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England were chasing a ruthless finish to the first Test against Sri Lanka after Jamie Smith’s maiden hundred set up a winning position on day three at Emirates Old Trafford.
At 24, Smith became the youngest English wicketkeeper to post a Test ton, taking Les Ames’ 94-year-old record, as he converted his overnight 72 into a highly accomplished 111.
His ton, in just his fifth innings, carried the hosts to 358 all out in the morning session as they moved into a 122-run lead.
By stumps the tourists had scrapped to 204 for six, with Angelo Mathews (65) and Kamindu Mendis (56 not out) showing fight after another torrid start saw them lose their first two wickets with just one run on the board.
England put down a couple of catches to slow their progress but with a deficit of just 82 they remain firm favourites to bank a fourth straight win this summer.
Sri Lanka need plenty more from Kamindu, who has already scored two Test hundreds in his first three caps, and have Dinesh Chandimal back at the crease after an injury scare. He was forced to retire hurt after being smashed on the glove at 90mph by Mark Wood but an X-ray confirmed no fracture and he returned to the middle late on.
It was a day that will be remembered largely because of Smith, who fell for 95 in his previous innings against the West Indies last month and made certain not to collect a second near miss.
He hit eight fours and a six in his 148-ball stay, a measured performance that relied on concentration and composure as much as the attacking flair he is known for at Surrey.
Things had been in the balance at the start of play, England just 23 in front on 259 for six, but Sri Lanka were lethargic from the outset as Smith eased his way to three figures. His reaction was admirably restrained but the Manchester crowd marked his big moment in style.
He received another deserved ovation after he was eighth out, slashing at a wide delivery from Prabath Jayasuriya and edging behind. England’s tail also wagged as Gus Atkinson (20), Wood (22) and Matthew Potts (17) refused to go quietly.
Sri Lanka had a little over 10 minutes to survive before lunch but Chris Woakes bowled Nishan Madushka as he shouldered arms to the third ball and Kusal Mendis was caught behind for a duck off Atkinson.
Wood took exactly one delivery to join the party, spearing one in to Dimuth Karunaratne and having him caught off a deflected inside edge.
Wood’s pace was also too much for Chandimal, who was left unable to grip the bat after being smashed on the thumb. He was taken to hospital to assess a potential break but received the green light to get back in the game.
When Potts had Dhananjay De Silva lbw with a dose of low, inconsistent bounce, the tourists looked in turmoil. However, Mathews and Kamindu rebuilt doggedly.
Mathews, who has scored Test hundreds against England at Lord’s, Headingley and Galle, reached 50 with just 10 runs in boundaries and helped dampen the atmosphere among the home fans.
It became a battle of wills as the pair put on 78 in 25 overs, with stand-in skipper Ollie Pope frustrated as handling errors began to creep in. The first was a bad miss, Mathews at long last offering up a chance when he flashed at Potts and Root spilling a regulation grab to his left. Potts’ luck deserted him again in his next over when Kamindu carved to backward point, where Atkinson juggled it.
It fell to the Durham seamer to point his team-mates in the right direction, making no mistake when Woakes squared up Mathews and took a leading edge. It had taken longer than anticipated but England were moving in the right direction once more.
Woakes twice persuaded the umpire to raise his finger, only for replays to show an inside edge, but there was one more breakthrough still to come. When Wood pulled up two balls into his 11th over, Root was called in to finish it off.
The change tempted Milan Rathanayake into a lazy slog, chipping the occasional spinner straight to mid-off.
