Twitter Reactions: Sri Lanka gain lead to set target but Day 3 belongs to England

Sri Lanka Test Cricket. (Source – Sri Lanka Cricket)

Day 3 of the ongoing first Test between England and Sri Lanka saw Sri Lanka gain lead over the hosts in hopes of setting up a target. Day 2 of the clash ended with England on a score of 259 runs with the loss of six wickets to their name in the first innings.

After that, England managed to post an even bigger total on the scoreboard. Jamie Smith went on to score 111 runs in 148 deliveries and helped England to such a total.

As for Sri Lanka, Asitha Fernando was the highest wicket-taker for his side in the first innings, with four wickets to his name. Prabath Jayasuriya took three wickets, with Vishwa Fernando taking two and Milan Rathnayake striking once.

Also Read: Jamie Smith becomes youngest England wicketkeeper to score Test ton

Coming out to bat, Sri Lanka hoped to minimise their deficit and post a big target for England to chase. However, the side got off to a subpar start in the second innings. Nishan Madushka was sent packing for a duck, Dimuth Karunaratne scored 27 runs, and Kusal Mendis was dismissed without scoring a run as well.

However, after the subpar start by the top order, Angelo Mathews stabilised the innings for his side, scoring 65 runs in 145 deliveries. Dinesh Chandimal is unbeaten on a score of 20 runs, alongside Kamindu Mendis, who is unbeaten at 56 runs as well.

As Day 3 was brought to a close, Sri Lanka had managed to score 204 runs in the second innings with the loss of six wickets. The side has also gained a lead of 82 runs over the hosts.

As for England, Chris Woakes has been the highest wicket-taker so far, with two wickets to his name. Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Matthew Potts, and Joe Root took one wicket each as well.

Also Read: Jamie Smith solves England’s critical problem in Test cricket

Here’s how X reacted to Day 3 of the ENG-SL Test: