England Edges Closer to Series Victory Over Sri Lanka at Lord's

England reduced Sri Lanka to 260-7 at Lord's, nearing a series win with one match left. Sri Lanka, set a near-impossible 483 to win, counter-attacked but lost key wickets. Contributions from Karunaratne, Mathews, and Chandimal fell short against England's bowling. Captain de Silva and Rathnayake held on, but England remains commanding.

England reduced a counter-attacking Sri Lanka to 260-7 at Lord's on Sunday, closing in on a victory that would secure the three-test series with one match to go.

Sri Lanka, set a daunting 483 to win and resuming on 53-2 overnight, largely ignored the match situation to attack, leading to a mix of boundaries and wickets on a day that often mimicked a limited-overs contest. The morning's play saw the visitors only lose nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya (4) and Dimuth Karunaratne (55), who posted the first half-century by an opener in the series before falling to Olly Stone.

Angelo Mathews (36) looked assured post-lunch but chipped a catch to Chris Woakes off Shoaib Bashir. Woakes, England's seasoned all-rounder, provided control with seven maiden overs. Dinesh Chandimal (58) appeared lbw to Woakes but survived on review, only to be caught shortly after. Kamindu Mendis, Sri Lanka's standout batsman with an average of 92, failed to impact, falling cheaply.

Unbeaten captain Dhananjaya de Silva (45 not out) and Milan Rathnayake (26 not out) added a vibrant 60-run partnership as England aimed to end the match before tea. England's dominance was built on consecutive centuries by Joe Root, who set a national record with his 34th test hundred in the second innings.

(With inputs from agencies.)