Sri Lanka fight after Jonny Bairstow's 167 sees England past 400

Sri Lanka 162 for 1 at stumps

Jonny Bairstow celebrates his century. (AP)

LONDON: Jonny Bairstow hit a career-best 167 not out and saw England to 416 all out before Sri Lanka fought back on a good batting pitch in the third and final test at Lord's on Friday.

Sri Lanka was 162-1 at stumps on Day 2, easily the tourists' best start to an innings this series after they lost the first two tests heavily.

Kaushal Silva was 79 not out and Dimuth Karunaratne made 50. They shared an opening stand of 108 to give Sri Lanka some hope of a positive result in the last match.

Wicketkeeper Bairstow's one slip of the day was to drop Karunaratne when he was on 28, a regulation edge behind that Bairstow surprisingly misjudged.

England still held a 254-run lead, though, after Bairstow's big century anchored its first innings. It was the second time in his three test centuries Bairstow has made 150, and in both of those innings he was not out.

Batting over two days, Bairstow was part of partnerships of 80 with captain Alastair Cook, 63 with Moeen Ali and 144 with Chris Woakes. He hit 18 fours in all to save England's innings after skipper Cook opted to bat first.

Despite the relatively flat surface at Lord's, England had teetered on Day 1 at 84-4, when Bairstow arrived, and at 227-6.

On Friday, Bairstow had solid support from allrounder Woakes, who made 66. Their seventh-wicket stand took England from 227-6 to 371-7 before Woakes lofted a drive back to spinner Rangana Herath to be out caught and bowled. Herath's intelligent slow bowling brought him 4-81, Sri Lanka's best figures.

Bairstow and Woakes should have combined again to get rid of Karunaratne much earlier, only for Bairstow's miss behind the stumps. Bairstow partly made up for that when he took a diving catch down the legside to eventually dismiss Karunaratne off the bowling of Steven Finn.

Silva and Kusal Mendis had put together an unbeaten 54-run partnership by stumps.

BRIEF SCORES

England 1st innings: 416 all out in 128.4 overs (Jonny Bairstow 167 not out, Alastair Cook 85, Chris Woakes 66; Rangana Herath 4-81, Suranga Lakmal 3-90).

Sri Lanka 1st innings: 162 for 1 after 49 overs (Kaushal Silva 79 not out, Dimuth Karunaratne 50; Steven Finn 1-31).