Sri Lanka duo defy England attack
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
COLOMBO, Michael Vandort struck a patient fifty as Sri Lanka ended day two of the second Test on 105-2, 246 runs behind England in Colombo.
The in-form Kumar Sangakkara was ousted by Ryan Sidebottom but Vandort shared firm with captain Mahela Jayawardene.
England were earlier bowled out for 351, Muttiah Muralitharan taking his 62nd five-wicket haul, with Matt Prior the last man out after hitting 79.
He shared a defiant 74-run stand with Sidebottom, who made 17 from 81 balls.
England's batting collapse allowed them 11 overs at the inexperienced Sri Lankan openers before tea but it was Test debutant Stuart Broad, not Steve Harmison, who shared the new ball with Sidebottom.
Broad was spoken to by umpire Aleem Dar after his second delivery for running too close to the stumps in his follow-through, and 26 balls into his Test career he had received two official warnings.
One more indiscretion and he would have been banned for the remainder of the innings but Broad persisted, switching ends later although a maiden wicket eluded him.
After the revitalised Prior leapt to his left to pouch Upul Tharanga's edge one-handed, Sidebottom struck again in his next over, to leave Sri Lanka reeling on 22-2.
Sangakkara, who scored 244 imperious runs in the Kandy Test, followed one that left him and departed for just a single, the first time for seven innings that he failed to pass fifty.
Sri Lanka 105 for 2 (Vandort 50*) Jayawardene 43*) trail England 351 (Vaughan 87, Cook 81, Prior 79, Collingwood 52, Muralitharan 5-116) by 246 runs.
The in-form Kumar Sangakkara was ousted by Ryan Sidebottom but Vandort shared firm with captain Mahela Jayawardene.
England were earlier bowled out for 351, Muttiah Muralitharan taking his 62nd five-wicket haul, with Matt Prior the last man out after hitting 79.
He shared a defiant 74-run stand with Sidebottom, who made 17 from 81 balls.
England's batting collapse allowed them 11 overs at the inexperienced Sri Lankan openers before tea but it was Test debutant Stuart Broad, not Steve Harmison, who shared the new ball with Sidebottom.
Broad was spoken to by umpire Aleem Dar after his second delivery for running too close to the stumps in his follow-through, and 26 balls into his Test career he had received two official warnings.
One more indiscretion and he would have been banned for the remainder of the innings but Broad persisted, switching ends later although a maiden wicket eluded him.
After the revitalised Prior leapt to his left to pouch Upul Tharanga's edge one-handed, Sidebottom struck again in his next over, to leave Sri Lanka reeling on 22-2.
Sangakkara, who scored 244 imperious runs in the Kandy Test, followed one that left him and departed for just a single, the first time for seven innings that he failed to pass fifty.
Sri Lanka 105 for 2 (Vandort 50*) Jayawardene 43*) trail England 351 (Vaughan 87, Cook 81, Prior 79, Collingwood 52, Muralitharan 5-116) by 246 runs.