On the fourth day, overnight batters Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal added 103 runs, taking Sri Lanka to a steady 326 with a lead of 205 runs.
When England came out to chase halfway through the second session, openers Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence were initially greeted with some loose deliveries from the opposition. However, one such seemingly harmless ball nearly got the better of Duckett, only for DRS to save him.
On the final ball of the second over, Asitha Fernando bowled a full-length delivery down the leg side that Duckett tried to whip away. He failed to middle the ball, resulting in an inside edge that appeared to be caught by the diving keeper, Kusal.
To the naked eye, it looked like Kusal had pulled off a stunning catch, diving to his left. However, when the on-field umpires referred it upstairs, TV umpire Joel Wilson spotted that the ball had touched the ground while still in contact with Kusal’s gloves.
— Gill Bill (@bill_gill76078) August 24, 2024
— Gill Bill (@bill_gill76078) August 24, 2024
The decision was eventually overturned, and Duckett survived. Mendis, who was ecstatic after the initial catch and had thrown the ball in celebration, saw the mood change quickly. Kusal’s enthusiastic celebration giving way to silence became a talking point on Twitter.
