1st Test
Day-4 Morning Session Highlights:
Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal has boosted the Sri Lanka’s hopes
At The Lunch of Day-4:
Sri Lanka scored 236 (1st Innings) & 291/6 (2nd Innings), where as England scored 358 (1st Innings).
So, finally Sri Lanka lead by 169 runs.
A century partnership between Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal bolstered Sri Lanka’s hopes at Old Trafford, as they headed into the lunch break with a lead of 169 runs.
Mendis made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan batter to score a Test century in England while batting at No. 7 or lower.
Chandimal, who had briefly retired hurt the previous day, displayed remarkable resilience as the pair batted through the entire session, frustrating the hosts.
Chris Woakes threatened early by beating Mendis’ outside edge with the very first delivery of the day, but Mendis responded emphatically with a boundary.
Chandimal then struck a couple of boundaries off Gus Atkinson, pushing the lead past 100.
Mendis followed suit in the pacer’s next over, prompting an early bowling change.
England faced a further setback as Mark Wood was unavailable due to a thigh injury, forcing Shoaib Bashir to bowl alongside Matthew Potts earlier than planned.
Despite the changes, the runs kept flowing, with Chandimal reaching his half-century.
A 30-minute rain break offered England a brief respite, but it did little to disrupt the determined Sri Lankan duo.
When the second new ball became available, England took it immediately, desperate for a breakthrough.
However, Mendis continued his fine form, cutting one through backward point to bring up his third Test century.
With the lead nearing 200, England will find themselves under significant pressure if they fail to break the partnership quickly after the interval.
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