Preamble Hello. You may never get a second chance to make first impression, but sometimes you do get a second chance to make a decent impression while being first. The start of England's reign as world No1 was a bit of a disaster, with their batsmen struggling to get foetal twenties, never mind Daddy hundreds. But they kept their No1 ranking because of South Africa's failure to win a couple of Tests, and if they win this two-match series they will stay on top. (A draw might be enough.) More importantly, a win would show that England aren't genetically incapable of beating decent opposition in Asia.
It's a tricky series to predict. On the face of it, Sri Lanka aren't a great side. They are suffering post-Murali Tests (one win in 17 Tests since he retired; nine wins in the 17 before that). Winning in Sri Lanka is rarely easy, however, and a few things will concern England: the inhumane humidity (try saying that with a mouthful of Berocca), a heat as oppressive as Livia Soprano, and the ability of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to bat forever and ever and ever, and then for another day. Unless Sri Lanka prepare dustbowls, getting 20 wickets should be England's biggest challenge.
Team news Samit Patel has been handed his cap out in the middle, which can only mean one thing: he has a new cap for his special hat wardrobe back in Nottingham. He has all sorts in there. A Pearl Jam baseball cap, a Diesel beanie, a Primark trilby, the lot.
Oh, and he'll be making his England Test debut. Apparently he will bat at No7, with Matt Prior at No6. That's an interesting decision, not one I'd necessarily agree with. Australia hardly ever moved Adam Gilchrist up the order, and I don't see why England should do the same with Prior. And although Patel tends to bat No7 in one-day cricket for England, he is a proper top-six batsman in first-class cricket, with a decent average of 41.42.
If he's an allrounder, then fine, play him at No7, but he's not – he's a batsman who bowls. If you want an allrounder you play Bresnan, unless the pitch is a brutal turner. Anyway, enough moaning. In Andy we trust.
Sri Lanka have won the toss and will – duh – bat first. Mahela Jayawardene, who begins a new spell as Test captain, says it looks a very good wicket. It's a really decent toss to win, as Galle often deteriorates in the last couple of days.
Sri Lanka Thirimanne, Dilshan, Sangakkara, M Jayawardene (c), Samaraweera, Chandimal, P Jayawardene (wk), Randiv, Herath, Lakmal, Welegedara.
England Strauss (c), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Prior (wk), Patel, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Panesar.
The last time England played three spinners in a Test – if you count Big Samit as a proper spinner – was in the Shakoor Rana Test, 25 years ago. John Emburey, Eddie Hemmings and Nick Cook were the three.
Here come the England players, led out by Andrew Strauss. This is his first Test in Sri Lanka. He was on the fringes in 2003-04 (he made his one-day debut on that tour) and was omitted in 2007-08.
REVIEW! Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne not out 0) An early shout for England. The young left-hander Thirimanne, set up by a few outswingers from Anderson, pads up to a straighter delivery off the last ball of the over. Rod Tucker says not out, and England decide to go for the review. It pitched fractionally outside leg and was probably missing off stump as well. It was a seductive appeal, as they always are when a batsman pads up, but logically there were doubts over line, height and where the ball pitched. So a poor review from England, and an even worse shot from Thirimanne.
1st over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne 0, Dilshan 0) A decent start from Anderson. There's no pace in the pitch, but the new ball is swinging. "After those soulless desert Test matches it will be a shock for England's players to play in front of an actual crowd," says Ian Copestake. "I hope it inspires them."
2nd over: Sri Lanka 11-0 (Thirimanne 3, Dilshan 7) There has been a bit of doubt as to whether Broad has fully recovered from his ankle injury; apparently he didn't look entirely comfortable in the build up. Dilshan times his first ball through midwicket for three and then almost falls later in the over, edging a kitchen-sink drive over the vacant third-slip area for four. "So, while the clever money is clearly on Ravi for the No6 spot (next cab, four bowlers, etc), aren't you just a little bit excited about the prospect of Samit waddling up to turn his arm over/whack one square?" says Matt Hart. "It's been a while since England gave a cap to anyone with a BMI over 25 (is that right?) and I, for one, feel it's about time for the fat lad to get a go. Also, lest you think I'm just chubby chasing, I think we'll need that 3rd spinner/5th bowler. I also like the prospect of counter-attacking runs from a batsman who, for all his foibles, most likely won't suffer from stage fright." He plays spin well, too. We don't know for certain whether he was preferred to Bopara, or whether Bopara's inability to bowl due to a side strain was the decisive factor. I suspect, though I'm not certain/have no idea really.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 11-1 (Thirimanne c Swann b Anderson 3) James Anderson has his 250th Test wicket! He really is a master with the new ball, and he was just too good for Thirimanne there. After teasing him in the first over, he drew Thirimanne into a nothing push with a fullish outswinger, and Swann took a smart catch at second slip. Splendid bowling.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 11-2 (Sangakkara c Prior b Anderson 0) Sangakkara has gone first ball! What a start from Jimmy Anderson! Sangakkara drove absent-mindedly at a tempting full-length outswinger and got the thinnest of edges to Matt Prior. One of the world's best players – the best player according to the ICC rankings – has gone for a golden duck. That is a mighty wicket for England.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 11-2 (Dilshan 7, Jayawardene 0) Mahela Jayawardene survives the hat-trick ball. But what a start from Anderson, who has figures of 2-2-0-2. He is only the sixth England bowler to take 250 Test wickets. The two wicket-taking deliveries are almost making out on the Hawkeye pitch map. They were pretty much identical: full, slightly wide, swinging away and too much for the batsmen to resist.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 15-3 (Dilshan c Strauss b Broad 11) We're not even half an hour into the series and Sri Lanka are three down. These two new-ball bowlers are simply world class, and Stuart Broad has picked up Dilshan now. It was a good delivery, a perfect length and on a perfect fourth-stump line; Dilshan, squared up a touch, fenced at it and edged straight to Strauss at third slip. "This is the most potent England attack for decades," says Bob Willis. Amen to that.
4th over: Sri Lanka 15-3 (Jayawardene 0, Samaraweera 0) The new batsman Thilan Samaraweera is the unsung hero of world cricket, with an average of 53 from 74 Tests. "It's St John's Wood on Sea here in Galle as the men in suits' decision keeps out the men in sarongs," says Gary Naylor. "But even the ramparts are full of Brits and so are the (very long) queues to get in."
