Double ton at Lord's just out in reach for Tillakaratne Dilshan

Bad weather took out more than 50 overs of play, leaving time only for Sri Lanka to move from 231 for one to 372 for three.

The prospect of anything other than a draw, even in the event of fair weather for the next two days, therefore receded significantly in a three-match series which England lead 1-0.

But the dramatic manner of their victory in that first Test at Cardiff, when the Sri Lankan batsmen capitulated om the final afternoon of another rain-hit match, will give them hope.

The draw had looked a near-certainty then so none of the England bowlers will be giving up hope of forcing a result and series win.

Dilshan, eventually out for 193, was again hit on the right thumb he injured yesterday, and fell to a very good piece of bowling from Steven Finn.

Even his progress stalled too, as cloudy skies prevailed throughout and made for much more favourable bowling conditions.

England, however, did not exploit them as they would have hoped in an unbroken morning session - and then, in the 11 overs subsequently possible, the moving ball regularly beat the bat but stubbornly refused to find the edge.

Dilshan was accompanied first by Kumar Sangakkara and then Mahela Jayawardene.

Sangakkara steadfastly reprised the anchor role played for much of yesterday by Dilshan's fellow opener Tharanga Paranavitana.

Doubtless anxious to improve his Test record in England, which is nowhere near as impressive as elsewhere over the past decade, the former captain left all the strokeplay to his partner.

He mustered only four fours and eventually fell to the second new ball, edging Chris Tremlett behind as he pushed forward, having scored just 26 from 93 deliveries.

As long as Dilshan was there, though, it did not appear to matter if runs came slowly at the other end.

With Sangakkara just gone, Dilshan passed his previous career-best of 168 with a crunching pull for four off Stuart Broad.

There was more in the pitch for the bowlers than yesterday, and a suspicion of swing too.

But England's pace attack - in Broad, Tremlett and Finn, the tallest ever fielded in a Test - struggled throughout the morning for the required consistency.

Their deliveries dropped on to the pads too often and they frequently tested wicketkeeper Matt Prior with their faulty lines.

Dilshan left especially well against Broad from the nursery end - and kept on carving his runs, mainly through the off side, whenever England gave him the opportunity.

Jayawardene did well to ride some extra bounce from Broad to keep the ball short of Graeme Swann at second slip, and kept pace with Dilshan in a stand of 82 either side of lunch.

Tremlett, who had hit Dilshan on the right thumb with a lifter yesterday, repeated the dose this afternoon - and soon afterwards Finn delivered the killer blow with a ball which jagged down the slope and bowled the captain between bat and pad via his thigh.

Dilshan had, however, already made the highest score by a Sri Lankan at Lord's - having hit 20 fours and two sixes from 253 balls.

England bowled much better after lunch but were stopped in their tracks by the deteriorating weather, which brought an early tea at 3.10pm and relented only enough for a further five deliveries

Overnight: England 486 all out (A N Cook 96, E J G Morgan 79, M J Prior, 126, IR Bell 52, S C J Broad 54. Welegedera 4-122, Lakmal 3-126). Sri Lanka 231-1 (N T Paranavitana 65, T M Dilshan 127no)

SRI LANKA First innings (cont)

T M Dilshan b Finn 193

K C Sangakkara c Prior b Tremlett 26

D P M Jayawardene not out 40

T T Samaraweera not out 1

Extras b19 lb20 w7 nb1 47

Total 3 wkts (102.2 overs) 372

Fall: 1-207 2-288 3-370.

To Bat: D P M D Jayawardene, T T Samaraweera, H A P W Jayawardene, M F Maharoof, U W M B C A Welegedara, H M R K B Herath, C R D Fernando, R A S Lakmal.

Bowling:Broad 17 2 55 0,Tremlett 13 3 44 0, Finn 12 2 48 1, Swann 18 3 50 0, Pietersen 3 0 11 0