Bairstow is out again, with gloves still on but sans a bat. Sun's out to make it less intimidating for Sri Lanka as the No. 1 ranked bowler shadow-throws on top of his mark. Three slips and a gully, and a short leg in place as Anderson runs in from over the wicket
So, another episode of Sri Lanka getting bullied by the lower order culminates. On a good flat pitch, under sunny skies, that Herath breakthrough yesterday had birthed a hope. A tiny one, and Lakmal followed suit to own the opening session. Things looked to plan until Bairstow intervened, albeit riding on luck but forged a stand with Woakes that landed England where they would have wanted to be. Or just 50 runs short, let's say. Now over to Sri Lanka's batting to see how big a score this can be made to look.
128.4 -
Eranga to Anderson, out Caught by Chandimal!! And now he goes. Just the way Sri Lanka planned. Eranga bends his back further, gets the ball to ricochet up quick off the turf and Anderson's hop was late. Feathered an edge back to the keeper for England to end on a 416 all out. All credit to Bairstow and Cook for resurrecting an innings that threatened shambles. Anderson c Chandimal b Eranga 4(3) [4s-1]
Eranga to Anderson, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
128.3 -
Eranga to Anderson, FOUR, oh Jimmy! The plan to bowl short was as obvious as a sitcom. Jimmy knew the length, hopped up inside the line of this short delivery and opens the face of the bat just a touch to guide the edge wide of the keeper and the slip
There's a short leg for Anderson
128.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, now a fuller length delivery on leg-stump, wanted a two but had timed the clip all too well round the corner
128.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, too close to off to attempt a run down to third man. Does well to cut the angle with a crouch and an open bat to guide it away to gully
Shaminda Eranga [25.0-2-89-0] is back into the attack
127.6 -
Herath to Anderson, no run, quicker from round the wicket with an FSL waiting, Anderson waterjugs the plans with a solid defence
James Anderson, left handed bat, comes to the crease
127.5 -
Herath to Finn, out Caught by Lakmal!! Now that's gone. No technology to deny Herath this time. Hits a length on the pads, Finn knives his bat in front to sweep but fails to ride the bounce. A top-edge that's been pouched in the deep at backward square leg. Lakmal ran to his left and managed to hold onto it well with a leftward dive. Anderson one wicket away to get that new ball. Finn c Lakmal b Herath 7(22) [4s-1]
Herath to Finn, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
127.4 -
Herath to Finn, no run, jags in quick with the arm but Finn had his bat straight and down to block. Not in control
127.3 -
Herath to Finn, no run, jerks himself forward on the front foot and bunts this flighted delivery
127.2 -
Herath to Finn, no run, blocked off the front foot into the off side
127.1 -
Herath to Finn, no run, shimmies out but gets over the shortened length to push it away. A sshort mid-on in place too
126.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, gets a fullish length on the pad and flows into a defence to mid-on
126.5 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, walks into a defence back to Lakmal this time
126.4 -
Lakmal to Finn, 1 run, an extended forward defence to extra cover for a single
126.3 -
Lakmal to Finn, no run, fails to work it into the leg-side as the ball pings the pads. Too leg-sidish to invite an appeal
126.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, pushed to deep extra cover. An employment for the front foot
126.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, FOUR, oh Bairstow! What a charmer. Another slice of luck. Goes hard at the width, fails to tame the bounce and the top-edge flew wide of Thiri at slip who was stationed wide of the keeper in a skewed disposition. Why Mathews, why? The ball finds the gap between him and Chandimal. Karma. The fielder tries to pull out a half-hearted dive to his left but fails and tumbles
125.6 -
Herath to Finn, no run, gets his bowling arm lower but keeps the pace slow. The ball arrows in and Finn defends it off the front foot
125.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, tossed up above the eye line, but the Lord's pitch doesn't oblige. Nor does the slope. Shoots straight on and Bairstow could push it down to long-off off the front foot
125.4 -
Herath to Finn, 1 run, works this to long-on for a single
125.3 -
Herath to Finn, FOUR, tossed up from Herath and Finn bullied this. Free swing of the arms to demolish it past the non-striker's stumps. Vroooooom!
125.2 -
Herath to Finn, no run, brilliant bowling. Sees Finn's intentions to shimmy out and darts in an arm ball to spur the inside edge on the defence
Sun's out of the clouds now
125.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, brings Bairstow forward with a push to long-off as he keeps the length full
One slip for Herath..
124.6 -
Lakmal to Finn, no run, a front foot across to defend this length ball with audacious authority
124.5 -
Lakmal to Finn, no run, penchant for leg-stump rallies on. Sliding on to beat the flick, take the pads and be fielded by Chandimal's dive to his left
Two slips
124.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, crashed to deep cover in place
On a scale of zero to Game of Thrones, how much does HawkEye bewilder you?
124.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, straight line, fullish length. No drama. Blocked
124.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, jagging into the pads from a barbered length only to be defended
124.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, length into the pads, defended with a high elbow
123.6 -
Herath to Finn, no run, reaches out and bunts it off the toe-end into the off-side
123.5 -
Herath to Finn, no run, wow. Someone allow me to time-travel to an era where technology didn't exist. This arm-ball from Herath looked to have brazed past Finn's defence and hit the pad plumb in front. With two wickets to go, Finn went for a half-hearted review.. Everything looked right, everything looked plumb until the HawkEye showed the ball sliding down leg. Go figure.
Finn has reviewed an LBW decision. That looked plumber than.. Fair delivery. No edge as the Hot Spot suggests. RTS shows no spike to conform. How's that missing leg? How? Decision changed!
123.4 -
Herath to Finn, no run, forward and blocked
123.3 -
Herath to Finn, no run, lovely. Quickens the pace and shortens the length a touch, skids on with bounce as Finn blunts it into the pitch
123.2 -
Herath to Finn, no run, gives it some more air, Finn waits before blocking it back to Herath
123.1 -
Herath to Finn, no run, blocked into the off-side off the front foot
England 3 runs short of the 400-run mark. Here's Herath again as a slip, leg slip and FSL wait on
122.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, a tame length ball jagging in ever so slowly with the slope, Bairstow could defend it off the front foot as a lone, wide slip looked on
122.5 -
Lakmal to Finn, 1 run, goes for the pads on a fullish length that's clipped through mid-wicket for a single. Finn off the mark
Two slips and a gully
122.4 -
Lakmal to Finn, no run, another one down leg. Zipped off the turf quick, Finn did turn around to meet it but was late. Everything right but the line there..
122.3 -
Lakmal to Finn, no run, shortish length down leg, Finn hops in sync with the bounce while coiling up but leaves it alone in the end
Steven Finn, right handed bat, comes to the crease
122.2 -
Lakmal to Broad, out Caught by Kusal Mendis!! Sri Lanka strike. Maybe this's the session. Lakmal switched to round the wicket for the left-hander, pinged a length outside off and kept it wide. Broad stayed leg-side to create further room, had a flash at it but failed to ride the bounce. An edge skewed off the outside half and settles nicely into the hands of gully who plucked it on his left. Broad c Kusal Mendis b Lakmal 14(32) [4s-1]
Lakmal to Broad, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
122.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, leg byes, 1 run, darts in on a fullish length and skids off the pitch quick to beat Bairstow's flick. Flirted away off the pads for a leg bye
Just a slip..
121.6 -
Herath to Broad, no run, arm ball from round the wicket that slides across Broad.. who gets his bat higher and taps the ball towards cover
121.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, slows the pace on this sees and sees a pushed single tapped to cover
121.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, darted full in front of off, Bairstow waited on the front foot and jammed it out on the half volley to Herath
121.3 -
Herath to Broad, 1 run, lovely. Went wide of the crease and fires it in full, Broad pushes off the front foot to extra cover and shoplifts a single. Good cricket all around
121.2 -
Herath to Broad, 2 runs, slides on straight and a thickish edge is guided to third man
121.1 -
Herath to Broad, no run, tickled off the pads into the leg side
Three men for the left hander again. FSL, slip and a silly point
120.6 -
Lakmal to Broad, 1 run, angled across on a length, Broad again sees the shortness on that and flashes it through cover to keep strike
From over the wicket now
120.5 -
Lakmal to Broad, no run, lovely from backward point. Dives to his right and arrests this cut shot from Broad. He had the width, the length wasn't quite short but he rocked back to manipulate it for himself
A discussion on air about the greatest of players succumbing to Lord's intimidation..
120.4 -
Lakmal to Broad, no run, into the blockhole outside off, Broad squeezes it out towards mid-off
120.3 -
Lakmal to Broad, 2 runs, pinged the pitch on a length and pushed it just a tad wider. Broad looked to defend, played outside the line a bit more than he would have wanted, and an inside edge rolled to fine leg
120.2 -
Lakmal to Broad, no run, looked gentler as Lakmal went wider and kept it firing into the pads. Broad opens a touch to block it in control
120.1 -
Lakmal to Broad, 2 runs, pings a back of a length and angles the ball in, Broad stays put, inclined back to make room and tucked it to deep mid-wicket for a brace. Where's the short ball?
Suranga Lakmal [23.0-2-77-2] is back into the attack
Lakmal from the other end. The sun's trying to peep out although the light out there can best be termed as diffused. Two slips and a gully in place, from round the wicket
119.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, more intent into this push to cover as Bairstow hauled his back leg and extended his arms into the push. Not a run
119.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, gets forward and blocks this into the off-side
Bairstow has earned only a slip for himself. 157 runs do speak
119.4 -
Herath to Broad, 1 run, loops it outside off this time to invite Broad across on front foot with a bunted defence past backward point
119.3 -
Herath to Broad, no run, darted into the pads from over the wicket, Broad pushes it away
119.2 -
Herath to Broad, no run, drifting into the pads and defended into the leg-side
Cook's still seated in the balcony.. someone give him a book. A leg slip, a slip and an FSL for the left hander
119.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, tossed up delivery outside off, Bairstow push-drives it to cover and opens the account after lunch with a single
A slip for Herath..
Welcome back. After a couple of hot samosas and a cuppa cutting chai, here I am, all excited to let my typing fingers be a mouthpiece for you. England have risen, helped by Sri Lanka's struggles against the lower order and DRS. Bairstow now has 145 more runs that Mathews would have liked, Woakes hijacked strike in the first session to speed-boost the score. Herath struck to send the latter back but the repercussions were too shirt-lived to come to Sri Lanka's rescue. Now over to this session to see how flatter this pitch can play. Or better, how much it can spin.
Day 2, Lunch: A pretty sedate session as the England lower order continued to pile on the misery and the bowlers continued to look hapless. This session eerily resembled the first session of the second day at Durham where the English lower order batted the Lankans out of the contest and shut the door firmly on them. Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes raced to their respective highest Test scores and in the process put up a 154-run partnership for the seventh wicket in quick time. They were helped by some pretty wayward bowling by the seamers who sprayed the ball all around, and a wicket that has eased up considerably. The lone bright spot for the visitors was the bowling of their old workhorse, Rangana Herath, who managed to snare out the wicket of Chris Woakes in the final few minutes of the session. Do join us in around 40 minutes for the second session.
118.6 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, slants the bouncer across the left-hander, Broad sways away from the line of the delivery, drops his gloves as well. And that will be lunch on day two
Over the wicket for the last ball... A deepish FSL and a man at leg gully in place...
118.5 -
Pradeep to Broad, FOUR, cracking shot! Pradeep doesn't get the height on the short delivery, offers width as well, Broad hangs back and punches it sweetly square of the wicket on the off-side, raced away to the fence
118.4 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, attempted bouncer, but down leg, Broad stays inside the line and evades it comfortably
118.3 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, that is not good batting. Short delivery that doesn't rise much, but Broad takes his eyes off the ball and takes a blow on the glove and bicep. That would sting, if not today, tomorrow morning for sure..
