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Sri Lanka v England, day four, first Test, Galle

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day four of the first Test between Sri Lanka and England with Sportsmail's
unrivalled team. We'll deliver over-by-over coverage as the action
unfolds at the Galle International Stadium while our brilliant team of
writers will update with their insights from the ground. Email your thoughts to tom.bellwood@dailymail.co.uk or tweet to @TomBellwood

Sri Lanka v England: Essentials

England: Andrew
Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell,
Matt Prior (wkt), Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James
Anderson, Monty Panesar

Sri Lanka:
Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela
Jayawardene (c), Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna
Jayawardene (wkt), Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Chanaka Welegedera, Suranga Lakmal.

Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan), Rod Tucker (Australia). TV: Bruce Oxenford (Australia). Referee: Javagal Srinath (India).

1st innings: Sri Lanka 318, England 193.

2nd innings: Sri lanka 214

Click here for a full scorecard

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48th over: England 128-3 (Trott 51, Bell 4)

Lakmal has only conceded one bye this morning – and that came courtesy of an overthrow. Safe to say he's hitting his straps in this early spell. He completes his third maiden of the morning.

47th over: England 128-3 (Trott 51, Bell 4)

Right, so where are we Sri Lanka will be delighted to have taken the early scalp of Kevin Pietersen, they are heavy favourites to win this, but Test matches don't win themselves. England are three down and still require a further 212 runs to win this match. In terms of actual action: that was another maiden for Randiv.

46th over: England 128-3 (Trott 51, Bell 4)

Dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot. Lakmal sends six outside off, tempting Trott who's having none of it. Maiden.

45th over: England 128-3 (Trott 51, Bell 4)

England are riding their luck at the moment. Trott nudges forward, hits the man at short leg flush on the boot, the ball pops up high in the air, but lands just out of harms' way. There follows a sublime reverse sweep through the vacant point area for four to bring up his half-century. And Bell moves off the mark with an outrageously positive flat bat over mid-on for four.

44th over: England 119-3 (Trott 46, Bell 0)

Messy. Lakmal appeals – for an age – but his lbw shout was appalling, sliding well down leg. In the melee Jayawardene spotted Bell out of his crease and went for the run out, but missed and England stole a run with an overthrow.

43rd over: England 118-3 (Trott 46, Bell 0)

KP loses his wicket with the fifth delivery of the over, but in truth the damage was done at the start of the over. Sri Lanka celebrate (wildly) two successive bat/pad shouts which were declined, Pietersen then came on strike and tried to attack Randiv, but failed to play the spin and was caught in a right old mess.

WICKET! Kevin Pietersen c M Jayawardene b Randiv 30

Oh dear. Poor shot all things told, KP goes trying to be positive, dancing down the track, fails to meet the pitch, and clips to Jayawardene at short midwicket.

42nd over: England 117-2 (Trott 45, Pietersen 30)

Its the old one-two from Sri Lanka who go for spin/seam combination as Suranga Lakmal joins Randiv in the attack, coming in from the Fort End. Credit to KP who has clearly worked on bringing his bat down straight… but he has a slice of luck after toe-ending back past Lakmal whose despairing dive just fails to take the caught and bowled chance. Maiden.

41st over: England 117-2 (Trott 45, Pietersen 30)

Here we go, then. Suraj Randiv begins the attack for the hosts with short leg, silly point and leg slip inserted. His fourth delivery is over-pitched, becoming a juicy half-volley punched back through covers for four runs. A very decent start for England: six from the over.

5.28: Players are on their way out, the Barmy Army belt out Jerusalem. It looks set for a scorcher, hottest day of the Test so far, I'm told. What a day in prospect!

5.21: One way or another we will have a result today. Thus promoting excitement about the day's play and forwarding the four-day Test argument. Extend the hours, floodlights, why shouldn't it happen

Before play resumes, why not have a quick read of Paul Newman's report.

And here are the observations of Lawrence Booth, too.

5.18: The continued failure of Andrew Strauss with the bat is now of real concern. He has one century in his previous 25 innings, the 110 he scored in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane in November 2010.

The best teams evolve, adapt and resolve problems efficiently. Far from being a leader, it now seems Strauss is a nervy hindrance at top of the order.

But England should persevere with their captain, all is not lost, according to former England captain Nasser Hussain. Have a read of his thoughts here.

5.10am: Morning everyone and welcome to Sportsmail's coverage on day four of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka in Galle. An enthralling day yesterday as Andrew Strauss's side conspired to move into a losing position in the field only to rally with the bat leaving us thinking: what if

The visitors require a record run-chase total of 340 after allowing the hosts' tail to linger and, after losing the two openers cheaply, it seemed like a case of more of the same for England in the subcontinent this summer.

