By Matt Somerford
England were in danger of relinquishing control of the first Investec Test against Sri Lanka after they were rocked by losing five wickets in the afternoon session on the fourth day.
Shaminda Eranga kick-started England's troubles with three wickets in a 21-ball burst, before Rangana Herath removed Joe Root and Moeen Ali in the space of three balls.
England, who had still pushed their lead beyond 250, took more than an hour this morning to mop up the final three wickets they required to bowl Sri Lanka out for 453.
That was enough time for Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews to complete his century in his first Test innings on English soil.
Match Scorecard / Live ball-by-ball commentary
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Evening Session
Only one team has scored more than 575 in the first innings and lost a Test. Australia in 1894 made 586 at Sydney and lost #bbccricket
— BBC TMS (@bbctms) June 15, 2014
4.19pm - Gary Ballance back cuts Nuwan Kulasekara to the boundary. A neat looking stroke, and one of his favourites, that takes the lead past 250.
4.09pm - WICKET! Prior c Thirimanne b Kulasekara 16; Eng 121/6 - That's catching practice for Lahiru Thirimanne at gully. Prior carves the ball straight to him and England need runs from the tail again now.
Afternoon Session
3.43pm - TEA! Eng 117/5; Ballance 25, Prior 9 - England will talk over where they go from here. It is hard to tell if there is finally something in the wicket or if that was just very good bowling from the tourists. The lead is 239 runs.
If the pitch is still placid England can ill afford to leave Sri Lanka with anything under 300 to chase. Middlesex hauled in 472 against Yorkshire here in the fourth innings in a LV= County Championship game earlier this season. And they did it three down!
3.36pm - We've almost reached tea. Prior and Ballance are bedding down to get to the break and probably reassess from there.
3.24pm - Prior gets down on a knee and scoops Herath around the corner to fine leg for three.
3.15pm - REVIEW! - Deja vu for Prior. He is given not out by umpire Billy Bowden for a big lbw shout off Herath. The Sri Lankans send the decision upstairs but - just like in the first innings - Prior is saved by 'umpires call'.
3.11pm - WICKET! Moeen b Herath 4; Eng 102/5 - This game has come to life! Moeen Ali got down the wicket to his first ball and lofted Herath for four. Next ball Herath finds the rough and spins it through the gate to grab his second wicket in three deliveries.
3.03pm - WICKET! Root lbw Herath 15; Eng 98/4 - Root is beaten in the flight by Herath and the ball thuds into his pad as he tries to defend. That was plumb and the Yorkshireman does not bother to review.
3pm - Eranga's spell is over with a mighty return of 10-6-24-3. Considering 12 came from his last over that's some pretty good going. Nuwan Pradeep replaces him and England take three from the over to move to 94 for three.
2.51pm - Root guides Eranga safely away between gully and the slips for a boundary before a firm forward press races away to the cover rope. Excellent technique and timing.
2.42pm - After three-and-a-half days of nothing from this wicket Eranga has finally found something in that hour. He also found Root's edge in the over before drinks, but it failed to carry to the wicketkeeper.
England will refresh themselves with the score 75 for three - that's a lead of 197 runs.
2.40pm - There's a couple of Yorkshire lads at the crease now. Gary Ballance begins his union with Joe Root by carving Kulasekara to the point rope.
2.30pm - WICKET! Bell b Eranga 9; Eng 69/3 - Eranga does it again. Bell looked in super touch, but loses his off stump via another inside edge. Eranga has taken 3-3 in his past 21 balls.
Not everyone is making the most of the cricket at Lord's this afternoon! #SkyCricket#EngvSLpic.twitter.com/IKgNCs6cyD
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 15, 2014
2.19pm - Ian Bell must posses perfect timing 24/7. He walks to the crease and first ball he effortlessly pats Eranga back down the ground for what would have been a boundary, but for the ball hitting a footmark.
He then nudges Kulasekara for his first boundary in the next over. England need that little bit of a kick on to get this innings up and running.
2.11pm - WICKET! Robson b Eranga 19; Eng 51/2 - Robson beaten by an Eranga delivery he thought would seam back down the slope. It didn't and the consequences were fatal as the ball ploughed on into his off stump.
1.58pm - WICKET! Cook c P Jayawardene b Eranga 28; Eng 46/1 - Cook feathers an edge through to the wicketkeeper and he walks. I'm not completely convinced umpire Paul Reiffel was going to give that out, but as Cook started to walk he put his finger up.
Cautious start from Robson, who certainly has a favourite area he likes to score in. England 44-0 #SkyCricket#EngvSLpic.twitter.com/5WNoC6ojs1
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 15, 2014
1.46pm - CHANCE! - Alastair Cook gets an edge off Nuwan Kulasekara which Prasanna Jayawardene does not get a glove to. It fall just short of first slip so it was the keeper's catch.
