England's dominance continued at Old Trafford on Thursday on a day when Sri Lanka's fortunes had to change if they were square the series. But despite the hosts poor record in Manchester and what Nasser Hussain called the "most non-English of pitches," this was another day to forget for the visitors. Even their famous cheerleader, Percy Abeysekera, fresh from Colombo, couldn't change their luck.

Nothing seemed to go their way. Their third seamer, Buddhika Fernando, limped out of contention in the morning with a dodgy knee; Sanath Jayasuriya lost the most important of tosses on an ideal batting surface and Sri Lanka were forced to field in an icy cold breeze. Worse followed: the captain was forced to watch from slip in horror as his opening bowlers, particularly Eric Upashantha, wasted the new ball and his fielders spilled three catches.

Thundering along at four runs an over, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan didn't even bat an eyelid when Jayasuriya called up his trump card. Three boundaries were clumped in Muttiah Muralitharan's first over and after three overs he was quietly withdrawn to nurse his batted pride and sore shoulder – so tender that he clutched it in pain after one exasperated lbw appeal.

Sri Lanka's frustration increased throughout the afternoon, peaking when Trescothick was spilled twice off consecutive deliveries, the second the most embarrassing of clangers by poor Upashantha off a miscued pull. Trescothick, who must have been shocked to be so lamely reprieved, summed up his fortune in understated fashion: "You sometimes get those. It was going my way today."

Nevertheless, his efforts were once again praiseworthy. No-one bears greater responsibility for England's stranglehold in this series, grabbing back the initiative with 76 at Lord's, and then building the platform for victory at Edgbaston with his 161. Most importantly, he has blunted Muralitharan, boosting the confidence of team-mates.

Although Muralitharan, who threatened more when he changed ends, eventually had his number when Mahela Jayawardene clung on to a sharp chance at slip, by that time England's superiority had long been established. Even after the loss of two further wickets before the close, Sri Lanka's chances of squaring the series look increasingly slim.

Trescothick has clearly enjoyed his duel with Muralitharan: "I've done well against him – this was the first time that he has got me out – and I'm happy with my method against him." But he was still unhappy about missing out on a fourth Test century: "It was not good enough really, I expect myself to go and make big hundreds."

Tomorrow he hopes England will forge on. "We are very happy to have only lost four wickets in the day and we have given ourselves a good chance of scoring 500. Last year we were in a similar position but then lost wickets – this time we have to carry and continue as we did today."

England's chances of pressing on into an indomitable position will depend on Mark Butcher, who efficiently accumulated his runs, finishing the day on 85 not out. According to Trescothick, Butcher's new-found consistency is the result of "a change in mental approach, which has helped him turn out runs like a machine."

Sri Lanka's only bright spot in the day was Dilhara Fernando. With only a handful of overs under his belt during the past eight months, he bowled with considerable pace. It was not all brawn either – both his wickets came from well-disguised slower balls. Had umpire David Orchard upheld an appeal for caught behind early on in Graham Thorpe's innings, the match situation could be different. Trescothick was impressed: "We haven't seen a lot of him in England but he has genuine pace and is right up their with the quickest."

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