1st Test (4pts per test win, 2 draw/tie, 2 NR)
Day 1
England 171-5: Hales 71*, Bairstow 54*, Shanaka 3-30
Sri Lanka: Yet to bat
An unbroken partnership of 88 between Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow rescued England from a characteristic batting collapse as rain ended play early at Headingley.
Three wickets in eight balks from Test debutant Dasun Shanaka helped reduce the hosts to 83-5 after lunch as Sri Lanka's attack profited from poor strokeplay and good conditions for swing bowlers.
But a Test best score of 71 not out from opener Hales and a much brisker unbeaten 54 from Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow dragged their side back to 171-5 before the bad weather swept in at tea.
Not a ball was bowled in the evening session on a day when grey cloud cover had first tempted the tourists to put England in and then offered significant assistance as they sought to repeat their famous victory here two summers ago.
Cook must wait
England's captain Alastair Cook had come into the match needing just 36 runs to become the first Englishman - and the youngest man in history - to pass 10,000 Test runs.
In a sedate first hour where the muted atmosphere around the ground was matched by a flat performance by the Sri Lankan bowlers he looked likely to ease past that landmark, even as the runs were slow to come.
But after a prolonged period without the strike he drove at a wide one from Shanaka to be caught behind for just 16, his disappointment evident as he trudged back to the pavilion.
The record will come, quite possibly in England's second innings, and Cook has all summer to break Sachin Tendulkar's mark as the youngest past the milestone.
But the captain's dismissal changed the mood around this revamped ground and gave Sri Lanka a critical foothold in a match they had begun slowly.
Dasun comes out to play
Shanaka had been perhaps the least heralded of a green Sri Lankan attack already missing the experience and pace of Dhammika Prasad.
But two balls after removing Cook he had Nick Compton pushing hard at one outside off stump that moved away, and Lahiru Thirimanne took the catch low down at second slip.
In his very next over he took an ever bigger scalp, that of newly crowned England cricketer of the year Joe Root, the Yorkshireman aiming a big drive at another full away-swinger and edging straight to Kusal Mendis in the gully.
It gave him three wickets in eight balls, Compton and Root both for ducks, and fellow debutant James Vince was then forced to wait a painful 18 deliveries to get off the mark as Shanaka's fellow swing bowlers tightened the noose.
Vince made it to lunch but could not profit beyond, falling for nine when he sliced a drive off Shaminda Eranga to Mendis at third slip to reduce England to 70-4.
And when Ben Stokes drove loosely at Nuwan Pradeep to be caught at mid-off for just 12, England's new-look top order was in pieces.
Hales drops anchor, Bairstow attacks
Hales has so far struggle to adapt his brilliant limited-overs game to the sterner examination of Test cricket, averaging just 17 across his eight England innings so far.
But as batsmen around him perished to ill-judged shots the 27-year-old played with greater caution, happy to let the more bellicose Bairstow take the attack to the tourists.
Bairstow has been in rare form for his native county this summer, going on to make at least 150 every time he has passed 50.
And he continued in the same vein that has seen him score more than 2300 first-class runs at an average of above 70 since the start of last summer, going after Shanaka as the new man struggled to maintain his earlier threat.
By contrast only two of Hales' 12 fours came with Bairstow at the other end.
But the balance worked, and the pair will look to build on their hard work when play restarts on Friday morning.
Day 2
England 298: Bairstow 140, Hales 86
Sri Lanka 91 (Anderson 5-16, Broad 4-21) & 1-0
Sri Lanka, following on, trail by 206 runs
England have a stranglehold on the first Test after forcing Sri Lanka to follow on 207 runs in arrears.
James Anderson took 5-16 and Stuart Broad 4-21 to dismiss the tourists for 91 on the second day at Headingley.
England had extended their overnight 171-5 to 298 all out, with Jonny Bairstow completing a fine second Test century before holing out for 140.
Broad claimed early two wickets and Anderson returned late on to wreak havoc, with Sri Lanka 1-0 at the close.
