Sri Lanka, in their second innings, were 219 for five at tea with Tillakaratne Dilshan 31 not out and Chamara Kapugedera unbeaten on 16.

Murali, who took three for 62 in England's below par first innings 229, had claimed all four wickets to fall as the hosts made hard work of chasing the small victory target of 78 they needed to win the second Test at Edgbaston by six wickets.

But on what would be a fourth innings pitch Murali already had nearly three times as many runs to play with in a match where no England batsman had yet scored a fifty.

England, with Sri Lanka 127 ahead at lunch, badly needed wickets if they were to prevent the tourists building an impregnable lead.

Not for the first time all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, captain in the absence of Michael Vaughan, provided the breakthrough England required by dismissing Kumar Sangakkara, the first and so far only man in this match to make a fifty.

Flintoff, bowling at impressive pace, took the outside edge of the left-hander's bat and Marcus Trescothick, at a wide slip position, took a catch that saw Sangakkara out for 66 in what was the wicket-keeper's 100th Test innings.

And, six balls later, Sri Lanka saw 143 for four become 148 for five.

Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar had former captain and veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, playing his first Test since reversing his retirement from the five-day game, lbw sweeping for four although the left-hander's expression suggested he thought he'd edged the ball onto his pad.

Flintoff then brought on batting star Kevin Pietersen, an occasional off-spinner, in a bid to break the fifth-wicket stand.

But it was Liam Plunkett who took the next wicket to fall when Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, on 45, somehow reached a poor, wide delivery from the Durham quick and edged through to wicket-keeper Geraint Jones.

Jayawardene, annoyed with himself, swished his bat in frustration and knocked over his own stumps.

He immediately apologised to square leg umpire Rudi Koertzen but Jayawardene could still be fined a portion of his match fee for dissent.

Sri Lanka resumed on 45 for one, a lead of 47.

Opener Upul Tharanga, 17 not out overnight, showed fine footwork as he drove Panesar for a six over the bowler's head that did such damage the ball had to be changed.

Three balls later though Tharanga was out when he pushed forward against Panesar, the first Sikh to play Test cricket for England, and was caught at short leg by Alastair Cook, Sri Lanka 100 for two.

Sangakkara, who started Sunday on 22, was unruffled and a single off Plunkett saw him to a 109-ball fifty with seven fours.