Third Test: England overcome collapse to extend lead past 300

England overcame a top-order collapse to reach 210 for seven, an overall lead of 306 runs, at tea on day three of the third and final test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Sunday.

Chasing a 3-0 series sweep, the tourists slumped to 39-4 in the first hour of play before Jos Buttler made 64 and added 89 runs with Ben Stokes to steady the innings at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

At the tea interval, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was unbeaten on 20 with Adil Rashid on 21 at the other end after the tourists had enjoyed a 100-run session.

Resuming on 3-0 and with an overall lead of 99, England lost Keaton Jennings leg before wicket for one off the first delivery of the day from Dilruwan Perera (4-74), which seemed to unhinge their top order.

The off-spinner dismissed Rory Burns for seven in an identical manner and substitute fielder Kaushal Silva took a sharp catch at short leg to dismiss Jonny Bairstow, who followed his first innings 110 with 15 in the second.

England's crisis deepened further when captain Joe Root offered a return catch to Malinda Pushpakumara to depart for seven, before Sri Lankan sloppiness and a solid middle order partnership worked in the tourists' favour.

Buttler had reached 27 when he was adjudged leg-before to Dhananjaya de Silva but the batsman managed to overturn the decision after replays confirmed the ball would have sailed over the stumps.

Stokes had an even more eventful and fortuitous stay before he was finally dismissed for a vital 42-run contribution.

The all-rounder was first caught at cover for 22 and then in the slip after adding 10 more runs but survived both times after replays confirmed spinner Lakshan Sandakan had overstepped.

The wrist-spinner went on to dismiss Buttler but the hosts looked demoralised after his no-ball nightmares allowed England's overall lead to swell towards an almost impossible target for the side batting fourth. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by John O'Brien)