Kumara and Asitha strike early after England go 62 ahead

Two early strikes gave Sri Lanka hope as England extended their lead to 97 runs at lunch on the third day of the third Test at The Oval.

Three wickets apiece for Josh Hull and Olly Stone had preserved a 62-run advantage for the hosts in the first innings but Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, England's outstanding performers first time out, both fell cheaply before lunch.

Sri Lanka resumed day three on 211 for 5 with a deficit of 114 and, despite three of their players passing fifty, no one went on to get a big score that might have pushed them ahead of England, who were attacking at the start of their second innings.

Duckett picked out mid-on off Asitha Fernando's 12th delivery, a full, straight one that Duckett, having scored an aggressive 86 in the first innings, mistimed as he tried to go down the ground and departed for just 7.

Sri Lanka introduced Lahiru Kumara for the last over of a morning session extended because of the bad weather that blighted the first two days and he struck with his fourth ball as first-innings centurion Pope edged onto his stumps.

Dan Lawrence, seeking his first score of note since taking over for the injured Zak Crawley at the top of the order at the start of this series, was not out 20 at the break.

Earlier, debutant Hull made amends for dropping Dhananjaya de Silva during a gloomy second evening when he had the Sri Lanka skipper caught with his 11th ball of the day, his attempted pull sailing off the top edge to deep backward square.

Dhananjaya had added just five runs to his overnight score and his dismissal preceded a 20-minute stoppage as a short, sharp rain shower swept through South London.

It also sparked a procession of five wickets for 52 runs in 13.3 overs, Hull, Stone and Chris Woakes sharing four of the five wickets to fall with Gus Atkinson off the field nursing a tight quad. Spinner Shoaib Bashir claimed the last wicket.

Woakes struck in the second over after the rain break, his first ball drawing an edge and Joe Root holding on at slip to end Kamindu Mendis' innings on 64, having added 10 to his overnight score.

Stone put down a yet-to-score Kumara at mid-on to deny Hull a fourth wicket in almost a carbon copy of Hull's mistake off Bashir when Dhananjaya was on 23 the previous day.

Stone peppered Milan Rathnayake with a couple of short deliveries before his length ball drew a waft outside off stump and Jamie Smith gathered behind the stumps. Bashir then had Asitha Fernando caught by Smith reverse-sweeping to close the innings.