5th over: Sri Lanka 23-3 (Jayawardene 8, Samaraweera 0)
Mahela Jayawardene has a formidable record in Tests at home to England. He averages 89, and he made a 10-hour 213 not out on this ground in 2007-08. He gets off the mark by back-cutting Anderson for four, and then tucks a rare poor delivery off the pads for another boundary. "On the subject of Shakoor Rana, I am musing as to which other tests can be summed up by a non-participant," muses Ian Forth. "I can think of two Darrell Hair Tests, the George Davis Test of 1975 and the Fusarium Test of 1972." You could make a case for the BC Cooray Test (Kandy, SL v England, 2000-01), the Javed Akhtar Test (Eng v SA, Headingley 1998) and, sad to say, the Ben Hollioake Test (NZ v Eng, Wellington, 2001-02). Any others?
6th over: Sri Lanka 24-3 (Jayawardene 8, Samaraweera 0) England had an equally good start to the series in 2007-08, when Matthew Hoggard reduced Sri Lanka to 40-odd for five on the first morning at Kandy. England lost that game and lost the series. (This is the bit where I'd put the #justsayin hashtag, if hashtags weren't the most evil thing on the planet.) Samarweera is hit on the pad by a wobbly inswinger from Broad, although it was going over the top and it was a no-ball anyway.
7th over: Sri Lanka 25-3 (Jayawardene 9, Samaraweera 0) I'd imagine five overs would be the maximum for a new-ball spell in this heat, even for these exceptionally fit young men. That's another good over from Anderson. Samaraweera has already jabbed his bat down on the ball a few times, a sign of the low bounce on this pitch. By the way, if the details of each wicket haven't appeared, just press F5. We have a slight problem with the auto-refresh. "The plan is to stay with you all through my night, working with the cricket alongside me," says Adam Hirst, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, the bast . "Then after stumps I will go for a run by the beach for an hour or two, back home, bed, miss out Monday and come up smiling on Tuesday for Day 2. I reckon I'll stick to it for at least the first half an hour."
8th over: Sri Lanka 26-3 (Jayawardene 10, Samaraweera 0) Asad Rauf isn't happy with Broad's follow through. That's all you're getting for that over. Nothing really happened. "If Patel and Bresnan were in contention for the all-rounder spot, first of all, how true is that term and second of all, should the balance of any side require a fat lad anyway?" says John Starbuck. "In building a team, you have to have some people to fill certain roles, and both of them could fill certain rolls pretty well, you fancy."
9th over: Sri Lanka 26-3 (Jayawardene 10, Samaraweera 0) Mahela Jayawardene looks very comfortable at the crease. The match situation won't affect him; he's seen this all before in his 15 years as a Test player. He plays out a maiden from Anderson, whose figures are 5-3-9-2. "The Beard Liberation Front says the England team in 1st Test against Sri Lanka may be one of the most hirsute ever," says Keith Flett. "BLF observers are in the ground this morning [free entry..] to check on the detail." Having a beard in that heat? Oof. For those who are out there, what exactly is going on with the tickets? It does sound like the sort of farce that only cricket could come up with.
10th over: Sri Lanka 26-3 (Jayawardene 10, Samaraweera 0) Here comes Monty Panesar, inside the first 10 overs. He is in splendid form and will surely be England's main spinner in this series, with five right-handers in the Sri Lanka top seven. He has a slip and short leg for Samaraweera, who defends a maiden. "Very irresponsible of Adam Hirst to offer up a juicy Withnail and I riff so early in everyone else's morning," hics Ian Copestake.
11th over: Sri Lanka 27-3 (Jayawardene 11, Samaraweera 0) Jimmy Anderson is going to bowl a sixth over. He must be even fitter than we realised. Jayawardene punches him wide of mid off for a single, and Samaraweera inside-edges a drive back onto his pads. He has nought from 18 balls. "How prescient that the cricket starts the day after summer time – British summer time – begins," says Simon Brereton. "Still, you're probably still feeling a little groggy and jooked out of an hour's sleep. Poor lamb." 'Jooked'? Is that a new word? I do wish people would make up more words. Shitegeist, that kind of thing, eh? Ah.
12th over: Sri Lanka 28-3 (Jayawardene 12, Samaraweera 0) This is a good start from Panesar, with a nice length and a very straight, DRS line. Samaraweera now has nought from 21 balls. Watch out Geoff Allott.
"Follow @hackneyhaz on Twitter for entry details," says Keith Flett. "One of the [in my view] few socialist members of the Barmy Army and official BLF representative at the Test."
13th over: Sri Lanka 29-3 (Jayawardene 12, Samaraweera 0) Stuart Broad has switched ends to replace Anderson. Jayawardene defends solidly, and Broad bowls his third no-ball of the day. That's unlike this England attack. "I can't be the only OBO follower who will always remember the first Ashes Test in 2009 as the 'Moobs' Test?" says Jonathan Siu. Oh crikey, I'd forgotten all about that. Never meet your heroes, especially not if you're of not insignificant girth, it's at the sharp end of an Ashes Test and you're the key player in a comically hamfisted timewasting policy.
14th over: Sri Lanka 29-3 (Jayawardene 12, Samaraweera 0) Panesar almost sneaks one on the inside of Samaraweera, who is prodding a touch unconvincingly at times. It's another maiden. "I was actually stunned at the stats about reaching 250 Test wickets you linked to – Jimmy is the first English bowler to do it since Botham, with only Hoggy getting close to that," says Duncan Bonnett. "Says quite a bit about the state of England's bowling over the last 20 years, and to be fair to the bowlers, some of the selection policies I would think. By contrast, since readmission, Pollock (418), Ntini (390), Donald (330), Kallis (275) and Steyn (270) have all managed more than that for South Africa. And if Vernon Philander keeps it up, he's going to get there in about his 30th Test! I would expect Jimmy Anderson in particular to get comfortably more than 300 in his career, though. Broad too, probably – assuming he stays injury free." And Finn, if he can ever find a way into the team.
15th over: Sri Lanka 30-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 0) England are bowling dry, something they do extremely well. Broad slips in a yorker that Jayawardene, who looks in good touch, clips for a single. On Sky, Beefy is talking about sunburn. Ooof. The worst I ever had was in Jamiaca in 2004. After three weeks and six days of religiously applying suncream to my miserably pasty body, I thought I'd be safe for an hour by the pool before the flight. Oh, me. I have known pain like it in my life. I didn't sleep a wink on the flight home, and kept having to limp to the toilet to get some feeling in my legs. For the next week, every time I went to the boys' room in the night I had to hop on one foot while doing so, as my right leg was so painful. Just thinking about it is making the skin on my shinbones weep.
16th over: Sri Lanka 30-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 0) Another maiden from Panesar, who is bowling very straight. This is the modern line for a spinner I suppose, certainly a left-arm spinner to the right-hander. Beefy is moaning about England's "ridiculous" review earlier in the day, and the need to keep two reviews for the spinners. He has a point I guess; it wasn't a great decision. "As Atherton & Botham were talking about Botham's socks, the camera showed an English Rose in the crowd in a strapless top," says Adam Hirst. "Atherton was rattling on about 'a right pair on 'em'."
