Kumar Sangakkara © Getty Images (File Photo)
Kumar Sangakkara © Getty Images (File Photo)

 

Jun 16, 2014

More drama as Herath walks off when he wasn’t out. He had taken his bat off the handle when he edged it! Can Pradeep survive five deliveries? Well Pradeep was given out lbw but then overturned. England celebrate big time only to know that they haven’t taken the wicket. He has survived and Lanka escape with draw!

 

 

 

It perhaps all comes down to whether Mathews can take Sri Lanka to safety. Anderson bowling outswingers. Maybe time to bowl one inswinger here? Oh! well Anderson takes captain’s wicket a beautiful outswinger.
A Mathews c A Cook b J Anderson 18(90)

 

 

 

Broad gets it to hold its line and take Kulasekara’s wicket. He was plumb in front there. The new ball doing the trick for England and Broad. This game is moving towards an exciting finish. Can Sri Lanka survive and draw the Test?
N Kulasekara lbw b S Broad 1(11)

 

 

 

Sometimes you don’t know what goes inside Cook’s head as when you have one of the best swing bowlers going around in Anderson why won’t you give him the new ball? Maybe he is injured? Hard to fathom. Finally Anderson into the attack. Anderson has straightaway got the ball to swing it late both ways. It is up to Mathews to negotiate him.

 

 

 

Chris Jordan takes Jayawardene’s wicket. England still have a chance to win the game. He was initially ruled not out but it was overturned with a review. He was out lbw. Can England still won this??? Will they take the new ball straightaway?
P Jayawardene lbw b C Jordan 8(62)

 

 

 

Chris Jordan got the ball to bounce and with  men around the bat troubled Sri Lankan batsmen. However Prasanna Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews were able to negotiate it. At times they found it difficult but Sri Lanka are still just five down.

 

 

 

Jordan and Plunkett getting the ball to reverse but as they aren’t hiding the ball. Sri Lankan batsmen are able to play them better. England need a wicket here quickly. The umpires have been good in this match as they have been consistent in their decisions.

 

 

 

Sri Lankan batsmen will have a sigh of relief as Anderson is out of the attack. Jordan has come into bowl. He isn’t hiding the ball and that means Sri Lankan batsmen are playing him better. England someone to support Anderson here, as otherwise Sri Lanka will draw the match.

 

 

 

Anderson continues to reverse it both ways at will. There is a vociferous appeal from him but Bowden turns down the lbw appeal against Prasanna Jayawardene. England go for the review and it turns out to be an umpire’s call. Bit of bad luck for Anderson but he is on song here. Rain in the air and that means it won’t help to reverse.

 

 

 

Anderson continues to bowl beautifully. He gets one to leave the left-hander to take Thirimanne’s wicket. It is the sixth time Anderson has dismissed him. When Anderson uses the crease well he makes you feel like he is a cheetah on the prowl.
L Thirimanne c C Jordan b J Anderson 2(11)

 

 

 

James Anderson takes Sangakkara’s wicket. Came from around the wicket to jag one into Sangakkara and clean his stumps. Sangakkara edges it onto the stumps. He cramped him for room there. It is the seventh time Anderson has taken his wicket. Hmm, he can’t bowl on flat wickets right?
K Sangakkara b J Anderson 61(168)

 

 

 

After all those banged in short deliveries James Anderson (Burnley Bullet) gets one to reverse a bit and takes Jayawardene’s wicket. It just left him and Mahela hung his bat. He has done that many times early in his innings. Just shows that Plunkett could have bowled one full to him. Sri Lanka reach 164/3 at Tea.
M Jayawardene c M Prior b J Anderson 18(45)

 

 

 

As we approach the tea session Sri Lanka look set to draw the game unless something dramatic happens. Plunkett though is banging it short and trying to do something while bowling to Jayawardene. However you need to bowl that full one to take advantage of it.

 

 

 

Plunkett is putting in a bit of effort. Another good short one to Jayawardene. If you bowl it short then get it head high and follow the batsman. The tangle of nerves is affecting Jayawardene here. Sangakkara scores a fifty.Three hundreds and one fifty in his last four innings for him.

 

 

 

Sangakkara along with Aravinda De Silva are arguably the best back-foot players to have been produced by Sri Lanka. On this placid surface playing back is very easy for Kumar yet England want to dig it short. Who knows? It may work against Kumar! Now, that was a good short one from Plunkett to Jayawardene as he got it head high and it followed the batsman. Some effort would have gone into bowling that ball.

 

 

 

Kaushal Silva is finally dismissed as he gloved one to the wicketkeeper Matt Prior. England needed that wicket for sure. It was initially given not out but England went for the referral and got a decision in their favour. It wasn’t exactly a short delivery but Silva is a short man and it did get slightly big on him.
K Silva c M Prior b C Jordan 57(105)

 

 

 

Nothing much happening in the middle. Root is bowling from around the wicket but there isn’t anything to work with. This type of track isn’t a good advertisement for Test cricket. Now, at least prepare a track, where the ball carries to the slip fielder on occasions!