118.2 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, fuller and shapes away outside off after Broad allows it to pass
Will stay round the wicket to Broad..
118.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, on the hips, tucked away to deep backward square leg
Might be the last over before lunch and Pradeep decides to come round the wicket to Bairstow...
117.6 -
Herath to Broad, no run, flatter, fuller and around off, Broad drives it with an open-bat face to point
117.5 -
Herath to Broad, no run, floated just outside off, Broad pushes it gently towards point
117.4 -
Herath to Broad, no run, tossed up on off, Broad blocks it right under his nose to the man under the helmet
FSL moves to silly point..
117.3 -
Herath to Broad, no run, flighted outside off, Broad drives and picks out cover
117.2 -
Herath to Broad, no run, straight roller on off, Broad once again plays for the turn, gets it off the outer half and the ball rolls to the off-side
Only a slip and FSL for Broad...
117.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, floated up outside off, eased down to sweeper cover
116.6 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, another one with uneven bounce. Thankfully it was not on the wicket. Back of a length around off, Broad was hanging back to block, the ball goes underneath the bat. He has a look at the wicket
116.5 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, short and keeps a tad low outside off, Broad aims for a flashing cut shot, gets it off the toe-end and the ball dribbles towards point
116.4 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, this is poor. Pradeep should make Broad play. Again the ball is well outside off and Broad is happy to play for lunch
116.3 -
Pradeep to Broad, no run, back of a length and outside off, Broad has nothing to do with it
Two slips and a gully in place for Broad..
116.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, comfortably done. Pradeep shortens the length on off, Bairstow taps it gently towards mid-on and sets off
116.1 -
Pradeep to Broad, 1 run, slanted into the left-hander, Broad uses the angle to his advantage and bunts it in front of mid-on, calls for a quick single and Bairstow responds
Nuwan Pradeep [25.0-4-97-2] is back into the attack
A quick burst from Pradeep before the lunch break. He is starting from round the wicket to Broad...
115.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, quicker and angling in, Bairstow blocks it into the leg-side and it is another maiden for Herath
115.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, quicker and outside off, Bairstow's eyes lit up seeing the width and he went chasing after that, he was undone by the pace and the ball almost kissed the outside edge
115.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, flighted just outside off, Bairstow eases it into the off-side
115.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, hint of turn and Herath has pinged the outer half of the bat. Bairstow did well to not go with hard hands, played it well in the end
115.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, very full and around off, Bairstow drills the drive towards short extra cover, a dive was required to stop that
115.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, arm-ball which almost went through, Bairstow brings his bat down and keeps it out, just in the nick of time
114.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, short and wide outside off, slapped straight to deep point
114.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, good length ball on off, Bairstow is solid in his front foot defence
114.4 -
Mathews to Bairstow, FOUR, 150 for Bairstow. It is also his highest score in Tests. Another opportunity for the Lord's crowd to stand and applaud. Bairstow acknowledges it with a raise of the bat. Mathews sprays it down leg, Bairstow tickles it fine and reaches the landmark
114.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, goes wider of the crease and angles it in on back of a length, Bairstow stays back and defends
114.2 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, fullish and teasing Bairstow around off, Bairstow goes for the drive and gets it off the inner part to mid-on
114.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, good length ball on the fourth stump line, blocked off the front foot
113.6 -
Herath to Broad, no run, goes straight on around off, Broad was shuffling across to play for the spin, keeps it out with the outside half of the bat
113.5 -
Herath to Broad, no run, tossed up on off, Broad plunges forward and blocks
A slip and FSL in place for the new batsman..
113.4 -
Herath to Broad, no run, very full and on off, Broad squeezes it into the off-side
Stuart Broad, left handed bat, comes to the crease
113.3 -
Herath to Woakes, out Caught&Bowled!! It was a matter of time. Woakes looked itchy to the line Herath was operating to. He decides to unsettle him by dancing down the wicket, is undone by the dip and gently chips it back to Herath, who clings on with the help of his chest. Sri Lanka needed that wicket as the pair looked too comfortable for their liking. In fact, Herath had a couple of juggles before hanging on. Woakes c and b Herath 66(142) [4s-8]
Herath to Woakes, THAT'S OUT!! Caught&Bowled!!
Over the wicket to Woakes...
113.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, quicker and bowled with a round-arm action, Bairstow watches it closely and pushes it to sweeper cover
113.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, FOUR, straightaway Bairstow greets him with a beautiful drive. Teased up on off, Bairstow gives himself some room to open up the off-side field, drives inside out to beat short extra cover and long-off
Herath comes back round the wicket...
112.6 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, good length ball just outside off, Woakes lifts his bat and lets it go
112.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, Mathews ends up drifting onto the pads, clipped away behind square on the leg-side
Chandimal is going back now. There is a wide third/fourth slip in place..
112.4 -
Mathews to Woakes, 1 run, shortens the length outside off, Woakes stands tall and punches to deepish extra cover
112.3 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, on a length and close to off, Woakes doesn't go fully forward as he keeps this one out
112.2 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, Woakes stays in the crease and steers the fullish delivery to gully
112.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, fuller and on off, worked away with a twirl of the wrists to deep mid-wicket
111.6 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, quicker and on leg-stump, blocked down the wicket
111.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, well wide of leg-stump and Woakes can't reach it even with a stretch
111.4 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, tossed up on leg-stump, Woakes presses forward and defends
111.3 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, too full and around leg, Woakes clears his front leg and mistimes the drive to mid-wicket
111.2 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, comes down the track to try and negate this line, doesn't get to the pitch and ends up blocking it with the pad
111.1 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, blocked with the pad to a ball outside leg-stump
110.6 -
Mathews to Woakes, 1 run, too straight, ends up on the batsman's pads, flicked away behind square on the leg-side
110.5 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, wicket-to-wicket stuff from Mathews, Woakes presents the full face of the bat and defends
110.4 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, shortens the length and Woakes pats it towards point
110.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, on a length and just outside off, Bairstow taps it with soft hands in between point and cover, sets off for a quick single
110.2 -
Mathews to Bairstow, leg byes, 2 runs, strays onto the pads and gets away with a couple, Bairstow misses the glance and the ball takes the pad on the way to fine leg
110.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 2 runs, back of a length on off, Bairstow stays leg-side, dabs it behind point and scampers back for the second before the man from the deep can tidy up
Angelo Mathews [10.0-5-19-0] is back into the attack
Chandimal up to stumps as Mathews jogs in for his first spell of the day...
109.6 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, that is what Sri Lanka are looking for. The slider from Herath, Woakes prods forward to block, pushes at it and the ball takes the inside edge and eludes both the close-in fielders on the leg-side
109.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, flatter and on the pads, easily nudged away to deep backward square leg
109.4 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, Woakes takes a leaf out of Bairstow's book, shimmies down to the pitch of the ball and drives to the right of Herath, who makes a half stop and concedes a single
109.3 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, Woakes continues to use his pad as a defensive tool, padded away
109.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, uses his feet to reach the ball, opens himself up and eases it to long-off
109.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, floated into the surface, Bairstow goes outside the line and pushes it to the left of Herath
108.6 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, this time around gets the yorker spot on, Woakes does well to clear his front leg, bring his bat down and jam it down the wicket
108.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, yorker goes wrong, full toss on middle, Bairstow turns it away to deep mid-wicket, could have done better with that
108.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, back of a length on off, Bairstow turns it with soft hands to short mid-wicket
108.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, FOUR, he tried this shot in the previous over, but this time finds the gap. Shortish and just outside off, Bairstow waits and steers it late to the left of gully, raced away to the vacant third man region
108.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, Eranga is surely getting some inward movement. Not sure if it is reverse though. Bairstow stays on leg-stump and bunts the short of length delivery to the off-side
108.1 -
Eranga to Woakes, 1 run, hint of nip in from back of a length, Woakes brings his bat down at an angle and the ball squirts off the inside edge to deep backward square leg
107.6 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, flighted just outside leg-stump, Woakes works it away wide of mid-wicket
107.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, Chandimal goes up for a stifled LBW appeal. Nothing from the others. Quicker and on leg-stump, Woakes pads it away, ball pitched outside leg and that just kills the appeal
107.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, Bairstow still manages to find the gap between those two fielders, single behind square on the leg-side
FSL also brought in...
107.3 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, flatter and on the pads, nudged away to deep backward square
107.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, Bairstow will attack this line, kneels down and gets a bottom edge on the sweep, Chandimal gets a bit of boot and takes the pace off the ball
107.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, tossed up around leg-stump, Bairstow dead-bats it to the on-side
Herath to continue from over the wicket.. Leg slip has been added..
106.6 -
Eranga to Woakes, 2 runs, that's excellent running, though Bairstow had to put in the dive, he made it in comfortably. On the pads, Woakes nurdles it behind square on the leg-side, deep backward square gets around and fires a throw to the bowler's end
106.5 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, on a length close to off, Woakes is half-forward and defending to cover
106.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, short of length on off, Bairstow stays leg-side of the ball and bunts it rather awkwardly to deep point. He was slightly hurried there for pace, but did well to bring his bat down
106.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, Bairstow goes for the dab to third man, seeing that there is no one in the deep, but the length was a touch fuller and he ended up chopping it to gully
106.2 -
Eranga to Woakes, 1 run, width provided and Woakes is not going to miss out on a run-scoring opportunity, steers it with a horizontal bat square of the wicket on the off-side
106.1 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, back of a length around the fourth stump line, Woakes hangs back and defends with the straightest of bats
105.6 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, teased up outside leg, Woakes gets his front leg out of the way and works it through mid-wicket
105.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, again on the leg-stump line, Woakes is not padding away this one, pushes it back to Herath
105.4 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, floated outside leg, Woakes pads it away
Mathews and Herath have a chat and decide to place a man at deep mid-wicket. That is because Herath has decided to come over the wicket. FSL in place as well..