Bad light ended play two balls into their second innings but, with three days left in the game and cloud cover expected to remain, England will be confident of going on to take the lead in this three-match series.
Bairstow's brilliance
Bairstow has been in peerless form this summer, and had come in to this match desperate to score a Test ton on his home ground.
And after his overnight partner Alex Hales had ended his patient 206-ball innings with an ill-judged swipe off Rangara Herath to be caught at deep cover for 86, Bairstow pushed on with Steven Finn as Sri Lanka's bowlers struggled to make best use of the conditions.
Bairstow's hundred came up off 144 balls with a single turned into a two by an overthrow, and he removed his helmet to point his bat and clenched glove to the Leeds skies.
Naturally attacking and freed from the pre-century nerves, he continued to accelerate, taking 18 off one over from Pradeep and working the strike intelligently with Finn.
He had struck 13 fours and a six when his adventure finally cost him, an attempted lofted drive over the top off Dushmantha Chameera instead ending in Nuwan Pradeep's hands at mid-off.
England's pacemen on the charge
It was a critical innings from Bairstow, comprising almost half the team's tally and, with his wicketkeeper's gloves on, he was straight back in the action.
Broad produced a classic Headingley delivery - pitched up on off stump, moving away late - to take the edge of Dimuth Karunaratne's bat, Anderson induced another edge with a short, spitting delivery to account for Kaushal Silva for 11 and Broad repeated the trick to dismiss Kusal Mendis for a duck.
It was perfect bowling for quintessential Leeds conditions, and a batting order missing its great stars of the past decade had no answer.
Ben Stokes had Dinesh Chandimal taken beautifully by a diving James Vince at third slip and, while skipper Angelo Mathews marshalled a brief rearguard, Anderson returned in the extended evening session to worsen the tourists' predicament.
A big inswinger had Mathews trapped lbw for 15, although a review would have seen the batsman survive, and when debutant Dasun Shanaka edged behind for a golden duck Bairstow had his fourth catch of the innings.
With 99 needed to avoid the follow-on Anderson kept up the assault, clearing up the tail to finish with 5-16, his best Test figures at Headingley.
While bad light denied him the chance to make inroads in the second innings, it was a fitting reward for 11 overs of persistent accuracy and threat.
Day 3
England 298
Sri Lanka 91 & 119
ENG won by innings and 88 runs
James Anderson claimed his second five-wicket haul in two days as England swept to an innings-and-88-run win over Sri Lanka in three days at Headingley.
He took 5-29 to hurry the tourists out for 119 and finish with match figures of 10-45 in the summer's first Test.
Despite a rain delay of almost three hours, England wrapped up victory shortly after tea.
Steven Finn grabbed 3-26, while Kusal Mendis top-scored with 53 for an outclassed Sri Lanka side.
England can take great pleasure from the ruthless manner in which they dismantled a team that won on their last trip to Leeds in 2014.
Sri Lanka's prospects, by contrast, look bleak, and they will be hoping for distinctly less seamer-friendly conditions when the second Test of the three-match series in Durham starts on Friday.
Sri Lanka powerless against peerless Anderson
For the second time in under 24 hours, Anderson exploited muggy skies and a pitch offering appreciable lateral movement to claim the third 10-wicket haul of his Test career.
That seven of his wickets came courtesy of catches to the wicketkeeper - plus two bowled and another lbw - reflected his sustained accuracy and skill at a venue where his previous best figures were 3-91.
Anderson's emotions after removing Nuwan Pradeep to seal victory contrasted starkly with his tears of disappointment at Headingley two years ago, when he was caught off the penultimate ball of the match and Sri Lanka won the series.
Bowling full and finding swing and seam away from tentative batsmen, Anderson set another Sri Lanka collapse in motion by locating left-hander Dimuth Karunaratne's edge in the third over of the day after Sri Lanka resumed on 1-0.
Kaushal Silva fell to the same combination of Anderson and Jonny Bairstow, who dived to his right to claim one of nine catches in the match, only the second England wicketkeeper to achieve the feat.
