May 31, 2002	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 18,1423

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BIRMINGHAM (England), May 30: Alec Stewart held three catches to complete 200 Test wicketkeeping dismissals as England seized the upper hand against Sri Lanka on the rain-hit opening day of the second Test at Edgbaston Thursday.

Sri Lanka, put in to bat after rain prevented any play before lunch, were 147 for eight with 14 overs remaining in the final session. Chaminda Vaas was 19 not out and Buddika Fernando four not out.

Stewart, who has now been behind the stumps in 66 of his 117 Tests, had a hand in the first three dismissals to remove openers Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya, then added the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka’s only prolonged resistance came from Mahela Jayawardene, who struck 47 in 60 deliveries and shared a third-wicket stand of 53 with Sangakkara.

Andy Caddick, who was below his best in the drawn first Test at Lord’s, got the ball to lift awkwardly at times here as he captured three for 47.

Two of his wickets came in a telling phase just before tea when the touring team slumped from 96 for three to 108 for six.

It was Caddick and his new ball partner Matthew Hoggard who began Sri Lanka’s troubles by reducing them to 23 for two in the space of five balls.

Hoggard struck first in an eventful over during which he was first cover driven sweetly for four by Jayasuriya and then clipped crisply to square leg by Atapattu.

However, Atapattu pushed tentatively at a delivery just outside off stump and edged it to be caught behind by Stewart for 13.

Four balls later, Jayasuriya fell to Caddick for eight. The Sri Lanka captain got an outside edge as he played forward and Stewart flung himself in front of first slip to hold the catch.

The damage was being repaired, mainly through some five strokes by Jayawardene, when his partner Sangakkara chased a wide one from Andrew Flintoff and was caught for 16 by Stewart, giving the keeper his landmark dismissal.

Sri Lanka plunged into deep trouble when they lost three more wickets for 12 runs shortly before the interval.

Hoggard accounted for Aravinda de Silva (12) when the Yorkshire paceman returned for a second spell before Caddick, also in his second stint, dispatched Jayawardene and Russel Arnold (1) with the aid of catches at second slip by Flintoff.

There was a stoppage of almost an hour for rain soon after tea but, when play resumed in lovely evening sunshine, the Sri Lankans’ problems were compounded by Alex Tudor.

Recalled for his second spell of the day, Tudor had Hashan Tillekeratne lbw with his first ball and removed Nuwan Zoysa with his fifth delivery which the batsman hooked to Flintoff at long leg.