Dhammika Prasad’s dramatic four-wicket burst following a hundred from skipper Angelo Mathews left Sri Lanka on the brink of victory in the second Test against England at Headingley yesterday.
England were 57 for five at stumps on the fourth day, needing a further 293 runs to reach their imposing victory target of 350.
The most England have previously made in the fourth innings to win a Test is 332 for seven against Australia at Melbourne in 1928/29. And only one team have made more in the fourth innings to win a Test at Headingley — Australia’s 404 for three against England in 1948.
Sri Lanka have won just two Tests in England and never claimed a series on English soil of more than one match. But, having held out for a draw in the first Test at Lord’s with just one wicket standing, Mathews’s men were now on course for a memorable victory.
Earlier in the day, England bowled too short and Prasad, recalled in place of the dropped Nuwan Kulasekara, showed them the value of pitching the ball up. England were making steady progress at 39 without loss when Prasad, the fifth bowler used by Mathews, struck twice in his first over.
With his third ball, he induced England captain Alastair Cook to bottom edge a pull onto his stumps. That meant the left-handed opener’s run without a Test century since he scored the last of his England record 25 hundreds against New Zealand at Headingley last year, now extends to 24 innings.
And next ball, Prasad’s excellent full-length delivery had Gary Ballance plumb lbw for a duck.
Ian Bell prevented a hat-trick but Prasad was in the wickets again when Australia-born opener Sam Robson, who in the first innings had made a maiden Test century, drove loosely outside off stump and was caught by second slip Mahela Jayawardene for 24.
Prasad, 31, then surpassed his previous Test-best of 3-82 against Pakistan in Colombo six years ago when he squared up Bell with a fine delivery that clipped the top of off-stump.
England were now 52 for four, with Prasad having taken four for 10 in 24 balls. Nightwatchman Liam Plunkett fell for nought when he chipped a gentle catch to cover off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
Mathews’s hundred was the centrepiece of Sri Lanka’s second innings 457. It was only his fourth in 40 Tests but third since he became captain last year.
And it meant the all-rounder, whose knock surpassed his 157 not out against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi last year, had set new personal Test-bests with both bat and ball in this match after the seamer’s 4-44 in England’s first innings.
Mathews received excellent support from Herath (48) in an eighth-wicket stand of 149. The pair were only separated on the stroke of tea when Mathews, in search of a single for his 150, sent Herath back only for the non-striker to be run out by Root’s direct hit from mid-on.
Mathews’s impressive innings of more than five hours, lasting 247 balls, contained 25 fours and a six.