However, the stand between Jonathan Trott (40) and Kevin Pietersen (29) has made the unlikely seem possible. But there's a long way to go yet.


Fighting chance: Pietersen and Trott have given England hope of victory

Fighting chance: Pietersen and Trott have given England hope of victory

Sri Lanka v England, first Test, day three, Galle

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LIVE: Sri Lanka v England – follow the action on day three of the first Test in Galle

Stay up to date with all the action on
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unrivalled team. We'll deliver over-by-over coverage as the action
unfolds at the Galle International Stadium while our brilliant team of
writers will update with their insights from the ground.
Email your thoughts to tom.bellwood@dailymail.co.uk or tweet to @TomBellwood

Sri Lanka v England: Essentials

England: Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wkt), Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Monty Panesar

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (c), Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna Jayawardene (wkt), Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Chanaka Welegedera, Suranga Lakmal.

Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan), Rod Tucker (Australia). TV: Bruce Oxenford (Australia). Referee: Javagal Srinath (India).

1st innings: Sri Lanka 318, England 193

Click here for a full scorecard

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40th over: Sri Lanka 95-5 (Chandimal 19, Randiv 12)

Another air-tight over from Anderson. Only the single from it as Randiv dabs to the off side. England bowling well in this early vignette, but need the breakthrough to come soon.

39th over: Sri Lanka 95-5 (Chandimal 19, Randiv 11)

Much talk of what will be a manageable total for England to chase. Interestingly, Sri Lanka scored 253 in their fourth innings on this pitch against Australia last year. Hope yet Swann dips one short, outside off, bottom edge from Randiv cannons off Prior's gloves and runs away. Half a chance.

38th over: Sri Lanka 92-5 (Chandimal 19, Randiv 8)

Dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot. That's a maiden for Jimmy Anderson.

37th over: Sri Lanka 92-5 (Chandimal 19, Randiv 8)

Just going to throw this out there: England's highest run-chase (in the last ten years) has been 294 against New Zealand in Manchester. Sri Lanka's lead is now 217 with five wickets in hand. Harumph. Swann continues to guile them in, there's drift then turn and really encouraging signs for the spinner. If only the batsmen had given him a bit more to work with. Just one from the over.

36th over: Sri Lanka 91-5 (Chandimal 18, Randiv 8)

(Oh Jimmy, Jimmy. Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy) Anderson joins Swann in the attack, just the one slip in place in these early stages. A touch coy from Andrew Strauss Consensus is England really have to force Sri Lanka's hands if they are to force themselves back into this Test. Stunning cut through point from Randiv as Anderson sends one down wide of off stump. Four runs!

35th over: Sri Lanka 87-5 (Chandimal 18, Randiv 4)

Slip, short leg and a silly point inserted for Graeme Swann who gets the proceedings under way. Encouraging signs for Swann who generates some turn out of the rough. The Barmy Army are in fine voice early on. They serenade the England players with a hearty version of Jerusalem and we batten down the hatches for another rollercoaster day of Test action.

5.28: Another glorious day in Galle, England will certainly be hoping to make further gains before the searing midday heat arrives. The players are making their way out now. Time for the action.

5.25: What do you think will, be an attainable score for England Anything around 250 and you'd hope the visitors can take a 1-0 lead. Easy enough, right

5.20: So, danger man Mahela Jayawardene has gone. The man who stitched the hosts' first-innings together has gone for just five after scoring 180 earlier in the Test. But with the lead already 209, can England's batsmen hold it together when the run chase begins I fear my confidence – like theirs – is on the wane.

5.15: Sportsmail's team in Sri Lanka have passed judgment on the action on day two. You can read Paul Newman's report on day one here. And Lawrence Booth's thoughts here.

5.10am: Morning everyone and welcome to Sportsmail's coverage on day three of the first Test between Sri Lanka and England in Galle. Another day of high drama at this famous old ground yesterday as the Andrew Strauss's side were skittled for a paltry 193, leaving them staring a heavy defeat down the barrel. But late gains from England's bowlers – yet again – have put this game back in the balance although Sri Lanka remain favourites from this position. Fascinating stuff.


Bowled: Thirimanne loses his off stump

Bowled: Thirimanne loses his off stump

Top Spin at the Test: Bell saved by the law after bizarre helmet reprieve

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Top Spin at the Test: Bell saved by the law after bizarre helmet reprieve

|

UPDATED:

22:13 GMT, 27 March 2012

Ian Bell was granted a bizarre reprieve when he swept off-spinner Suraj Randiv straight at short leg. The ball ricocheted off the fielder’s shins and up on to his helmet, before wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene claimed the rebound. But Law 32.3(e) states that a catch is no longer fair if it has touched a ‘protective helmet’.

