England vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 4 LIVE: Sri Lanka Aim To Extend 2nd Inns Lead
England vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 4 LIVE Updates: Sri Lanka kept themselves alive in the first Test against England at Old Trafford, ending Day 3 with an 82-run lead. After trailing by 122 runs, Sri Lanka rode on half-centuries by veteran Angelo Mathews (65) and Kamindu Mendis (56*). The latter remained unbeaten overnight alongside wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Chandimal. Chandimal had retired injured and had to be taken to hospital after suffering a blow from a Mark Wood bouncer, but returned to take Sri Lanka to 204/6 at stumps. (Live Scorecard)
JUST IN - England have been dealt a blow ahead of the start of play as Mark Wood will not take the field on Day 4 due to a right thigh muscle injury. Wood, who walked off the field late yesterday, will continue to be assessed by the England medical team.
Mathews couldn’t capitalise on his lifeline, but Mendis continued to battle, keeping Sri Lanka’s hopes alive. Having returned with a clear X-ray, Chandimal came back to the crease and, along with Mendis, guided Sri Lanka through to the close of play with a lead of 82 runs. Today, the visitors face two key challenges - first, surviving the crucial first hour, and then handling the second new ball, which is 20 overs away. England, on the other hand, will be eager to dismiss these two set batters and get a crack at the tail with the new red cherry. Stick around as the first ball on Day 4 is not far away.
However, Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis showed immense grit, digging deep to erase the deficit and even push Sri Lanka into the lead. But as we’ve seen so often during this and the previous English summer, the replacement ball did a lot more than the previous one, and yesterday was no exception. However, the English fielders