105.3 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, nice loopy delivery, tempting Woakes to go for the big one, he resists and jams it back to Herath
105.2 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, flighted just outside off, Woakes lunges forward and blocks to cover
105.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, tossed up on the stumps, Bairstow turns his bat face at the last instant and nudges it to the right of mid-wicket, easy single
104.6 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, again not much problem for Woakes to keep this length delivery out, defended to the off-side
104.5 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, good length ball on off, Woakes is half-forward and blocking
104.4 -
Eranga to Woakes, FOUR, that's put away with utter disdain. Banged in halfway down, around the off-stump line, Woakes transfers his weight onto the back foot, rolls his wrists and pulls it in front of square, no chance for the man in the deep
104.3 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, on a length and outside off, Woakes doesn't move his feet much, drives on the up to mid-off, straight to the fielder
104.2 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, full and angling into Woakes, who leans nicely into the flick, but can't beat the man at mid-wicket
104.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, leg byes, 1 run, shortens the length and gets it to zip off the surface, Bairstow is hurried on the shot, is beaten on the inside edge and is struck on the back thigh, ball rolls to the off-side and the duo scamper across for a quick run
103.6 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, loads of flight on this delivery, driven modestly into the short cover pocket
103.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, slides on with the arm, Bairstow keeps his head still as he clips this square on the on-side
103.4 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, straightroller, eased to long-on
A FSL for Woakes
103.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, this one's pushed right in the gap between short cover and backward point, to sneak in a quick single
103.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, floater outside off, driven crisply towards backward point
103.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, teased up just outside off, driven to the left of the bowler
Only one slip for Jonny
102.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, tap-and-run single from Jonny Bairstow to cap off the over
102.5 -
Eranga to Woakes, leg byes, 1 run, overcompensates and bowls it too straight, Woakes was a fraction late to bring his bat down on the clip, thuds the pad and rolls to the leg-side
102.4 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, played back to the bowler
102.3 -
Eranga to Woakes, FOUR, driven in the air and in the gap between point and gully. What a way to get to your first fifty in Test match cricket, well played Chris Roger Woakes! Slices the drive on this full and wide delivery and beats Kusal Perera's sparing dive
102.2 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, arrows it on middle and Woakes is hurried to fend it towards leg
102.1 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, back of a length outside off, Woakes jabs it with firm hands
Eranga to continue, a bit of funky field placings from Angelo. Sort of silly point in place
101.6 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, quicker around leg-stump, driven with a closed bat face down to long-on
101.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, back to the blocking dance
101.4 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, smothered into the short mid-wicket region
101.3 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, gets a big stride, nose over the ball
101.2 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, on-driven towards mid-on
101.1 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, forward and defended
Rangana Herath [22.0-4-49-2] is back into the attack
An early drinks break has been enforced, not sure what exactly is the reason. Haha! Apparently one of the umpires needed to rush....where? To the zoo, no - Read that right: It's LOO. Mahela Jayawardene and Michael Atherton are involved in an intense discussion regarding Bairstow's lbw yesterday. The ball was just clipping leg, lots of ifs and buts on the accuracy of the technology. To be fair, that looked out to the naked eye but technology has it's own laws and flaws. Its' Rod Tucker, the umpire who had to rush to the loo. Rangana now, one slip and a silly point
100.6 -
Eranga to Woakes, 3 runs, not this time though, full on leg peg, Woakes flicks wide of Herath at mid-on and sprints hard to complete three
100.5 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, down leg, Woakes missed out on a leg-glance there
100.4 -
Eranga to Woakes, FOUR, dripping with class and authority is that shot! Woakes brings up his highest score in Test cricket by clobbering a powerful drive through the covers
100.3 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, full at the stumps, straight-driven towards mid-on
100.2 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, floated fuller outside off, Woakes drives but straight to the man at short cover
100.1 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, justifies Mahela's words by tilting one down leg, Woakes half-turns and lets it go
Shaminda Eranga [20.0-2-63-0] is back into the attack
Eranga now. He dropped a catch when Bairstow was on 11, Mahela J on air reckons "Don't think he's slept well last night." One slip and a gully
99.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, the scattergun ploy continues from Sri Lanka. Bairstow had so much width offer on this fullish delivery, brought his bat down and caressed it to square third man boundary boards
99.5 -
Pradeep to Woakes, 1 run, you give width I will make sure you go for runs, a happy Woakes who flays one behind backward point
99.4 -
Pradeep to Woakes, FOUR, full at the pads, superbly timed by Woakes! Gets that front leg across and spanks the flick through mid-wicket region, down the hill and no-one's chasing that...
99.3 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, asking questions in the corridor of uncertainty, Woakes is right behind the line of the delivery, prodding and blocking
99.2 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, better lines from Pradeep this time, softly driven towards mid-off
99.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, short of length wide outside off, cut away fiercely behind backward point
98.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, fraction full outside off, steered with an open bat face square on the off-side, Bairstow will retain strike
98.5 -
Lakmal to Woakes, 1 run, pulls his length back and bowls it around the ribcage, Woakes half-swivels and pulls along the ground behind square, the runs keep coming...
98.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, fuller and further wider of off, Bairstow drives to extra cover and scampers for an easy single
98.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, 79mph, length around sixth stump channel, punched solidly to short cover
98.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, lost his radar this time, way too short and sliding down leg, Bairstow sways out of the line
98.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, pitched up and in the slot, driven straight to mid-off
97.6 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, 82.1mph, tailed in slightly towards off, Woakes shuffles across his off-stump and shows a dead-bat
97.5 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, Woakes continues to drive, short extra cover in business again
97.4 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, tries a similar delivery but this one hasn't got much venom, doesn't bounce much and Chandimal does well to cope with the low bounce, left alone
97.3 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, tailed back in sharply from a good length, outside off and Woakes shoulders arms
97.2 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, not threatening by any means, Woakes will play those all day long, outside off which is pushed towards cover
Simon Jones and Marcus Trescothick are spotted in the crowd...
97.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, gentle full delivery with plenty of room for Bairstow who steers past point to get a single
96.6 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, driven uppishly but found short extra cover to perfection
96.5 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, slanted in down the slope, played back
96.4 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, short of length outside off, Woakes ain't groping that
96.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 3 runs, finally! After a trillion attempts trying to find gaps with the drive, Bairstow manages to silk this stroke behind square. Making Kusal Perera run hard to his left and also succeeds in bringing England's 300
96.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, and again! For the umpteenth time today. Now he walks to his partner and punches gloves, just to get some confidence back I reckon
96.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, Bairstow continues to drive and fails to pierce the gap so consistently
95.6 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, block, block, block
95.5 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, ideal length on a first session of any Test match, the good length which is respected with the straightest of willows
Leg gully has benn slotted now which meant fine leg has to go wider
95.4 -
Pradeep to Woakes, 2 runs, drifting down leg, Woakes gets across and tickles it fine, the fine leg fielder is much finer this time which allows Woakes only a duo of runs
95.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, back of a length outside off, punched to cover for an easy single
95.2 -
Pradeep to Woakes, 1 run, lands it on a short length and gives Woakes ample time to swivel and power the pull through mid-wicket
95.1 -
Pradeep to Woakes, leg byes, FOUR, splays one down the leg-side, Woakes fails to put bat to ball on the leg-glance, off the pads and scorches away to the fine leg fence
Well, well! Sir Garfield Sobers is in the house too. The crowd's pretty full. Murmurs ring around as Pradeep trundles in...
94.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, outside off, left alone to the keeper
94.5 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, Bairstow is still trying to find the middle with those attempted drives
94.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, fullish outside off, not so convincing is the drive from Jonny Bairstow
94.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, thrashed towards short cover
94.2 -
Lakmal to Woakes, 1 run, short of length outside off, Woakes jams his bat down quickly and glides it past backward point
Meanwhile, Matt Prior joins the dressing room in the balcony. The bell (not Ian) that matters today has been rung by him. He is the only English wicket-keeper apart from Jonny Bairstow to score 3 Test tons in a calender year
94.1 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, smidge full outside off, Woakes doesn't time the drive, meekly off the bottom half, dribbles towards short extra cover
93.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, tight length and lines from Pradeep, Bairstow blocks
93.5 -
Pradeep to Woakes, 1 run, arrowing into the pads, Woakes clips through square leg to fetch an easy single
93.4 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, dug in short and around fourth, fifth stump line, Woakes saw that coming and ducked underneath
93.3 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, same length, same line, Woakes keeps that leg-side field busy
93.2 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, 82.4mph, goodish length on middle, manoeuvred into the leg-side with soft hands
93.1 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, starts off by hitting the deck hard on a back of a length, the line's quite straight and Woakes is content to block towards mid-on
Nuwan Pradeep [21.0-4-81-2] is back into the attack
So, only one over from Herath. Back to pace again, one slip and wide gully
92.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, similar stroke with a much straighter willow, slotted to mid-off this time
92.5 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, nipped in slightly from a good length, Bairstow push-drives and picks mid-on
92.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, luring Bairstow to drive one more, he goes chasing but a valiant dive from short cover meant Bairstow got nothing
92.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, a touch straighter on the stumps, blocked back
92.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 2 runs, full and there to be smashed, Bairstow is quite early into the drive. As a result, yanks his bottom hand off the blade while completing the stroke, the ball had enough power to travel towards the sweeper cover fence. Fielder puts in the dive and slides the ball back to save a couple of runs
92.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 2 runs, angled in from a good length, Bairstow tucks to the right of mid-on where Mathews dives and half-stops, couldn't prevent the double though
Suranga Lakmal [19.0-2-66-2] is back into the attack
91.6 -
Herath to Woakes, FOUR, short and turning away outside off, Woakes pounces on it. Rocks back and smears the cut behind backward point, raced away in a hurry!
91.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, same lines, gently pushed into the off-side
91.4 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, flatter in trajectory, just outside off, smothered towards short cover
A silly point has been added now
91.3 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, tossed up invitingly outside off, Woakes strides forward and pushes into the off-side
91.2 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, slips it fraction fuller this time, driven towards short cover
91.1 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, turn! Floated fullish and just outside off, spins away from Woakes who pushes with soft hands, skews it off the outside half wide of the lone slip
Rangana Herath [21.0-4-45-2] is back into the attack
Spin straightway. Quite perplexing, but Mathews has a lot of faith in this wily old fox. One slip and a FSL...
90.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, tilting in towards off, compact defence from Jonny
90.5 -
Pradeep to Woakes, 1 run, oooh! There's the swing, ably assisted by the slope too. On a length and attacking the stumps, Woakes gets a soft inside edge as he was late in bringing his bat down. Nevertheless sneaks a single behind square, gestures to Bairstow that the ball is moving a bit
90.4 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, hits the good length and gets it to curl in around Woakes' pads, safely kept out
90.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, first runs of the day for England and Jonny Bairstow, tucks this shortish delivery into the leg-side and toddles to the other end
90.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, ups his pace gets some movement off the seam, not enough to trouble Bairstow though, blocked
90.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, it's almost like the ball has just woken up, refusing to go at a quick pace towards Bairstow. Back of a length with a hint of inswing, Bairstow defends solidly
We are just minutes away from the start of day 2. It was all Jonny Bairstow's day yesterday. Crikey! Whatttay form he's in - No-one in the world has scored more first-class runs than he has in the past 12 months. What do we call it? I'm lost for words. "The forecast isn't as bright as yesterday," greets Mike Holding on air as the players amble out to the centre. Nuwan Pradeep will get us under way, 2 slips and a gully waiting. Here we go...
Weather report: Looks clear and quite humid as of now meaning no chances of rain. Will be a sunny day throughout and should be another cracking day for batting
Can Sri Lanka bounce back and pick some early wickets? Or will Bairstow and Co. keep knocking more runs? Stay tuned to find out..
10:25am local: Hello and a warm welcome to day 2 of the final Test between England and Sri Lanka. It was an action packed day 1 as the momentum kept swinging either ways and it was England who came out on top at the end of the day. The hosts started off positively as Hales and Cook shared a 50-plus opening stand, but Sri Lanka struck in the second hour of the first session. Cook missed out on his ton whereas the middle order failed to make their presence felt. However, they say luck favours the brave and there are a few more ballsy with bat in hand than Jonny Bairstow, who's unbeaten 107 saved England, taking them to 279-6 at stumps.
Will the English lower order pile on the misery yet again as has been the case in the earlier two games? Or will the Lankan bowlers and fielders learn from their previous outings and bounce back? Do join us for these answers and a lot more tomorrow for what promises to be another day of gripping cricket.
That brings us to the close of the opening day of this third and final Test. England will be pretty happy with their position especially after their wobble on either side of lunch when they lost four wickets for just 28 runs. It has been Jonny Bairstow's day, living a charmed life, surviving dropped chances, minutely marginal reviews and edges on both sides of the blade en route to yet another century this year, his first at the home of Cricket. Alastair Cook deserves special mention as well as he bunted the attack with his trademark display of patience. Sri Lanka though fought extremely hard to hold their own given the supremely batting friendly conditions. Nuwan Pradeep in particular bowled his heart out and despite bagging a couple of wickets, deserved a few more.
