Gaji
Alastair Cook's fifth succeeding Test half-century helped England overcome the loss of Andrew Strauss for a second-ball duck and move towards safety next to Sri Lanka at Lord's.
Strauss fell lbw on the back foot to Chanaka Welegedara for the second time in this second npower Test, having made only four in two attempts, before England improved to reach 149 for two by stumps on day four.
They had banked a direct of only seven runs after Steven Finn completed with four wickets and took his Test occupation tally to 50 - the youngest Englishman to reach that landmark - in Sri Lanka's 479 all out.
The match therefore appears to come down to a directly second-innings shoot-out.
But despite England's instant setback, Cook (61no) and Jonathan Trott (58) settled nerves adequately to make a deadlock by far the likeliest outcome tomorrow in this three-match series which England currently lead 1-0.
England's player of the year Trott and his man Ashes run machine Cook were the ideal men to stave off more trouble, after the hosts stumble to 22 for three in their first innings.
So it proved too, in a century stand which calmly restores the premise that - even under murk and floodlight glare - there was not sufficient firepower in this Sri Lanka attack to open up a shot at a surprise victory.
Instead, it seemed, Strauss would have the luxury of decide whether or not to push critically for a win tomorrow.
One of valuable few false shots from England's second-wicket pair brought Trott four runs, edged through a available third slip off Dilhara Fernando, to take him to within one run of his 66-ball half-century.
Cook follows him to 50, from 86 balls. But by then Kevin Pietersen's long judgment to wait with his pads on - as in Cardiff last week - was over.
Trott yorked himself in Rangana Herath's first over, leaving Pietersen to block his first two balls next to his vengeance left-arm spin.
The clapping of a small crowd might have been read as helpful or ironic. But either way, Pietersen could be in no doubt he had a point to prove - and he took a small pace towards doing so by closing out the last hour with Cook.
England's pace bowlers, the object of much disapproval for their faulty lines over the past two days, had earlier enhanced significantly.
They still did not get it right all the time but tested the Sri Lankans satisfactorily for fair reward in favorable circumstances under cloud cover.
Finn (four for 108) began ominously, spearing his very first delivery of the day in a before incomplete over from the exhibition area end down the leg side.
But he corrects his line well enough to have Mahela Jayawardene edging an ill at ease ball on the back-foot defence to third slip, where Cook - who had drop Tharanga Paranavitana in the ring two days ago - this time, clung on.
Jayawardene was gone one run short of his 50, and two balls later Chris Tremlett strike at the other end when Thilan Samaraweera edge some full-length outswing behind.
The tourists were so five down, with two men in on nought and still 92 runs behind.
Stuart Broad was detained back until the 14th over of the day. But after yielding a four from his first ball, Prasanna Jayawardene binding an attempted pull over the heads of the slips to bring up 100 runs next to the first of three bowlers' names, Broad struck with one that uneven down the hill to have Farveez Maharoof lbw.
Sri Lanka appeared in danger after all of conceding a important first-innings lead - but not so after a counter-attacking place of 57 between Herath and Jayawardene.
Each batsman slog-swept Graeme Swann for a six, among several daring strokes, until the off-spinner got his retribution on the left-hander - up the wicket and confused when he did not get to the pitch of one that twisted.
Jayawardene had been timing the ball particularly well. But once he fell to a very good catch by Swann, headfirst low to his left at second slip to give Finn his milestone in only his 12th Test, virtual parity was certain and duly established as the last four wickets fell for 13 runs.
Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, who suffers a badly bruised thumb in the course of his 193, did not take the field when his team bowled for the second time. Kumar Sangakkara led the tourists in his absence.