Reprieve: Bell

Reprieve: Bell

Six of the worst

England
lost six batsmen lbw in a single Test innings for only the fourth time
in their history, and the first since they drew with Pakistan at Karachi
in 1977-78. Back then, Geoffrey Boycott — out here commentating for
BBC radio — and his team couldn’t even blame the decision-review
system.

Swim's a Batty idea

England's players can at least cool down in the Indian Ocean after a hard day’s play.

There
are no team rules forbidding them from taking a dip, despite
off-spinner Gareth Batty having to be rescued from Galle waters near the
Lighthouse Hotel nine years ago after getting caught in rip-tides.

Strauss’s bad habit

Andrew Strauss keeps getting in — then getting himself out. Since the start of the India series last summer, he has reached double figures in 12 of his 13 Test innings, but only twice made fifties. This was the sixth time in that sequence he has fallen in the twenties or thirties.

Calamity Cook

Alastair Cook has the opposite problem. After Tuesday’s duck, nine of his last 13 Test innings have resulted in dismissal for 12 or fewer — but among the sequence was his epic 294 against India at Edgbaston, and a fighting 94 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

Out early: Cook

Out early: Cook

Jimmy's fiver

Jimmy Anderson's first-innings figures of five for 72 mean he has now claimed a five-for against eight of the nine other Test-playing nations. The exception are Bangladesh — whom Anderson has only played against twice.

World’s best

South Africa may have fallen four wickets short of beating New Zealand 2-0 in Wellington, but a defeat for England here means they will have to win in Colombo next week to avoid slipping to No 2 in the rankings behind Graeme Smith’s team, who tour England this summer.

Sri Lanka v England – day two: Tourists fail with the bat again

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England fail with the bat again but four-star Swann keeps hopes alive in Sri Lanka

|

UPDATED:

12:33 GMT, 27 March 2012

England's batsmen were again undone by spin but Graeme Swann hauled them back into contention as 17 wickets tumbled on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

The tourists were bundled out for 193 – a first-innings deficit of 125 – after slow left-armer Rangana Herath took six wickets and off-spinner Suraj Randiv two.

Only Ian Bell's 52 and a late flurry of boundaries from the tail-end saved the side from meltdown, as the flaws exposed by Pakistan earlier in the year were again put under the spotlight.

Hit for six: Rangana Herath took half a dozen wickets on the second day of the first Test in Galle

Hit for six: Rangana Herath took half a dozen wickets on the second day of the first Test in Galle

Sri Lanka v England

Click here for the full scorecard in Galle

But, once again, England's attack performed brilliantly with Swann taking four wickets after tea to leave Sri Lanka 84 for five.

They will resume with a lead of 209, while Swann will hope to add to superb figures of four for 28.

Sri Lanka resumed their innings on 289 for eight, adding 29 for their last two wickets. Both went to James Anderson, who recovered from a first over that contained four boundaries to claim his 12th Test five-for.

Chanaka Welegedera was undone by a sumptuous slower ball before Anderson added the prize scalp of Mahela Jayawardene for a memorable 180.

Fighting back: Graeme Swann (centre) celebrates taking the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara on day two in Galle

Fighting back: Graeme Swann (centre) celebrates taking the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara on day two in Galle

England were looking for a big total in response but lost the man most likely to bat for time when Alastair Cook prodded forward to a Suranga Lakmal inswinger and was lbw for nought.

Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott took advantage of some attacking fields to put on a brisk 40 against the seamers but as soon as Herath came on after nine overs it was a different game.

Trott donated his wicket in baffling fashion, stumped after letting a full toss disappear between bat and pad. He then collided with wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene and collapsed dramatically before departing in a daze.

Strauss was gone for 26 just 13 balls later, given lbw on review attempting a pre-meditated sweep against Herath.

On his own: Ian Bell was the only England batsman to emerge with any credit after his 52

On his own: Ian Bell was the only England batsman to emerge with any credit after his 52

Bell seemed comfortable from the off, taking six and four off Herath to take England to 57 for three at lunch.

He continued to attack after the break, cutting and driving Herath for boundaries in the first over of the afternoon.

Kevin Pietersen also attempted to be positive, but his flashy drive at Welegedera – from his first ball of the session – merely diverted the ball into his stumps.

England's woes continued as Matt Prior, promoted to No 6 for this match, lasted just seven deliveries before becoming Herath's third victim. Playing deep in the crease, he was undone by the turn and pinned in front of middle stump.

Stopped: Mahela Jayawardene added 12 runs to the 168 he hit on day one

Stopped: Mahela Jayawardene added 12 runs to the 168 he hit on day one

A score of 72 for five was not the ideal scenario for a debut Test innings and Samit Patel mustered just two singles before he mimicked Prior's dismissal, lbw on the back foot against Herath.

With Bell scoring steadily at the other end, Stuart Broad set the tone for England's tail-end counter-attack.

He went after Suranga Lakmal, unleashing five fours and a mighty pulled six to reach 28 before another botched sweep handed Herath his fifth wicket.

Swann followed Broad's lead, scoring all of his 24 runs in boundaries before Tillakaratne Dilshan's reaction catch at short mid-wicket handed Randiv a first success.

Floored: Jonathan Trott ended up flat out after colliding with Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene

Floored: Jonathan Trott ended up flat out after colliding with Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene

Bell had 52 when he was ninth man out – the sixth to Herath – losing his off stump to one that pitched on middle and leg.

Anderson (23no) and Monty Panesar (13) added a breezy 36 for the last wicket, further showing up the specialist batsmen, before the latter was leg before to Randiv.

England's bowlers must have dreaded another lengthy stint after such a brief rest but Broad needed just three balls to spear one through Dilshan's defences without scoring.

Big wicket: England captain Andrew Strauss went for 26

Big wicket: England captain Andrew Strauss went for 26

Swann was also up for the challenge. Having taken nought for 92 on day one, he roared back to form with two wickets in his first seven balls.

Lahiru Thirimanne was bowled when Swann turned one away from the left-hander and the crucial wicket of Jayawardene followed, held by Anderson at slip for five. Sri Lanka were 14 for three at that point, with the momentum shifting again.

Thilan Samaraweera and Kumar Sangakkara halted the charge for 10 overs before Swann located Sangakkara's edge to make it 41 for four.

With the close approaching Samaraweera was stumped for 36 as he charged Swann only to be beaten on the outside edge.

Sri Lanka v England – day two verdict from Lawrence Booth

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Forget the mojo, these English batsmen need to rediscover their tempo

|

UPDATED:

11:03 GMT, 27 March 2012

Lawrence Booth gives his verdict for MailOnline from Galle on day two of the first Test match between Sri Lanka and England…

We’re all experts now that England are Not Very Good At Test Cricket again. Is it technique Is it temperament The heat, perhaps Or the prevailing wind on the Sri Lankan coast

Commentating on Test Match Special, Michael Vaughan seemed to come closest. ‘They haven’t found the right tempo,’ he said. It was the kind of comment only an ex-pro could have made – instinctive and knowing.

But he was right: ever since they arrived in the UAE in January, England’s Test batsmen have been searching for their blessed tempo.

Tempo was what Mahela Jayawardene batted with (as well as class, elegance, daring and a bit of luck). Tempo is the magic ingredient that, when located, makes a batsman look unrushed and at home. All the best batsmen have it. And right now, England manifestly do not.

Nightmare start: Alastair Cook goes for a duck to the bowling of Suranga Lakmal in Galle

Nightmare start: Alastair Cook goes for a duck to the bowling of Suranga Lakmal in Galle

Their lack of tempo today was evident not merely in the ways in which they contrived to get out – a chamber of horrors to conjure up so many winters past. It was there, too, amid the stuff in between.

Take Jayawardene, who faced 315 balls and calmly collected 51 singles. That equates to roughly one single per over, which is the very definition of ticking-over when you throw in the occasional two, three or four.

England, by contrast, managed 28 singles between them in 46.4 overs. A large proportion of their runs came in fours (124 out of 193), while only Andrew Strauss and Jimmy Anderson managed a two.

In other words, England were mainly reduced to either hitting or blocking, the exception being Ian Bell, who kept feathering the seamers to third man. (Turns out he was never out of form at all: he just needed to get away from Saeed Ajmal.)

Another one down: Rangana Herath successfully appeals for lbw against Matt Prior

Another one down: Rangana Herath successfully appeals for lbw against Matt Prior

And that is what is meant by tempo – the ability to assess a situation, a pitch, a bowling attack, and bat accordingly. Not, as England were doing, by numbers.

The cherished positives were few and far between as they slumped to their fifth sub-200 total in seven Test innings this winner.

Strauss came close to a tempo of sorts, hitting five singles, two twos, three threes and two fours, but he keeps having brainstorms in the 20s and 30s, which is not a good look for an experienced Test opener. Bell looked sublime before getting bogged down with the lower order (not a mistake Jayawardene made). The last four clumped merrily.

But ever since England over-attacked on the first morning of the Pakistan series – they then over-defended when chasing 145 in Abu Dhabi – they have been caught in a batting no-man’s land that has merely earned the derision of those already furious at their elevation to No 1.

Struggles: England captain Andrew Strauss again failed to dominate with the bat

Struggles: England captain Andrew Strauss again failed to dominate with the bat

In that respect, the 4-0 one-day win against Pakistan was the reddest of herrings. One-day cricket presents fewer problems to the batsman struggling against spin: there are fewer men round the bat, and – on a good day – a Saeed Ajmal can be seen off.

In Tests, they keep on coming, and England are yet to work out a method of tackling even an honest slow left-armer such as Rangana Herath. Of the six batsmen he dismissed today, only Bell could truly be said to have been got out. The rest gave it away.

Lessons can take time to absorb. But England’s rate of progress against spinners in Asia appears glacial. In a country as warm as this, there can be only one outcome.

England v Sri Lanka, first Test, day two, Galle

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LIVE: England v Sri Lanka – all the action on day two of the first Test in Galle

Stay up to date with all the action on
day two of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka with Sportsmail's
unrivalled team. We'll deliver over-by-over coverage as the action
unfolds at the Galle International Stadium while our brilliant team of
writers will update with their insights from the ground. Email your thoughts to joe.ridge@dailymail.co.uk or tweet to @joeridge87

England v Sri Lanka: Essentials

England: Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wkt), Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Monty Panesar

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (c), Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna Jayawardene (wkt), Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Chanaka Welegedera, Suranga Lakmal.

Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan), Rod Tucker (Australia). TV: Bruce Oxenford (Australia). Referee: Javagal Srinath (India).

Click here for a full scorecard

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96th over: Sri Lanka 318-9 (M Jayawardene 180, Lakmal 0)

Broad has the new man Lakmal on strike… He gets one off the shoulder of the bat but there's no one at silly point. Broad didn't make Lakmal play enough there. Maiden.

95th over: Sri Lanka 318-9 (M Jayawardene 180, Lakmal 0)

Jayawardene looks like he could bat for five days out there at the moment… They take two down to third man. Four! Anderson strays down leg and Mahela helps it on its way.

94th over: Sri Lanka 312-9 (M Jayawardene 174, Lakmal 0)

That was the last ball of the over so Jayawardene is on strike to Broad. They turn down the single to third man. Four! Mahela mistimes a heave over long on but it lands safely and beats the fielders to the rope. Jayawardene keeps the strike with a single.

WICKET! Welegedera b Anderson 19

Gorgeous off-cutting slower ball from Anderson. Welegedera plays all around and says goodbye to his leg stump. Justice for Jimmy after taking an undeserved battering in the first over of the day.

93rd over: Sri Lanka 307-8 (M Jayawardene 169, Welegedera 19)

Welegedera gets off strike with a leading edge to cover. Lots of tinkering from Strauss in the field so far this morning as they try to come up with a plan to get rid of these two. Jayawardene scrambles a single to extra cover.

92nd over: Sri Lanka 305-8 (M Jayawardene 168, Welegedera 18)

Stuart Broad to bowl the second over of the day with this new-ish ball. Jayawardene turns down the single to square leg to keep the strike. Strauss is not happy as the field don't automatically come up to save the single after the fourth ball – England can't afford to be dozy again as they were in the evening session yesterday. Good start from Broad. Maiden.

91st over: Sri Lanka 305-8 (M Jayawardene 168, Welegedera 18)

Here we go then. Anderson to bowl the first over of another scorching day… Four! Leg byes down to fine leg via Welegedera's thigh pad. Four! A short ball flies off the shoulder of the bat and over the slips. Four! Poor Jimmy, who has now seen three decent deliveries fly to the boundary, this one deflecting off Welegedera's helmet over the slips. Four! What a start for Sri Lanka! This Welegedera gets bat on ball as he pulls Anderson in front of square. Expensive start – 16 from that over.

Chin music: Sri Lanka score four byes via Welegedera's helmet

Chin music: Sri Lanka score four byes via Welegedera's helmet

5.27am: Right, enough of my waffle… they're nearly ready to go out in Galle. Let's hope the first hour today is as dramatic as it was yesterday.

5.20am: If Sri Lanka could keep the tail wagging for an hour or so then they would really deal a psychological blow. After the start England had yesterday, they really should have had the hosts out for no more than 250. To get them out for under 350 though would be by no means a disaster on this tepid pitch.

5.15am: It will be interesting to see how England respond with the bat later today. Can they prove that the Pakistan whitewash was just a blip Big question marks remain over the form of Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and, in particular, Ian Bell. Samit Patel is down to come in at No 7 but he may be elevated above Matt Prior into the No 6 spot vacated by Eoin Morgan.

Star of the show: Mahela Jayawardene

Star of the show: Mahela Jayawardene

5.10am: England will have to put the disappointment of those two drops yesterday evening by Monty Panesar behind them. The reprieves for Jayawardene saw England heads visibly drop and helped to put some gloss on what would have been a well-below par first innings score for the hosts.

