Smith hits maiden Test century as England on brink of victory

England edged closer to victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka, who ended the third day on 204-6 in their second innings at Old Trafford on Friday. Despite a gritty performance from Angelo Mathews (65) and Kamindu Mendis (56*), Sri Lanka's slender lead of 82 runs looks unlikely to be enough to prevent an England win.

Earlier in the day, England were bowled out for 358, thanks largely to Jamie Smith's maiden Test century. His 111 not only helped England secure a first-innings lead of 122 but also saw the 24-year-old wicketkeeper break a record that had stood since 1930, becoming the youngest England wicketkeeper to score a Test century.

Smith, reflecting on his achievement, expressed gratitude to former England batsman Ian Bell, who had been a mentor during their time together in domestic cricket. Bell, now working as a batting consultant for Sri Lanka, had previously worked with Smith during the Hundred competition and the England Lions setup.

"Belly has been a great help for me," Smith told reporters. "His knowledge and willingness to help, even though he’s with the opposition now, is something I’m really grateful for."

Bell, a five-time Ashes winner, praised Smith’s hard work and predicted a bright future for him. "He’s going to be a world-class player for England over a long period," Bell remarked. "There’s a small part I played in his development, but it’s all down to his hard work and determination."

England began the third day with a slender 23-run lead and only four wickets in hand. Smith, who resumed on 72, reached his century with a composed innings, eventually falling for 111 off 148 balls. His dismissal, along with Gus Atkinson's (20), left England at 325-9, but tail-enders Mark Wood and Matthew Potts added 33 crucial runs to extend their lead.

When Sri Lanka came out to bat before lunch, they suffered an early collapse. Chris Woakes bowled Nishan Madushka for a duck, and Atkinson followed up by having Kusal Mendis caught behind by Smith, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 1-2. The visitors fought back through Mathews and captain Dimuth Karunaratne (27), but by the time lunch came, they were still struggling at 95-4, with Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva (14) dismissed by Wood and Potts respectively.

Adding to Sri Lanka's troubles, wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal retired hurt after being struck on the thumb by a fierce Wood delivery. However, Mathews held firm, building a valuable 78-run partnership with Mendis, which eventually wiped off the first-innings deficit and gave Sri Lanka a slim lead.

England’s attack regained momentum after a ball change. Woakes claimed the crucial wicket of Mathews, who was caught by a diving Potts at point. Soon after, Milan Rathnayake was caught in the deep for 10. Despite the setbacks, Kamindu Mendis remained unbeaten, and Chandimal returned to the crease after undergoing X-rays, which showed no fracture to his thumb. He closed the day by hitting spinner Shoaib Bashir for a boundary off the final ball.

As England push for their fourth consecutive red-ball win of the season, Sri Lanka will need a resilient performance on day four to set a defendable target and stand any chance of survival.