Sky Sports statistician Benedict Bermange using cricket simulation to play out Virtual Test Match of postponed series between Sri Lanka and England
Monday 30 March 2020 14:22, UK
England will go into the final day of the Second Virtual Test at Colombo needing 352 runs to win - or more realistically - having to bat out the day to preserve their 1-0 lead and clinch the series.
Sri Lanka's second innings of 344 owed much to Angelo Mathews (135), who scored his 11th Test century and Kusal Mendis, who made 77 in a third wicket partnership of 152.
Mathews was always positive and reached three figures from just 144 deliveries - the fastest of his Test centuries to date. He struck 16 crisp boundaries and one beautiful lofted straight six off Dom Bess which threatened to take out the cameramen at the far end of the ground.
Mendis continued his good form and was more circumspect, reaching his fifty from 103 balls before attempting to strike Jack Leach over the top and offering Jos Buttler an easy stumping.
First-innings centurion Dinesh Chandimal added 71 with Mathews before Joe Root took the new ball with Sri Lanka sitting pretty at 283-3. The decision paid immediate dividends with Stuart Broad nipping one back to Mathews in the next over and trimming his off stump.
It was a superb, match-defining innings from the former captain and he left to a standing ovation. That wicket seemed to inspire the England bowlers, who thwarted the Sri Lankan's attempts to up the scoring rate by taking regular wickets.
In fact, seven wickets fell in the final session, with Leach wrapping up the tail with three wickets in 10 deliveries.
It was the seamers who had done the initial damage using the second new ball, with Sam Curran forcing Chandimal to edge to Ben Stokes in the gully before Broad induced the same error from Niroshan Dickwella.
Kusal Perera's bright and breezy innings of 24 was terminated by a Curran in-ducker before Leach set to work on the tail.
The Stokes-inspired victory at Leeds last year may have preyed on the mind of Dimuth Karunaratne, who decided against an early declaration and so - barring a miracle - there is probably only one possible winner in this Test.
The first session of the final day could well be crucial and Sri Lanka will hope that the pitch will show more signs of wear and tear than it has been so far, while there will be some irregular bounce.