5.05am: Before the start of play at 5.30am GMT, why not catch up on some essential reading by Sportsmail's team of writers… Paul Newman's report on day one is here. Lawrence Booth's look at the day is here. And James Anderson told Lawrence that England have to put Monty's dropped catches behind them here.

5.00am: Good morning everyone and welcome to Sportsmail's live coverage of the second day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Galle. The match hangs in the balance after yesterday's proceedings after the hosts recovered from a shocking start to close on 289-8 thanks to captain Mahela Jayawardene's brilliant unbeaten 168.

Flying start: Anderson celebrates the wicket of Sangakkara as the Barmy Army watch on

Flying start: Anderson celebrates the wicket of Sangakkara as the Barmy Army watch on

England v Sri Lanka, first Test, day one, Galle

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LIVE: England v Sri Lanka – follow all the action on day one of the first Test

Stay up to date with all the action on
day one of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka with Sportsmail's
unrivalled team. We'll deliver over-by-over coverage as the action
unfolds at the Galle International Stadium while our brilliant team of
writers will update with their insights from the ground. Email your thoughts to joe.ridge@dailymail.co.uk or tweet to @joeridge87

England v Sri Lanka: Essentials

England: Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wkt), Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Monty Panesar

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (c), Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna Jayawardene (wkt), Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Chanaka Welegedera.

Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan), Rod Tucker (Australia). TV: Bruce Oxenford (Australia). Referee: Javagal Srinath (India).

Click here for a full scorecard

4th over: Sri Lanka 15-3 (M Jayawardene 0, Samaraweera 0)

Thilan Samaraweera the new man in and Sri Lanka need a rescue job from their experienced middle order pair here. Four from the over.

WICKET! Dilshan c Strauss b Broad 11

Got him! The end of an ugly little innings from the enigmatic opener and Sri Lanka are falling apart here.

4th over: Sri Lanka 15-2 (Dilshan 11, M Jayawardene 0)

Dilshan is winging from the hip as if he's playing Twenty20… and he thick edges over the slips again for four. Lucky or plucky I'll let you be the judge, but it doesn't look pretty…

3rd over: Sri Lanka 11-2 (Dilshan 7, M Jayawardene 0)

Jayawardene survives the hat-trick ball… what brilliant bowling from Anderson, who once again proves he can swing it anywhere in the world. Double wicket maiden.

WICKET! Sangakkara c Prior b Anderson 0

Anderson on a hat-trick! A carbon copy as Sangakkara has a flirt outside off. What a start!

WICKET! Thirimanne c Swann b Anderson 3

Anderson continues his fine start by catching Thirimanne's edge. He's bowling a perfect length and Thirimanne had been struggling to read the swing… Swann takes a simple catch at second slip.

2nd over: Sri Lanka 11-0 (Thirimanne 3, Dilshan 7)

Dilshan gets Sri Lanka off the mark by pushing Broad through midwicket for three. Thirimanne flicks behind square for two more. Broad then oversteps and Thirimanne flicks him for one more… Close! Dilshan edges an ugly slash over where third slip would have been. Expensive start this for Broad, 10 from the over.

Sportsmail's Paul Newman in Galle: 'England waste a review in first over. Unlike them. Strauss normally urges caution but Anderson and Prior were sure. Good decision, Tucker.'

1st over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne 0, Dilshan 0)

Anderson to open the bowling for England, the left-handed Thirimanne on strike. Some early swing for Anderson but the pitch is very slow… Appeal! They're reviewing it… It looked pretty good in full speed but the replay shows it pitched just outside leg, it might have been going over the top as well. Dramatic start! Maiden.

Assessing the conditions: Monty Panesar takes a look at the Galle pitch

Assessing the conditions: Monty Panesar takes a look at the Galle pitch

5.29am: The players are out in the middle… here we go.

5.18am: Here's some reading for you with just over 10 minutes until the start of play… Paul Newman previews the day's action here. Nasser Hussain reminds us of the challenging conditions in Sri Lanka here. And Lawrence Booth takes a look at the hosts' attack here.

5.08am: It'll be interesting to see whether Prior or Patel come in at No 6 but he won't have to worry about that for a while. England have three genuine spin options with Patel's inclusion.

5.05am: Strauss confirms Patel starts in place of the dropped Eoin Morgan and ahead of Ravi Bopara, otherwise England are unchanged from the last Test against Pakistan.

5.00am: BREAKING: Sri Lanka win the toss and elect to bat.

4.57am: BREAKING: Samit Patel looks set to start ahead of Ravi Bopara for England as he is handed his first cap. I'll have the full team news for you just as soon as it's confirmed.

4.45am: Good morning everyone and welcome to Sportmail's live coverage of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka in Galle. This is only a two-Test series, so with a maximum of 10 days cricket to be played over the next couple of weeks, it's vital England get off to a strong start of they are to banish those memories of the whitewash in Pakistan.

