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

Well then, all set for Day 3 to commence at The Oval!

We are two days into this third and final Test and still, we haven't been able to see a full day's play. A total of 114.1 overs have been bowled with both innings combined so far, and technically, we have already lost plenty of overs due to bad light stoppages. And the weather forecast for Day 3, ugh, well, it doesn't look THAT promising to be very honest. The London skies are predicted to stay under the siege of a thick cloud cover which might bring showers later in the day. But, let's hope that we start on time, at least.

UPDATE - As many of you may have heard, or if not, the big breaking news this morning is that 37-year-old Moeen Ali, one of England’s finest all-rounders, has announced his retirement from international cricket.

England will be slightly disappointed with their batting collapse on Day 2. Skipper Ollie Pope's 154 and Ben Duckett's brisk 86 were the standout performances. While the bowlers struggled initially, sharp fielding from Olly Stone and poor running from Sri Lanka gave them their first breakthrough. The debutant, Josh Hull had a mixed day, claiming the set Pathum Nissanka’s wicket but dropping a sitter that gave Dhananjaya de Silva a second chance. England did manage to take three quick wickets before Tea, but with only spinners allowed in the final session, Sri Lanka fought back. With a lead still over 100, England will be aiming to make early inroads and wrap things up quickly. Stay tuned as action on Day 3 begins shortly.

Once again, Sri Lanka's top order struggled, with the exception of Pathum Nissanka, who took inspiration from England's approach and played with freedom. He smashed a brisk half-century but eventually fell to his own aggressive instincts. The visitors found themselves in trouble at 93/5, but worsening overhead conditions came to their rescue. The umpires ruled that the light wasn't safe for the fast bowlers to continue. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, along with the impressive Kamindu Mendis, began to build a partnership. Though they started cautiously, once settled, they took the attack to the spinners and began chipping away at the lead. Both reached their fifties and remained unbeaten 64 and 54 respectively when bad light forced an early close to Day 2.

Sri Lanka responded brilliantly on Day 2 after a rather disappointing start on the first day. The bowlers came out with renewed energy and executed their plans with much greater precision. They managed to bowl out the hosts in the first session itself. It was a commendable effort to restrict England to under 350, especially when at one stage, it looked like they might be conceding a total well over 400.

Hello and welcome, everyone! We're entering Day 3 of this third Test between England and Sri Lanka, though we’ve yet to witness a full day's play, largely due to bad light. Day 3 is often referred to as the 'Moving Day,' and whichever team can adapt better could gain a crucial advantage in this match. While the weather has slightly improved or as we hope so, it’s still pretty overcast, and to make up for the lost time over the first two days, a total of 98 overs are scheduled for today. Play is set to continue until 5:30 PM GMT, with an extra half hour if needed. However, much of this will depend on whether the weather and light hold up.

Right then, that is it from Day 2. Sri Lanka, in what could have been a dire situation have turned it into a competitive one with a solid counterpunch. But the challenging part for them is to negotiate the early hour of play coming into Day 3. With the pitch's further wear and tear, the 'Moving Day' will be very crucial from both teams' perspectives. England's aim would be to take advantage of an early morning swing and snag early wickets and prevent the opposition from taking the lead. With that said, the first ball of Day 3 will be bowled on Sunday, 8th September at 10 am GMT. Till then, cheers!

So, who takes the honors for day two? It's a close call, but Sri Lanka might have a slight edge - not in the match wholly though as they still trail by 114 runs. England certainly had their moments, bowling well and taking five quick wickets at one point. However, the islanders managed to bundle out the hosts in the morning session and then showed impressive resilience to see out the day with the bat. 