A huge roar and claps for Jonny Bairstow as he leads the players off the field. He would be absolutely pleased with the way he has gone about things in his innings, after that drop on 11 he made sure all those boundary-deserving balls didn't go scot-free. That's the sign of a man in dream-like-form and I'm sure he has a lot to offer for the current England side. During his innings, Nasser Hussain was discussing how his technique has evolved over the years. "I haven't seen a player who's changed his technique so much and been successful," lauded Nass. Need I say more? Graham Thorpe is surely sharing a pint with YJB, may be after the end of this Test match . 140, 48, 107* - Bairstow's scores in this series in case you aren't aware...
89.6 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, all safe! End of day 1. Full and outside off, Woakes gets into nice position as he drives this soundly to the right of mid-off. Mathews, the skip dives full length to his right and denies Woakes some runs
89.5 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, negated into the off-side with soft hands. Last ball of the day coming up...
89.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 3 runs, Lakmal continues to leak runs. Splays this fullish one around the pads and this time Bairstow's head was still when he drilled this wristy whip wide of mid-on. Herath is a tired man and he has to cover acres of ground, toddles and saves a run for his side
89.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 2 runs, just a touch too straight and that's enough for Bairstow who makes Lakmal pay by flicking through mid-wicket, the scorecard keeps ticking
89.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, good length on and around off, Bairstow is back to his blocking dance
89.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 2 runs, a bit too straight and Bairstow collects a couple of runs through mid-wicket, watched the ball all along and clipped it wristily
Last over of the day coming up and suddenly England seem to be on top. Heck! How things change....
88.6 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, tossed up outside off, driven to short cover
88.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, uses his feet to smother the spin on this delivery, good thinking from Woakes
88.4 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, pushed back to the bowler
88.3 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, flattish and just outside off, Woakes is content to block
88.2 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, forward and blocked
88.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, first hundred at Lord's for Jonny Marc Bairstow! Boy, isn't he pumped? Look at that reaction, screams "Yaaaay" after he flicked this dart into the leg-side and goes for a celebratory run. Not quite Imran Tahir like, but he is delighted to bits. Lord's rise as one to acknowledge the effort from the Yorkshireman. The captain and his colleagues too applaud from the picturesque balcony. Top-stuff!
Rangana Herath [20.0-4-44-2] is back into the attack
87.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, a lot of clapping and hooting engulf Lord's as Bairstow pulls one to fine leg to get closer to his hundred. He will be on strike...
87.5 -
Lakmal to Woakes, 1 run, this good length delivery nipped away ever so late, was tilting in towards middle and off. Squares Woakes up and he did well to tap it with soft hands, a soft outside edge dribbled wide of point
87.4 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, good length just outside off, safely kept out into the off-side
87.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, shortish and wide, Bairstow steers with an open bat face past point
87.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 2 runs, was there an inside edge? Yep, there seems to be one. This length delivery curled back in and was aimed for Bairstow's pads, he was a touch late on the flick. Manages to get an inside edge onto the pad which rolls away towards mid-wicket pocket, sneaks a double from nowhere. Good running JB!
87.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, aiming for that off-stump, Bairstow gets inside the line and blocks with a straight willow
Suranga Lakmal [17.0-2-54-2] is back into the attack
Last 3 overs coming up, Lakmal to bowl now. 2 slips
86.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, drifting in towards the pads from a short of a length, Bairstow flicks in the air - He knows there's no-one at square leg. Hence, it can be termed as a safe stroke, keeps the strike too
86.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, short in length again, Bairstow rises on his toes and punches crisply, short cover slides and stops
86.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, dug in short and the line is at the stumps, Bairstow sees it early and half-ducks to let it go
86.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, stands tall and bunts this length delivery into the pitch
86.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, this short of a length delivery slides in late, probably the upward angle of the slope has got something to do with it. Left alone
86.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, short and wide, gleefully accepted by Jonny Bairstow who camps back and cuts late with an angled willow behind backward point. Just a strike short of his hundred now...
85.6 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, solid front foot defence
85.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, an air of excitement as Woakes inside edges his defence onto the pad. He came forward to block, but didn't counter for the ball sliding in, had it not been for that edge, Woakes would have been plumb
85.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, much slower and wider this time, Bairstow belts the drive wide of short cover and gets an easy single
85.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, quicker and just outside off, Bairstow drives and finds short cover, again!
85.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, floater on off, forward and defended
85.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, driven towards short cover
Rangana Herath [19.0-4-43-2] is back into the attack
Herath is back
84.6 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, leans into a cover drive on seeing the width but couldn't pierce the off-side ring
84.5 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, another lovely straight drive from Chris Woakes, not much of power on this one and Bairstow yet again does the diving dance
84.4 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, outside off, Woakes jabs with a closed bat face towards the cordon, played it with soft hands
84.3 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, good nut, at 80mph, on a good length and seamed away sharply around the fifth stump channel. Woakes was squared up and was a smidgen late to bring his bat down in defence, just flirting past the outside edge
84.2 -
Pradeep to Woakes, no run, back of a length, good bounce, on and around off, Woakes shuffles a tad across his off peg and exhibits a dead-bat
84.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, hits the shortish length outside off, Bairstow punches firmly square on the off-side, getting closer to those nervous nineties
Nuwan Pradeep [18.0-4-73-2] is back into the attack
Pradeep into the action now, 2 slips for him
83.6 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, where was this all day? The bumper, Sri Lanka hardly tried the short ball tactic.83.6mph, Woakes gets into a bit of tangle as he opts to pull and misses
83.5 -
Eranga to Woakes, FOUR, pitched up and begging to be hit, Woakes slides his front leg and drives it ram-rod straight. Bairstow takes an evasive action and dives desperately to ground his bat, no harm done though
83.4 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, 81.8mph length ball, gets it to straighten outside off, Woakes sees it through
83.3 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, tad fuller and wider, Woakes seeks to square drive, but found the man at point (Kinda deep point I reckon) to perfection
83.2 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, not much movement on this short of length delivery, ignored
83.1 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, shortish but sprayed down the wrong line, Woakes half-turns after missing the leg-glance
Bairstow is in the form of his life. Everything he touches is turning into gold, albeit helped by a few dropped catches. He looks all set to compile his second ton of the summer
82.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, angled in on a goodish length, Bairstow gets right behind the line of the delivery, solid defence
82.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, yells out a loud "no" as soon as he tapped this length delivery into the off-side
82.4 -
Mathews to Woakes, 1 run, opens the bat face at the last instant to direct the ball towards cover-point area and scampers
82.3 -
Mathews to Woakes, FOUR, if the previous one was better, this has to be the best. Not quite a half-volley but Woakes pounced on it with sheer authority, got that front foot across and silked a pleasing drive through cover, all the way
82.2 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, pulls his length back slightly and slots it outside off, Woakes drops it with soft hands towards point
82.1 -
Mathews to Woakes, FOUR, Woakes into the act now! Gets a big, booming stride forward and lets those arms through a fluent drive, met the middle of the blade and raced away through the cover region
Mathews will continue...
81.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, wide outside off and Bairstow ain't taking any risks
81.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, FOUR, he's been itching to clear that off-side ring and now when he gets a wide delivery, he takes full toll. Driven with crisp elegance as short cover dived to his right in vain, just 12 short of his ton now
81.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, nips away slightly from a fullish length, Bairstow fetches the drive but is slotted towards the man at short cover
81.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, looked like a wobble seam delivery, full and wide again. Bairstow threw his bat on the drive, but couldn't clear the off-side ring
81.2 -
Eranga to Woakes, 1 run, pitched up and asking to be driven, the misfield woes multiply for Sri Lanka as short cover fumbles and allows Woakes to get to the other end
81.1 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, hits the good length and gets it to swing back in sharply, around fifth stump line and Woakes is quite happy to let that go past him
Shaminda Eranga [18.0-2-54-0] is back into the attack
Eranga to share the new ball, 2 slips and a gully in place
80.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, length ball outside off, Bairstow gets forward and drives to mid-off
80.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, another fuller length delivery angling in, Bairstow drives it back to the bowler
80.4 -
Mathews to Woakes, 3 runs, fuller length delivery on the stumps and Woakes clips it to mid-wicket, who lets it slip through. They have enough time to add three before mid-on runs and picks it
80.3 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, swings in the air and then nips back in as well, a long way. Woakes was push-driving at it, left a lot of gap between the bat and the pad, was lucky that the ball did not graze his off-stump
80.2 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, slightly fuller than the previous delivery, compelling Woakes to come forward and the block it
80.1 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, hits the deck at back of a length with the new cherry. Woakes gets behind the line of the delivery and defends towards short cover
Sri Lanka have taken the new ball. Mathews will have a go with it
79.6 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, flatter again, square driven towards sweeper cover for a single
79.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, tossed up delivery, driven towards long-off, which is fairly inside
79.4 -
Herath to Woakes, 1 run, Woakes gets a stride forward and smothers the turn, if there was one. Worked towards mid-wicket
79.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, trifle short and Bairstow goes back in the crease and nurdles behind square
79.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, flatter, only so little, kept away towards cover
Five deliveries to go for the new ball. Coming to the previous appeal for caught behind, the bat brushed the front flap. Now we know where the sound was from
79.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, tossed up delivery around off, blocked
78.6 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, fuller length delivery outside off, driven towards mid-off
78.5 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, the mystery continues, if there was not bat... where was the sound from? Woakes poked at this length delivery outside off and was beaten. There was some sound and Chandimal appealed, Mathews joined in late. But decided to go upstairs once the appeal was turned down. The bat brushed the front flap. Now we know where the sound was from
Mathews has decided to refer it. To be honest, there was a sound, what was it from? Fair delivery. There's sound. HotSpot time. It has missed the bat, there is nothing on the RTS and on the HotSpot. Enough daylight between the bat and the ball. The decision stays
78.4 -
Mathews to Woakes, no run, short of a good length veering in towards stumps, Woakes gets behind the line of the delivery and defends
78.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, Mathews angles this one on the stumps from wide of the crease, Bairstow pats it past him towards mid-on. Calls for a quick single and gets it rather easily
78.2 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, another length ball, this time it is even wider. Bairstow won't fiddle at it
Bairstow is standing well outside his crease
78.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, Mathews starts his fresh spell with a harmless length ball outside off, Bairstow is not interested in it
Angelo Mathews [7.0-5-6-0] is back into the attack
Mathews has a wide slip and gully for himself
77.6 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, just shortened the length a bit to prevent Woakes from driving. He gets forward and dead bats it
77.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, nicely floated around off and middle, Woakes front foot drives to short cover
77.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, waits for this one and nudges behind the square leg umpire for an easy single
77.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, worked wristily towards mid-wicket
77.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, flighted delivery on the stumps, Bairstow drives towards short extra cover
77.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, goes straight with the arm, shortish enough for Bairstow to work off the back foot towards mid-wicket
76.6 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, angled in from a similar length outside off, Woakes watches it close and withdraws his bat in the end
76.5 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, it was not much different from the previous two deliveries. But this time Woakes decided to get forward and quell it towards short cover
76.4 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, redux of the previous delivery, similar approach from the batsman too
76.3 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, short of a good length outside off, does not warrant anything from Woakes, left alone
76.2 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, firm hands from Woakes as he defends another length delivery which was pitched around off
76.1 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, length delivery that might have done a bit off the surface, did not matter much as Woakes nicely blocked it off the front foot
Bairstow is fixing the spikes on his shoes. All set now. Two slips and a gully in place
75.6 -
Herath to Woakes, 3 runs, quicker delivery outside off, Woakes poked at it again. More of an attempted cut, the ball takes the outer part of the blade and rolls away from the men patrolling the point region, cut near the fence but not before Woakes has opened his mark with three
75.5 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, back to that line outside off, Woakes pushes at it towards wide mid-off
75.4 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, attempted arm-ball, Woakes pokes at it, gets an inside edge to FSL
75.3 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, flighted delivery again, Woakes dead bats it back to the bowler
75.2 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, Woakes is nicely forward to block this one towards short extra cover
75.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, teases it on off, Bairstow drives towards long-off. Moves into the 80s
Slip for Herath
74.6 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, tentative push from Woakes and he is lucky to be there. The ball nipped away from outside off and was pretty close to the outside edge of Woakes's blade
74.5 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, this one spears away from outside off, Woakes is happy to leave this one
74.4 -
Lakmal to Woakes, no run, firm riposte from Woakes. Fuller ball on the stumps, blocked back
74.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, wee bit of width on offer outside off, enough for Bairstow to cut it away square of the wicket on the off-side for a single
74.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, similar delivery, a bit short though. Bairstow does not mind guarding it out, off the front foot
74.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, fuller length delivery around off, Bairstow gets forward and defends
73.6 -
Herath to Woakes, no run, tossed up delivery, blocked towards the off-side
Chris Woakes, right handed bat, comes to the crease
73.5 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, out Caught by Mathews!! Moeen Ali had been pushing at those with firm hands and finally it devours him. This one did not turn much after pitching around off and went straight, Ali's firm blade induced an outside edge that carried low to the slip, who took a fine catch. Moeen Ali confirmed it with Mathews whether the catch was clean, who affirmed. The umpires, in the meantime, intervened and asked Mo to wait before sending it upstairs. Moeen Ali c Mathews b Herath 25(60) [4s-3]
Herath to Moeen Ali, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
The third umpire has been summoned. Soft signal is out. But has it carried to the slip there? Seems it has. And Moeen Ali's ephemeral stay comes to an end
73.4 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, worked away towards mid-wicket
73.3 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, big turn for Herath but there was no bat I guess. Ali was on the front foot to block it, the ball eluded his bat and lobbed off his pad and fell away from the keeper to his right
73.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, airs this one around off again, Bairstow eases into the drive and sends it to long-off
Slip in place
73.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, tossed up around off, Bairstow pushes it towards point
72.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, shortish and a touch of width on offer, Bairstow cuts it square of the wicket on the off-side
72.5 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, fullish and well wide of off, Bairstow ushers it through to the keeper
72.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, tad fuller and targeting the stumps, Bairstow pushes it back to the bowler who can't stop the ball in his followthrough.
