LEEDS, United Kingdom, June 25 (AFP): Sri Lanka finally saw off Joe Root and removed Matt Prior too as they eyed a match and series victory in the second Test against England on Tuesday's final day at Headingley.
At tea, England were 173 for seven, still needing a further 177 runs to reach their victory target of 350.
But the more realistic goal was to preserve their last three wickets in the minimum 40 overs that remained to secure a draw, with the new ball available to Sri Lanka three overs after tea.
Root, six not out overnight, got under the skin of his opponents with his verbal taunts in the field.
And, with Sri Lanka offering a few choice words of their own to the batsman, umpires Billy Bowden and Steve Davis intervened several times in a bid to calm frayed tempers.
Together with Moeen Ali (56 not out), Root kept Sri Lanka at bay for more than two hours Tuesday until Nuwan Pradeep -- whose tailend feat in surviving the final five balls saw the tourists to a draw in the first Test of this two-match series -- made the breakthrough.
Root, looking to turn a full-length delivery legside, got an outside edge off Pradeep and was caught in the gully by Lahiru Thirimanne for 31.
But left-hander Ali pressed on to a maiden Test fifty off 129 balls, including eight fours, in nearly three hours.
Sri Lanka thought they had him caught on 52 at leg slip off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath but Davis ruled not out and a review confirmed the Australian's decision.
Nevertheless England, who resumed Tuesday in the dire position of 57 for five after Dhammika Prasad's four-wicket burst late Monday, saw the paceman strike again before tea.
Prior, who in Auckland last year took England to an unlikely draw by repelling New Zealand for 54 overs, had made 10 when he was undone by a lifting delivery from Prasad that took the handle of the bat and was well caught at short leg by Kaushal Silva.
However, Bowden asked third umpire Paul Reiffel to check for a no-ball.
It was a desperately close call but the former Australia seamer ruled in Sri Lanka's favour and England were 160 for seven with the 31-year-old Prasad able to celebrate taking five wickets in a Test innings for the first time.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka 1st Innings: 257 (K Sangakkara 79; L Plunkett 5-64, S Broad 3-46)
England 1st Innings: 365 (S Robson 127, G Ballance 74, I Bell 64; A Mathews 4-44, S Eranga 4-93)
Sri Lanka 2nd Innings: 457 (A Mathews 160, M Jayawardene 79, K Sangakkara 55; Plunkett 4-112, Anderson 3-91)
England 2nd Innings:
S Robson c Jayawardene
b Prasad 24
A Cook b Prasad 16
G Ballance lbw
b Prasad 0
I Bell b Prasad 8
J Root c Thirmanne
b Pradeep 31
L Plunkett c Pradeep
b Herath 0
M Ali not out 56
M Prior c Silva
b Prasad 10
C Jordan not out 9
Extras: (b3, lb7, w2, nb7) 19
Total: (7 wkts, 77 overs, 277 mins) 173