Here we go: The captains Andrew Strauss (left) and Mahela Jayawardene pose with the trophy ahead of the two-match series

Here we go: The captains Andrew Strauss (left) and Mahela Jayawardene pose with the trophy ahead of the two-match series

England beat Sri Lankan Board XI

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England cruise to warm-up victory as bowling attack shines again in Colombo

PUBLISHED:

09:27 GMT, 17 March 2012

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UPDATED:

09:29 GMT, 17 March 2012

England wrapped up victory by an innings and 15 runs in their first warm-up match against a Sri Lankan Board XI as their bowlers once again shone.

England's attack was blameless for the side's Test travails against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and once again proved reliable as they skittled their hosts for 119 on the third afternoon.

England, with Alastair Cook 163no overnight, declared on 303 for eight before play began – a lead of 134 proving enough as James Anderson, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann each picked up three wickets.

Marching on: England celebrate as they cruise to victory in Sri Lanka

Marching on: England celebrate as they cruise to victory in Sri Lanka

Monty Panesar, who took five in the first innings, took the remaining scalp.

The declaration yielded immediate success when Anderson struck with the third ball of the morning.

Anderson was impressive on day one of the match, claiming the first four wickets of the innings and coping well with the heat.

This time he had Ashen Silva, top-scorer with 66 last time out, caught by Ravi Bopara at point.

He almost had a second when Dimuth Karunaratne mis-timed a pull and edged just over the slip cordon, while Finn was thick-edged for four by Bhanuka Rajapaksa.

Finn did not have to wait long for a wicket, though, Rajapaksa flashing hard in the eighth over and finding Swann at second slip.

Spin pair Swann and Panesar started in tandem soon after, both opening their spells with maidens.

Full stretch: James Anderson attempts a catch against the Sri Lanka Board XI

Full stretch: James Anderson attempts a catch against the Sri Lanka Board XI

Panesar was the first to create a chance, taking Karunaratne's edge only to see Anderson put down a difficult one-handed chance at slip.

The seamer is England's first-choice catcher for the slow bowlers but grassed three catches in the match.

Karunaratne lifted Swann wide of mid-on for four to take the total past 50 but he beat his man two balls later, bowling him for 31.

Finn turned 51 for three into 51 for four when he had new batsman Prasanna Jayawardene caught at second slip with the sixth ball of his second spell.

Sachithra Serasinghe was fifth out just before lunch, Swann the bowler and Cook diving for the catch at short leg.

Anderson struck at the start of a session for the second time in the day to keep the tourists firmly on track after the resumption, Roshen Silva guiding the ball to Strauss at first slip to go for 12.

Panesar is a much improved fielder since his first forays into international cricket but showed he is still capable of the occasional gaffe as he made a comical attempt to catch Perera off Swann.

In form: Steven Finn shone for England

In form: Steven Finn shone for England

The off-spinner reacted with typical ire but did not allow the error to stop him sending Kanishka Alvitigala back for a duck two balls later.

Perera looked to have joined the procession when Strauss claimed what seemed a good catch off Anderson, but the batsman stood his ground and the umpires allowed him to remain after conferring.

England were aggrieved by the verdict and made their anger known as they approached the officals.

A confident run-out appeal against Malinga Bandara was rejected just seconds later as the atmosphere on the field started to become tense.

The eighth-wicket pair detained England for 11 overs before Finn had Perera caught by Prior.

Tyron Gamage (19) and Bandara (28no) set about counter-attacking thereafter and put on a brisk 39 before Panesar pinned the former plumb in front of middle.

England needed just one more scalp to avoid batting again and Anderson provided it, dismissing Nilanka Premaratne for a golden duck.

He finished with three wickets and an impressive match haul of seven for 40.

England impress in warm-up v Sri Lanka Board XI

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Strauss out but England looking good in Sri Lanka warm-up

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UPDATED:

09:09 GMT, 16 March 2012

Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook got England's innings off to a solid start on day two of their warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI in Colombo.

The openers put on what had been an untroubled 89-run stand in reply to the hosts' 169 all out, before the captain was trapped lbw by Dilruwan Perera for 40.

Cook pressed on with 47 not out in England's lunch total of 95 for one.

Solid: England started well with Andrew Strauss

Solid: England started well with Andrew Strauss

Prasanna Jayawardene had kept England waiting for their first chance to test themselves against spin, instead shuffling a modest pack of seamers, but off-spinner Perera made the breakthrough when he was called.

Having faced just seven balls before bad light intervened yesterday, England's resumed on six for nought.

Cook nudged a single off the second ball of the morning to get off the mark and Strauss cut Sachithra Serasinghe through point for four two overs later.