72.3 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, 1 run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Ali stays back and punch-drives it to cover and hustles across to the other end
72.2 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, touch wide of the crease and keeps it just outside off, Ali covers his sticks and greets it with a lifted willow
72.1 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, fullish and wide of off, Ali shoulders arms
Drinks are on the field now. Bairstow has survived a few close calls and certainly luck is riding on him. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali is looking good and England will hope these two can add some vital runs to the total before they have a crack with the ball.
71.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, tosses it up around off, Bairstow defends it solidly
71.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, flatter trajectory very close to the stumps, Bairstow watches it carefully and lets it go
71.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, slower through the air, turning away a touch, Bairstow gets forward and pushes it into the off-side
71.3 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, 1 run, very full outside off, Ali eases it down to long-on
71.2 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, much slower this time, Ali prods forward and defends it
71.1 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, pushed through quicker outside off, Ali works it to FSL
70.6 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, 3 runs, half-volley again outside off, Ali leans forward and creams the drive through extra cover. Mathews from mid-off gives the chase and hunts it down. The pair add three runs to the total
70.5 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, angles a length delivery around off, Ali stays on the back foot and defends it
70.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, back of a length delivery on the stumps, nudged to mid-wicket
70.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, too full and straight, Bairstow pushes it off the inner part to mid-on
70.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, length delivery around 81mph, angles it on middle, Bairstow stands tall and firmly pushes it into the off-side
70.1 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, 1 run, pitched it up outside off, Ali lunges forward and drives it to sweeper cover
69.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, slightly slower through the air, Bairstow lunges forward and is steadfast in his forward defence
69.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, pushed through quicker and outside off, Bairstow squeezes it out
69.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, darts it on the stumps, Bairstow offers a solid defence
69.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, again flighted delivery on middle, Bairstow gets forward and blocks it solidly
69.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, slower through the air on the stumps, Bairstow blocks it
69.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, quicker and came in with the angle, Bairstow went back and pushes it to cover
68.6 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, 2 runs, fuller length delivery outside off again, Ali gets forward and drives it through covers. The fielder in the deep runs to his left and the pair will get an easy brace.
68.5 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, better line from Lakmal, fraction fuller outside off, Ali gets a stride forward and pushes it to mid-off
68.4 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, FOUR, top shot! Overpitched from Lakmal, Ali takes full toll of it, drives it along the ground through covers. No need to run for those
68.3 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, length delivery which kept a touch low, Ali covers his sticks and lets it go
68.2 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, fuller length outside off, driven to cover
68.1 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, fullish on the stumps, Bairstow defends it, the ball takes the outer half of the bat and the duo pinch a single
67.6 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, flighted delivery which spun back in a touch, Ali went for the sweep sinking on one knee, the ball takes the bottom of the bat and deflects onto the pad. There was a muted appeal for an LBW but clearly there was an inside edge
67.5 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, quicker on off-stump, defended
67.4 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, flatter on the stumps, Ali goes back and works it to mid-wicket who dives and prevents a single
67.3 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, again gives this one more air, Ali gets forward and offers a textbook defence
67.2 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, tossed up delivery on the stumps, Ali lunges forward and defends it
67.1 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, floats it up just outside off, Ali gets half-forward and pushes it to mid-off
Rangana Herath [12.0-2-32-1] is back into the attack
Herath is into the attack. One slip and a FSL in place
66.6 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, 1 run, very full and outside off, Ali went for the expansive drive with laden feet, the ball takes the inside edge and rolls away into the leg-side
66.5 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, this was angled in and straightened a bit, Ali poked at that with soft hands and the ball takes the outside edge which runs to the cordon
66.4 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, fuller length outside off, Ali gets a stride forward and pushes it to cover
66.3 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, Lakmal is tempting Ali by keeping it outside off. This was shortish and wide of off, Ali slashes at that and fails to connect. Loose shot from Ali
66.2 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, fraction fuller and the line is outside off, easy leave for Ali
66.1 -
Lakmal to Moeen Ali, no run, from round the wicket and wide of the crease, Ali angles it in that channel outside off, Ali lifts his bat and lets it go
Suranga Lakmal [11.0-1-38-2] is back into the attack
65.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, too full outside off, almost a yorker length, Bairstow digs it out on the off-side
65.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 2 runs, back of a length outside off, Bairstow stays back and punches it wide of sweeper cover. Gets a couple
65.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, pitched up and just outside off, Bairstow gets forward and drives it to cover
65.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, too straight on the stumps, defended to cover
65.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, FOUR, edged and four! Short and width provided, Bairstow flashes at that, the ball takes the outside edge and runs away wide of the lone second slip
65.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, pitched up and holding its line a bit, Bairstow lunges forward and pushes it back to the bowler
64.6 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, 2 runs, fullish and drifting on the pads, whips it wide of mid-on, Herath gives the chase and the duo get a brace
64.5 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, too full on the stumps, pushed back to the bowler who collects in his followthrough
64.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, shortish on middle and leg, worked away wide of mid-on and sets off for a single
64.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, length delivery on the stumps, Bairstow gets forward and defends it solidly
64.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, nicley played! Back of a length delivery outside off, Bairstow stands tall and punches it towards cover. The ball races away to the fence in a jiffy
64.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 2 runs, overpitched outside off, Bairstow leans forward and drives it through covers. The fielder in the deep runs to his right, puts in the dive and saves a couple of runs for his team
63.6 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, left alone outside off
63.5 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, this one stays low and foils Ali's attempted cover drive. The invitation is too tempting to be denied as the length is fairly full, draws Ali into the drive but it scoots under him
63.4 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, gets half-forward to a good length delivery outside off and taps it into the off-side
63.3 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, FOUR, too straight, no problems with that! Ali nonchalantly clips it behind square and the timing is pristine for the ball to race away
63.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, Bairstow drives, off a thick outside edge and it's in the air for a while which gets Sri Lanka excited. But it's wide of point and to the sweeper in the deep
63.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, carries about ankle high to the keeper after being left alone
62.6 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, Ali keeps resisting. He's been rather subdued so far as opposed to his natural instinct. Another leave
62.5 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, slightly short and Ali cuts it well in front of square. So far in front that it's been cut out by a diving cover
62.4 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, back of a length on off, Ali hops and blocks to mid-on
62.3 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, the angle is always taking it well outside off and Ali sees it through to the keeper
Over the wicket...
62.2 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, FOUR, nothing tentative about that. A good stride across to a full ball, there's not much scope of error on the drive as he has smothered the pitch and then crunches it through the covers
62.1 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, back of a length, Ali hangs in the crease and tentatively punches to cover
61.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, good length delivery outside off, left alone
61.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, FOUR, oh so close! All the luck is running with Bairstow at the moment. On a good length, comes in with the slope to catch a thick inside edge on Bairstow's jab forward and could have easily chopped it on. But as is the case, it whirs over the top of off-stump and into the fine leg fence
61.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, half-volley on off, driven straight to mid-on
61.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, Bairstow is the big one here, which is probably what has enticed Mathews into the review. It's a good shout actually with the ball hitting the back pad after beating the inside edge. No bat involved. And it's crashing leg-stump. Or is it? Oh no. The middle of the seam is a hair's breadth on the wrong side of the middle of leg-stump which is why Hawkeye decides it's umpire's call. Sri Lanka look puzzled. That's DRS for you..
61.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, full enough to get Bairstow driving and he crunches it. Good stop from cover
61.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, back of a length, just outside off, stabbed in front of gully
60.6 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, wide enough to be left alone
60.5 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, back of a length, angled in, blocked. Rod Tucker doesn't seem to be too pleased with Pradeep's followthrough, and a first warning has been handed out
60.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, whips a back of a length delivery from around off with a jerk of the wrists to fine leg
60.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, it's not a ball which is blatantly presented for the drive. It's perfectly on a good length outside off but Bairstow's confidence trumps the merit of anything else right now. He prods across and drives it on the up through the covers
60.2 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, 1 run, strays with the angle and Ali clips him through square leg
Round the wicket..
60.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, picks a back of a length delivery from just outside off and tucks it through mid-wicket
59.6 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, on a good length outside off, no shot offered
59.5 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, pushes this across the left-hander. He is expecting Ali to have a fiddle sooner or later and it might not actually be that bad a thing to play on his patience which is why switching to the over the wicket angle makes sense. Left alone for now
Back over the wicket..
59.4 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, half-volley driven to cover. Ali would feel he missed out
59.3 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, too wide outside off, no need to play
59.2 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, length ball outside off, defended into the off-side
59.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, fifty up for Jonny Bairstow! What a past few months he has had! Punches a back of a length delivery to deep point and ambles across
58.6 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, Pradeep doesn't threaten the stumps from round the wicket and Ali doesn't bother to offer a shot
58.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, now there is protection in the deep after the previous boundary. Clipped to him at deep square leg
58.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, flicked away for four! That's where Bairstow is so good. You stray a little in line or length and this man makes sure to punish you. Crisply hit through mid-wicket
58.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, length ball just outside off, Bairstow jabs at it and mistimes it back to the bowler
58.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, leg byes, FOUR, Pradeep goes up in appeal as Bairstow is struck low on the pad by a half-volley, but it's easily going down leg. And all of a sudden, the ball is racing to the boundary for overthrows. While Bairstow was preoccupied with the appeal, he didn't bother getting back into the crease and would have been GONE with a direct-hit, so the throw was completely justified
58.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, in the corridor, good zip off the track on a good length and Bairstow leaves it alone
We are back for the final session. Sri Lanka need to be careful here. A lot of good work has been done so far, but it can all be easily undone if complacency sets in. Here's Pradeep...
