By Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent

Agnew's Close of Play - BBC Radio Five Live

England's bowlers produced an inspired performance to bowl Sri Lanka out and enforce the follow on, and the visitors now face an uphill task to save themselves from a second defeat.

Happily, the most successful bowler was Alex Tudor, who found himself so short of work at Edgbaston that he must have received his match fee with just a tinge of embarrassment.

Here, in the absence of Andy Caddick, he was given added responsibility, and rose to the challenge admirably.

Tudor should do well in Australia

Tudor is an important figure in England's winter plans. Australia is a tough tour and the pitches there resemble Old Trafford to an extent.

There is rarely movement off the seam down under, and seam bowlers there have to rely on other factors, such as extra bounce or reverse swing, to help them.

Tudor is especially tall and finds bounce with no effort. It would be nice if he could add another yard of pace to his current lively medium fast, and there are still worries about his durability - but he bounced in throughout the day and troubled all the batsmen.

He was helped, it has to be said, by some unwise shot selection by the Sri Lankans.

Jayawardene mis-timed a pull so grotesquely that he was caught and bowled by Tudor as he followed through.

The key moment for England was when Hashan Tillekeratne, who normally clings to his wicket like a limpet, flogged Ashley Giles to Andrew Flintoff on the deep midwicket boundary.

De Silva was out-thought by Hussain and Flintoff

The only possible explanation was that Flintoff had softened him up in the previous over when he hit him painfully in the ribs, but it was a dreadful stroke that helped to condemn Sri Lanka to the ignominy of following on.

There was also a moment of brilliant captaincy from Nasser Hussain.

Throughout the series, England's fast bowlers have peppered the batsmen with bouncers and, gradually, England have worked out how each Sri Lankan copes with that form of attack.

Arivinda de Silva is only a small man, which makes fending off the rising ball rather awkward.

Today, Hussain set a field to him that consisted of two short legs - one of whom was deliberately set just yards from the bat behind square.

Storm clouds

Flintoff, who was more aggressive than most, hurled the ball in short once again and de Silva obligingly turned it to Hussain at backward short leg.

Those are moments that captains dream about, and shortly afterwards Hussain found himself inviting his opposite number, Jayasuriya, to follow on.

With Atapattu unable to hold a bat, Jayasuriya was forced to return to the opening position, and was soon bowled off the inside edge by Hoggard for 26.

Sri Lanka will be hoping the dark, gloomy clouds that gathered over Old Trafford and ended play prematurely, do not drift too far away overnight.