England face battle to save Test

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COLOMBO, Dec 12 (BBC): England face a struggle to save the second Test after conceding a sizeable first innings lead against Sri Lanka on day four in Colombo.
When the tourists took their fourth wicket of the day soon after lunch they harboured hopes of restricting Sri Lanka's lead to double figures. But the hosts' ninth wicket pair of Prasanna Jayawardene (79) and Dilhara Fernando (36no) put on a defiant 98. They declared on 548-9, a lead of 197, and England reached 48-0 at the close.
Sri Lanka's gritty first-innings display - they kept the tourists in the field for 13 and a half hours - effectively ends England's hopes of winning both the match and the series. They lost the first match in Kandy by 88 runs and their best hope now is to avoid defeat in Colombo in order to go to Galle for the third and final Test with a chance of levelling the series at 1-1.
Sri Lanka, who resumed 28 ahead on 379-4, progressed serenely through the first 40 minutes and it was a surprise when England made the breakthrough.
Durham paceman Steve Harmison has shown signs of returning to form on his recall to the side following six months out with injury and he produced a brute of delivery to Jehan Mubarak which the left-hander could only fend to Ian Bell in the gully. Prasanna Jayawardene turned the next delivery through square leg to take the hosts past 400 but his namesake and captain Mahela, who had looked completely unruffled, was soon back in the pavilion.
The Sri Lanka captain, who had resumed on 167, greeted Monty Panesar's arrival after an hour's play by merrily clumping his third delivery through deep mid-wicket to move within sight of a double century.
England 351 and 48 for 0 (Vaughan 28*, Cook 13*) trail Sri Lanka 548 for 9 dec (M Jayawardene 195, Vandort 138, P Jayawardene 79, Sidebottom 3-100, Harmison 3-111) by 149 runs