That brings us to TEA on the first day and England have made up for the sub par morning session substantially. The session began well for the Lankans as Pradeep produced a peach to dismiss James Vince, but that was the lone bright moment in an otherwise dull session for the visitors. Johnny Bairstow who walked to the crease was granted a life when on 11 and he made the visitors pay big time as he took on the bowlers, with Alastair Cook tiring them out at the other end. But just as the game looked to drift away, Pradeep struck again trapping Cook right on the stroke of tea. Do join us in about 20 minutes for the final session of this see-saw Test.
57.6 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, Tea taken on day 1: Lot of excitement from the bowler and the close-in fielders as they thought Ali was struck on the pad, but wasn't to be. Moeen Ali blocked this fullish delivery right under his eyes, played with an angled bat and did so with bat-pad tucked together - Perhaps might have been the reason for the Lankan's ambitious appeal, replays suggest that Ali's bat thudded his front pad after completing the stroke. Mathews was interested for a while, but decides not to waste a referral on this one
57.5 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, tempting Ali to play across the line, Ali though is circumspect, not remotely interested in playing at those
A leg gully has been slotted now. Ah! MSD's fav. field position...
57.4 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, from over the wicket now, goodish length darting away just across off, Ali leaves
57.3 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, pushes him on the back foot by digging it in from round the wicket, Ali sways away from the line and half-turns after watching the ball sail over
57.2 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, slanted in and gets it to straighten around off, b-l-o-c-k-e-d
57.1 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, yet again, Ali leaves it on a length and this was just a few inches away from the off-pole
Replays in: Cook was a dead-duck there. The ball was going to knock the middle of middle. Last over before tea...
56.6 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, 1 run, tiliting towards middle, flicked off the pads and Ali is off the mark with a single through mid-wicket
56.5 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, lots of oohs and aahs ring around as Ali leaves one alone. This was a good length delivery which came back in sharply (ably assisted with the upward angle of the slope). Ali left it on a length and the ball missed the top of off - Just by a whisker
56.4 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, bouncer angled in just outside off, Ali doesn't flirt with it
56.3 -
Pradeep to Moeen Ali, no run, blocked
Moeen Ali, left handed bat, comes to the crease
56.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, out Lbw!! Captain Cook departs 15 runs short of what would have been a well-deserved hundred. The round the wicket angle, yet again, working for Sri Lanka. And how badly did Nuwan Pradeep deserve a wicket? Very, very badly I must say. Bowled it slightly fuller and angled it in to create that confusion - Cook wasn't fully forward, shuffles across his off-stump and tries to pick the flick from middle and off. Ends up playing all around it and is struck plumb in front, umpire Rod Tucker's finger is up in a flash and rightly so. Cook lbw b Pradeep 85(173) [4s-9]
Pradeep to Cook, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
Cook has been given out lbw. Is he going to review? No, he has a mini conflab with his partner and decides against the review. That looked close though...
56.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, 2 runs, hurls this one at the pads, Cook gathers another couple of runs by tickling it towards fine leg
Pradeep from round the wicket...
55.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, asks Bairstow if he wants to chase this wide one, Bairstow says "No mate, not this time." PS: Just reading through...body language
55.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, compactly negated into the leg-side
55.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, punchily blocked towards mid-on
55.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, Eranga continues to serve width but this time Kaushal Silva (at gully) does well to prevent a boundary. Bairstow went for the late-cut but Silva dives to his wrong (left) side and makes a commendable stop
Sanath Jayasuriya, all suited and booted is biting his nails in the balcony....
55.2 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, from round the wicket to Cook, short and wide, Cook unveils his flashing willow with a fluent flat-bat drive square of the wicket
55.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, a real loosener from Eranga, at the hip, glanced away to the man stationed at fine leg
Shaminda Eranga [12.0-1-36-0] is back into the attack
54.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, clever from Bairstow, just pats the ball towards mid-on and signals a quick single. Cook, as ever, responds in kind and this time there's no head-first dive. No direct-hit either
54.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, angled in, down the slope, Bairstow is right behind it
54.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, on and around off-stump, solidly blocked
54.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, wide outside off, Bairstow lifts his bat and lets it go
54.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, oh Nuwan Pradeep! You gotta feel for him. Dropped catches and outside edges, he is doing everything his captain wants, but no luck. Pitched it on a good length and gave width to lure Bairstow into a aerial drive. Bairstow acknowledged and went through with his stroke, a thick outside edge sneaks wide of the man at gullly
54.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, length around fourth stump, punched with soft hands towards mid-off
53.6 -
Herath to Cook, 2 runs, misfield and that's through! The Chef waits back and stab-punches this shortish delivery towards short cover. Would have been a single had he stopped it cleanly, but wasn't to be. Karunaratne lets it slip through his legs allowing Cook to get closer to the nervous nineties
53.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, eased through the covers
53.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, floated, 33rps, looked like the slowest so far, Bairstow had to wait for an eternity. Lets the ball dip and drives to cover
53.3 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, doesn't bend much but gets behind the line of this flatter delivery to flick it square on the leg-side
53.2 -
Herath to Cook, no run, gets forward and across and blocks to FSL
FSL has been added now...
53.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, width, width, width, Bairstow will smoke that all day long, slapped square on the off-side
52.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, 83.9mph fullish and kind of line which would tempt a batsman to drive. Bairstow was committed on the front foot and stroked it a fraction too early, outside edge dribbles wide of gully and he will retain strike
52.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, 1 run, that's more like it, shuffles across the pitch and takes the ball around his toes to twirl those whippy wrists, through mid-wicket for a joggy single
52.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, slanting in off a good length, Cook plays it from his front pad, wristy defence into the on-side
Shifts to round the wicket now
52.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, 83mph around sixth stump channel, Cooky brings his bat pad close together as he dead-bats this back towards the bowler
52.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, touch shortish outside off, bunted down the pitch
52.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, good first ball from him, from over the wicket, angled away off the seam from a good length. Cook has got his eye in and won't be chasing those anymore
Nuwan Pradeep [11.0-4-38-1] is back into the attack
Pradeep's back. Two slips lurking...
51.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, maiden over from Rangana Herath, the blockathon continues from Jonny
51.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, loopy just outside off, Bairstow tap it into the off-side
51.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, nicely forward and driven off the meat towards short cover
51.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, twirling in and then turning away late, turned into the on-side
51.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, slowish and doesn't bounce much as Chandimal anticipated, did well to collect though, Bairstow had left it alone
51.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, loads of flight but straight, played back
Only slip in place
50.6 -
Mathews to Cook, FOUR, that's Cook at his very best. Leaning forward and letting those hands take over. Ah! Look at the flow of that drive, just so pleasing to the eyes. HawkEye confirms it came right off the sweetest spot of the willow, width on offer and belted through the covers
50.5 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, clipped to mid-on
50.4 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, punched towards cover
50.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, he punches this in front of mid-off and sets off for a single which is rather non-existent. Cook took off and Bairstow can't back away, sprints and puts in a full-length dive. That meant a direct hit from the fielder came second to Bairstow's valiant effort
TV umpire pressed into service for a run-out check. Bairstow is the man in question, looks safe. Not out should be the call and it is
50.2 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, curled in slightly off a length, blocked
50.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, tests the good length region and darts it back in a touch, the slope helping Mathews' cause too, Bairstow ain't caring all that - A neat exhibition of forward defence
49.6 -
Herath to Cook, no run, much flatter and straighter this time, much solid and classic from Captain Cook
49.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, attacking the stumps, Cook ain't letting that go past his bat
49.4 -
Herath to Cook, no run, straightroller, brings those bottom hand into play to turn it round the corner
49.3 -
Herath to Cook, FOUR, crunched! Plenty of width and Cook threw the kitchen sink, leant back and spanked the cut through the covers, don't bother running Skip.
49.2 -
Herath to Cook, no run, right behind the line of this delivery, blocked
49.1 -
Herath to Cook, no run, draws Cook forward by giving it loads of air just outside off, dipped a tad in front of the Chef who checks his drive to cover
48.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, a compact punchy stroke towards cover
48.5 -
Mathews to Cook, 1 run, Mathews gets off the mark after 34 deliveries (With the ball). Cook punches this length ball down the ground and calls Bairstow for a tricky single, all safe in the end
48.4 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, angled in and forces Cook to put bat to ball, seeks to drive but off the inside half which meant the pace is taken off
From round the wicket
48.3 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, floated wide, chopped in front of backward point
48.2 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, on a length and wide to encourage a drive, Cook obliges but can't get it past short cover
48.1 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, goodish length slanting away from the left-hander, Cook dances/hops in his defence
47.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, twirling in just outside off, Bairstow sends it towards cover with soft hands
47.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 2 runs, there you go again, Bairstow's favourite stroke - Clears his front leg to create that extra room and booms a pleasing inside out drive. In the air and just wide of the man placed at short extra cover, risky but the timing was superb
47.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, driven with soft hands towards short cover
47.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, classic left-arm orthodox but Bairstow is orthodox too, displaying a textbook defence
47.2 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, slowish and just outside off, Cook angles it towards point with soft hands
47.1 -
Herath to Cook, no run, flat and dipping in on the stumps, turned into the leg-side
46.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, smothered into the off-side
46.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, Bairstow is standing outside the crease to try and deny the seam/swing movements. Mathews ain't getting any of that though, angled in just outside off, Bairstow goes for an expansive drive and skews it off the toe-end. Nutmegs a desperate Mathews who tries to block the ball in his followthrough, mid-off tidies up
46.4 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, gets closer to the crease and bowls a 77mph length ball on off, solidly pushed into the off-side
46.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, hits the back of a length region sans much pace, punched firmly into the covers
46.2 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, doesn't entice a stroke this time, outside off and Bairstow is happy to let that pass
46.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, that's Mathews' natural length, goodish and outside off, chopped towards backward point
Angelo Mathews [4.0-4-0-0] is back into the attack
Right then! The Skip. has had enough. The military medium pace as I would love to call him. The irony is he has a hair cut of a military man. Ain't looking bad though... One slip and a wide gully
45.6 -
Herath to Cook, no run, on and around leg-stump, flicked straight to short mid-wicket
45.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, nice and straight, prodded forward to dead-bat
45.4 -
Herath to Cook, 2 runs, too full and straight, Cook will eat that all day, clipped along the ground through mid-wicket. Kusal Perera does the cleaning up job
45.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, quicker and drifting in around off, forward and blocked
45.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, nurdled behind square
45.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, FOUR, Bairstow is slowly settling in, that drop catch might come back to haunt Sri Lanka. Backs away a smidgen and creates room to lift the inside out drive over extra cover. Placement was the key and the timing was spot-on
The ball passes the ring-test(s) and is hurled back to Herath
44.6 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, and again!
44.5 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, good lengths outside off, Cook ignores
44.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, touch fuller and outside off, Bairstow drives dead straight and gets it past the non-striker for a huried single
44.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, short of length outside off, Bairstow lets it go
44.2 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, nudged towards mid-wicket
44.1 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, outside off, left alone to the keeper
43.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, top notch stuff from Rangana! This arm-ball slides on and threatens to hurtle one of the stumps. Bairstow goes back, back and back. Just about manages to bring his bat down in time. Lucky!