2nd Test (ENG lead Super Series 4 points to 0)
Day 1
England 310-6: Hales 83, Root 80, Pradeep 3-69
Sri Lanka: Yet to bat
Alex Hales hit 83 and Joe Root 80 as England reached 310-6 against Sri Lanka on day one of the second Test.
They added 96 for the third wicket at Chester-le-Street after Alastair Cook (15) fell five short of reaching 10,000 Test runs and under-pressure Nick Compton (9) continued his poor run.
Hales, seeking his first Test hundred, was caught at slip, while Root spooned to cover as Sri Lanka fought back.
But Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali added 70 to give England the upper hand.
Bairstow was caught behind for 48 to give the excellent Nuwan Pradeep his third wicket, but Moeen remains unbeaten on 28.
The hosts won the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 88 runs.
Despite some superb catching from Sri Lanka on a cold day, England will be confident of amassing the sort of first-innings total that will put pressure on the tourists' inexperienced batting line-up.
Hales nails down his place?
Hales made 86 at Headingley and picked up where he left off with another sizeable contribution at the top of the order.
After a circumspect start, he accelerated after lunch in partnership with Root, scoring heavily down the ground on the off side.
He looked poised to become the first Englishman to make an international century in all three forms of the game before he swung hard at the part-time left-arm spin of Milinda Siriwardana and was brilliantly caught at slip by Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews.
Nonetheless, Hales is beginning to look like he could be the reliable opening partner for Cook England have been looking for since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012.
Familiar failings resurface for top order
For England's other top-order batsmen, it was a tale of familiar flaws as once again the team made a stuttering start to their innings.
Cook was first to fall, in characteristic fashion, fiddling needlessly outside off stump and offering a sharp catch to Dimuth Karunaratne at second slip.
Compton failed to dispel the question marks over his place during another scratchy and underwhelming innings, grinding his way to nine off 34 balls before he top-edged a pull to fine-leg, where Suranga Lakmal held a superb catch falling backwards.
Even Root could reproach himself for a poor shot, offering a simple catch to cover as he attempted to work a short ball from Pradeep to leg.
It was the seventh time in the past eight innings in which Root has passed 50 that he has failed to go on to three figures.
Day 2
ENG 498/8 dec
SL 91/8
SL trail by 407 runs
Moeen Ali hit his second Test century and Chris Woakes produced his best figures with bat and ball as England seized control of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street.
Resuming on 310-6, England progressed to 498-9 declared.
Moeen, 28 not out overnight, compiled an unbeaten 155 and Woakes added 39.
And the Warwickshire all-rounder returned with the ball to destroy Sri Lanka, picking up 3-9 as the tourists slumped to 91-8, still 407 runs behind.
Day 3
England 498-9 dec
Sri Lanka 101 & 309-5 (f/o)
Sri Lanka trail by 88 runs
A belated Sri Lanka fightback delayed England's victory push on the third day of the second Test.
Forced to follow on 397 behind after being bowled out for only 101, the tourists battled hard to reach 309-5 - trailing by 88 at Chester-le-Street.
Captain Angelo Mathews made a counter-attacking 80, Kaushal Silva 60 and Dinesh Chandimal an unbeaten 54.
James Anderson ended the day with two wickets and Chris Woakes, Steven Finn and Moeen Ali one apiece.
As well as Sri Lanka batted on an admittedly placid surface, a second successive innings victory for England - and a series triumph - remains the most likely outcome.
There is no rain forecast on Monday, the second new ball is only four overs old and Rangana Herath - boasting a Test average of 13 - is the next batsman in at number eight.
However, Mathews and his players deserve considerable credit for the manner in which they took the game into a fourth day given that their previous highest total in three attempts was 119.
Silva shows his mettle
Demonstrating the sort of application which had been sorely lacking this summer, Sri Lanka batted for 84 overs - more than they managed in the entire Headingley Test.
Opener Silva provided the bulk of the early resistance to an England attack that struggled to extract pace or sideways movement from an occasionally two-paced surface.
