the rough. Foakes makes a tremendous stop diving headlong to his left. Earlier in the over Dilruean had flicked two behind square and Mathews chopped one through point.
OVER 67: Sri Lanka 192/6 (Mathews 51* Dilruwan 1*)
Sharp catch by Stokes, low to his left. He dropped a dolly this morning but despite the pounding with which he tortured his legs and back in a ferocious seven-over spell of chin music earlier, he still managed to swoop to clasp the opportunity. Moeen makes a couple turn abruptly on Dilruwan and Mathews who scramble them round the corner for singles.
Wicket!
Dickwella c Stokes b Moeen 16Just as Mathews fell after a break on day two, Dickwella goes first ball after tea, fiddling outside off-stump and chipping it low to slip. FOW 190/6
TEA: Sri Lanka 190/5
Sri Lanka go into tea needing 272 for victory with five wickets left. England have been solid in all but their catching, chipping away patiently. Jack Leach has been impressive, Ben Stokes bowled his heart out in a quad-sapping spell of enforcement and Rashid looked threatening in his brief three-over spell. Can England mop them up tonight? I'm not sure ... Mathews is batting well, Dickwella has a huge talent but susceptible to a rush of blood and Dilruwan is a fine batsman. But one would probably bring two and then you're into nine, 10 and a misty-eyed Herath at 11.
OVER 66: Sri Lanka 190/5 (Mathews 50* Dickwella 16*)
Mathews brings up his fifty, the second of the match, with a slog over midwicket for four but Rashid gulls Mathews at the end of the over with one that doesn't turn as much as the batsman expected and skids on, whistling past the off-stump as Mathews left it. Marais Erasmus, expecting to hear the crash of ball on to off-stump, gurns spectacularly. Stokes slaps both hands on to the crown of his cap and smiles ruefully. Rashid's mouth forms a perfect circle. That's tea.
OVER 65: Sri Lanka 186/5 (Mathews 46* Dickwella 16*)
Mathews sweeps a couple out to the midwicket boundary rider off Moeen, drives for a single then Dickwella defends three. He is naturally far more discomfited by the off-spinner than the leggie. We will have one more over before tea.
OVER 64: Sri Lanka 183/5 (Mathews 43* Dickwella 16*)
Dickwella plays a very chancy reverse sweep, perfectly executed but dangerous given the possible amount of turn out of the rough. He mullers it for two then takes a big stride to cream a cover drive for four. Rashid ought to be fine with that. One puff of dust and the ball gripping in that mini-crater and Dickwella would be toast.
OVER 63: Sri Lanka 175/5 (Mathews 42* Dickwella 9*)
A single apiece for Mathews and Dickwella off Moeen, both swept. The last ball zips into Mathews front af about halfway up as he prods forward late but it pitched outside the line.
OVER 62: Sri Lanka 173/5 (Mathews 41* Dickwella 8*)
Rashid, who took a bit of tap this morning, replaces Anderson and will have time for a couple of overs before tea. He starts this spell with more precision and ends the over with mammoth turn out of the footholds outside the left-hander's off-stump and rags it square. It leaps, too, and Dickwella, shaping to cut, scrambles into a hasty defensive chop.
The focus in this match has rightly been on England's spinners, but the seamers, particularly Curran and Anderson have played the containing role well. Sri Lanka have attacked those two bowlers significantly less than the others in this match. #SLvEngpic.twitter.com/FSnTYi1bp6
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) November 9, 2018
OVER 61: Sri Lanka 167/5 (Mathews 40* Dickwella 7*)
Leach takes a breather with figures of 21-1-60-3 to let Moeen have a got at the left-hander with the ball turning away from the bat. First up he has Mathews to bowl at and the right-hander uses the turn to cuff a single through square legf. Dickwella is prepared to sweep and does so for a single. England want him playing that. Mathews drives a single to the right of cover and Dickwella ends the over with a back-foot punch for one more.
OVER 60: Sri Lanka 167/5 (Mathews 38* Dickwella 5*)
Mathews rolls back the years - four to be precise to Headingley 2014 - to flay a cover drive off Anderson past extra for four.
OVER 59: Sri Lanka 161/5 (Mathews 33* Dickwella 4*)
Englland have not won an overseas Test since Oct 24, 2016, losing one to Bangladesh, four to India, four to Australia and one to NZ since the victory at Chittagong. Leach, Foakes and Jennings have all played a significant part in helping England close in on ending that dreadful run. Kudos to them and the selectors. Mathews dabs two off Leach down to third man.
OVER 58: Sri Lanka 159/5 (Mathews 31* Dickwella 4*)
A wonderful testing over from Anderson. Dickwella gets away form him with a squirty push down to third man and Mathews takes a single squarer, through point with a checked square drive.
OVER 57: Sri Lanka 157/5 (Mathews 30* Dickwella 3*)
Maiden from Leach who laid a trap by bowling five pitched on leg or just outside leg then threw the last one wide of off, hoping to draw Mathews down the ground. He doesn't fall for the stumping set-up but Foakes demolishes the furniture nonetheless. Mathews' back foot was planted even if he lost his balance.
OVER 56: Sri Lanka 157/5 (Mathews 30* Dickwella 3*)
Anderson comes round the wicket to the left-handed Dickwella. Nothing like the same movement from round and Dickwella plays the over out comfortably, tapping two through cover. Although Sri Lanka will be marmalised here, there's a gathering of the clan of Rangana Herath's former team-mates in Galle to bid farewell to the great spinner. He will be showered with gifts and back-slaps at the end of the game, including a board with the signatures of everyone he has played with for Sri Lanka.
OVER 55: Sri Lanka 155/5 (Mathews 30* Dickwella 1*)
After Chandimal departs to Leach's ripper, Dickwella enters and gets off the mark with a push into the onside. Nine fifties in 22 Tests but yet to make a maiden Test hundred to go with his two in ODIs.
Wicket!
Chandimal b Leach 1 Brilliant delivery but Chandimal was left helpless to play it because he can't transfer his weight without wince-inducing pain. A perfect left-arm spinners wicket, arcing on to leg stump, gripping on the pitch and ripping past the edge to hit the top of off-stump. A beauty. As Geoffrey Boycott says, 'he's playing down Bakerloo and it's gone down Piccadilly'. FOW 154/5
OVER 54: Sri Lanka 153/4 (Mathews 29* Chandimal 1*)
Anderson is making the ball tail in dramatically and hiding it in his hand in his run-up. Mathews is drawn into a play and miss as the ball wobbles past his edge. It seems to act like smelling salts and the batsman, more alert now, plays the next two with proper caution. He takes a single with a clip through midwicket and Chandimal blocks the last that moves all over the shop, like a beered-up wasp.
OVER 53: Sri Lanka 152/4 (Mathews 28* Chandimal 1*)
Good shot from Mathews, smacking a straight drive over Leach's head for four. Slightly overpitched. He pokes a single through cover and Chandimal, hampered by his gammy leg, is reduced to French cricket and painful prods to see out the over.
OVER 52: Sri Lanka 147/4 (Mathews 23* Chandimal 1*)
Anderson replaces Stokes and almost cuts Chandimal in half. The ball is a beauty. There's some shape in and then it also fizzes in off the pitch, clips the inside edge and misses trimming the bails by about a gnat's. Mathews walks across his stumps to drive wide of mid on, Chandimal hurries a flick off the big inswinger into the legside and Mathews plays tip and run off the last, comfortably given the Chandimal impediment. Could be a Ludlum novel: The Chandimal Impediment.
OVER 51: Sri Lanka 144/4 (Mathews 20* Chandimal 0*)
Clever captaincy and bowling, dumb batting. Root had plugged the gap on the sweep so Mendis used his feet to loft a drive over the top for four. His eyes lit up when he was presented with another opportunity next ball but failed to see it was more artfully flighted and dipped more rapidly. He went for the same shot and skied it to mid off. Enter Chandimal, a wonderful player but lame. This regulation that outlawed runners is among the the most stupid ICC ideas ... and that's a crowded field.
Wicket!
