Close England 275 and 321 for 2 (Hussain 51*, Butcher 55*) lead Sri Lanka 555 for 8d by 41 runs
scorecard

A century from Michael Vaughan and half-centuries from Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and Nasser Hussain left Sri Lanka's bowlers looking as ineffective as England's had been on Thursday. By the time bad light brought a premature end to play the Sri Lankans' body language indicated that they were running on empty.

After following on 280 runs adrift of Sri Lanka's first innings 555 for 8 declared, England had to bat far better than on Saturday to have any hope of saving the match. Sri Lanka, or more accurately their captain Sanath Jayasuriya at first slip, had two golden opportunities to open the floodgates within the first half-hour. He spilt both of the regulation catches and thereafter Sri Lanka looked toothless.

Vaughan was the beneficiary on both occasions, and the first let-off - from Charitha Buddika - came in the middle of an eventful first over in which he also stroked three flowing cover-drives to the boundary.

When Jayasuriya repeated the dose three overs later, this time off Nuwan Zoysa, Sri Lanka sensed it might not be their day. Gritting their teeth - and often baring them as well - England went to lunch on 147 for 0, with Vaughan unfurling his full repertoire of strokes. Though his judgement outside off stump - especially against the left-armers - was less secure than it had been in the first innings, he was right not to rely solely on defence. The pitch was showing plenty signs of uneven bounce, and England had to take their scoring opportunities as they arose.

With the score on 168, Sri Lanka finally made their breakthrough. Both Trescothick and Vaughan had survived a number of vehement lbw appeals, not least from Buddika, but it required an aberration from umpire Daryl Harper to separate them. England were still 112 runs adrift when Zoysa found a clear inside-edge that cannoned into Trescothick's front pad. To his credit, Trescothick trooped back to the pavilion without hesitation.

Vaughan moved onto 99 with yet another glorious cover-drive, this time off Aravinda de Silva, and posted his century by scampering a desperate single to Charitha Buddika at mid-off, moments after Mark Butcher had also come within a whisker of a run-out. Vaughan eventually fell for 115, as Ruchira Perera angled one across his body and Kumar Sangakkara snaffled a thin edge.

But Hussain and Butcher seemed to sense that the Sri Lankan bowlers were wilting, and in the final session they cut loose. Hussain lofted Jayasuriya for a straight six, and when the new ball finally came Butcher smashed Chaminda Vaas to the square cover boundary and then flicked him through midwicket. As the light faded even faster than the Sri Lankans, Hussain brought up his own fifty with an immaculate straight drive off Buddika.

The umpires offered the light to the batsmen but Hussain sensed that his opponents were there for the taking. The weary Vaas summoned his remaining energy and produced a snorter which struck Hussain on the shoulder and at the second time of asking he decided that he preferred to complete the day in one piece.

On paper Sri Lanka are still in the driving seat, but unless their fortunes in this topsy-turvy match take a major change, they face another long day in the field tomorrow.

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