He was assisted by Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis, both of whom made 26 before falling to edges off Woakes and Anderson respectively.
Compact in defence and driving especially well through the covers, Silva brought up a 111-ball half-century after the left-handed Lahiru Thirimanne was bowled by a beautiful delivery from Moeen Ali that turned past his forward prod to hit the top of off stump.
Mathews follows Silva's lead
If Silva's innings was notable for its watchfulness, Mathews adopted a more aggressive approach.
Having survived a missed stumping by Jonny Bairstow on 36, he dominated a fourth-wicket stand of 82 with Silva, showing particular disdain for Moeen's off-spin as he used his feet to good effect.
The departure of Silva, who spooned a catch behind off a rising delivery from the otherwise unthreatening Finn, only marginally checked Mathews' momentum.
But even after the skipper was caught behind poking at one from Anderson that he could have left, Chandimal and Milinda Siriwardana survived the remaining 20 overs of the day.
Chandimal, mixing agricultural mows over mid-wicket with sparkling drives, brought up his half-century three overs before the close, while the more circumspect Siriwardana played an equally important part in an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership that is worth 87.
Day 4
England 498-9 dec & 80-1: Cook 47*
Sri Lanka 101 & 475: Chandimal 126, Anderson 5-58
England won by nine wickets
England ended Sri Lanka's resistance to win the second Test by nine wickets and complete a series victory.
Dinesh Chandimal made 126 and Rangana Herath 61 as Sri Lanka benefited from dropped catches at Chester-le-Street to move their overnight 309-5 to 475.
Anderson, the bowler to suffer from England's errors, returned to trap Herath lbw on the way to 5-58.
England faced a target of 79, which allowed Alastair Cook to reach 10,000 Test runs in his unbeaten 47.
The hosts, who have named an unchanged 12-man squad, will have the opportunity to complete a series whitewash in the third and final Test at Lord's, which begins on 9 June.
Sri Lanka improvement continues
Sri Lanka were outplayed in both the first Test and the first half of this match, when they were shot out for scores of 91, 119 and 101.
But they should now have greater confidence travelling to Lord's, where conditions are likely to be much more suited to batting than Leeds and Durham.
Chandimal, unbeaten on 54 overnight, was fluent throughout, playing eye-catching strokes through the off side and heaving Moeen Ali for a six over mid-wicket.
His sixth Test century and first outside Asia was greeted by emotional celebrations, dropping his bat and kissing his helmet in a gesture towards the Sri Lanka dressing room.
He received spirited support from Herath, who grew in confidence during his second Test half-century, particularly when sweeping and reverse-sweeping Moeen.
Dinesh Chandimal edged Chris Woakes to third man to reach his sixth Test century
England fail to help themselves
However, that England were forced to field for longer in Sri Lanka's second innings than they had in the rest of the series combined was also down to their own mistakes in the field.
On a dark morning ideal for bowling, Anderson already had Milinda Siriwardana held at gully when he got Chandimal to inside-edge through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, who put down a straightforward chance to reprieve the right-hander on 69.
And Herath was given a life on 47 when James Vince made the mess of a skier, back-pedalling towards the point boundary.
Indeed, man-of-the-match Anderson aside, England were below their best with the ball, with Moeen and Steven Finn disappointing.
Cook's moment of history
Still, Sri Lanka's stoicism did give the meagre Chester-le-Street crowd their opportunity for a moment of history, with captain Cook delivering.
Needing five to become the first Englishman to 10,000 Test runs, the left-hander inside-edged spinner Herath for a single, then clipped the pace of Nuwan Pradeep to the leg-side rope.
He becomes the 12th man in the history of Test cricket to reach the landmark and at 31 years, five months and five days, the youngest, beating the record of India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who was 31 years, 10 months and 20 days.
Cook lost opening partner Alex Hales, bowled by Siriwardana, but accumulated freely, in contrast to Nick Compton, who began tentatively.
Still, it was Compton who pulled Siriwardana for back-to-back boundaries to seal a four-day victory, the 11th consecutive Test in England that has failed to reach the fifth day.
