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(REUTERS) – OPENER Tillakaratne Dilshan ended the day unbeaten on 127 as Sri Lanka reached 231 for one against England on day two of the second Test at Lord’s yesterday.
England had kept the initiative up in the morning session to reach 486, a healthy-looking total owing plenty to Matt Prior’s counter-attacking innings of 126, but Dilshan, in partnership with Tharanga Paranavitana, released the pressure as England’s bowlers toiled.
Their opening stand which was a record for Sri Lanka against England was worth 207 before Steven Finn made the only breakthrough for the hosts of the day.
It said plenty about the docile Lord’s wicket that the tourists made such serene progress, but it was also an off-day for the bowlers, who were uncharacteristically off their lines and lengths, and offered little variety.
Dilshan in particular deserved enormous credit for wresting back the momentum for his side after England had put Sri Lanka to the sword in the morning session, with a frenzied effort that scarcely resembled Test cricket.
144 runs were added in just 24.5 overs for the loss of four wickets as England converted a useful platform into an imposing total, with Prior and Stuart Broad picking up where they left off, with Broad raising a half-century from just 47 deliveries.
Prior, so fluent on day one, was a remarkably streaky on day two, contriving to edge every scoring shot he played from 86 to 99, but emerging unscathed to clip into midwicket for an ultimately deserved century.
Tremlett managed some impressive drives of his own on his way to a brisk unbeaten 24, while Prior eventually perished heaving across the line against Rangana Herath only to miss the ball and be clean-bowled.
With the momentum firmly with the hosts, Strauss had reasons to declare just before lunch but declined them, allowing Steven Finn to hit four boundaries en route to a career-best score of 19.
Sri Lanka began their reply in assured fashion, with captain Dilshan leading the way as Chris Tremlett and Finn were erratic, while Broad’s bright start trailed off.
It might have been different had Dilshan’s hooks against Tremlett gone to the man posted at deep backwards square, or if Alastair Cook had held on to a regulation edge from Paranavitana in the 13th over off the bowling of Finn, but having survived those scares, Sri Lanka built steadily.
They reached 101 without loss at the tea break, with Dilshan notching a second fifty in two matches as Test captain.
Dilshan continued to score rapidly after tea, despite Tremlett catching him with a nasty delivery on the thumb and Prior dropping a faint edge off the bowling of Swann, and brought up his century from 129 balls with a threaded cut shot, and when the 200 followed shortly afterwards England looked short of ideas.
Finn, who sprayed the ball wildly for much of the day, did strike late as Paranavitana flashed a loose drive to Andrew Strauss in the slips, but Dilshan continued unimpeded and Sangakkara kept him company until the close of play.
Sri Lanka remain 255 runs adrift, but will go into day knowing they have given themselves every chance of staying in the Test and series. SCORECARD
ENGLAND 1st innings
A. Strauss lbw b Welegedara 4
A. Cook c Maharoof b Fernando 96
I. Trott lbw b Lakmal 2
K. Pietersen c Dilshan b Lakmal 2
I. Bell c Paranavitana b Welegedara 52
E Morgan lbw b Lakmal 79
M. Prior† b Herath 126
S. Broad lbw b Welegedara 54
G. Swann c Paranavitana b Welegedara 4
CT Tremlett not out 24
S. Finn b Herath 19
Extras (b-3, lb-7, w-4, nb-10) 24
Total (all out; 112.5 overs; 510 mins) 486
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-18, 3-22, 4-130, 5-201, 6-302, 7-410, 8-414, 9-452.
Bowling: Welegedara 28-4-122-4 (nb-5, w-2), Lakmal 25-2-126-3 (w-1), Maharoof 17-5-57-0 (nb-5, w-1), Fernando 17-2-77-1, Herath 18.5 -1-64-2, Dilshan 7-1-30-0.
SRI LANKA 1st innings
N. Paranavitana c Strauss b Finn 65 234
T. Dilshan not out 127
K. Sangakkara not out 13
Extras: (b-10, lb-13, w-2, nb-1) 26
Total: (for 1 wicket off 63 overs) 231
Fall of wickets: 1-207.
Bowling Broad 17-2-55-0, Tremlett 13-3-44-0 (nb-1), Finn 12-2-48-1 (w-1), Swann 18-3-50-0, Pietersen 3-0-11-0.
