England were left with a tricky fourth-innings chase of 164 in the second Test against Sri Lanka as Jack Leach and Dom Bess turned the game on its head by sharing eight cheap wickets in Galle.

The spin pair took four apiece, with two at the end from captain Joe Root's off-breaks, as they dismissed the hosts for just 126 on the fourth afternoon.

While that was a fine effort in the field it also gave fair warning that those runs, added to an existing lead of 37, would not be easy to come by.

At 78 for eight England were probably heavy favourites, but a free-spirited knock of 40 from tailender Lasith Embuldeniya changed the tone again.

Angelo Mathews, a persistent thorn in England's side in this series and over several years, started proactively but paid the price quickly.

Trying to launch Bess over midwicket he was beaten through the air then lost his off stump as the ball spun sharply off the surface.

Captain Dinesh Chandimal hit two boundaries off Leach but could not resist going for a third, launching a swirling catch up in the air as Anderson steadied himself before a nerveless take dropping over his shoulder.

Niroshan Dickwella, fresh from his career-best 92, then drilled Bess to Dan Lawrence at cover for the latest example of muddled thinking.

Root could have made the lunch equation even better but let a couple of chances slip at the end of the session, reprieving Ramesh Mendis and Dilruwan.

England continued their dominance after lunch, Dilruwan flicking Bess to Crawley at short-leg and Mendis becoming the latest victim of the sweep when he under-edged Leach into his boot. Jos Buttler was on hand to nip in front of the stumps and gather the catch.

Sri Lanka had barely threatened to reverse the pressure but Embuldeniya came from nowhere to chance his arm with a near run-a-ball 40.

There were six fours as well as a six from Leach but he was dropped twice, by Jonny Bairstow and Bess, before Root gambled on his own part-time spin to remove him and Asitha Fernando with successive deliveries.