43.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, 2 runs, stoops low and laps this through short fine for a couple of runs
43.4 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, sits back and plays the cut-stroke late to get it behind backward point
43.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, Cook defends this slightly quicker one with a head-first forward lunge
43.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, high-arm action, dipping flat just outside off, safely milked into the off-side
43.1 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, floater served wider of off, Cook leans into a forward push and directs it square on the off-side, easy single
All in all, a shared session you would have to say, although Sri Lanka have their pokey noses ahead. Flat pitch, and with the sun shining to evaporate away the morale, they are finding ways to breakthrough. This next one and a half session very crucial, with the pitch now looked to have gained a mile or two
42.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, goes very full outside off, Bairstow shoulders arms and lets the ball go. With that, it's time to quench thirsts and rest fingers - typing fingers for me and spinning fingers for Herath. Drinks are on the field now at Lord's
42.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, nicely pokes his front leg out, inclines his torso towards off to get behind this length ball with a defence
42.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, shuffles a touch and forces the ball away off his toes towards cover
42.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, pushes into the off-side rather defensively
42.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, lovely delivery. Squares Bairstow up on this occasion. Warne reckons that the pitch has quickened up, and there's more and more proof of it. This length ball hits the deck, just shaves away off the pitch to get past Bairstow's high-batted flat-footed poke. That ladder'ed past the outside edge, let alone climb
42.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, a mistimed push to mid-off as Eranga hits a fullish length that full enough to invite Bairstow forward
41.6 -
Herath to Cook, no run, another proddy defence
41.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, more high-arm delivery this that backspins but Cook is well forward to block
41.4 -
Herath to Cook, no run, gets forward and stonewalls it off the front foot
41.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, blocked into the leg-side
41.2 -
Herath to Cook, no run, flicked straight to the mid-wicket fielder this time
41.1 -
Herath to Cook, no run, lovely from short mid-wicket to dove head-first and arrest this flick. Cook waited for this slower looped-up delivery
40.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, switched onto the front foot and blurted out a defence back
40.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, so shocked Bairstow was after last delivery that he ends up hurrying to cut this widish delivery and ends up flat-batting it towards point
40.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, lovely delivery. Pace off the pitch on this length delivery, pinged the pitch and shot on to catch Bairstow midway into his weight transfer. Past the outside edge..
40.3 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, gets it on a length outside off, Bairstow brings his bat down and weight slightly forward to defend
40.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, on the front foot and a block with more intent into the off-side
40.1 -
Eranga to Cook, 3 runs, a half-stop at cover-point and Warne reckons that it should have been stopped. Full delivery, Cook was on his front foot with a punchy drive. Looked good, was timed well which could have been contributed to that half-stop that rolled away to allow three runs into the deep
39.6 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, pings this wide of off with the length just a touch shortened. Cook shapes up for his patent cut shot and ends up chopping it wide of gully for a single that gives him the strike
39.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, drifts from wide of the crease to land up on off-stump. Cook coils up and bunts it into the leg-side
39.4 -
Herath to Cook, no run, invites him further forward with loop and length, and Cook's block dies to cover
39.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, widish line but similar pace. Slow. Cook pokes his front leg across and defends it
39.2 -
Herath to Cook, no run, from over the wicket to Cook, drifts it in on the pads and Cook gets lower than a Yoda to defend that
39.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, slow this. Very slow, lots of air and Bairstow squeezes out a drive to a deepish cover in place that permits a single
Rangana Herath [4.0-0-6-1] is back into the attack
Herath's here! He put England on a slide in the first session. Now over to his second stint, as a slip and an FSL look on.. And a false start to make us all the more excited
38.6 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, left alone after the front foot's work was done
Herath is warming up. Not theatrical warmups. What else did you expect? Just stood there and oscillated his torso
38.5 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, gets his front leg to the pitch of this full-wide delivery and wipes a slate or something (had his bat been a duster) as he allows the ball to pass
38.4 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, nicely uses his bat to get outside the line and all flat-footedly, jams the delivery away to mid-on
38.3 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, good buy off the pitch as this length ball pings Chandimal's gloves at pace, after Cook had deemed the delivery as untouchable
38.2 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, this front foot push finds a way past a diving extra cover for a single
38.1 -
Eranga to Bairstow, no run, sane fullish delivery on the stumps from over the wicket, Bairstow stays put and forces a defence to mid-on
37.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, 2 runs, what he did well was he was already standing across his off-stump on this occasion. Pradeep didn't adjust his angle, which meant that Cook found himself outside the line for a clip through mid-wicket. Used his heavy bottom hand and razored the ball away
37.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, gets the width but not the pace, meaning that the ball is deliberately chopped to point
37.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, now a drive. Looked good to the eyes - weight on the front foot, nice followthrough of the bat and all - but the cover fielder pulled out a dive to his right
37.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, nah. Not tempting enough. Between a cookie and a length ball in the corridor of uncertainty, you know what Cook would choose. Like here. Leaves that alone and the low bounce somehow ushers the ball to the keeper
37.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, fullish outside off from over the wicket and the angle across, which Cook's brain told him a exactly 23 radians, allowed him to leave that alone
37.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, underestimates the pace and angle on this. Bairstow powered it in, Bairstow was a touch late to flick, and also ends up playing a little outside the line. Universe then conspires for an inside edge that runs to fine leg
36.6 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, waited like a curved bow and then inclined further to off to force this to deep mid-wicket off the front foot. Has he completed that crossword yet?
36.5 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, was early on his front foot, which meant that he inside-edged this defence to mid-on, and then made sure that his grey cells and quick feet fetched him a quick single to mid-on
36.4 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, this time the line was wider and Cook could leave it blindfolded
36.3 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, what he does so well is to adapt. Again made a late decision to not play this delivery that was angled in from wide of the crease. Hurried to pull the bat up and then some more to enure that it takes no wood
36.2 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, more like a checked drive off the front foot. Not too much intent in that and a fumble at cover-point isn't big enough a blip to allow a quick single
36.1 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, left alone outside off
Shaminda Eranga [7.0-0-28-0] is back into the attack
35.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, what an over this. An absolute assortment. Two boundaries, now, and a dropped catch. This drive off the front foot was placed well between extra cover and mid-off. Shot along the turf and offered no leeways to the fielders' eyes following it
35.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, a cut-punch this. Awkward as Bairstow had failed to compensate for the width on this
35.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, pitched up delivery outside off, Bairstow hauls his bat over the line all one-handed in swagger
35.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, blocked into the off-side this
35.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, this is so, so unfair. And a similar clip this time that fetches him a four. Kept it down, kept it wide and scorched it away for a beaming boundary
35.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, that should have been wicket number five, as it's pronounced on air. Half-volley on the pads, Bairstow fails to keep the flick - and a gorgeous flick at that - down and Eranga at mid-wicket pouches it before fumbling it. Perhaps a ball hit too well. Too much pace on that delivery, which was apparent that the ball shot past Bairstow hands and past his left thigh bone
34.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, yes, that wipe-the-windshield defence. Gets drawn across with the line wide of off, and then makes a late decision to haul his bat up from the line of the delivery
34.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, blocked into the leg-side
34.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, FOUR, if shots could heal, this cover drive would be a messiah. Full length outside off and Cook burps out a drive. On the front foot, opened himself nicely and shotgasmed his way all the way through to the fences
34.3 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, blocked off the inner half as Cook overplays the angle in on this fullish delivery
34.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, a jaffa that could drain out all your limited overs cricket fatigue. Lakmal barbers the length back, Cook was standing back to this. Rightly, I would say, given the length, but the ball hit the deck and trimmed away to climb past the outside edge
34.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, opens himself up and blocks it side-on in front of point, I think
33.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, gets forward and drives a defence into the off-side
33.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, leg byes, 2 runs, now, now. He wanted to duck under this shorter delivery, except that it didn't rise. The soil, I hear the rumours, has been imposted from Nagpur. No, it isn't. Bairstow is hit on the side of his front arm and the ball rolls away to allow a few extra runs
"downward angling of his crisp willow" is a tribute to my genius colleague Bharath Ramaraj
33.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, now an on-drive. Gets a length fullish enough, and with a downward angling of his crisp willow, drives it through mid-on.
33.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, a very late decision to leave this length ball in the corridor of uncertainty. Had to reverse-windmill his bat back in
33.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, more forward this time. On his front foot to gobble up the fullishness on this delivery to mid-off
33.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 2 runs, what do I call it? What do I call it? Bairstow was nowhere in a shape to drive. Leant forward late to this full ball wide of off, was nowhere close to the pitch but extended arms to almost deride a drive through cover
32.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, good bounce and a wide line meant that it's an easy yet hurried leave (for some reason) for Cook batting on 52
32.5 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, lovely flick of the wrists to flick this delivery on the pads away to backward square leg
32.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, defended off the front foot back to the bowler
32.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, fullish length bunted down the ground
32.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, 1 run, pitched up delivery blocked down to mid-on for a quick single
32.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, fullish length outside off, Cook lifts his bat and lets it go
31.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, FOUR, sliding down leg and that's almsgiving.. helping Bairstow get off the mark. Overbaked angle into the pads and Bairstow shames it with a clip round the corner. Downhill and it had wheels
31.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, shortish length lured Bairstow into a cut but there wasn't any room. Makeshifts with a straight-batted poke back that's too cramped for comfort
31.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, goes fuller now that he's armed with confidence. Nothing much off the turf and Bairstow drives a defence to mid-on
Jonny Bairstow, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Three slips and a gully in place now
31.3 -
Pradeep to James Vince, out Bowled!! Wait, let me recollect what happened. There was a huge appeal for caught behind as Vince ended up playing inside the line.. Pradeep begged and begged some more until some of his teammates shouted "bowled" about thrice before he could hear it. All theatrics. On a length this ball was, just kissed the pitch, darted away ever so slightly to let Vince play inside the line, and kissed the off-middle bail spigot.. with enough force to dislodge it. Vince was stuck on the back foot when he should have been forward to blunt that mischief off the pitch. Didn't and perished. James Vince b Pradeep 10(17) [4s-1]
Pradeep to James Vince, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
There are smiles in the Lord's balcony
31.2 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, hops in sync with the bounce and bunts this back of a length delivery outside off towards point
31.1 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, jags in modestly from back of a length, Vince rams himself back and hurries into a straight-batted defence down the pitch
30.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, angled in from wide of the crease this one. Cook was on the front foot, waiting for the ball to arrive with a high backlift. Took his bat back to make way for the ball and then suddenly pulled out to reverse the windmill of a bat's motion
30.5 -
Lakmal to James Vince, 3 runs, just scissors away a touch, this length ball outside off from Lakmal. Vince did well, after he found out that he wasn't behind the line, and opened up to guide the edge wide of gully
30.4 -
Lakmal to James Vince, no run, stays put and allows this pitched up delivery to come right in.. only to kill it into the pitch with a defence. Brutal defence, if I can call it that
30.3 -
Lakmal to James Vince, no run, fuller length again but this wasn't a full-blooded drive. More like something hybrid between a punch and a drive to mid-off
30.2 -
Lakmal to James Vince, no run, back of a length outside off, Vince crisscrosses his legs as he let that go. Is that a dance move?
