England took control of the first Test against Sri Lanka on day three at Emirates Old Trafford, positioning themselves for a potential victory. The action-packed day saw Sri Lanka end their second innings at 204-6, a mere 82 runs ahead of the home team.

The day began with England's Jamie Smith achieving a remarkable milestone, completing his maiden Test century. However, Sri Lanka faced a potential collapse when captain Dhananjaya de Silva was dismissed by Matthew Potts. Adding to their woes, Dinesh Chandimal suffered an injury to his thumb after being struck by Mark Wood's delivery, leaving Sri Lanka at 95-5 in their second innings, still trailing by 27 runs.

Nonetheless, Angelo Mathews displayed great resilience, scoring 65 runs and forming a crucial partnership of 78 runs with Kamindu Mendis. England, recognizing the importance of a change in the ball, successfully persuaded the umpires, resulting in Potts getting a replacement that swung. Mathews and Mendis both gained reprieves with chances being dropped, but Mathews eventually fell to Chris Woakes, caught by Potts at point.

England faced a moment of concern when Wood departed the field mid-over due to an injury. However, his replacement, Joe Root, had an immediate impact, inducing a wild shot from Milan Rathnayake, securing another wicket for the hosts. Sri Lanka received some positive news as Chandimal returned to the crease undefeated on 20 runs, accompanied by the impressive unbeaten knock of 56 runs by Kamindu.

Earlier in the day, England's wicketkeeper Jamie Smith's remarkable innings of 111 propelled the home side to a first-innings lead of 122, as they reached a total of 358.

With a potentially rainy weekend ahead, England hopes that their strong position will be enough to secure victory. However, they remain cautious, remembering the drawn Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford last year due to inclement weather.

Sri Lanka's performance has been far from impressive throughout the match, with lapses in fielding and loose bowling. Their batting, too, suffered early setbacks, with Nishan Madushanka and Kusal Mendis both dismissed for ducks. Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva also failed to make significant contributions, falling victim to the England bowlers.

Angelo Mathews' previous heroics in similar situations give Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope, but they will need to exhibit grit and determination to avoid a defeat against an increasingly dominant England side.

As the match heads into the final stages, England will be aiming to wrap up proceedings and claim a crucial victory, while Sri Lanka will be desperate to turn their fortunes around and salvage a result.

The game continues to captivate cricket fans worldwide, offering an enthralling battle between bat and ball, as both teams seek to make their mark in this closely contested Test match.