NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis formed an unbroken century partnership, frustrating England on the second day of the third Test at the Oval on Saturday.
The tourists recovered from a collapse to 93 for 5 before tea, finishing at 211-5 when bad light caused an early end to the day's play.
They are now 114 runs behind England's first-innings total of 325, which was anchored by Ollie Pope's 154 in his first Test as England captain.
De Silva was 64 not out and Kamindu Mendis 54 not out in an undefeated stand of 118, offering some hope for Sri Lanka as they look to salvage pride, trailing 2-0 in the three-match series.
Mendis, 25, has been in exceptional form, boasting a Test batting average of over 85. This was the seventh time in six matches that Mendis has passed 50, a run that includes three centuries.
Sri Lanka had a stroke of luck when De Silva remained at the crease despite a mistake. He should have been out for 23 but Test debutant Josh Hull dropped a straightforward catch at mid-on. The ball went through Hull's hands after a miscue off spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Earlier in the innings, an unfortunate mix-up cost Sri Lanka their first wicket. Dimuth Karunaratne was run out for nine due to Olly Stone's direct hit from short cover following Pathum Nissanka's ill-advised dash for a single. Nissanka went on to score an impressive fifty, highlighted by seven boundaries from 40 balls, but the middle-order wobbled soon after.
Stone, returning for his second Test in three years, made a significant impact. The injury-prone paceman took the wicket of veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews for just three runs, enforcing an edge to Pope in the gully in only his second game since the 190-run win at Lord's last week.
Hull strikes
Hull's first Test wicket, removing a set Nissanka for 64, marked a significant moment in the third Test. England gained momentum, reducing Sri Lanka to 91-4 and subsequently 93-5 after Stone trapped Dinesh Chandimal lbw for zero.
Kamindu Mendis, batting at No. 7, displayed composure during a precarious situation as dark clouds loomed.
To counter potential bad light after tea, England deployed spinners from both ends, with Bashir and part-timer Dan Lawrence bowling in tandem. The tactic aimed to prevent the umpires from pausing the match.
De Silva responded by late-cutting Lawrence for four to reach his half-century off 81 balls, while Kamindu Mendis reached his fifty in just 60 balls.
Joe Root also bowled briefly with his occasional off-breaks before bad light halted play for the day.
By then, Sri Lanka had added 69 runs without losing a wicket in 17 overs of all-spin bowling post-tea.
Earlier in the day, England saw a collapse, losing six wickets for 35 runs after starting at 221-3. Pope, who resumed on 103 not out, had struggled in previous innings.
The Sri Lankan pace attack, initially lacking precision, found their rhythm, with fast bowler Milan Rathnayake ending with figures of 3-56 from 13.1 overs.
Left-arm quick Vishwa Fernando dismissed Pope, who scored 126 off 156 balls, including 19 fours and two sixes. Despite his dismissal, Pope's first-class average on his Surrey home ground remained above 84.
England are aiming for a clean sweep -- their for the first since 2004.
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