Kevin Pietersen during the second day of the second Test versus Sri Lanka in Birmingham on Friday. (AP)

Birmingham: Kevin Pietersen scored his third century in consecutive Test innings at home to put England in control of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on Friday.

Pietersen cracked 142, including a reverse sweep for six, as England scored 295 on the second day after losing their last five wickets for five runs in reply to Sri Lanka’s 141. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralidharan finished with six for 86.

England then reduced Sri Lanka to 86 for four in their second innings to lead by 68 runs at the close.

Matthew Hoggard and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar collected two wickets each. Upul Tharanga departed first, caught behind to Hoggard’s fourth ball of the innings, collecting a pair in the match.

Pietersen, who struck 158 in the first Test at Lord’s to equal his previous highest Test score set against Australia in last year’s Oval Test, became the first Englishman since Graham Gooch in 1990 to make hundreds in three straight Test innings at home.

England’s batting fell away at the end as Flintoff, Liam Plunkett (0), Geraint Jones (4) and Panesar (0) all failed. Muralidharan claimed his 52nd five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

(Reuters)