They had a bit of help from the pitch too, with the rough patches at both ends giving them something to aim at. Bashir nearly struck gold by playing a bit of cat and mouse with de Silva. He kept probing away, testing DDS's patience. Just when Bashir thought he'd struck, Hull went and put down a sitter. As overs progressed, the two Sri Lankans got more accommodated to the conditions and were cruising together nicely. Both effectively notched up their respective fifties and also constructed a solid 118-run partnership before bad light stopped play. England might be thinking that they could have exploited the conditions better given the wear and tear of the pitch. 

In dire need of runs with half of the side in the dressing room, the skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and the southpaw Kamindu Mendis formed a resilient partnership for the 6th wicket. By the time the umpires called for Tea, de Silva and Mendis had not only steadied the innings but given their side a glimmer of hope. Cut to the final session,  the light had gone a bit dodgy - not exactly ideal for the quicks to be steaming in. So, England had to switch things up and give spin a whirl for the first time. Bashir and Lawrence were given the nod and started in tandem. Root too, joined them and rolled his arm sooner.

The second session began with the Sri Lankan openers negotiating the English pace attack. They were motoring along well but a miscommunication in the middle saw Karunaratne cost dearly. But despite an early couple of blows, Sri Lanka played with freedom for the first hour or so, likewise their counterparts. Nissanka was the star of the show for the islanders, scoring at a rate that would've made T20 batters proud. The only problem was, he kept running out of partners. In the end, his own aggression proved his undoing. Once Nissanka fell, it was like someone had pulled the plug. The English pacers suddenly found their mojo, hitting those perfect troubling lengths.

Credit where it's due, The Sri Lankan attack, sharper than yesterday, had to grind for that first breakthrough. Cricket being cricket, there were a few near misses, some umpire's calls, and even a dropped catch to keep things interesting. But once Brook fell, the floodgates opened. England's batting order crumbled like a house of cards - six wickets tumbled for a paltry 35 runs in just about 10 overs. The Sri Lankan pacers did an excellent job and probed the opposition batters on tight lines and lengths constantly. Apart from Pope, who also mounted the quickest 150 at The Oval, the rest of the lineup looked rusty and uncomfortable.

Well, since we won't have any further play, let's recap what happened on Day 2. It kicked off under the same moody skies over London. The Sri Lankan bowlers decided to mix things up, pitching it up a bit more to get the ball swinging - a change from yesterday's good length fest. The ball was dancing around, kissing edges and giving the English batters a proper workout initially. Pope and Brook weren't about to roll over, though. They tried to knock the Sri Lankan bowlers off their rhythm and negate the movement. Brook, bless him, looked a bit rusty and impatient, all eager to get going but not quite finding his groove and perished sooner.

UPDATE - 5.05 pm GMT - Well, folks! This was bound to happen. With lights clearly not expected to get any better coupled with dark skies, Stumps have been officially called on Day 2.

UPDATE - 4.57 pm GMT - Well, nothing new to update here, and things are not looking promising for us to get underway again. So, while we wait, let's catch up on a couple of results from elsewhere. Australia have completed the clean sweep over Scotland in the three-match T20I series. It was yet another comfortable win for the Aussies with Cameron Green putting on a brilliant all-round show. He blasted 62 off just 39 balls and also picked up a three-wicket haul as well. In the Duleep Trophy, India C defeated India D in a pretty exciting first-class game. Manav Suthar was the star of the show with a fantastic seven-wicket haul in the second innings that paved the way for India C's victory.

Uh, oh! The two umpires come together to have a chat. The light meter comes out again and this time, the umpires think that the artificial light has taken over the natural light. The conditions have gotten really dark overhead, meaning it is not safe to continue. The players are requested to walk off the field and The Oval echoes with the boos from the spectators. The umpires though are still on the ground and have a detailed discussion with the reserve umpire. But for now, the play has been halted due to BAD LIGHT. Also, the news from the middle is that if play cannot be resumed by 5.30 pm GMT, it will officially be Stumps on Day 2.

Ollie Pope is having a chat with the vice-captain, Harry Brook. However, we are still going to continue.

Joe Root to bowl some offies now.