SL vs ENG: It’s advantage Sri Lanka after Alastair Cook’s resistance

Sri Lanka removed Alastair Cook for 85 on the stroke of tea as England faced some pressure at 165/5 in the third Test on Thursday after choosing to bat first.

Nuwan Pradeep trapped the England captain lbw from around the wicket for the important breakthrough, leaving England facing a challenge to make a big first-innings score at Lord’s.

Jonny Bairstow was 44 not out. He and Cook combined for an 80-run partnership to dig England out of more serious trouble at 84/4.

Cook and Alex Hales posted an opening stand of 56 until Hales lost patience and fell for 18. Nick Compton and Joe Root were then out cheaply to give Sri Lanka early momentum in the final Test after they lost the first two games and the series.

Earlier, Suranga Lakmal rocked England with a double strike shortly before lunch as Sri Lanka fought back on the first morning.

At lunch, England were 71 for three after paceman Lakmal (2/22 in seven overs) had accounted for both Nick Compton (one) and Joe Root (three).

Fielding an unchanged side from the team that thrashed Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the second Test at the Riverside, England made a serene start.

Sri Lanka, who retained Shaminda Eranga in their side despite the paceman being reported for a suspect action after concerns emerged in the second Test, made little impression as Cook and Alex Hales compiled a fifty stand in 74 balls.

Left-hander Cook, presented with a commemorative bat before play to mark his achievement in becoming the first England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs — a landmark he reached at the Riverside — leg-glanced Eranga for four.

Scoreboard (At Tea) England (1st innings): A. Cook lbw b Pradeep 85, A. Hales c Mathews b Herath 18, N. Compton c Chandimal b Lakmal 1, J. Root lbw b Lakmal 3, J. Vince b Pradeep 10, J. Bairstow (batting) 44, M. Ali (batting) 1. Extras: (lb3) 3. Total: (for 5 wkts, in 58 overs) 165. FoW: 1-56, 2-67, 3-71, 4-84, 5-164. Bowling: Eranga 14-2-38-0, Lakmal 11-1-38-2 , Pradeep 14-4-48-2, Mathews 7-5-6-0, Herath 12-2-32-1.