Mendis c Moeen b Leach 45Ridiculous. Mendis had used his feet to chip the previous delivery over long off for four. Leach, unperturbed, tossed the next one up a touch higher, and Mendis went for the replica and spoons it up. Moeen runs across from straightish mid off, halfway back, to take it. FOW 144/4
OVER 50: Sri Lanka 139/3 (Mendis 41* Mathews 20*)
Drop! Jimmy Anderson drops a cuckoo at shortish midwicket. He had been placed precisely there for that error from Mathews but England's greatest bowler shelled it. Had someone done it off his bowling, Anderson would have kicked a hole from Galle to Colne in a Rumpelstiltskin rage. Poor old Stokes, who must be on his knees, stares at the ground but knows better than to glare at Anderson. Mendis fends another wide of short leg after Mathews flicks a single behind square. He has bowled his heart out in this spell. He drops to his knees and demolishes a bottle of water at the end of the over but is staying on. 'One more?' Root inquires/suggests/commands.
OVER 49: Sri Lanka 135/3 (Mendis 40* Mathews 17*)
Always a chance with Mathews because of his lack of urgency. Leach almost sneaks one between bat and pad as Mathews seems to bring his bat down late but he just manages to get there and squeeze it on to his pad.
OVER 48: Sri Lanka 135/3 (Mendis 40* Mathews 17*)
Stokes takes a long draught from a bottle before gamely running in again for what will probably be the last over of this back-breaking spell. Mathews anticipates the short ball and when he realises it's only going to get up to navel-height he swivels to pull it firmly for four. He pops a glance off his ribs round the corner for a single then Mendis defends the full one, ducks the steepler and defends the last in front of his teeth. Stokes' face has turned magenta.
OVER 47: Sri Lanka 130/3 (Mendis 40* Mathews 12*)
Time to give Leach a blow now. Mendis slog sweeps hard and absolutely murders it over deep backward square leg for six. Coming round the wicket and turning it only gently, anything on middle and leg is being carted now.
OVER 46: Sri Lanka 124/3 (Mendis 34* Mathews 12*)
Burns is in the game at short leg, almost getting sconned again when he ducks his head as Mathews pulls. The ball crashes into his shin pad but he has this nasty habit of exposing the crown of his napper and the back of his head when he takes evasive action. He had inched closer because Mendis had flapped the first ball round the corner, wide of his position. It's a chin symphony from Stokes and Mendis is then struck on the hip and limps a leg bye. Mathews ends the over flashing a hook at a Stokes bouncer and gloving it about 18 inches wide of Foakes' dive for four.
OVER 45: Sri Lanka 119/3 (Mendis 34* Mathews 8*)
One brings two (boundaries). Perhaps Leach is tiring - this is his 14th over in debilitating heat. When he strays on to middle stump, Kusal Mendis sweeps him for four, popping it initially in the air but comfortably wide of backward square leg.
OVER 44: Sri Lanka 113/3 (Mendis 29* Mathews 6*)
England put in a fly slip for Kusal because he has repeated that daft shot from down on one knee, attempting to uppercut the bouncer over the slips. Once again he misses but Stokes and Root have a conflab, take out a slip and send Burns halfway back to the boundary. Stokes follows up with another shortish one with a Mark Wood double wheel in his action from very wide of the crease. It fizzes past a panicky Mendis's edge as he lifts his elbows in front of his chin.
OVER 43: Sri Lanka 112/3 (Mendis 29* Mathews 6*)
We've done Leach there with the last embedded tweet because he has just conceded his first boundary. He lost his line, drifted on to Mendis's pads, and Kusal, the Trigger of the sweep, collars him, sweeping crisply just behind square for four.
OVER 42: Sri Lanka 106/3 (Mendis 24* Mathews 5*)
Ben Stokes tries his slower ball, the one where his hand slides down one side of the ball with a loose grip. It takes 35kmh off the pace but Mathews reads it and gets his bat down squarely and securely. Stokes ramps it back up to 140kmh for the last ball of the over but Mathews isn't fazed and Brigadier Blocks that one too. Still looks a class act, tucking two off his hip, despite the mobility issues. Didn't hurt Inzy ... his partners, yes, but not Inzy.
