Galle (Sri Lanka): England recovered from two crucial blows to stay afloat in their tough run chase to win the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday.
The tourists, set a history-defying target of 340, reached 111 for two by stumps on the third day on a dry pitch that has made batting progressively difficult.
The world number one Test side lost openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook cheaply, before Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen repaired the damage by adding 63 for the unbroken third wicket.
Trott was unbeaten on 40 and Pietersen was on 29, with England still needing 229 runs with eight wickets in hand to win the Test and take the lead in the two-match series.
England, who will slip to number two behind South Africa if they lose the series, have never chased down such a big fourth-innings target before in their Test history.
Their highest successful chase is 332-7 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground way back in 1928. In Asia, it is 209-1 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in March, 2010.
England’s task has been made tougher since 253 is the highest fourth-innings total made at the Galle International Stadium.
Cook, who scored 14, was given out caught at the wicket off Rangana Herath through the Decision Review System after on-field umpire Rod Tucker had negated the appeal.
Herath, whose left-arm spin fetched him six wickets in the first innings, dismissed Strauss for 27 when the England captain failed to keep an on-drive down and was caught at short mid-wicket.
Pietersen was lucky to be still there at stumps after being dropped by Kumar Sangakkara.
