SLvEng - Day 1 honours even

An absorbing first day's play saw the ascendancy tilt first one way then the other in the second test between Sri Lanka and England at Kandy today. At the close, Sri Lanka had moved on to 277-7, a position of some promise if not exactly one of dominance.

The recovery of Nasser Hussain following the illness which kept him out of the first test meant that there at least one change to the side which scrambled a draw at Galle was inevitable, yet when the team was announced, it was apparent there would be more than one - and that Andrew Flintoff was to be used as an opening bowler.

Hoggard and Johnson were the men left out, replaced by Hussain and James Kirtley, leaving Paul Collingwood to fill in as the third seamer. It looked to be a team selected to draw a test match, a top-heavy selection of seven main-line batsmen and an attack which looked, on current form, to be less than capable of taking the requisite twenty wickets to engineer a victory.

Sri Lanka made a solitary change of their own, favouring Tillakaratne Dilshan over Upal Chandana, wicketless at Galle. As expected, the widely-reported rumour of injury to Muttiah Muralitharan turned out to be wishful thinking. Perhaps he just wanted to cool his shoulder with an ice-pack.

Michael Vaughan continued his Hussain-like form at the toss of the coin, calling wrong for the sixth time in succession, and would not have been surprised when he was asked to field. Marvan Atapattu, showing exquisite timing, effortlessly flicked two boundaries off Flintoff, then James Kirtley struck by removing the elegant opener with one which just held its line before striking Atapattu (11) on the pad in front of middle stump.

Kumar Sangakkara joined Sanath Jayasuriya at the wicket and the pair started watchfully as Michael Vaughan rang the changes with his unfamiliar attack. Giles was plastered for a brace of boundaries, then Jayasuriya received a wake-up call from Flintoff on the back of the helmet as the partnership began to flourish.

Just as it seemed that Sangakkara was cutting loose, he lost his wicket in careless circumstances. Jayasuriya pushed to Flintoff at shortish cover, the sprawling Lancastrian failed to collect the ball and the batsman came charging down the wicket, seemingly unaware that Kirtley was swooping. The return to Read was a little wayward but the keeper had little difficulty in defeating Sangakkara's despairing lunge. The partnership had added 56 in even time, of which Sangakkara's contribution was 34.

With the luncheon interval rapidly approaching, Jayasuriya attempted to flick a ball from Ashley Giles to square leg. There was a flurry of arms, pads and bat, followed by scrambling by Chris Read and Nasser Hussain. Finally, the ball was held aloft - and more to the point, so was Daryl Harper's index finger. The dangerous Jayasuriya was gone for 32 and Sri Lanka were 84-3.

If the morning had been England's, the afternoon belonged firmly to Sri Lanka as they manoeuvred themselves into a position of some potential. Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan, recalled for his first outing in well over two years, set about the England attack with some gusto. Kirtley, too often too short, was smeared through the leg side with alarming frequency by both batsmen as the pair went past fifty at a run a ball.

Dilshan's first half a dozen scoring strokes went all the way to the fence, then when Vaughan positioned four men on the boundary, singles came with increasng regularity. The splendidly economical but otherwise unpenetrating Collingwood made brief appearances into the attack before Jayawardene launched a flighted Giles delivery poker-straight for six into the sightscreen. A single by Dilshan took him to just his second fifty in test cricket, his other being the small matter of 163* fully four years ago.

With the Sri Lankan batsmen in cruise control mode and the partnership worth 103, the fourth wicket came somewhat as a surprise. Giles, switching to his familiar over-the-wicket approach, pitched a foot wide of leg stump. Jayawardene (45), unable to resist the seemingly innocuous gift, only succeeded in top-edging the ball high into the outfield where James Kirtley, fast making a name for himself for having an exceedingly safe pair of hands, took a spectacular tumbling catch. Two overs later, Sri Lanka took tea on 197-4.

Andrew Flintoff started the evening session with a little more fire in the belly for England, bowling to Dilshan who nudged a single off his hip, then Hashan Tillakaratne ended up wearing a short ball which caught him a blow just below the shoulder. With Flintoff's second ball of his second over following the resumption, he removed the hitherto untroubled Dilshan for 63, and it was the short ball again. Taken by surprise by the increased pace, the Sri Lankan batsman fended the ball off his body, only to find the waiting hands of Marcus Trescothick at slip.

Three overs later, it was 206-6. New batsman Thilan Samaraweera (3) padded up to a ball from Giles which pitched fully nine inches outside the off stump, and the somewhat hopeful appeal was once again answered in the affirmative by umpire Harper. The batsman's look of abject dejection as he left the middle said it all.

Now England had a real opportunity to wrest the initiative and make their batsman-heavy selection pay off, with just Chaminda Vaas and Tillakaratne between them and the tail. As has occurred all too frequently against England over recent years, the lower middle order flourished. For an hour and a quarter, England were frustrated. More to the point, Sri Lanka prospered.

Vaas, playing with increasing assurance, stood tall and smote half-volleys from Giles, Kirtley and Batty through midwicket, then rocked back and pulled the disappointing Batty past square leg. Tillakaratne was more circumspect in approach, but the batsmen seemed to be in no trouble whatsoever as England seemed to be allowing the game to drift with Michael Vaughan even turning his arm over.

Finally, with the new ball overdue, England brought back Flintoff and then Kirtley. With just his third delivery, the Sussex seamer found a little swing and Vaas (33), trapped on his crease, was helpless. The leg-before decision was a formality and Aleem Dar responded in the affirmative. The troublesome partnership had added a valuable 64 runs and had swung the game right back into the balance. Kirtley, to his discredit, took the opportunity to 'eyeball' the departing batsman - an unnecessary end to a spirited partnership in a series which has, to date, been played in impeccable spirit.

A further seven runs were added before the close by Kumar Dharmasena (1*) and Hashan Tillakaratne, ominously yet to register a century against England, undefeated on 45. England ended the day's play with Michael Vaughan off the field receiving treatment to a knee injury. With the wicket expected to show increasing amounts of turn and the mesmeric Muralitharan lying in wait, England must look to knock over the tail early tomorrow and then take full advantage of a long batting line-up if they are to avoid an uphill struggle.

Close of Play Summary - Day 1
Sri Lanka 277-7 (Dilshan 63, Tillakaratne 45*, Jayawardene 45, Giles 3-85, Kirtley 2-75)


Posted by Eddie