The stats you need to know
Dinesh Chandimal is only the eighth wicketkeeper to make a Test century when following-on.
Cook has scored more runs than any other England batsman as captain, passing Michael Atherton.
James Anderson is the first England bowler to take three five-wicket hauls in a series since Ryan Sidebottom against New Zealand in 2008.
Anderson trapped Rangana Herath lbw for his 450th wicket in Test cricket. It was also only the second lbw of the series.
What they said
England captain Alastair Cook: "It's hard for the Sri Lankan batters in one sense, but they are very good players, and most of the time on flat wickets you have to work very hard against them.
"Credit to Sri Lanka, the way they batted in the second innings, and it shows how hard you have to work for Test match wins. It was only two years ago that they beat us at Headingley, so we shouldn't take anything for granted."
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews: "It's been a tough couple of weeks for us. We didn't bat well in the first innings but we showed a lot of resilience in the second innings. We had a brilliant first day but we let Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes off early on day two and our batting was a poor effort."
England coach Trevor Bayliss: "Any time you can win two Tests in a row and win a series, wrapping it up after two matches, is a fantastic effort. The wicket flattened out and the Sri Lankans showed some of the fight that they're quite capable of. They've got some very good players in their team. Yes, they've got some young players but we certainly can't take it for granted in the third match."
3rd Test
Day 1
ENG 279/6
Jonny Bairstow, looking more imposing and battle-hardened by the month, completed his third Test hundred in eight innings to rouse England from a problematic opening day in the Lord's Test. For Bairstow, it could not be a more perfect treble: Cape Town, a maiden hundred where his father 'Bluey' spent his winters; Headingley, his home ground, an outpouring of Yorkshire pride; and now Lord's, where a Test century is regarded as the greatest gift of all.
Bairstow's hundred came 11 balls from the close when he tucked Rangana Herath through square leg and emitted what has now become a recognisable primeval roar, his rugged beard caked with sweat, not the sort of sight you would want to encounter on a foggy night on Baildon Moor. Not the sort of sight, if you are a Test attack looking for just rewards, that you particularly want to meet at Lord's either.
Bairstow, the ginger energiser, rode his luck at times. He should have fallen on 11 when Shaminda Eranga spilled an inviting chance at midwicket off Nuwan Pradeep, a chance which, if taken, would have left England 102 for 5. He also survived Sri Lanka's lbw review, on 56, by the width of a single thread of seam after the umpire, Sundaram Ravi, had initially turned down the appeal. The bowler was Eranga, desperately unfortunate to be denied the chance to put right his blemish in the field.
But it was Bairstow's desire and the equilibrium of his captain, Alastair Cook, that allowed England to escape to 279 for 6 on a day when Sri Lanka's seam attack, led by Pradeep, drew more encouragement than might have been expected on what appeared to be a bountiful batting surface and the tubby left-arm impresario Herath again revealed a charming ability to kill with kindness.
England have the series won, but questions about a sketchy batting order remain as pressing as ever after Sri Lanka, finally able to feel the sun on their backs, looked a more methodical bowling outfit than they had done in two nithering northern Tests as they sought to extend a good Lord's record with a victory, in a series already conceded after heavy defeats at Headingley and Chester-le-Street.
Cook, the youngest man to reach 10,000 Test match runs, five months ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, had been presented with an encased silver bat to mark the occasion before the start of the final Test at Lord's.
The bat so received, it was time to encase his mind and make inroads into the next 10,000. Not for the first time, England were fortunate for his resilience. His failure to log a 29th Test hundred when Pradeep had him lbw for 85 came as a surprise to many in the capacity crowd, but his was the steady heartbeat in an ailing England batting line-up with uncomfortable questions remaining unanswered ahead of the Test series against Pakistan.
"The first session will be crucial," Cook had said, not that he personally needed any reminding of the fact in his 129th Test. The pitch looked flat and the weather was settled. Pads were buckled, helmet donned and once again he settled into the rhythms of an English Test summer, dispatching anything on his pads with familiar authority.