Strauss was beaten wafting at Kanishka Alvitigala in the 11th over but steered to the third-man boundary moments later to regain the initiative.

Cook was playing a more conservative game, but found the ropes for the first time with a punchy drive off Nilanka Premaratne.

Solid: Alastair Cook played a conservative game

Solid: Alastair Cook played a conservative game

Cook took four more off Premaratne when he offered some width outside off stump, with the scoring rate rising as the seamers started to lose a little control.

Both batsmen worked the ball well into the off side to bring England's 50 up in 99 balls.

The occasional play-and-miss aside, Strauss and Cook looked well at ease as Jayawardene continued to rotate his seamers in scorching conditions.

He finally turned to Perera and then leg-spinner Malinga Bandara and Strauss started well, using his feet nicely to deposit Bandara over mid-on for four.

The skipper had looked comfortable all morning but was given lbw to Perera attempting to play him off the back foot.

Jonathan Trott joined Cook and had made two before the break.

More to follow.

Enter: Jonathan Trott joined in before the break

Enter: Jonathan Trott joined in before the break

Andrew Strauss not worried about England captaincy

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Strauss brushes off concerns over captaincy as England prepare for Sri Lanka test

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UPDATED:

22:32 GMT, 14 March 2012

Andrew Strauss is back at the helm of the England team knowing they have been doing very nicely in his absence under the direction of Alastair Cook.

England’s first warm-up game of their Sri Lankan tour sees the return of the captain whose last memory of being in charge centred around the aftermath of a 3-0 Test thrashing by Pakistan.

If Strauss was quietly fretting back home about England moving on without him when they then won both the one-day and Twenty20 series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi he did not show it as he prepared for the start of Thursday’s three-day game against a Sri Lankan Board XI.

Plenty to ponder: Andrew Strauss will be looking for runs against Sri Lanka

Plenty to ponder: Andrew Strauss will be looking for runs against Sri Lanka

‘It was fantastic,’ said Strauss about England’s recovery in the United Arab Emirates without him. ‘I thought it was an outstanding effort from Cooky and the guys. The one-day team took a couple of big strides forward over that couple of weeks and it picked up confidence levels in the players who were involved in that.

‘It gives everyone a bit of a spring in their steps and hopefully it allows us to put what happened in the Test series against Pakistan to bed to an extent and move on.’

Yet surely Strauss would not be human if he did not wonder whether his leadership has been undermined by a situation similar to that which famously saw Nasser Hussain decide his time was up and hand over to Michael Vaughan

‘It’s a great thing, surely,’ insisted Strauss. ‘Honestly I don’t understand that mind-set at all. It’s not something that’s bothered me. All I want is for the England team to do well.

In fine form: Alastair Cook

In fine form: Alastair Cook

‘The reason we have separate captains is
to allow us to each concentrate on one form of the game and add some
energy and motivation to that form. So far it’s worked really well and
I’m delighted for Cooky. We’re all in this together.

'There are no egos at play here and I don’t think people are out to undermine each other. We’re all focused on the same thing which is England winning as many games as possible.’

What Strauss could really do with to ensure that he backs up his words with actions are runs in the two-Test series in Galle and Colombo that starts on March 26. He may have looked a bit more like his old self when he scored 56 in the final Test against Pakistan but he still has no Test century since the opening match of the Ashes in Brisbane almost 18 months ago.

‘One of the frustrating things about UAE was that I just felt I was coming in to some decent nick at the end of the tour’ said Strauss. ‘So I need to reconnect with that and clearly you always want to lead from the front so it’s important for me to go out there and set the tone and get some runs.’

England’s tour began in the early hours of Thursday morning against the backdrop of a second Channel Four documentary screened on Wednesday about alleged war crimes by the Sri Lankan government towards the end of the civil war here. It is a situation that has led to some believing England should not be playing here as they are still refusing to play against Zimbabwe.

Strauss, as England captain, was the perfect diplomat. ‘It’s a bit of a tricky one,’ he admitted. ‘We see atrocities taking place all over the world and in war a lot of unsavoury things happen on both sides.

Opportunity knocks: Ravi Bopara will hope to get his chance against Sri Lanka

Opportunity knocks: Ravi Bopara will hope to get his chance against Sri Lanka

‘I think that these political issues are best dealt with by the politicians and administrators but that doesn’t mean we should just stick our heads in the sand. If our government feel there are cases to answer to the extent that the England cricket team shouldn’t be touring somewhere then that is a call they need to make.

‘Until that is the case then it would be wrong for us to focus on anything other than the cricket. There are people who are paid to look into these things and it’s important they do their job. It’s also important I do my job to try to help us win cricket matches.’

The success or otherwise of his mission here will go a long way towards determining how much longer he will do that job.