England had kept the initiative up in the morning session to reach 486, a healthy-looking total owing plenty to Matt Prior’s counter-attacking innings of 126, but Dilshan, in partnership with Tharanga Paranavitana, released the pressure as England’s bowlers toiled.
Their opening stand which was a record for Sri Lanka against England was worth 207 before Steven Finn made the only breakthrough for the hosts of the day.
It said plenty about the docile Lord’s wicket that the tourists made such serene progress, but it was also an off-day for the bowlers, who were uncharacteristically off their lines and lengths, and offered little variety.
Dilshan in particular deserved enormous credit for wresting back the momentum for his side after England had put Sri Lanka to the sword in the morning session, with a frenzied effort that scarcely resembled Test cricket.
144 runs were added in just 24.5 overs for the loss of four wickets as England converted a useful platform into an imposing total, with Prior and Stuart Broad picking up where they left off, with Broad raising a half-century from just 47 deliveries.
Prior, so fluent on day one, was a remarkably streaky on day two, contriving to edge every scoring shot he played from 86 to 99, but emerging unscathed to clip into midwicket for an ultimately deserved century.
Tremlett managed some impressive drives of his own on his way to a brisk unbeaten 24, while Prior eventually perished heaving across the line against Rangana Herath only to miss the ball and be clean-bowled.
With the momentum firmly with the hosts, Strauss had reasons to declare just before lunch but declined them, allowing Steven Finn to hit four boundaries en route to a career-best score of 19.
Sri Lanka began their reply in assured fashion, with captain Dilshan leading the way as Chris Tremlett and Finn were erratic, while Broad’s bright start trailed off.
It might have been different had Dilshan’s hooks against Tremlett gone to the man posted at deep backwards square, or if Alastair Cook had held on to a regulation edge from Paranavitana in the 13th over off the bowling of Finn, but having survived those scares, Sri Lanka built steadily.
They reached 101 without loss at the tea break, with Dilshan notching a second fifty in two matches as Test captain.
Dilshan continued to score rapidly after tea, despite Tremlett catching him with a nasty delivery on the thumb and Prior dropping a faint edge off the bowling of Swann, and brought up his century from 129 balls with a threaded cut shot, and when the 200 followed shortly afterwards England looked short of ideas.
Finn, who sprayed the ball wildly for much of the day, did strike late as Paranavitana flashed a loose drive to Andrew Strauss in the slips, but Dilshan continued unimpeded and Sangakkara kept him company until the close of play.
Sri Lanka remain 255 runs adrift, but will go into day knowing they have given themselves every chance of staying in the Test and series. SCORECARD
ENGLAND 1st innings
A. Strauss lbw b Welegedara 4
A. Cook c Maharoof b Fernando 96
I. Trott lbw b Lakmal 2
K. Pietersen c Dilshan b Lakmal 2
I. Bell c Paranavitana b Welegedara 52
E Morgan lbw b Lakmal 79
M. Prior† b Herath 126
S. Broad lbw b Welegedara 54
G. Swann c Paranavitana b Welegedara 4
CT Tremlett not out 24
S. Finn b Herath 19
Extras (b-3, lb-7, w-4, nb-10) 24
Total (all out; 112.5 overs; 510 mins) 486
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-18, 3-22, 4-130, 5-201, 6-302, 7-410, 8-414, 9-452.
Bowling: Welegedara 28-4-122-4 (nb-5, w-2), Lakmal 25-2-126-3 (w-1), Maharoof 17-5-57-0 (nb-5, w-1), Fernando 17-2-77-1, Herath 18.5 -1-64-2, Dilshan 7-1-30-0.
SRI LANKA 1st innings
N. Paranavitana c Strauss b Finn 65 234
T. Dilshan not out 127
K. Sangakkara not out 13
Extras: (b-10, lb-13, w-2, nb-1) 26
Total: (for 1 wicket off 63 overs) 231
Fall of wickets: 1-207.
Bowling Broad 17-2-55-0, Tremlett 13-3-44-0 (nb-1), Finn 12-2-48-1 (w-1), Swann 18-3-50-0, Pietersen 3-0-11-0.
