ENG v SL -Test Series - Page 6

ENG 294/5 (80.0 Ovs)

Matt Prior* 47 (75) Joe Root 85 (163

Current partnership 85 runs, 22.0 overs, RR: 3.86 (Prior 47, Root 33)

New ball taken, held aloft by the umpire... Will it swing again?

That' s stumps on day one . It has been England all the
way after the initial hiccup they suffered when they lost
their openers cheaply. Root was the rescuer for England
as he stitched three important partnerships with Bell ,
Mooen Ali and Prior . He notched up his 3rd Test ton and
that helped England snatch the advantage back. Prior
survived a close LBW call at the start of his innings , but
he has looked in prime touch after that and is looking
good for another ton. The Sri Lankan bowlers
disappointed after bowling a good spell during the first
session. England scored at a brisk rate and they are all
set to post a huge total tomorrow. Do join us back for
what promises to be an exciting day. Until then it ' s
goodbye from all of us here ...

Day 1: Stumps
ENG - 344/5 (89.0 Ovs)
CRR: 3.87

Current partnership: 135 runs, 30.4 overs, RR: 4.40

Day 3, Stumps: Sri Lanka trail by 160 runs
ENG - 575/9 decl
SL - 415/7 (124.0 Ovs)
CRR: 3.35

Day 3 , Stumps : The Sri Lankan dressing room applauds
Mathews' effort. But the day belonged to Kumar
Sangakkara , who registered his maiden ton at the HQ,
leading Sri Lanka ' s spirited reply. After , Sanga' s
departure , Mathews took over the baton , keeping Sri
Lanka in the hunt with an ideal blend of caution and
aggression.

Sri Lanka trailing by 160 at stumps, Sangakkara
continued his red-hot Test form with a 147 that
the centrepiece of Sri Lanka's innings. Angelo
Mathews' Test average continues to creep
towards 50, and he played another vital innings.
There's still plenty of work for them to do
though, and England still on course for a 100-
plus lead.

Finally England get a sizeable lead of 122 runs. Mathews
played well to get to his first ton in England and the
tail - enders supported him quite well . England will now
look to score some quick runs in order to get a result,
but the match is petering out towards the draw . It
started to drizzle as the players walked back to the
dressing room .