OVER 41: Sri Lanka 104/3 (Mendis 24* Mathews 3* )
Not much spin for Leach who is turning it on average a couple of degrees fewer than Moeen and one short of Rashid. Mathews takes two legside singles and Mendis one with a slog sweep that he doesn't nail.
Jack Leach is yet to concede his boundary in this innings. It's the first time since 2009 that an English spinner has bowled this many balls in an innings without conceding a four or six. #SLvEng
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) November 9, 2018
OVER 40: Sri Lanka 101/3 (Mendis 23* Mathews 1* )
Stokes is pounding the ball into the pitch, looking for that splice-jarring heaviness that jolts the funny bone and numbs the little finger. One is even shorter than normal and forces Mendis to drop sharply on to his haunches to avoid it. He bobs back up meerkat fashion with a broad smile. Another back of a length delivery compels Mendis to take a knee but the pace isn't there so the batsman foolishly has a waft above his head to try to uppercut it over the slips. A hell of a risky shot and to his great good fortune he misses it. Stokes' eyes are as wide as saucers. Maiden.
OVER 39: Sri Lanka 101/3 (Mendis 23* Mathews 1* )
Leach replaces Root who was firing the ball into the pitch, looking for grip. Leach, no specs on this tour, is more of a spinner who tries to kiss the surface. Mendis takes a sly single off a streaky edge on the drive past point and Mathews, no footwork at all, cuffs a single through midwicket to bring up Sri Lanka's hundred. Bumble is talking up the spin-friendly conditions at Taunton on which Leach and Bess thrive. But he doesn't mention 'Ciderabad'. Banter bingo demerit point.
OVER 38: Sri Lanka 98/3 (Mendis 21* Mathews 0* )
Ben Stokes has four balls of his pre-lunch over to bowl. Mathews comes in ahead of Chandimal, who is still lame with groin twang. Mathews' stately frame makes him ponderous on his feet to start with and Stoke tests him with not so much a bouncer as a harp lifter that climbs outside off-stump to chest height. He sways out of the road and leaves another two that began wide and kept going.
Good morning
And welcome to live coverage of the afternoon and evening sessions of the fourth day's play from Galle. Sri Lanka ended the morning session on 98 for three, 364 runs behind England with seven second-innings wickets remaining. After a constructive and confident first hour for the opening partnership of Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne to extend their overnight stand to 51, Kaushal fell to Jack Leach, trapped leg-before when he was too early on his shot sweeping. He was absolutely plumb but it didn't stop him from wasting a review - Sri Lanka are a team of Jonny Bairstows/Stuart Broads in this respect - just to make sure.
Karuanaratner, who had batted diligently, then lost his head 11 balls later and tried to crack Moeen over the top for six. Down the pitch he came and chipped a return catch into the bowler's midriff. Too much toe of the bat, a loss of grip with his bottom hand and bingo! he was gone. Dhananjaya and Kusal Mendis then put on 39 and seemed to be secure until lunch when, in the last over before the break, squeezed in on the first pip of 6.30am, Dhananjaya was given out from the first ball of Stokes' over, caught behind. He immediately reviewed, for once successfully, and the replay and Ultra Edge proved that the noise was not bat on ball.
He was unable to exploit his reprieve, though, and was out next ball, done , much as Ajinkya Rahane was last summer, by Stokes' deceptive angle. The ball delivered from wide of the crease suckered the batsman into thinking it was arrowing towards off-stump, gulling him into playing when he could have left it and he fenced at it and edged it to Joe Root at wide first slip.
STOKES STRIKES ON STROKE OF LUNCH
Sri Lanka go in on 98-3 after de Silva (21) nicks off to Root in the slips.
Watch #SLvENG here �� https://t.co/AgoUHQhoGw
Over-by-over blog �� https://t.co/seYIAsg1Lphttps://t.co/Pm4vCuzICr— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 9, 2018
England walk off cock-a-hoop and confident of knocking Sri Lanka over today. Once again rain is predicted for tomorrow but each day's forecast has been so hopelessly wrong so far, it's far from certain how much play would be possible. Given that it siled down before the first day and again last night but they managed to start on time and we have lost no time at all to date, it's got to the point where you begin to understand why the weather and the horoscopes feature on the same page in some newspapers.
