Sri Lanka are still 46 runs behind England with six wickets in hand © Getty Images
Colombo: Apr 6, 2012
Sri Lanka, trailing England by 185 runs on the first innings, were 139 for 4 in their second knock at tea on the fourth day of the second Test in Colombo on Friday.
Skipper Mahela Jayawardene was unbeaten on 20 and Thilan Samaraweera was on 11, with Sri Lanka still 46 runs behind with six wickets in hand on the wearing P. Sara Oval pitch.
England, who lost the first Test in Galle, need a win to level the two-match series and retain their number one ranking.
England, beaten by 75 runs in the first Test in Galle, need a win to level the short two-match series and retain their world number one Test ranking.
Lahiru Thirimanne and nightwatchman Dhammika Prasad, who saw off the lone over on Thursday evening, put on 23 for the first wicket before James Anderson struck the first blow.
Left-handed Thirimanne failed to take advantage of a missed stumping off Graeme Swann and edged Anderson to Andrew Strauss at first slip after making 11.
Prasad, a tailender who averaged 19.20 in his previous nine Tests, defied the England attack for 87 minutes and even helped himself to five boundaries.
He finally fell for 34 when an ambitious hook shot off Steven Finn landed safely in the hands ofTim Bresnan at deep square-leg.
Prasad was dropped twice in one Swann over, as wicket-keeper Matt Prior failed to glove a thick edge and Finn floored a waist-high catch at mid-off. (AFP)
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 275 all-out (Mahela Jayawardene 105, Angelo Mathews 57, Thilan Samaraweera 54; Graeme Swann 4 for 75, James Anderson 3 for 62) & 139 for 4 (Tillakaratne Dilshan 35, Dhammika Prasad 34; Graeme Swann 2 for 55) trail England 460 all-out (Kevin Pietersen 151, Alastair Cook 94, Jonathan Trott 64, Andrew Strauss 61; Rangana Herath 6 for 133) by 46 runs.