The England skipper then immediately cashes in on his life as he pulls away the next ball through midwicket for four.
Magic time...@ShaneWarne hoping to make Sir Geoffrey Disappear.... pic.twitter.com/ODk0Juxut6
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 15, 2014
1.43pm - The first over after lunch from Shaminda Eranga is a maiden. The lights are on here at the start of this session with a bit of cloud cover.
Morning Session
England 2nd Innings
1pm - LUNCH! Eng 27/0; Cook 15, Robson 10 - No problems for the England openers in that 35-minute period before lunch as the lead is extended to 149 runs.
12.53pm - Cook and Robson are understandably not looking to be too adventurous before we get to lunch. Assistant Coach Paul Fabrace said last night that England would look to press on with the bat after laying a foundation to try and set up the game. England are 24 for none after seven overs.
12.40pm - Cook guides Nuwan Pradeep through gully with more control than in the previous over before a textbook cover drive take him into double figures.
12.35pm - Sam Robson gets himself off the mark with a single in the first over from Nuwan Kulasekara before a streaky four through the gully region allows Alastair Cook to get going.
Sri Lanka 1st Innings
12.13pm - END OF INNINGS; SL 453; Eranga 5* Pradeep 4 - England took over an hour to complete the job this morning and will now look to build on a 122-run lead. Interstingly, none of Sri Lanka's last five batsmen managed to reach double figures - a far cry from the efforts of England's tail.
12.13pm - WICKET! Nuwan Pradeep hit wicket b Jordan 4; SL 453 - Jordan finishes the innings as Nuwan Pradeep tries to pull a short ball, falls over and then wipes out all three stumps with his bat. There was some concern over the tailender after he fell, but Pradeep seems fine. Perhaps a bit of embarassment combined with taking the ball on the body before his heavy fall.
12.10pm - This final pair are ensuring just a little bit more frustration for England's bowlers. Four leg byes in the last Plunkett over keeps the scoreboard ticking, but it is the time out of the game that is hurting England.
11.55am - REVIEW & WICKET! - Mathews lbw Plunkett 102; SL 44/9 - Billy Bowden gives Mathews out lbw to Liam Plunkett. Despite his immediate review the replays show that the ball would have flicked the leg stump and that is enough to end a fine innings.
11.52am - CENTURY! Mathews (171b 12x4 0x6) - Mathews smashes an Anderson full toss through the covers for four and lets out a yelp of excitement as he reaches a century in his first Test innings in England. Not a bad venue to do it at either.
Mathews moves on to 97 not out. An impressive average while skippering Sri Lanka. Tourists 435-8. #EngvSL#SkyCricketpic.twitter.com/saIlC6lfy5
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 15, 2014
11.42am - Mathews crunches the fifth ball of an Anderson over through midwicket for a boundary to move up to 97. He flays at a wide balls next up but cannot make contact.
11.31am - WICKET! Herath b Anderson 2; SL 430/8 - Anderson's first ball at Herath this morning is all he needs to knock over the tailender. Herath had faced 14 deliveries from Broad - mostly all short - and was if he was expecting the same from Anderson he was wrong. The ball was full and uprooted middle stump. Anderson has three wickets now.
11.29am - Broad digs one in and Herath spoons up a catch that evades the close-in fielders. The spinner has been brave so far, which will please his skipper on two fronts - because he is taking time out of the game and helping him move closer to a Lord's century. Mathews is 92.
Plenty of the short stuff being sent Herath's way this morning. Sri Lanka moved on to 427-7. #SkyCricket#EngvSLpic.twitter.com/eMIwexRuXd
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 15, 2014
11.13am - Mathews slices away consecutive boundaries to end the third over from Anderson. With only the wicketkeeper and fourth slip behind the bat they were safe enough shots.
11.08am - Herath survives an over of short balls from Broad. He was uncomfortable though, and when he did get a hook away Mathews turned down the single.
11.03am - The first over of the day has been completed by James Anderson. Angelo Mathews took two from the penultimate delivery, but was unable to get the last ball away to leave Rangana Herath on strike to Stuart Broad.
Pre-Play News
It's a raucous start to the day as @philtufnell rings the five-minute bell.
— Lord's Ground (@HomeOfCricket) June 15, 2014
10.30am - Welcome to the penultimate day of the first Test of the year. Despite a grafting day in the field yesterday England's position in the game is strong.
They should secure a healthy first-innings lead this morning and Assistant Coach Paul Farbrace suggested last night they would then look to move the game forward as quickly as possible with the bat.