England recovered from two crucial blows to stay afloat in their tough run chase on day three of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday.
The tourists, set a history-defying target of 340, reached 2-111 by stumps on a dry pitch that has made batting progressively difficult.
The world's top-ranked Test side lost openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook cheaply before Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen repaired the damage by adding 63 for the unbroken third wicket.
Trott was unbeaten on 40 and Pietersen was on 29, with England still needing 229 runs with eight wickets in hand to win the Test and take the lead in the two-match series.
England, who will slip to No.2 behind South Africa if they lose the series, have never chased down such a big fourth-innings target before in their Test history.
Their highest successful chase is 7-332 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground way back in 1928.
In Asia, it is 1-209 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in March, 2010.
England's task has been made tougher since 253 is the highest fourth-innings total made at the Galle International Stadium.
Earlier, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 214 in their second innings in the post-lunch session with England off-spinner Graeme Swann finishing with 6-82.
The hosts had been reduced to 8-127 just before lunch, a lead of 252 runs, when wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene stepped in to hit an unbeaten 61 in the company of tailenders.