17th over: Sri Lanka 31-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 1) Geoff Allott's record is safe. Samaraweera flicks Broad off the pads to get off the mark from his 31st delivery. Jayawardene almost falls to the next delivery, edging a lifter a fraction short of Swann at second slip. England have been really good this morning; I can remember maybe three bad balls at most. "Having seen the draw for the forthcoming T20 World Cup I have to say that I have concerns for England's match with Afghanistan," says Phil Withall. "If political and historical history is any guide then what starts out as a 20-over match could well end up becoming a timeless Test, with no discernible winner. Sorry it's been a long day in the Queensland heat." Oh I didn't realise they would be playing each other. That will be an interesting build-up.
18th over: Sri Lanka 31-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 1) Samaraweera gives Panesar the charge and almost yorks himself when the ball dips at the last minute. In the end he jams it into the ground and gets back into his crease before Prior can pick up the loose ball. This is splendid from Panesar, who has figures of 5-4-1-0. "My mate Keith Maher has texted to say he's sat on the bank, having paid nothing to enter the ground," says Mark Carrington. "If true, he'll be unbearable as he still goes on about only paying 50p/day at Kandy, on last tour." Apparently loads of people have just walked in. Maybe karma will give him shinburn or something.
19th over: Sri Lanka 39-3 (Jayawardene 21, Samaraweera 1) Swann replaces Broad. Jayawardene shows his intent with a magnificent six from the third delivery. He simply ran down the wicket and clouted Swann over wide long on. That's brilliant batting, the kind of calculated risk that can put a bowler on the back foot early in a series.
20th over: Sri Lanka 39-3 (Jayawardene 21, Samaraweera 1) Samaraweera is batting a cap now, with spin on at both ends. He has the temperament to bat time, so a strike rate of 2.38 won't bother him as it would most players. It's yet another maiden from Monty, his fifth in six overs.
21st over: Sri Lanka 40-3 (Jayawardene 22, Samaraweera 1) Thilan Tavareweera continues on his merry way with five more dot balls in Swann's second dver. He's not playing particularly badly, and has been light on his feet to the spinners. He just keeps hitting the field. England have an appeal turned down for a bat-pad catch at short leg when Samaraweera comes down the track. They can't risk the second review here surely? No, they decide not to, and a good job too or they would be all out of reviews had they done so.
22nd over: Sri Lanka 42-3 (Jayawardene 24, Samaraweera 1) Panesar's first bad ball of the day is cut for two by Jayawardene, with specialist fielder Ian Bell doing really well to save the boundary. "The most embarrassing sunburn I ever had, as a South African growing up in the Highveld heat, with glorious long summers, punctuated by long holidays to the sub-tropical KwaZulu-Natal coast and warm winter breaks to the Kruger Park, was ahem, in London," says Duncan Bonnett. "On holiday about ten years ago now, in the middle of what Miranda's mother would call summer, I took a cruise down the Thames to Greenwich, without a hat on to protect my shiny pate. A light breeze disguised the extent of the heat and by the time I got back, my head was lobster red. My English relatives thought it was hilarious." Chris Lewis would have been proud.
REVIEW! Sri Lanka 43-3 (Jayawardene not out 24) Jayawardene walks too far across to a full delivery from Swann that hits him on the pad in front of middle stump and brings a huge shout for LBW. Rod Tucker says no, and after a long chat England go for the review. Tucker originally seemed to say that England had taken too long – more than 15 – but he let them have the review anyway. They will wish he hadn't, because Jayawardene has survived. The ball turned a bit and was just hitting the outside of the leg bail. That means we stay with the on-field decision. England are now out of reviews.
23rd over: Sri Lanka 42-3 (Jayawardene 25, Samaraweera 3) Reviews, unlike ABV Product, really should be used responsibly. That Swann appeal would have been a fair enough first review from England, but maybe not such a wise second review.
24th over: Sri Lanka 52-3 (Jayawardene 25, Samaraweera 7) Samaraweera gets his first boundary with a fine shot, an on-the-run inside-out drive through extra cover. He steers three more to third man later in the over. "I was 'volunteered' by a mate of mine to be paddling the support kayak during his long-distance swim last August," says Ian Renwick. "Without grossing you out too much with stories of blisters, weeping, being unable to feel my legs for weeks etc, suffice to say that my rugby team mates continually ask me to please put my legs away, as they are distracting. Eight months later."
25th over: Sri Lanka 57-3 (Jayawardene 25, Samaraweera 15) Samaraweera is playing well now and rocks back to cut Swann through point for four.
26th over: Sri Lanka 61-3 (Jayawardene 25, Samaraweera 19) Samit Patel is going to have a short bowl before lunch. As Nick Knight suggests, in this DRS age he could be pretty handy, as he bowls wicket to wicket. His last ball is a fraction short and Samaraweera rocks back to pull extravagantly for four.
27th over: Sri Lanka 62-3 (Jayawardene 26, Samaraweera 19) Swann is bowling well enough, with a more traditional off-spinner's line and the occasional delivery bouncing enough to make you wonder whether leg slip might be a decent position, certainly to Jayawardene. One from the over.
28th over: Sri Lanka 62-3 (Jayawardene 26, Samaraweera 19) A maiden from Patel to Jayawardene. I didn't really see what happened as I was busy stapling my eyes open. Apologies. There are five minutes till lunch.
29th over: Sri Lanka 62-3 (Jayawardene 26, Samaraweera 19) Swann switches around the wicket to Samaraweera, with a slip and a gully. He can be useful from this line – there was a fine spell to Michael Clarke in one of the Ashes Tests last winter – but nothing happens in that over. A maiden.
30th over: Sri Lanka 66-3 (Jayawardene 30, Samaraweera 19) A beautiful shot from Jayawardene, who drives Patel through extra cover for four with lovely placement. That's lunch. It's been a decent morning for England, whose seamers were again impeccable. Sri Lanka fought back calmly, however, and this should still be a long day in the field for England. If the bowlers have their feet up before the close they will have done seriously well. See you in half an hour for the afternoon session.
LUNCH
Reasons to be fearful
1. Mahela Jayawardene's Test record at home to England.
2. Mahela Jayawardene's Test record at Galle.
3. We're all mortal.
31st over: Sri Lanka 67-3 (Jayawardene 30, Samaraweera 20) Jimmy Anderson will start the afternoon session. Samaraweera inside-edges the first ball back onto the pads and then steers a single to third man. "I have a problem that I hope the OBOers can help with. First nets of the season tonight," says Chris Evans. "I'm a very poor batsman (career highest score 11). Do I bat properly, or swing like a horny gorilla?" That's easy. Generally if I'm not sure what to do in any sphere of life – love, work, cricket, whether to watch another episode of Breaking Bad before bed – I look at my WWAHGD bracelet and ask myself: what would a horny gorilla do?
32nd over: Sri Lanka 67-3 (Jayawardene 30, Samaraweera 20) Monty Panesar is on and will probably settle into a long spell for the afternoon. Samaraweera is keen to use his feet and comes down the track to defend the third delivery. A maiden, Monty's sixth in nine overs. "It gets worse when you apply both filters together," says Patrick Stone of Mahela Jayawardene's scary record against England in these parts.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 67-4 (Samaraweera run out 20) Thilan Samaraweera is run out backing up. What a bonus this is for England. Jayawardene pushed the ball back towards Anderson, who stuck out his hand in his follow through and deflected the ball onto the stumps. Dumb luck for Samaraweera, who was playing nicely and walks off with the face on.
33rd over: Sri Lanka 69-4 (Jayawardene 32, Chandimal 0) The new batsman is the excellent youngster Dinesh Chandimal, who has the raw talent to be the next star of this Sri Lankan batting line-up. "I see those fools who don't live in Rio but only visit burning all the time on the beaches here," says Adam Hirst. "The groups of gentlemen always have this identical pink trapezoid on their backs. They clearly don't want to suncream each other up so they all leave the parts that they can't reach."
34th over: Sri Lanka 69-4 (Jayawardene 32, Chandimal 0) At the age of 22, Chandimal has a first-class average of 56.87. Bloody hell. He is content to defend his first over, which means – stop me if you think etcetera – a maiden for Panesar. "Listening to comedy's Michael Vaughan interviewing Broad on TMS, it's interesting to think how DRS has affected the dramatic moments in games," says Elliott Carr-Barnsley. "Imagine if at the end of the 2005 Edgbaston test when Kasprowicz nicked through to Jones, he'd called for a review. It does certainly take the visceral moments from the game. I miss Jimmy Adams and his pads. He'd have no chance nowadays." I wonder if the third umpire would have over-ruled that Kasprowicz dismissal? The state I was in on the OBO that day, I am very glad we were spared 97 replays before a decision made.
35th over: Sri Lanka 81-4 (Jayawardene 44, Chandimal 0) Anderson's ninth over goes for 12. There has been no sign of reverse swing yet, and the orthodox swing stopped around 25 overs ago. That allows Jayawardene to lean into a widish half-volley and cover-drive it crisply for four. Two balls later he back-cuts another excellent boundary, and a wristy ping off the pads makes it three fours from the over. Jayawardene is playing splendidly.
36th over: Sri Lanka 87-4 (Jayawardene 44, Chandimal 6) Chandimal gets off the mark in the grand manner, slog-sweeping Panesar for a mighty six. This kid is seriously talented, and seriously confident. "Good morning from the USA!" says Alex Glockner. "Should I be impressed by my countrymen scoring 193 for five in a T20I, or should I tell myself that's just Bermudan bowling and accept the 12th-place Qualifier finish as who we are?" I asked the horny gorilla and he said you should always be proud of your country when they over 192 in a T20 match.
37th over: Sri Lanka 87-4 (Jayawardene 44, Chandimal 6)
A maiden from Anderson to Jayawardene. He has 44 from 110 balls and looks like he could bat all day. "Et tu are into Breaking Bad too, eh?" says Phil Podolsky. "Everyone says it's great but I can't, I just can't. In my mercifully short stint as a depressed art salesman in the Greater Manchester area (#dontask), I was forced to watch the first three episodes by a colleague - an intimidating eejit who expected me to laugh in sync with him. Failure to laugh would be an offence, punishable by quizzical stares and tedious explanations of what it is I should be laughing about." There's something in that, good shows that are ruined because of the circumstances in which you experience them. I could never watch the Wire, for example, because whenever I did I had radge-inducing visions of London types patting each other on the back to celebrate their shared understanding of something so darn cerebral.
38th over: Sri Lanka 87-4 (Jayawardene 44, Chandimal 6) Sky have shown Panesar's pitch map, which is very consistent, a nice fat centipede just around off stump. This will be a good battle with Chandimal, an attacking batsman who will be keen to dominate if possible. Another maiden from Panesar, whose figures are 12-8-16-0.
39th over: Sri Lanka 97-4 (Jayawardene 46, Chandimal 13) Broad replaces Anderson, and Chandimal slams a short ball past point for four. That's not the length to bowl on this dodo-dead pitch.
40th over: Sri Lanka 97-4 (Jayawardene 46, Chandimal 13) Panesar is building pressure by stacking maiden on top of maiden, like a Jenga tower, or something. That's yet another one to Chandimal, the ninth in his 13 overs today. He has been supremely accurate. "I know what Phil Podolsky means too," says Steve Hudson. "South Park was ruined for me because half the IT staff in the world bought the novelty ties and staggered around, weak with laughter, repeating all the swear words they'd learned from it." It's the same with The Office. You can't move at the Guardian without seeing one of these T-shirts. Oh aye.
41st over: Sri Lanka 99-4 (Jayawardene 46, Chandimal 15) In Sri Lanka you often have to go "round the brick wall", as Scyld Berry said of Darren Gough's wonderful performance here 11 years ago. Broad is one of England's better flat-wicket experiments and he mixes it up in that over to Chandimal, with a yorker and then an off-cutter.
42nd over: Sri Lanka 102-4 (Jayawardene 48, Chandimal 16) A slightly surprising move from England, with Samit Patel replacing Monty Panesar. Jayawardene turns him off the pads for a single to bring up the hundred. It's a bit of an odd thing to say when he hasn't reached fifty, but you'd be surprised if he didn't make a century today. He is in complete control.
43rd over: Sri Lanka 102-4 (Jayawardene 48, Chandimal 16) Panesar has switched ends, which is why Patel replaced him. I wonder how Swann feels about this; at the moment, against teams with mostly right-handers in their top seven, Panesar is Strauss's first-choice spinner. His 14th over is – yep – a maiden, again to Chandimal. Panesar's figures are straight outta 1982: 14-9-16-0.
44th over: Sri Lanka 108-4 (Jayawardene 48, Chandimal 22) There goes Chandimal again! He dances down the track to Patel and drives him mightily over long on for six. There's nothing more exciting in sport than the first few glimpses of a special talent, and that's certainly the feeling you get when you watch Chandimal.
45th over: Sri Lanka 112-4 (Jayawardene 52, Chandimal 22) Jayawardene moves to a masterful half-century with a fine stroke, driving a full toss from Panesar inside-out through extra cover for four. Send me an email. Please. I'm flagging. Please.
46th over: Sri Lanka 112-4 (Jayawardene 52, Chandimal 22) Patel to Chandimal. Maiden. Drinks. Chandimal has dealt mainly in dot balls and sixes in this innings. "Commentators curse," is the subject of Andrew Ward's email. "I see what you are doing there Rob and I like it. I reckon both Chandimal and DPMD will kick on here for double hundreds. I just can't see them being bowled, caught in front, caught behind, caught in the deep, run out, hitting their wickets, handling the ball, obstructing the field or taking undue time to get to the middle." Obviously I'd love to let fate do her thing, but it's fair to say both batsmen look really comfortable at the moment, as class batsmen tend to against an old ball on a flat pitch. England will have some hard yakka this evening if they are still at the crease.
47th over: Sri Lanka 115-4 (Jayawardene 52, Chandimal 23) Specialist slip fielder Graeme Swann is going to have a bowl. Chandimal pushes him just short of Cook at square leg and then almost gets in trouble when he tries to cut a sharp off break. The general consensus is that this pitch will do plenty for the spinners later on in the game. "Rob, grrrrr, after all this time you spell my name wrongly," says Elliot Carr-Barnsley. "It's ONE T. I thought I'd hung around your bedroom win we were friends. Anyway, in terms of going around the brick wall, or "circumwenting" it, for hilarious fans of Arrested Development, how about some horrible T20 filth? A slowball double bouncer, an offside longyork or something. I dont understand cricket any more. When did cricket deliveries start sounding like fancy coffees?" You should have seen Franklyn Stephenson's gingerbread latte.
48th over: Sri Lanka 122-4 (Jayawardene 55, Chandimal 27) Jayawardene cuts Patel for three to bring up the second consecutive fifty partnership, and then Chandimal slaps a poor delivery through the covers for four. He is playing with a degree of urgency, which allows Jayawardene at the other end to bat in his impenetrable bubble.
49th over: Sri Lanka 127-4 (Jayawardene 60, Chandimal 27) Jayawardene comes down the track and dumps Swann over midwicket for a one-bounce four. He looks in ominous touch. In his last three Test innings against England in Sri Lanka, he has scored 468 runs in 982 balls and been dismissed once.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 128-5 (Chandimal c Bell b Patel 27) Samit Patel has his first Test wicket. It was a poor stroke from Chandimal, who tried to slog-sweep a delivery that was maybe a touch too wide for the shot and flew up in the air off the edge. It looped gently towards cover, where Ian Bell took a simple catch.
50th over: Sri Lanka 128-5 (M Jayawardene 61, P Jayawardene 0) That's a really good wicket for England because Chandimal is such a dangerous player. One more and they are into a longish tail. I'm not sure that ball was too wide, on reflection. It was just a wild shot.
51st over: Sri Lanka 129-5 (M Jayawardene 62, P Jayawardene 0) Prasanna Jayawardene inside-edges Swann into his leg, and the ball falls safely on the off side. It would have been taken had there been a silly point.
52nd over: Sri Lanka 130-5 (M Jayawardene 63, P Jayawardene 0) Patel is denied the chance to make it two wickets in two balls, because he has been replaced by Panesar. He has a huge shout for LBW second ball when Prasanna Jaywardene is beaten by a snorter that turns sharply off middle and leg to hit the flap of the back pad. I assume the umpire Asad Rauf thought it was going over. England don't have any reviews left anyway. "While typing you a boring email about the (lack of) Sri Lankan tail
end batting I noticed that the spellchecker in Firefox knows Jayawardene but not Chandimal or Sangakkara, which struck me as interesting," says Martin Lloyd. "Having typed that sentence I now realise this is an even more boring missive than the one it replaced. Sorry." Sad as it sounds, I'm interested in the things that come up on the google auto-complete/search predictor thing. If you type Samit Patel you get three options after his name: Cricinfo, Twitter and fat. If you type in Gary Naylor the first option you get is 'Gary Naylor Guardian'. And if you type in 'hot sweaty action' the first thing you get is a P45.
53rd over: Sri Lanka 138-5 (M Jayawardene 64, P Jayawardene 7) Prasanna Jayawardene slog-sweeps Swann decisively for four to get off the mark. "Given that Jayawardene will now inevitably bat until friday evening, possibly beyond, and that Monty's relentless enthusiasm will ensure he turns his arm over until he actually creates a vortex in Galle, do you know the record is for the the most maidens bowled in an innings is?" weeps Harry Phillips. Monty needs just 46 more to equal the record.
54th over: Sri Lanka 138-5 (M Jayawardene 64, P Jayawardene 7) My OBO predictor is offering me the words 'Panesar' and 'maiden'. Quite right too; that's his 11th of the day. "The epic batting Sri Lanka are capable of means that when they are four down the anti-Boycott rule comes into play," says Ian Copestake. "Subtract two wickets from the score and everything is just rosy."
55th over: Sri Lanka 139-5 (M Jayawardene 65, P Jayawardene 7) Graeme Swann goes around the wicket to Mahela Jayawardene, who is dropped! It was a brilliant effort from Jimmy Anderson. Jayawardene was cramped by a sharp turner and gloved it above the head of Anderson at slip; he leapt and extended a telescopic arm but couldn't quite hang on. "It's my first time watching England abroad and it's both very different and very much the same as watching England at home," says Gary Naylor. "It's hot, but not outrageously so, and the traffic outside is busy, but no busier than outside The Oval and England are as disciplined and drilled in the field as always. What does strike me is how attuned Mahela Jayawardene is to this environment - the patience, the economy of effort in his movements and the almost palpable gamesense are even more of a delight to witness on his home island. He seldom gets a mention in lists of modern greats, but great he is." He is indeed, although the disparity between his average at home (60-odd) and away (38) is probably why he isn't quite mentioned in the same breath as Dravid, Kallis, Tendulkar and the others.
56th over: Sri Lanka 143-5 (M Jayawardene 69, P Jayawardene 7) A rare piece of filth from Monty – short, wide and begging to be the recipient of some humpty – is cut for four by Mahela Jayawardene.
"I used to do a chunk of work with BAA (British Airways Authority)," says Michael Hunt, "and once you typed in BAA on Google the suggestions used to come out, very pleasingly, as: BAA Heathrow, BAA Stansted, BAA Glasgow, BAA Gatwick, BAA Baa Black Sheep."
57th over: Sri Lanka 153-5 (M Jayawardene 70, P Jayawardene 15) Prasanna Jayawardene takes consecutive boundaries off Swann, fetching a sweep from outside off stump and then cutting past point. "I find the pessimism hanging over the OBO this morning quite baffling," says Alexander Pick. "Sri Lanka are five down for less than 150 having won the toss; it will be a major achievement on their part if they're still batting by close of play. Moreover, the weekend was by all accounts record-breakingly glorious. What's got into you people? Of course, the hashtag in Over 37 was pretty hard to take for a Monday morning, but still…" Pessimism? I thought everyone was positively jaunty.
58th over: Sri Lanka 158-5 (M Jayawardene 76, P Jayawardene 16) Stuart Broad will have a short burst before tea, which is due in 15 minutes' time. The plan is presumably to bowl straight, with only one slip; the first ball is too straight, however, and Jayawardene works it very fine for four. There is some reverse swing in the over, which will keep England happy this side of the second new ball. "Type any two words into google," says Andy Battershill. "Search google. Eventually you will find a porn site. Try it at work it's great fun. Six jobs in two years says so." What, even if you type 'Chris Tavare'?
59th over: Sri Lanka 162-5 (M Jayawardene 77, P Jayawardene 18) "Alexander Pick is either not English or has been away too long to remember that pessimism in a positive position is a way of ensuring that that position remains positive and indeed improves slowly until victory is secured," says Ian Copestake. "Then we allow ourselves to clap."
60th over: Sri Lanka 166-5 (M Jayawardene 79, P Jayawardene 20) The Sky chaps reckon Broad isn't running in fult pelt. He's still good enough to induce a couple of inside-edged from Jayawardene in that over. Prasanna Jayawardene, that is; Mahela has barely played a false stroke all day. One more over until tea.
61st over: Sri Lanka 168-5 (M Jayawardene 80, P Jayawardene 21) Mahela Jayawardene pads Swann just short of short leg, although there was no bat involved. Two from the over, and it's time for tea. England are on top you would say, although they need to find a way to dismiss the immaculate Mahela Jayawardene. Rob Bagchi will be here for the evening session. He's on rob.bagchi@theguardian.com. Thanks for your emails; see you tomorrow.
TEA Two absorbing and hugely enjoyable sessions. England certainly had the upper hand in the morning and, as Mike Atherton says, had Andrew Strauss been offered this tea score when he lost the toss he would have taken it with no reservations. Of the two wickets after lunch, the first came from good fortune, the second a soft dismissal when Chandimal hit against the spin. Even so England have been reluctant to set really attacking fields given the bounce the spinners are getting off the pitch. Ian Copestake has been on with a dictionary definition: "In response to over 58, among the porn producing folk of Los Angeles, a 'Chris Tavare shot' refers to the achievement of pleasure after a long and arduous session of effort that never seems likely to result in anything other than disappointment."
Review: Prasanna lbw Anderson Out
Wicket!! Prasanna Jayawardene lbw Anderson 23 Big inswinger from Anderson tempts thye batsman to play all around it and traps him above the knee.
62nd over: Sri Lanka 170-6 (M Jayawardene 80, Randiv 0) Jimmy Anderson has taken his 252nd Test wicket to tie with Brian Statham as the most successful Lancastrian in Test cricket. He trapped Prasanna with some reverse swing and a beautiful delivery.
63rd over: Sri Lanka 181-6 (M Jayawardene 86, Randiv 5) Andrew Strauss brings in the close fielders to circle Mahela, a silly point, short leg and short midwicket. Mahela, who is batting serenely, plays a gorgeous late cut for four off Swann's first ball which is too wide. He takes a single off the second and puts Randiv on strike. Swann comes back over the wicket and is pushed into the onside for a strolled single. Mahela then prods one to midwicket, "yes, no, waits" but gets to the other end and Randiv finishes an expensive over with a square drive for four. Here's Steve Hudson: "And the LA adult film fraternity also used to refer to a 'Monty shot' – done with an expression of blind panic, only two stokes, and hysterically funny while it lasts."
64th over: Sri Lanka 186-6 (M Jayawardene 87, Randiv 9) "Ian Copestake (over 59) is very perceptive," writes Alexander Pick. "I moved to South Africa three years ago and have clearly forgotten my roots. The fact that the OBO is my sole source of information on what's going on at home probably isn't a good thing. That said, I doubt I'll ever understand the psyche of a South African cricket supporter, which seems far more complex than our relentless preparing-for-the-worst." Mahela takes a single off Anderson's third ball behind point and Randiv takes two in front of point. The ball, for all Cook's minsitrations, looks like a dog's been at it. Anderson drops short for his last two deliveries, forcing Randiv to duck the first but he gets up onto his toes for the last ball and glides it square on the offside for one.
65th over: Sri Lanka 189-6 (M Jayawardene 88, Randiv 11) Our very own ECB, Elliot Carr-Barnsley, has been busy down the porn jargon mine: "Fans of specialist online bongo will be aware of 'The Morgan'. Great when required for a quickie, but altogether too much squatting when the imagination runs dry." Thank God, it's only the imagination that ran dry. Swann's line is better this over but Randiv still has the time and nerve to paddle him around the corner for two. Swann responds by slowing his pace and Randiv polishes his forward defensive, holding his pose as if he was watching himself in a mirror.
Tv umpire adjudiucation on a run out
Wicket!! Randiv run out 12 Mahela tapped it to point where Strauss turned to pick it up with his left hand and shy at the non-striker's end. The direct hit beat the batsman's dive by two inches.
66th over: Sri Lanka 191-7 (M Jayawardene 89, Herath 0) Speaking of watching yourself bat in a mirror. What sound do you use if you hit an imaginary shot to denote the sound of the ball. I prefer "thock". Athers and Both are waxing about Anderson's hiding of the ball until the last moment, "a skill in itself". It must affect your rhythm when you first start to do it, thrusting your left arm out later than usual. The wicket ends the over with Randiv setting off and being sent back by his captain.
67th over: Sri Lanka 191-7 (M Jayawardene 89, Herath 0) Swann's eyes light up as he's got the left-handed Herath to bowl at and appeals for an lbw that sneaks behind his outsteretched bat off the fourth ball. Aggghh. the last ball of Swann's over flies off the shoulder of Herath's bat and to where a gully would have been.
68th over: Sri Lanka 200-7 (M Jayawardene 97, Herath 1) Mahela takes a single with a square cut to the point boundary. the ball died on him a little so he couldn't adapt to smack it as he'd first intended and instead ran it off the face of his bat. Herath gets off the mark with an uppish shovel past the diving midwicket. Hugh Maguire has more for the Pornobosaurus: "The Swann - out in the wilderness for a long introduction that most viewers will not have been aware of, A quick rise and then a lot of time spent on top." Anderson elicits a fals stroke from Jayawardene who's hurried into his shot and pokes it through Anderson's hands. The captain decides not to hang about and spanks a towering six off the fifth ball way over long on.
69th over: Sri Lanka 205-7 (M Jayawardene 102, Herath 1) Mahela brings up his 30th Test century, his seventh at Galle and his seventh against England with a deft, fine sweep off Swann's first ball for four. His bat boasts the legend "Zigtech". Is that a reference to the Spiders from Mars? Swann gets Herath caught between front and back foot with his last delivery but the batsman copes with it by rocking, rather than moving, and deflecting the ball into the ground with a curious, edgy shot.
70th over: Sri Lanka 206-7 (M Jayawardene 103, Herath 1) Stuart Broad resumes. "I'm old school and prefer the 70s and 80s for my 'gentleman's viewing'," writes Dave Espley. "The Bob Willis shot was always a favourite - a slow build up, quickly gaining pace before an explosion of limbs at the point of delivery. Often very messy but surprisingly effective." Always with that trance-like stare. [OBOer shivers]. AW Greig has a two-minute paean to the nutritional effectiveness of coconuts. Broad is getting a hint of reverse but Mahela is waiting for it and playing late. He takes a single off the last ball by dropping it short of cover and sprinting through.
71st over: Sri Lanka 211-7 (M Jayawardene 108, Herath 1) Swann carries on around the wicket. He's got 0 for 68 so far but he is bowling pretty well this session, nice flight and getting some alarming lift off the pitch. Mahela is surprised by the bounce of the second and scoops it over slip for two and sweeps the next for two more. When he goes back over Mahela prods it off the face, turned square, on to his pad and into Cook's hands at short leg on the half-volley. Ranil Dissanayake asks: "I know I'm pretty much guaranteeing him the last three wickets (and thereby jinxing my own team here) by saying this, but isn't it a major concern that Swann seems to have lost the ability to bowl at right-handers? Did he ever have it? It's been more than a year now that he's been dragged around the ground like dog's chew toy by good right-handed players." And does anyone know if there are any highlights of this Test on terrestrial? I don't think there are but it would make Neil Smart's evening if there were.
72nd over: Sri Lanka 212-7 (M Jayawardene 109, Herath 1) Broad settles into a groove for his first three balls to Mahela, good length outside off stump, a hint of inswing. He drops short for his fourth ball and Jayawardene rides the bounce and drops it into midwicket to take an easy single, Broad comes round the wicket to Herath and goes short, putting the batsman deep into his crease to block with sliced shots where the bats comes down from two o'clock to seven. Joanne Beasley offers this: "For the 'Female Friendly' section it has to be 'The Broad', aesthetically pleasing and even when under par can still hit the spot."
73rd over: Sri Lanka 218-7 (M Jayawardene 115, Herath 1) Jayawardene comes down the track and smashes Swann for a powerful, flat six over long on. Swann drops his pace, forcing Mahela to be more watchful. Swann spits on the turf and mutters to himself. Ian Copestake remionds us of this delightful description: "No mirrored batting can be unaccompanied by anything other than James Joycean sounds from his opening to Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: "In the soft grey silence he could hear the bump of the balls:and from here and from there through the quiet air the sound of the cricket bats: pick, pack, pock, puck: like drops of water in a fountain falling softly in the brimming bowl."
74th over: Sri Lanka 228-7 (M Jayawardene 120, Herath 2) We have a winner, people, from Mahinda: "A few Sri Lankan entries (ahem) for the pornobosaurus … or should that be pornobopedia? The Sanath – 50/50 chance of going off early but, once in, gives one hell of a ride. The Arjuna – lots of arguing before some sumptuous strokeplay, finished off with a Mars bar.
The Murali – all about the wrist action. Illegal in Australia." Four leg-byes begin the over and then Mahela cashes in on Broad's tiredness by belting him over the top for yet another four. Broad responds by bouncing him and Mahela ducks it and smiles. He gets another to dig in short of a length and it sails over Mahela's head. He's really bending his back and gets Mahela on his toes to pull the last ball but he doesn't look particularly well.
Drinks Which gives us time for these two from Nick Barrett and Ian Copestake respectively: "The Pietersen: Aggressive, passionate and frequently disappointing, but if he gets himself in its not something you're likely to forget." And "The Salman Butt. To be paid large amounts of money to do …" Snipped, sadly, on legal advice.
75th over: Sri Lanka 229-7 (M Jayawardene 121, Herath 2) Peter "FOT" Barton has a sound for his mirror shots: "'Wadang!' I use an aluminium bat." Swann continues, drifting the ball in to the left-handed Herath who opens the face to drop the ball into the off-side. They've put two slips in for him given his tendency to play with an open face and a jaggy drop of the bat.
76th over: Sri Lanka 232-7 (M Jayawardene 123, Herath 3) Monty replaces Broad and his loosener is milked for a single to deepish midwicket by Mahela. Panesar comes over the wicket for Herath and gets some bounce that the batsman reads well and cross-bats into the legside for one. Mahela takes a single off the next ball giving Monty two goes at Herath but he rides the spin and pops the ball into the off-side circle.
77th over: Sri Lanka 235-7 (M Jayawardene 126, Herath 3) Swann drifts on to middle stump so Mahela sweeps him for two to fine leg then when Swann returns to a fourth-stump line Jayawardene advances and pushes him to long off for one. One more from Steve Hudson: "And the David Gower – his sensitive strokes will drive you wild with pleasure, before an ill-advised slash ruins it for everyone." That's a very specialist audience being catered for … I hope. Swann gets one to grip and leap at Herath but the batsman gets away with mistiming his shot and plays and misses.
78th over: Sri Lanka 238-7 (M Jayawardene 128, Herath 5) Monty calls up a silly point for Herath but is still bowling a little flat. Herath spears one for two behind point and though Panesar gets around his defence to hit the pad with the last ball of the over the batsman was a foot oustide off stump.
79th over: Sri Lanka 247-7 (M Jayawardene 136, Herath 5) Trott makes a diving stop at third man to keep Jayawardene's late cut to three then Herath brings up the 50 partnership off Swann with another glide behind square. "The mirror noise is always a doleful 'clunk' as I hear the sound of stumps shattering behind me as I practise." writes Paul Billington. "It's rendered a little confusing when I can see clearly in the mirror that there are indeed no stumps at all though." Sad scenes. Your limitations won't relent even in your Walter Mitty reverie? Jayawardene gets on his toes to run the ball down to third man agian, the first time for four, the second for two.
