Captain Joe Root yesterday smashed 124 and newcomer Ben Foakes again hit valuable tail-end runs to put England in command of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
England reached 324-9 — a second-innings lead of 278 — when bad light stopped play for the day at Kandy.
Foakes was batting on 51 alongside James Anderson on 4.
Spinner Akila Danajanya, whose action is under investigation by the International Cricket Council, claimed six wickets on the turning pitch.
He trapped Root LBW and then bowled Sam Curran for naught with his next ball. Adil Rashid thwarted the hat-trick, but soon fell to Dananjaya’s guile for 2.
It was the third five-wicket haul in just the fifth Test for Dananjaya, who must rush off to Australia after the game for an examination of his bowling.
However, he could not stop Root and Foakes from swinging the game.
Root reached his 15th Test ton soon after tea, making the sweep and reverse sweep valuable weapons, as he hit 10 fours and two sixes in his 146-ball knock.
Root raised his bat to a standing ovation from traveling English fans who also lauded Foakes.
Root made an 82-run seventh-wicket stand with Foakes, who reached his fifty with a six off Dilruwan Perera. The hit turned out to be the last ball of the day, with dark clouds gathering and thunder heard in the distance.
As he did in his sparkling century on his Test debut in the opening game of the series, Foakes mixed caution and aggression to push up the England score.
Each of England’s top seven batsmen were out attempting a sweep of some description.
Jos Buttler dragged one of Dananjaya’s deliveries onto his stumps while trying to reverse sweep on 34. Moeen Ali was trapped LBW for 10 after failing to connect with an attempted sweep.
Earlier, left-hander Rory Burns registered his maiden Test half-century in just his second match. He was trapped LBW off Malinda Pushpakumara for 59.
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