But others were less successful. To a batsman possessing Cook's rational approach, to lose four for 88 must have seemed entirely illogical. And of those four wickets to fall only Joe Root can claim that his place is impregnable.
Alex Hales must wish he could settle into the sort of natural Test rhythm that Cook finds so natural. A quicker tempo perhaps but one in which he can make his own music. He settled reasonably enough against the new ball, but Angelo Mathews' medium pace seemed to make him jittery. When Herath had his first perambulation of the innings, Hales self-destructed against the second ball he faced, attempting a mow over long-on but the ball instead looping gently to first slip where Mathews held the catch.
It was the fourth time that Hales has fallen to spin in this series and the fact that England's opening stand of 56 was their highest of the series was an indicator of the lurking issues.
Nick Compton left five overs later, only a single to his name, and was treated to the slightly embarrassed Lord's silence upon his dismissal that communicates an expectation of impending doom. In its uncomfortable disapproval, it feels more like a blackballing than the open criticism preferred elsewhere.
Compton drove charily at an overpitched delivery from Suranga Lakmal and edged to Dinesh Chandimal, who had been passed fit to keep wicket. Compton is unlikely to figure in the Test series against Pakistan, the selectors' patience - and they have been patient - surely exhausted.
Compton's mind is also encased, but in his case it is encased in the grip of self-doubt. In his 16 Tests for England he has rarely played with freedom, but his unproductive form now extends to county cricket, so much so that he has not struck a half-century for 17 first-class innings. If he loses his England place, it is hard to imagine him spending golden years on the county circuit.
Fifteen minutes before lunch, Sri Lanka picked up Joe Root as well, the most valued wicket of all. Root got too far across to an angled delivery from Lakmal and Sri Lanka overturned umpire Rod Tucker's "not out" on review. England had lost 3 for 15 in 40 balls and suddenly it was Sri Lanka's morning.
England were 84 for 4 on a surface that had promised batting riches when James Vince was bowled by Pradeep, pushing emphatically down the wrong line whereupon his off bail was removed from the stumps with the certainty of a kitchen chef slicing the vegetables. It was a fine post-lunch period by Sri Lanka as Eranga and Lakmal also passed the outside edge in a focused display.
By the time Cook departed five minutes before tea, lbw to a delivery angled in from around the wicket by Pradeep, there was a sene of a recovery. Moeen Ali hung around in that, too often, fasinating, fleeting Mayfly way of his until he was beautifully unpicked by Herath, who followed up one which bounced and turned surprisingly with a little floater to have him caught at slip.
But Eranga's failure to hold Bairstow's clip off his pads gradually ate away at Sri Lanka's day. Two boundaries for Bairstow in the next four balls suggested that the fizz might have been let out of the bottle, and although that fizz spilled fortunately through the slips at times - Mathews shuffling his slips and gullies with the impatience of a roulette loser in a Colombo casino - his gusto carried England to the end of a difficult day which presented more questions than answers.
Day 2
England 416 v Sri Lanka 162/1
Sri Lanka trail by 254 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
The highest Test score ever lodged by an England wicketkeeper in a home Test followed by a perplexing dropped catch. For Jonny Bairstow, even on most exultant of days the debate about whether England should utilise him as a wicketkeeper or specialist batsmen is destined to ring loudly.
Bairstow was left unbeaten on 167 as England were dismissed for 416, 45 minutes into the afternoon session on the second day at Lord's, but Sri Lanka ended the day strongly by reaching 162 for 1 with Kaushal Silva becoming just the second player to score half-centuries in his first three Test innings at Lord's.
Bairstow's innings was the highest by an England wicketkeeper on home shores and only six runs short of Alec Stewart's all-time record. With three Test hundreds in eight knocks, it was a time for celebration. Here, said some, was England's Adam Gilchrist.
Then came the wobble. Whether it was the Lord's wobble - the ground is notorious for the ball swinging late after passing the batsman - or the Bairstow wobble - equally notorious - will be debated long into the night. Bairstow did have to contend with some late dip after the ball shaved Dimuth Karunaratne's edge, but he missed the ball by a considerable distance as it hit him on the thigh.
