England launched their chase of a daunting 340-run victory target in the first Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, reaching 27-0 from seven overs by tea on the third day.
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England's skipper, Andrew Strauss was unbeaten on 14 and Alastair Cook was on 13 on a dry pitch at the Galle International Stadium that is making batting progressively difficult.
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England, the world's top-ranked Test team, will have to defy history if they are to win the match and take the lead in the two-Test series.
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England's captain Andrew Strauss plays a shot during the test match against Sri Lanka.
Pic/AFP
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The highest fourth-innings total at Galle is 253, made by Sri Lanka in a losing cause against Australia last year. The highest successful fourth-innings chase was Sri Lanka's 96-0 against India in 2010.
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Earlier, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 214 in their second innings in the post-lunch session with England off-spinner Graeme Swann finishing with six for 82.
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The hosts had been reduced to 127-8 just before lunch, a lead of 252 runs, when wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene stepped in to hit an unbeaten 61 in the company of tailenders.
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Jayawardene, who was caught off a Stuart Broad no-ball when on 29, put on 40 for the ninth wicket with Chanaka Welegedara (13) and 47 for the 10th with Suranga Lakmal (13).
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Swann bagged two of the three wickets that fell in the morning session after Sri Lanka resumed at Tuesday's score of 84-5.
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The overnight pair of Dinesh Chandimal and Suraj Randiv took their sixth-wicket partnership to 42, before both batsmen fell in the space of one run.
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Chandimal, who made 31, gifted his wicket for the second time in the match when he attempted a big shot off Monty Panesar and only managed to sky a catch to Kevin Pietersen at mid-off.
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Randiv was declared leg-before by TV official Bruce Oxenford after he challenged on-field umpire Asad Rauf's decision, giving Swann his fifth wicket in the innings.
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Rangana Herath became Swann's sixth victim when he was bowled trying to sweep the off-spinner.
