|
|
| May 16, 2006 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 17, 1427 |
Gutsy tail-enders engineer Lanka’s great escape
LONDON, May 15: Tailenders Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekera ensured Sri Lanka achieved one of the great escapes in Test history as the tourists drew their series opener against England on the final day at Lord's on Monday.
Their Sri Lankan record ninth-wicket stand of 105 compounded the effect of a shoddy England fielding display which saw the hosts drop nine catches in all during the match, the first of a three-Test series.
Vaas finished on 50 not out after Kulasekera, in only his third match at this level, had made a Test-best 64.
Sri Lanka, following-on in reply to England's first innings 551 for six declared, closed on 537 for nine – 178 ahead – after 14 hours of resistance in an innings lasting 199 overs.
Sri Lanka's score was the highest total in the second innings of a Lord's Test, beating the 529 for five declared England made against them in 2002.
They had been just 62 runs ahead when pacemen Vaas and Kulasekera came together in overcast, swing-friendly conditions.
But the fact that Sri Lanka were eventually in a position to avoid defeat owed much to a century on Sunday from their captain Mahela Jayawardene after he top-scored with 61 in his team's meagre first innings 192.
However, he too was a beneficiary of England's fallible slip fielding, dropped for 58 – 61 runs short of his eventual 119 – by Andrew Strauss.
At tea, Sri Lanka were 510 for eight, Vaas 34 not out and the 23-year-old Kulasekera 55 not out.
Andrew Flintoff, captaining England with Michael Vaughan injured, ignored concerns about his long-term health, the all-rounder bowling 50 overs in a Test innings for the first time.
But it was fellow quick Hoggard who finally broke a stand spanning 46 overs when he had Kulasekera, hooking, caught by Kevin Pietersen on the mid-wicket boundary.
Kulasekera faced 133 balls in over three hours, with two sixes and seven fours.
His partnership with Vaas broke Sri Lanka's previous ninth-wicket Test best of 101 set by Sanath Jayasuriya and Dilhara Fernando against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 2004-05.
Vaas, after a brief bad light stoppage, was then dropped on 41 at backward-point by a leaping Paul Collingwood, who got two hands to the ball, off debutant quick Sajid Mahmood.
Earlier Alastair Cook, in the gully, put down a routine chance from Kulasekera, on 14, off Mahmood.Kulasekera swept under-used left-arm spinner Monty Panesar for six before repeating the stroke to go to a maiden Test fifty as Sri Lanka reached 500.
Sri Lanka resumed on Monday on 381 for six and soon lost Chamara Kapugedera for 10.
Tillekeratne Dilshan though held firm for 69 before he edged persevering fast bowler Liam Plunkett to first slip Marcus Trescothick.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND (1st Innings) 551-6 declared (K.P. Pietersen 158, M.E. Trescothick 106, A.N. Cook 89, P.D. Collingwood 57).
SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 192 (M. Jayawardene 61; M.J. Hoggard 4-27).
SRI LANKA (2nd Innings, overnight 381-6):
J. Mubarak b Hoggard 6
W.U. Tharanga c Jones b Panesar 52
K.C. Sangakkara c Jones b Panesar 65
M. Jayawardene c Jones b Flintoff 119
M.F. Maharoof c Pietersen b Sajid 59
T.T. Samaraweera c Jones b Sajid 6
T.M. Dilshan c T’cothick b Plunkett 69
C.K. Kapugedera c Jones b Flintoff 10
W.P.U.J.C. Vaas not out 50
N. Kulasekera c Pietersen b Hoggard 64
M. Muralitharan not out 1
EXTRAS (B-9, LB-19, W-3, NB-5) 36
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 199 overs) 537
FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-119, 3-178, 4-291, 5-303, 6-371, 7-405, 8-421, 9-526.
BOWLING: Hoggard 46-11-110-2 (1nb); Flintoff 51-11-131-2 (1w); Sajid Mahmood 35-5-118-2 (1w); Plunkett 31-10-85-1 (2nb); Collingwood 9-2-16-0 (2nb, 1w); Panesar 27-10-49-2.
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and R.E. Koertzen (South Africa).
TV Umpire: N.J. Llong (England).
MATCH REFEREE: A.G. Hurst (Australia).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mahela Jayawardene.
SECOND TEST: Edgbaston, May 25-29.
THIRD TEST: Trent Bridge, June 2-6.—Agencies
|
|