Chris Woakes, an undemonstrative sort, cast his hands apart in disbelief as he was denied a wicket with his first ball; Bairstow widened his eyes as if the ball had turned into a Christmas pudding upon its final approach. Karunaratne was reprieved and Sri Lanka, scooting ahead on another placid Lord's Test pitch, closed with deserved satisfaction. After two heavy defeats in the frozen north they have thawed out impressively. Sri Lanka love Lord's.
Bairstow is not the first wicketkeeper to be embarrassed by Lord's capricious ways. Mention of Stewart invites discussion of another England player whose career constantly shifted between a role as batsman or batsman-keeper. Bairstow openly resents the debate surrounding his role far more than Stewart ever did - Stewart preferred a straight-backed Do My Best For England barked response, but it will be discussed all the same.
Long before the close of the second day, he looked exhausted. His body ached after 408 minutes at the crease, a bruised finger was on his mind no matter how much he tried to block it out and, considering that his valiant efforts had provided a get-out clause for poor England batting, some of the throws he received from England teammates were lazy enough to have deserved a bawl-out. He was a man in need of an early night.
Karanaratne, 28 when he was reprieved, is not the type to punish such an error: his Test career is awash with 20s and 30s. Spared an lbw verdict three runs later when England unsuccessfully reviewed Woakes' inducker he then became becalmed, as if aware of his reputation, then suddenly spurted like a tap with a faulty washer with three successive boundaries off James Anderson.
"Keep going," tweeted Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors, Sanath Jayasuriya, as both batsmen reached half-centuries in the same over. Instead, Karunaratne nudged Steven Finn off his hip to Bairstow. Tweets are yet to be read between balls, although one suspects it is only a matter of time.
Silva did graze contentedly to the end against an England attack where only Woakes, the fastest England bowler in terms of a single ball and average, possessed much exuberance. Spritely of mind and stroke, he delighted in every opportunity to score between cover and third man.
Tranquillity washed over the day from the outset. Matt Prior, after ringing the bell at start of play, was invited on to the England balcony to catch up with old mates and down below Bairstow and Woakes made serene progress to their highest Test scores against a Sri Lanka attack that was as unthreatening as England's was to prove later.
England's slightly dicey overnight position of 279 for 6 was suitably refined to 384 for 7 by the time the clock reached 1pm. Woakes was England's only wicket to fall before lunch, frustrated by Herath's over-the-wicket approach into the footholes outside his leg stump and advancing to chip a return catch. But he did have his first Test half-century, 66 from 142 balls, an innings characterised by genial off-side drives.
They have got 400 in the first innings in a home Test and lost before, but not since 1998 when Muttiah Muralitharan was rampant at The Oval and his 16 wickets in the match enabled Sri Lanka to pull off an unlikely heist. A dominant Sri Lankan Saturday, with few wickets lost, would cause a quiver or two.
But these days Sri Lanka have no Murali and, indeed, one wonders how long they will have the benefit of the excellent Herath. He is 38 now, and remains a master of little subtleties, drawing one or two nods of appreciation from Bairstow as he coaxed him into minor errors of judgment.
Serenity is hardly Bairstow's calling card. Watch him bat at his most combative and one imagines he could fight his own shadow. But with a century gathered in 11 balls before stumps on the first day, his appetite to take advantage of placid batting conditions was evident from the outset and the moments of fortune that had helped him through the opening day were absent.
Woakes shared in a sixth-wicket stand of 144 in 40 overs as Sri Lanka's seamers made no impression. He is very much the anti-Stokes, as peaceful as Stokes is belligerent; as unobtrusive as Stokes is the centre of attention. If he saw a locker door upon dismissal, he would check it was safely closed not punch it in anger. In such, he does not fit modern fashions, but his first fifty - at the 11th attempt - will have won him respect, if not celebrity status.
