2nd Test Day 4 ENG 365, 57/5 v SL 257, 457 (SL need 5 wkts to win)

England are facing a first home series defeat by Sri Lanka after a dismal fourth day of the second Test at Headingley.

Chasing 350 to win, the hosts' top order was destroyed by Dhammika Prasad's 4-15 as they slipped to 57-5.

Sri Lanka earlier amassed 457, led by a masterful 160 from captain Angelo Mathews, who was supported by Rangana Herath's 48.

They added 149 for the eighth wicket, Mahela Jayawardene having made 79.

Mathews and Herath spent almost the entire afternoon session together and were parted only when Herath was run out in a mix-up off the final ball before tea.

By that time, Sri Lanka were already well on top thanks to the efforts of Mathews, who skilfully combined marshalling the strike with finding the boundary on a regular basis.

England's fielders retreated when Mathews faced the bowling at the beginning of an over, despite the fact the right-hander was not interested in surrendering the strike.

When the field converged, Mathews attacked, driving down the ground, cutting and, on one occasion, skipping to clip Liam Plunkett for six over mid-wicket.

He gave one chance, a caught and bowled hit back at Plunkett, who had earlier taken two wickets in two balls to give him nine in the match.

Plunkett's twin strikes - Dinesh Chandimal hooking to deep square leg and Dhammika Prasad guiding to third man - brought Herath to the crease for his stoic support of Mathews.

His main job was to stand at the non-striker's end and run when instructed, often left to face one or two balls at the end of the over.

Highest Test batting averages as captain
	Without captaincy	With captaincy
Donald Bradman, Aus	98.69	101.51
Angelo Mathews, SL	39.71	78.83

However, he grew in stature during his near-three-hour stay at the crease and by mid-afternoon was pulling and driving England's erratic seamers.

As the day wore on, so ineffective were the pacemen that ironic cheers came from the crowd when the spin of Moeen Ali was finally given a second over of the day.

The poor afternoon followed a morning when England defended to such an extent that Mathews and Mahela Jayawardene added 40 in seven overs before the second new ball, with which James Anderson and Stuart Broad were guilty of bowling too short.

When Anderson finally pitched the ball up, Jayawardene was caught behind by Matt Prior for 79.

After Herath was run out by Joe Root's direct hit it, sent back by Mathews looking for the single that would have taken him to 150, Anderson returned to mop up the tail, starting with Mathews chipping a full toss to mid-wicket.

Although openers Alastair Cook and Sam Robson survived for an hour in putting on 39, Prasad profited bowling the sort of full length that had earlier eluded the England seamers.

First Cook continued his year-long run of poor form by dragging a pull on to his stumps, then, from the next ball, Ballance was plumb lbw to a ball that shaped back in.

Robson chased a wide one to edge the same bowler to second slip and Ian Bell was bowled by a beauty that nipped back to take off stump.

The shambles was completed by nightwatchman Plunkett chipping Herath to cover from the final ball of the day, a fitting end to a day that will surely result in an England defeat.