Jamie Smith’s flamboyant counter-attack kept England alive in the third Test against Sri Lanka after a burst of five wickets for 26 left the game in the balance on day three.
After securing a first-innings lead of 62 at the Kia Oval England found themselves in a tight spot as the tourists reduced them to 82 for seven.
Recklessness from the top order and a vastly improved bowling effort in the afternoon flipped the match on its head before Smith launched a one-man assault.
Undaunted by the weight of scoreboard pressure he produced a quite brilliant riposte from number six, striking 67 from 50 balls with 10 fours and a six.
He was out to the final ball before tea in another dramatic twist, leaving England 140 for eight and ahead by 202.
The day began with England taking Sri Lanka’s last five wickets for 52 to leave them 263 all out, debutant Josh Hull picking up two more as he and Olly Stone finished with three apiece.
England had an opportunity to bat their opponents out of the game but showed some of the same carelessness which drew sharp words from former captains Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook on day two.
They lost two of their top three in a half-hour window before lunch, Ben Duckett driving errantly to mid-on and Ollie Pope following his first-innings century by dragging on with a loose swish of the bat.
They still carried a 97-run lead into the break but the vulnerability of their position was exposed as Sri Lanka dialled up the pressure.
Dan Lawrence (35) had spent longer at the crease than anyone but lacked the wherewithal to provide the anchor his side needed. He started the afternoon session in fifth gear, leaving all three stumps exposed as he attempted to open up the leg side and somehow avoiding being bowled by the tiniest of margins.
A huge six over long-off showed him in a better light but his ambition soon got the best of him, swinging furiously at a ball that shaped away and grazed the edge. Kumara celebrated emphatically, perhaps slighted by the flashy nature of the stroke, and Lawrence added a bruised finger to a bruised ego as he thumped his bat in disgust.
Root’s presence should have settled England, and normal service appeared to resume when he punched a classy cover drive to overtake Kumar Sangakkara as the sixth highest run-scorer in Test history.
Only Sir Alastair Cook stands between him and a place in the top five but that will have to wait until next month’s tour of Pakistan after Fernando surprised him with an inswinging yorker.
The ball crunched his front foot on the full, with a hopeful DRS call only confirming his fate. With their cornerstone gone, there was an opening for Sri Lanka and Fernando bulldozed through it.
Like Root, Harry Brook was a fraction late to one that shaped in through the air and thudded into the front pad. Like Root, he burned a review on his way.
Chris Woakes was caught behind for a duck off Kumara and though an injury to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal provided a chance for England to take a breath, their struggles continued. Gus Atkinson, carrying a quad injury that left him unable to bowl in the morning, was trapped plumb in front by Milan Rathnayake.
Smith had seen enough and lifted the mood around the stands with a handful of increasingly daring strokes. After seeing a leading edge narrowly escape the man at mid-off he plundered 52 off just 17 deliveries.
Rathnayake suffered most pain, pummelled down the ground when he went full and flogged for six as he dragged his length back. Some shots were pure timing, others brute strength, but it was a heady mix.
Stone had contributed just five to a partnership of 58 as Smith entered T20 mode, but the fun came to an end when he drilled Fernando straight to midwicket with the tea break just seconds away.
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