England's innings subsided quickly after lunch with the last three wickets falling in the space of six overs. Stuart Broad made a typically insecure appearance before slashing Suranga Lakmal to gully, Finn - after surviving an lbw decision for Herath on review - top-edged the same bowler to deep backward square and Anderson was caught at the wicket, defending a short ball from Shaminda Eranga.
Day 3
England 416 & 109-4: Hales 41*, Pradeep 3-25
Sri Lanka 288: Silva 79, Karunaratne 50, Woakes 3-31, Finn 3-59
England lead by 237 runs
Chris Woakes took 3-31 as England bowled Sri Lanka out for 288 to take a grip on the third Test at Lord's.
Woakes took the key wickets of Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews and was well supported by Steven Finn's 3-59 as the tourists slumped from 162-1 overnight, as only Kusal Perera (42) resisted.
Under-pressure England man Nick Compton was out for 19 as the hosts lost three wickets for five runs in reply.
But they closed day three on 109-4, leading by 237.
Jonny Bairstow was out for 32 before the close, one of three wickets for the impressive Nuwan Pradeep, but Alex Hales remains unbeaten on 41.
Victory in this match will give England the series 3-0 having won the previous Tests at Headingley and Chester-le-Street.
Day 4
England 416 &233-7 dec: Hales 94, Cook 49*, Pradeep 3-37
Sri Lanka 288 & 32-0: Karunaratne 19*
Sri Lanka need 330 more runs to win
England will need to take 10 Sri Lanka wickets on the final day of the third Test to wrap up a 3-0 series whitewash.
The hosts were 109-4 overnight but had to wait until 14:40 BST to resume after rain wiped out the morning session.
Alex Hales brought up his third fifty of the series but was out for 94, with England declaring on 233-7 to set a target of 362.
Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva safely negotiated 12 overs as Sri Lanka reached 32-0 at the close of day four.
Day 5
Eng 416 & 233/7d V SL 288 & 32/0 - Match drawn
England were denied the chance to press for a series whitewash over Sri Lanka as rain ruined the final day of the third Test at Lord's.
Only 12.2 overs were possible in two spells, during which Sri Lanka progressed from 32-0 to 78-1 in pursuit of a notional 362 to win.
Kaushal Silva was the sole wicket to fall, lbw to James Anderson, before play was called off at 17:10 BST.
A five-match one-day series starts on 21 June, followed by a Twenty20.
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Dimuth Karunaratne finished unbeaten on 37, while Kusal Mendis made 17 not out, hitting Joe Root for six off the final ball of the match.
With both sides taking two points from the draw - Sri Lanka's first in 17 Tests - England lead 10-2 in the inaugural 'Super Series'. There are 12 points available in the limited-overs series.
Some England problems solved...
For all England's frustration at the weather on Monday, they can take credit for the efficient manner in which they completed a 2-0 series win over an inexperienced Sri Lanka side exposed by early summer conditions.
Jonny Bairstow's return of 387 runs was 95 more than the next best batsman and cemented his place in the middle order, while Alex Hales took a sizeable step towards securing the opener's berth by averaging 58.
But England's success was founded on the potency of their attack, led brilliantly by James Anderson with 21 wickets at less than 11 apiece.
Stuart Broad's haul of 12 wickets was bettered only by Anderson, Chris Woakes produced his Test best with bat and ball after replacing the injured Ben Stokes, and Steven Finn hinted at a welcome return to form at Lord's.
..but questions still to be answered
England may hold all but one of the nine trophies on offer against countries in bilateral series, but there remain grounds for concern for coach Trevor Bayliss.
Their top-order collapses are still to be eradicated - they have lost their first four wickets before reaching 100 five times in the past seven innings.
The search for a reliable number three goes on after Nick Compton managed only 51 runs in five innings, and it remains to be seen whether James Vince, who scored only 54 runs at 13.5, will be retained at number five for the Pakistan series later this summer.
Despite taking 19 catches - a record for an England wicketkeeper in a three-Test series - Bairstow's glovework has been heavily criticised thanks to three drops and a missed stumping.
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