 

 

 

Well Chris Taylor has come in as substitute. The man from Gloucestershire can certainly come up with some superlative efforts in the field. Broad finally concentrating on bowling line and length and yes he beats Silva outside off. Hit the top of off and do well. Good old method works too sometimes! Maybe we are in for some reverse swing here? Till now though not even one ball has reversed. We have to wait for that. Root too has come into bowl. Silva gets to his half-century now.

 

 

 

From where did Sangakkara learn to play spin? Such wonderful dexterous hands. Those magical Asian wrists on display. The only batsman outside the subcontinent who one can remember having such nimble wrists was Mark Waugh. However it has to be said that Moeen is just a part-time off-spinner. He is getting only the odd ball to turn. What would England give to have Swann with those 2,000 plus revs on the ball to bowl on the last day? Even Monty would do! Well as it was said by the blogger the ball has lost its shine due to the track being bombed by zillion short deliveries. So what is the next trick then? Try to change the ball. England want the ball to be changed!

 

 

 

Moeen Ali starts from around the wicket to Sangakkara. He is getting the odd one to turn out of the rough from around the wicket. The problem for a left-hander while facing an off-spinner from around the wicket is that a few will turn and few just goes straight on. The challenge of playing on the last day though, the track is very slow. Broad to bowl from the other end. Are we in for another burst of short pitch bowling? Even the Dukes seems to have lost its shine a bit thanks to so much of banging it into the pitch. Also it is perhaps better if England seamers can try to bowl from over the wicket to Sangakkara. He occasionally chases a few outside his off-stump. Typical of every left-hander to have played with a bat on this planet!!

 

 

 

 

 

It is Stuart Broad perhaps bowling the last over of the session. Silva gets one to the boundary boards. Are Sri Lanka looking to win this one????? It would be a herculean task to do that. They end the first session of the final day on 99 for the loss of one wicket.

 

 

 

England have tended to bowl wayward stuff in the first session. Plunkett isn’t getting his line right for sure. On the other hand, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul seem to be battling it out to see who can aggregate more Test runs. Sangakkara has just gone past Chanderpaul now. Moeen gets one to turn and it falls short off Ian Bell. Sangakkara survives.

 

 

 

Moeen Ali with his off-spin was introduced into the attack. Sangakkara and Silva though look like can take Sri Lanka to lunch session just one down. England need some magic from someone here. A toe crushing yorker or a snorter of bouncer? Sangakkara just playing with utmost ease on the backfoot.

 

 

 

Plunkett too started his spell from around the wicket to Kumar Sangakkara. He has a short leg in place as well, as England look to bowl more bouncers. However, the deck is flat and when Plunkett banged one into the pitch, Sangakkara was able to pull him with ease. A fifty run partnership between the two as well.

 

 

 

Anderson continued to bowl from around the wicket and good lines. But Sangakkara is showing stoic defence outside his off-stump.Sri Lanka need more of such stoic defence to save the match on the final day’s play. Plunkett has come into bowl as second change.

 

 

 

England continued to bomb Sri Lankan bowlers with short deliveries. It can perhaps be used as a surprise weapon more than banging almost everything into the track. The ball will lose its shine and it has to be said that James Anderson is a swing bowler. Anderson then went around the wicket to create a different angle to Sangakkara the batsman.

 

 

 

It was Broad who finally took the wicket of the left-hander, Karunaratne. He tried to flick only to be caught by the short leg fielder Sam Robson. A big wicket for England to start with and yes the short ball tactic has worked for them. Sangakkara the lynchpin of Sri Lankan batting has come into bat.
D Karunaratne c S Robson b S Broad 16(24)

 

 

 

Sri Lanka started the fifth day’s play looking to save the match. Sri Lanka are 21 for no loss after 6 overs. Sri Lanka have negotiated the first six overs of the match rather well. Both openers have left the ball well and that is something which is important when you play in England.

 

 

 

 

Hello and warm welcome to CricktCountry’s live blog of the fifth day’s play of England versus Sri Lanka first Test match at Lord’s. This is Bharath Ramaraj and I will do the live updates for the day’s play.

 

According to AFP, Gary Ballance‘s maiden Test century saw England carry out the “instructions” of discarded batting great Kevin Pietersen almost to the letter in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Zimbabwe-born Ballance, promoted to number three in only his second Test, made 104 after England had slumped to 121 for six in their second innings.

 

But by stumps the 24-year-old Yorkshire left-hander had guided England to a total of 267 for eight and a lead of 389. That left Sri Lanka needing to surpass the highest fourth innings total to win a Test at Lord’s — 344 for one, requiring 342, by the West Indies against England in 1984 — if they were to go 1-0 up in this two-match series.

 

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