80th over: Sri Lanka 252-7 (M Jayawardene 141, Herath 5) Beautiful wristy shot from Jayawardene for four. What an elegant player he is. Jim Lynch checks in: "Then there's the Derek Randall … Never stops fidgeting, talks all the way through and finishes off with a cartwheel." Very good. Here's a nice piece from Sam Blackledge on a return to playing village cricket after a 10-year exile. The new ball is due.
Review: Herath lbw Patel
Wicket!! Herath lbw Patel 5 Rod Tucker again was spot on. Patel hit Herath on the tow as he crouched to lap it around the corner. Plumb and a waste of a review even if it's late in the innings.
81st over: Sri Lanka 253-8 (M Jayawardene 142, Welegedera 0) Do we have a new golden arm? Samit has taken two wickets and bowled well. There's a touch of Sanath about his trajectory and the speed with which he bustles through an over.
82nd over: Sri Lanka 258-8 (M Jayawardene 147, Welegedara 0) Jayawardene treats Monty's first three balls with respect. They're well pitched up and landing on a handkerchief-sized square on off and middle. He dances down the wicket to the fifth ball and hits a dog of a shot off the toe of the bat for four in the air past mid-on. The ball dies on to the gtrass as it eludes the diving fielder by inches.
83rd over: Sri Lanka 263-8 (M Jayawardene 152, Welegedara 0) New ball taken. Jimmy Anderson comes on. "I love the language that cricket helps keep alive," writes Ian Copestake. "When you mentioned 'plumb' its etymology reveals how the notion of 'exact measurement' led to the extended sense of 'completely, downright'." Football has its "stonewall". The third ball is taken on by Mahela, hooked off the top edge to deep square leg and through Panesar's hands for four. The sun was in his eyes but he didn't get his body behind it and it bounced off the heel of his right palm on to the turf to save two but give Mahela his third life.
84th over: Sri Lanka 273-8 (M Jayawardene 162, Welegedara 0) Stuart Broad comes on to share the new ball. Here's a missive from our man on the ground, Gary Naylor: "Who would have thought that on a day like this, England's two specialist spinners would not get a wicket between them and Mahela would play as well as this, yet England are not just still in the game, but possibly a little ahead. They've been lucky I feel." Not sure they've been that lucky, Gary. Played very well this morning and have kept plugging away. Oh dear Monty has just spilled another catch, this one a steepling hoick to mid on and Panesar gets his hands into a pickle and spoons it. Before that Mahela had bottom edged a cut inches past the stumps and immediately after that punished Panesar by making him have a gallop to chase to the long-on boundary.
85th over: Sri Lanka 273-8 (M Jayawardene 162, Welegedara 0) Both Trott and Prior make a point of running up to Panesar at the end of the over to pat him on the aris and offer words of encouragement. Anderson's enjoying the bounce the new ball has brought sticking to a relentless line inches outside off stump and short of a length. "It's odd how to stonewall has lost its use in cricket, where it used to refer to not trying to score," writes Ian Copestake. "But its meaning in football has changed to refer to 'definite' when it usually refers to a refusal to do something or to delay. Basically I'm suggesting that football doesn't understand or appreciate the words it uses." Aye, Ian. That's why I prefer El Tel's "Stonebonker". Maiden for The Jimmy.
86th over: Sri Lanka 277-8 (M Jayawardene 162, Welegedara 0) Having just lost the last par due to a technical hitch I've just slammed my fist into the desk. Jayawardene belted a four to third man and Broad was warned for running on the pitch.
87th over: Sri Lanka 285-8 (M Jayawardene 162, Welegedara 8) Welegedera takes two fours off Anderson's first three balls. Time for some spin? Anderson bounces him the last ball and has a word. "Afternoon Bagchi, afternoon everybody," writes Josh Rovinson. "Could you point out to Naylor that anyone who has ever seen Mahela bat – or even just looked at his
record against England and in Sri Lanka – would have thought that he would play as well as this. Besides, he's been dropped, what, four times now?" Five.
88th over: Sri Lanka 288-8 (M Jayawardene 167, Welegedara 10) Stuart Broad continues and Mahela pulls to square leg along the ground. Samuel Riding has had a read of the returning village cricketer's thoughts: "Do I know where my namesake is coming from. I'm 39 now and just
started again yesterday, 23 years after my cricketing endeavours (such as they were) were curtailed by a combination of academic inadequacy and non-academic 'waywardness'. Several muscles on the right side of my body have been reawoken and are now exacting a painful revenge for my attempt to recapture something of the joy my 16-year-old self felt on a cricket field, and it's a hard ball alright, but I'll be back out again next weekend." Welegedara stands and thrashes at Broad's last ball and runs two.
89th over: Sri Lanka 289-8 (M Jayawardene 168, Welegedara 10) Monty's going to get the penultimate over of the day. Pietersen and Strauss are standing alongside him and organising the field. Well, Strauss is while KP is attempting to lift Panesar's spirits and gets him to smile. He comes round the wicket to Jayawardene who clips him to point but doesn't run. Prior whips the bails off when Panesar's third ball eludes the edge when Mahela chops down on to it. But he hasn't sallied out of his crease. Michael Gaff had been watching this morning then had top leave for work: "I have been a tad busy at work this morning and am just catching up on the days play. When I left for work this morning you had them 41/3, what on earth has happened? Has Mahela really been dropped five times? How do you expect win if don't take catches?" Two of them were very difficult chances, Michael. But I catch your point.
90th over: Sri Lanka 289-8 (M Jayawardene 168, Welegedara 10) Well, having lost the toss I would have thought that England would have settled for bowling Sri Lanka out for less than 300. However there was some moisture in the pitch first up and England made early inroads. At lunch they may have thought they could skittle them for 200 and immediately post tea for 250. But in the history of these games I still think 300 is an attackable (wrong word) score. Broad bowls the last over and comes up with a jaffa third ball, leg-cutting and leaving Jayawardene off the pitch. A clarification from Gary Naylor: "Re Mr Robinson's email, I knew Mahela could bat - my 'Who would have thought it … ' referred to England being still in the game. (I wasn't very clear)." Broad's saved his best since this morning for the last over, again getting Mahela to play and miss though he may have been duped by some uneven bounce. That's stumps.
Stumps: Mahela Jayawardene's innings has rescued Sri Lanka after England took early wickets. He is serene at times when he bats which makes the sallies down the pitch to clump sixes over midwicket and long on so astonishing. Curate's egg of a performance from England, some hard-running in the field, tenacious, skilful seam bowling at the start but it began to drift towards the end of each session as the players tired. Thanks for your company and emails. Robbie Smyth will be back at 5am on Tuesday and I'll join you for the evening session. Bye!