by Olly Stone led the charge for England as 12 wickets fell in two chaotic sessions on the second day of the third Test against Sri Lanka.
Play progressed at a brisk pace at the Kia Oval, with a sloppy batting performance from England taking them from 221 for three overnight to 325 all out in the space of just two hours.
Sri Lanka’s weaknesses were then exposed as they responded with 142 for five in the afternoon, Stone kicking things off with a run-out before striking twice with the ball.
There was also a maiden wicket for 20-year-old rookie Josh Hull, the 6ft 7in left-hander removing the well-established Pathum Nissanka thanks to an excellent catch from Chris Woakes.
Stone was responsible for removing three of the tourists’ most experienced heads, dismissing Dimuth Karunaratne with a direct hit, having Angelo Mathews caught at gully and then pinning Dinesh Chandimal lbw for duck.
That papered over the cracks in a disappointing effort with the bat, with a promising innings fading as the last six wickets fell for just 35. Captain Ollie Pope resumed on 103 not out, silencing doubts about his ability to lead the team and performing at number three, was the eighth wicket to fall for 154.
He completed his existing century with 51 runs at almost a run a ball, but never quite managed to settle down. Three edges went through gaps in the slip cordon, an lbw shout went perilously close and an inside edge that seemed destined for leg stump somehow missed. When he finally managed a pull towards deep square, he could hardly complain.
He and Harry Brook set the tone for a frivolous first session, adding a quick 40 to the total but bowling with abandon. Brook was badly run out on 12, missing a wild throw off the end of the bat but seeing it land in the deep, but made only seven more before picking cover.
The lower middle order evaporated amid a series of soft dismissals, with Jamie Smith flicking Vishwa Fernando to mid-wicket and Woakes lasting just four balls as he bowled a catch to Dhananjaya de Silva.
The tail was bowled over with minimal fuss, Gus Atkinson, Hull and Shoaib Bashir combining for eight runs from 25 balls between them, the latter pair competing for the worst miss of the day.
After a solitary over from Woakes before lunch, the real work began after the break, with Sri Lanka’s openers putting up 34 runs in a steady start. It took just one mistake to undo their work, a poor decision prompting Stone to throw down the stumps and send Karunaratne on his way.
Woakes was bizarrely instructed to bowl off-spin for the next four balls, with the umpires deciding the light was too low to bowl at speed before reversing their decision at the end of the over.
Woakes, whose tweakers left much to be desired, was happy to find his long run again and soon had Kusal Mendis slipping in. Stone made further inroads, finding Mathews’ edge outside off stump and then trapping Chandimal on the back leg, but the biggest cheers were reserved for Hull.
A raw youngster with just 10 first-class appearances to his name, he started nervously but struck in the middle of his third over as Woakes pounced on a difficult chance to count out the lively Nissanka (64).
