Asitha, Prabath keep Sri Lanka in game

 Harry Brook has his off stump pegged back by one that turned from Prabath Jayasuriya

Asitha Fernando ripped into England’s top order with three wickets

Jamie Smith pulls on his way to 

a half-century

• England leads by 23 runs with four wickets in hand

MANCHESTER: Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya kept Sri Lanka in the game in the first Test against England where only 57 overs were possible on an overcast day at Old Trafford where the sun hardly shone.

The pair took five of the six England wickets to fall in another gripping day’s cricket where Sri Lanka did well not allow the game to drift away by picking up wickets at crucial periods of play that saw England finish on 259-6 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings of 236 – a lead of 23 with four first innings wickets in hand.

Considering the fact that Sri Lanka at one stage were 6-3 and 113-7 on day one they had done extremely well to fight their way hard and keep the Test pretty even.

Standing between Sri Lanka and England gaining a big first innings lead is wicket-keeper/bat Jamie Smith who shed his usual aggressive approach to play a responsible knock of 72* off 97 balls (5 fours, 1 six) – his third Test fifty in the last five innings.

Smith figured in important partnerships of 62 and 52 with Harry Brook (56 off 73 balls, 4 fours) and Chris Woakes (25) respectively to push England into the lead. Having to bat last on the surface where the odd ball spins sharply, England will be looking to get as big a lead as they can in the first innings.

The worry for England will be the two magical deliveries Jayasuriya bowled to hit the top of off stump of Brook and Woakes that left both batsmen dumbfounded before they left the crease.

Brook who was batting beautifully got a delivery from nowhere which he could do nothing about. The ball pitched on leg stump and hit the top of off. A dream delivery for any spinner. A similar ball got rid of Woakes.

After rain washed out the morning session, Asitha Fernando struck early in the afternoon by dismissing Ben Duckett for 18 and England Captain Ollie Pope for 6 in quick succession, while Vishwa Fernando sent back Daniel Lawrence for 30 after a change of ends worked for the left-arm pacer. Joe Root and Brook steadied the ship with a stand of 58 but just as when Root was looking solid (42 off 57 balls, 4 fours), Asitha Fernando struck again for his third wicket as he suckered the former England captain into a drive which he edged behind the wicket, to send back another set batsman. Brook continued to play his shots in spectacular fashion and notched up his half-century and was looking good to convert it into a century when he received an astonishing ball from Jayasuriya that left him disbelief. Play was extended for the day till 7.30 p.m. local time, but bad light followed by rain brought an end to another absorbing day’s cricket.