Sri Lanka ended the second day of the Test match at 211 for 5, trailing England’s 325 by 114 runs, thanks to a crucial partnership between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis. Dhananjaya was unbeaten on 64 alongside Kamindu’s 54 as the pair rebuilt after a mid-innings collapse.
The visitors had earlier struggled after a strong start by England’s bowlers. Despite bowling England out for 325, Sri Lanka quickly found themselves in trouble at 93 for 5 before Dhananjaya and Kamindu’s unbeaten 118-run partnership steadied the ship.
Play was cut short at 5:36 pm due to poor light, with stumps called half an hour later. Although Dhananjaya came back from tea on 16, he surged past Kamindu by the end of the day to reach 64, surviving a dropped catch on 23 by debutant Josh Hull. Hull, who was visibly relieved to claim his first Test wicket later in the day, had earlier dropped a simple chance off Shoaib Bashir's bowling.
Hull’s breakthrough came when he dismissed the dangerous Pathum Nissanka, who had raced to 64 before lofting a catch to Chris Woakes at cover. This was part of a dramatic afternoon where England’s bowlers dismantled Sri Lanka’s top order, with Olly Stone grabbing two wickets and Woakes running out Dimuth Karunaratne with a direct hit after a poor call from Nissanka.
In an unusual turn of events, Woakes had to bowl four deliveries of off-spin when the umpires deemed the light too dim for seamers. However, as the skies brightened, normal service resumed, and Woakes returned to his usual pace bowling, dismissing Kusal Mendis with a catch at second slip.
Stone was on fire, claiming the wicket of Angelo Mathews, caught at gully by Ollie Pope, and soon after trapping Dinesh Chandimal lbw. Despite these blows, Kamindu kept Sri Lanka afloat, driving elegantly as he reached 34 by tea. England’s spinners took over during the evening session due to the fading light, but Dhananjaya and Kamindu added 69 runs in 17 overs.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka's bowlers answered their fast-bowling coach Aaqib Javed's call for improvement, as they bundled England out for 325, following a collapse of 6 for 35 in just 56 balls. England’s batsmen, with the exception of Ollie Pope (154) and Ben Duckett (86), failed to make significant contributions, falling prey to Sri Lanka's patient and probing bowling attack.
Harry Brook, resuming on 8, looked uneasy and eventually skied Milan Rathnayake to deep point, where Asitha Fernando dropped a simple chance. Frustrated by Sri Lanka’s tight line, Brook soon succumbed to Rathnayake’s outswinger, with Kamindu taking a sharp catch at short cover.
Vishwa Fernando later entered the attack, initially having Pope given out lbw on 139, only for the decision to be overturned on review. Pope continued to ride his luck, narrowly missing dismissal multiple times, before reaching his 150. However, Vishwa finally had the last laugh, removing Pope with a short ball that was hooked to deep square leg.
Captain Dhananjaya de Silva brought himself into the bowling attack, taking two quick wickets with his off-spin, including Woakes and Atkinson. Asitha Fernando claimed the wickets of Jamie Smith and Josh Hull, while Bashir was the last man out, caught at mid-off for 1.
Sri Lanka’s late resistance left them in a solid position, with plenty of work still to be done as they chase England’s first-innings total on what has already been a seesawing Test match.