Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva and the in-form Kamindu Mendis frustrated England with a unbroken century partnership on the second day of the third Test at the Oval on Saturday.
The tourists collapsed to 93-5 before tea, but had recovered to 211-5 when bad light forced an early close. That left Sri Lanka 114 runs adrift of an England first-innings total of 325 built on Ollie Pope's 154 -- his first century as England captain.
De Silva was 64 not out and left-handed batsman Kamindu Mendis, again down the order at number seven, 54 not out in an undefeated stand of 118 as Sri Lanka looked to salvage some pride at 2-0 behind in a three-match series.
It was a fine end to the day for Sri Lanka, who took seven wickets before lunch on Saturday to end England's innings. For Mendis, currently boasting a staggeringly high Test batting average of over 85, this was the seventh time in six matches at this level the 25-year-old had passed 50 -- a run that also includes three centuries.