SaqJamie Smith’s flamboyant counter-attack kept England alive in the third Test against Sri Lanka after a five-wicket haul for 26 left the match in balance on day three.
After taking a 62-run first-innings lead at the Kia Oval, England found themselves in a difficult situation when the tourists reduced them to 82 for seven.
Recklessness from the top order and a vastly improved bowling effort in the afternoon turned the match on its head before Smith launched a single-handed assault.
Undeterred by the weight of the scoreboard pressure, he produced a fairly brilliant response from number six, hitting 67 from 50 balls with 10 fours and a six.
He was bowled out on the last ball before tea in another dramatic turnaround, leaving England 140 for eight and ahead by 202.
The day began with England taking the last five Sri Lanka wickets for 52, leaving them on 263 all out, with debutant Josh Hull picking up two more while he and Olly Stone finished with three each.
England had chances to put their opponents out of the game but showed the same recklessness that earned them sharp words from former captains Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook on day two.
They lost two of their three best players in a half-hour window before lunch, Ben Duckett mistakenly driving towards mid-on and Ollie Pope following his first-innings century by dragging with a loose bat.
They still had a 97-point lead at half-time but the vulnerability of their position was exposed as Sri Lanka increased the pressure.
Dan Lawrence (35) spent more time at the crease than anyone else but he failed to provide the anchor his team needed. He started the afternoon session in fifth gear, leaving all three stumps exposed as he tried to open up the leg side and avoid being bowled by the narrowest of margins.
A huge six over long-off showed him in a better light, but his ambition soon got the better of him, he furiously hit a ball that swerved away and grazed the edge. Kumara celebrated emphatically, perhaps offended by the spectacular nature of the shot, and Lawrence added a bruised finger to a bruised ego by slapping his bat in disgust.
Root’s presence should have calmed England, and normal service appeared to resume when he struck an elegant cover shot to overtake Kumar Sangakkara as the sixth-highest run-scorer in Test history.
Only Sir Alastair Cook stands between him and a place in the top five, but that will have to wait until next month’s tour of Pakistan after Fernando surprised him with an inbound yorker.
The ball smashed into his front foot at full power, and a hopeful DRS appeal only confirmed his fate. With their cornerstone gone, there was an opening for Sri Lanka and Fernando bulldozed it.
Like Root, Harry Brook was a little late to the one who went through the air and hit the front pad. Like Root, he burned a review on his way.
Chris Woakes was caught behind by Kumara and although an injury to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal gave England a chance to catch their breath, their struggles continued. Gus Atkinson, suffering a quadriceps injury that kept him out of the morning game, was trapped in front by Milan Rathnayake.
Smith had seen enough and lifted the spirits of the stands with a handful of increasingly audacious shots. After seeing a leading edge narrowly elude the man at half-time, he completed 52 shots on just 17 throws.
Rathnayake was the worst hit, he was knocked to the ground when he reached his peak and was whipped for six strokes as he brought his length back. Some of the strokes were pure timing, some of them brute force, but it was a heady mix.
Stone had contributed just five times in a partnership of 58 as Smith entered T20 mode but the fun ended when he drilled Fernando straight to mid-wicket with the tea break seconds away.
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