Live Cricket Score: England vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 3

The weather forecast for the day looks more promising, despite the presence of heavy cloud cover and a slight chance of light showers early on. Fortunately, interruptions are expected to be minimal as the day progresses, and we're hopeful for a full day's play. With the match finely balanced, today could be pivotal, and by the end of it, weather permitting, we should have a much clearer picture of which direction this Test match is heading. So, brace yourself for another thrilling day of cricket that is just around the corner!

On the other hand, the Sri Lankan bowlers and fielders will come into Day 3 rejuvenated after enduring a long and grueling day in the field. Despite the challenges, they've done remarkably well to maintain their discipline, preventing England from running away with the game. As the spinners look to play a more decisive role, Dhananjaya de Silva will be hoping his bowlers can quickly dismantle the remaining four wickets, allowing Sri Lanka to get back to the crease and make amends for their modest first-innings performance. 

England will be pleased to have erased the deficit and secured a narrow 24-run lead by the close of Day 2. Just as things seemed to be going smoothly for them, the day was unfortunately cut short by bad light and weather, reminiscent of the interruptions on Day 1. Jamie Smith remains at the crease, intent on building England's advantage, with the tail-enders playing a vital role in adding crucial runs. Don’t be surprised if England adopts an aggressive approach today to pile up runs quickly and put Sri Lanka under the pump. 

Hello and a warm welcome to the third day's play of this gripping first Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. With the game perfectly balanced, we're set for an exciting day of red-ball cricket that could prove decisive, living up to the anticipation of the so-called 'Moving Day'. Be certain to expect a day full of twists, turns, and immersive cricket as both teams strive to gain the upper hand. 

Right then, with the game finely poised, Day 3 could very well be the turning point of this Test match, determining the direction it will take. England will look to add crucial runs to their total, while Sri Lanka will be eager to return fresh and work through to get rid of the remaining 4 wickets as quickly as possible. The pivotal 'Moving Day' action kicks off on Friday, 23 August at 10 am GMT, but be sure to join us earlier for all the build-up. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

Earlier in the second session of the day, the momentum shifted back and forth, leaving the game finely poised with England at 176/4. Harry Brook and Jamie Smith were well set at the crease, with England trailing by just 60 runs at the end of the session. Asitha Fernando bowled brilliantly for the visitors, claiming three crucial wickets early on, despite stabilizing contributions from Dan Lawrence and Joe Root. However, Brook and Smith took advantage of the tiring Sri Lankan bowlers, steadily rotating the strike and finding the occasional boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Prabath Jayasuriya provided a crucial breakthrough early in the session, dismissing Harry Brook with a brilliant delivery that gripped and turned, a much-needed wicket given how well Brook was playing, breaking the 62-run stand. Chris Woakes then joined Jamie Smith at the crease, and the pair capitalized on the weary Sri Lankan bowlers, forging another valuable 52-run partnership that pushed England past the deficit. However, Prabath Jayasuriya struck again with a nearly identical delivery, removing Woakes and relieving some pressure on the visitors before bad light and rain returned bringing the day's play to a halt.

Despite losing an entire session to rain earlier, the remainder of the day provided some captivating cricket until the conditions became too gloomy and dark, forcing the players off the field. England have managed to erase the deficit and now hold a lead of 23 runs with 4 wickets still in hand, and Jamie Smith well set at 72 off 97 balls.

UPDATE - 5.33 pm GMT - Well, the news we were hoping to avoid is confirmed, Stumps have been called on Day 2 as the weather once again disrupted the final phase of play. We have had 24 overs of play in the final session, with 83 runs being scored for the loss of two wickets. 

UPDATE 5.05 pm GMT - Oopsie! It has started to drizzle here in Old Trafford. Will it remain the same way though? Only time will tell, but the umpires don't want to waste much time here. The light-o-meter comes out once again. Dhananjaya de Silva wanted to go for his seamers, but just like yesterday the umpires suggest that he needs to stick with just the spinners, and eventually the players get asked to walk off the field here. Meanwhile, the rain starts to intensify a little bit, and the ground staff head out with the covers as well. Looks like we are in for some delay here. Stay tuned for further updates.

Gus Atkinson comes in to bat now.