30.1 -
Lakmal to James Vince, FOUR, ah, beautifully played. Not a half-volley this, just a fullish delivery to which Vince leans forward and oozes it away with a drive through covers. Did well to ensure that he was well forward to blunt any purchase off the pitch
29.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, similar delivery. But I have to type it out again, no? Here you go: left alone as the full ball carries on with the angle to almost roll to the keeper. Okay, not as bad. Copy-paste is mankind's greatest invention
29.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, left alone as the full ball carries on with the angle to almost roll to the keeper. Okay, not as bad
29.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, now this ball compensates for the bounce poverty on the last three balls. Gears off the deck nicely as Cook docks the length back this time. Cook swivels into an awkward tuck, seemingly taken aback by length
29.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, had his bat higher expecting greater purchase off the pitch as he readied for defence. The bounce was lowish, which hurried Cook into defending this fullish delivery into the off-side
29.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, just about shuffles his front leg back to let this length delivery angled across him go
29.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, from over the wicket, with two slips and a gully in place. Stays a touch low and Cook hopping defence takes the toe-end to shoot into the pitch that's very flat. You hear it here first
28.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, 1 run, a fullish delivery on a wide line draws Cook across to defend. Not very convincing as the ball skews off the outside half and Cook manages to guide it wide of the gully fielder in place. Three runs from this over
28.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, hits a length again that invites Cook forward with a checked driven defence to cover
28.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, good bounce as the ball bounds off the pitch from a pitched up length and then follows with the angle in. Cook had his bat above his head, as he raised his arms further to let the ball gate through
28.3 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, a front foot prod across as he opened himself on a jabby defence square-on
28.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, 2 runs, prunes the length back this time, angles it in and Cook helps it away with a hopping swiveling tuck for this Lord's crowd to be switched on. To clap. Cook has a fifty, his 48th in Tests
28.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, ah, underwhelming bounce to begin the session. Full length delivery outside off, too wide a line as Cook leaves and the keeper squats to collect it
Afternoon session: Welcome back to the world where you see through words. England were hounding (no, no reference to The Hound and his imminent showdown with The Mountain) away with the session until Herath sprinkled the magic powder. Hales, the victim and then Lakmal struck twice. Two slips and a gully in place for him now as the sun keeps pouring in
After winning the toss and electing to bat first on a beautiful warm day, Alastair Cook and Alex Hales started off positively scoring at over 4-runs an over till the drinks break, bringing up the first fifty plus stand of the series. But Mathews and Co. did well to plug the run flow post the break and the built up pressure coupled with a moment of brain freeze from Hales helped the Lankans come back into the contest. Nick Compton's poor run in the series continued with him bagging another single digit score. But the biggest fish, Joe Root, was poached in the final 10 minutes of play with Mathews, for the first time in this series, successfully reviewing and overturning an umpiring decision after nine failed attempts. We'll be back with you shortly for the second session.
That's lunch on the opening day of the final Test at the Mecca of cricket and the visitors will be immensely happy with their effort. It hasn't been the edge of the seat first day drama that we have been treated to over the last two Test matches with this pitch staying true and the sun shining brightly.
27.6 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, tad fuller and shaping away outside off, Vince waves it through to the keeper. With that, it's Lunch on Day 1
27.5 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, back of a length delivery on middle and leg, hops inside the crease and defends it
27.4 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, pitched up and holding its line around off, Vince prods forward and defends with soft hands. The ball takes the outside edge and dies in front of the cordon
27.3 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, testing lines from Pradeep. Keeps it in that corridor of uncertainty, Vince thought about playing at that before pulling his bat at the last moment
27.2 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, back of a length delivery angling in a touch, Vince stands tall and defends it
27.1 -
Pradeep to James Vince, no run, too full around off, Vince gets half-forward and pushes with soft hands into the leg-side
Nuwan Pradeep [5.0-2-17-0] is back into the attack
26.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, nicley bowled! Pounds it on a length and gets it to plug away a touch, Cook has a tame poke and is beaten
26.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, fullish and outside off, defends it off the front foot with an open bat face
26.4 -
Lakmal to James Vince, 3 runs, angling in on middle, flicks it wide of mid-on and the batsmen add three runs to the tally
26.3 -
Lakmal to James Vince, no run, back of a length outside off, defended
26.2 -
Lakmal to James Vince, no run, too full on the stumps, Vince flicks to square leg
James Vince, right handed bat, comes to the crease
26.1 -
Lakmal to Root, out Lbw!! Sri Lanka have decided to review against Root for an LBW : "Fair delivery. Front on please. Hot-Spot please. RTS please. Pitching - in line, impact - in line and wickets - hitting." conveys Aleem Dar. So OUT should be the decision. This is a big wicket for Sri Lanka. Good review from Mathews. Coming to the ball: it was full and angling in on the stumps, Root wanted to play across the line, misses and is struck low on the front pad. The on-field call was NOT OUT but replays suggested clearly that everything was against the on-field call. So, Root had to trudge back to the hut. Root lbw b Lakmal 3(9)
Lakmal to Root, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
Sri Lanka have decided to review against Root for an LBW: "Fair delivery. Front on please. Hot-Spot please. RTS please. Pitching - in line, impact - in line and wickets - hitting." conveys Aleem Dar. So OUT should be the decision
25.6 -
Herath to Root, 1 run, flatter trajectory targetting the stumps, nudged away to deep backward square leg
25.5 -
Herath to Root, no run, flatter on the stumps, Root knocks it to mid-on
25.4 -
Herath to Root, no run, floats it up around off, Root opens the bat face a touch and slices it to cover
25.3 -
Herath to Root, no run, tossed up delivery around off, Root pushes it to cover
25.2 -
Herath to Root, no run, gives this one more air, gets forward and defends it
25.1 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, tossed up delivery on the stumps, worked away to mid-wicket
24.6 -
Lakmal to Root, 2 runs, too full and straight on the stumps, whipped away wide of mid-n, the fielder gives the chase and keeps the pair down to a couple
24.5 -
Lakmal to Root, no run, short of length outside off, punched it to mid-off
24.4 -
Lakmal to Root, no run, angled in off-stump, defended it to point
Joe Root, right handed bat, comes to the crease
24.3 -
Lakmal to Compton, out Caught by Chandimal!! Compton's woeful form continues. He departs cheaply. Fullish delivery outside off, went for the drive with laden feet, perhaps he was late in doing so, gets a faint nick which carries to the keeper. Compton c Chandimal b Lakmal 1(11)
Lakmal to Compton, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
24.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, 1 run, shortish outside off, punches it off the back foot towards cover
24.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, FOUR, poor line, drifts it on the pads, Cook clips it fine and the ball races away to the fine leg fence
23.6 -
Herath to Compton, no run, fires it down leg, Compton misses the glance and the keeper collects it by moving to his left
23.5 -
Herath to Compton, no run, flighted delivery outside off, defended
23.4 -
Herath to Compton, no run, tossed up on the stumps, Compton gets forward and defends it.
23.3 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, flatter and shortish outside off, Cook camps back and smears the cut to sweeper cover
23.2 -
Herath to Cook, no run, darts it full and outside off, Cook gets forward and pushes to cover
23.1 -
Herath to Cook, no run, tossed up delivery, nudged to mid-wicket
22.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, 3 runs, from wide of the crease, serves a nice half-volley, Cook leans forward and drives it languidly to mid-off. Mathews had to stoop down quickly but he is late in doing so and fumbles it. The ball rolls away and the batsmen get three runs
22.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, back of a length outside off, Cook walks across his sticks and wanted to force the drive, the ball catches the inner part of the bat and rolls away into the leg-side
22.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, tad fuller and outside off, Cook lifts his bat and lets it go
The umpire has a word with Lakmal for running on the pitch. Don't think it was an offical warning
22.3 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, left alone
22.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, on a length in that corridor of uncertainty, Cook slightly opens the bat face and pushes it to point
22.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, pounds it on a length and gets it to shape back in a touch, Cook was caught in two minds as he wanted to leave at the last instant, the ball squirts off the bottom end towards the slip cordon
Suranga Lakmal [4.0-1-9-0] is back into the attack
Lakmal is back for his second burst.
21.6 -
Herath to Compton, no run, flighted delivery around off, Compton defends it
21.5 -
Herath to Compton, no run, floats it up on the stump, Compton digs it out back to the bowler
21.4 -
Herath to Compton, no run, flighted delivery just outside off, Compton blocks it under his eyes
21.3 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, drags the length a touch shorter and gets it to turn in, Cook goes on the back foot and nudges it towards mid-wicket
21.2 -
Herath to Compton, 1 run, uses his feet and drives this fullish delivery to mid-off and sets off for a single. The fielder stoops down quickly and fires a direct-hit at the bowler's end but Compton was well in
21.1 -
Herath to Compton, no run, tosses up generously around off, Compton gets forward and defends it solidly
20.6 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, full and shaping away outside off, Cook greets with a lifted willow
20.5 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, back of a length in that channel around off, Cook hops inside the crease and defends it
20.4 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, pitches it up and gets it to shape away outside off, the ball keeps a touch low, Cook leaves it alone
20.3 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, fuller length delivery angling away outside off, too wide of off to induce Cook into a stroke
20.2 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, fullish just outside off, Cook gets forward and defends it to mid-off
20.1 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, full and slanting away outside off, left alone
19.6 -
Herath to Compton, no run, flighted delivery outside off, Compton gets forward and offers a solid defence
19.5 -
Herath to Compton, no run, darts it around off, defended
Nick Compton, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.4 -
Herath to Hales, out Caught by Mathews!! Herath hits the first nail in the opposition coffin. Given plenty of air on this tossed up delivery, Hales wanted to swipe it to mid-wicket, the ball grips and turns to take the outside edge of Hales's willow to first slip where Mathews takes an easy catch. Poor shot from Hales as he was looking so good. Hales c Mathews b Herath 18(52) [4s-3]
Herath to Hales, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
19.3 -
Herath to Hales, no run, from round the wicket, floats it up just outside off, pushed back to the bowler
19.2 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, slightly fuller this time, nudged away to past the diving mid-wicket fielder
19.1 -
Herath to Cook, no run, tossed up delivery which drifts in a touch, Cook sinks low and works it to mid-wicket
Rangana Herath, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
One slip and a FSL in place
18.6 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, full and angling away outside off, Hales shoulders arms
18.5 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, from wide of the crease, pounds it on a length just outside off, Hales defends it off the back foot
18.4 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, good length in that corridor of uncertainty, Hales prods forward and blocks it
18.3 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, fullish and kept a touch low, Hales defends it
18.2 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, on a length just outside off, Hales stands tall and defends it
18.1 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, loud appeal for an LBW but I reckon there was an inside-edge. Mathews gets this length delivery to jack back in sharply, Hales prodded forward to defend, misses and is rapped on the pads. Replays also showed that there was bat involved
17.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, again fullish and slanting away outside off, left alone
17.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, from over the wicket, angles it across outside off, Cook usheres it through to the keeper
17.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, fullish and hint of shape back into the left hander who gets forward to drive, gets it off the inner half towards mid-off
17.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, FOUR, sweetly timed! Half-volley from Pradeep, leans forward and creams the drive wide of mid-off. The ball races away into the fence
17.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, short and width offered, Cook went with hard hands on the cut but couldn't able to connect it
17.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, pitches it up outside off, Cook leans forward and drives it to cover
16.6 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery way outside off and Hales does not play at that
16.5 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, too straight on middle, Hales was a touch early on the flick as his bat face turned and manages to work it to mid-wicket
16.4 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery with a hint of away swing, Hales gets forward and offers a solid defence with a straight bat face
16.3 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, fuller length outside off, Hales lifts his bat and lets it go
16.2 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, tad fuller and keeps low a touch, Hales ignores
16.1 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, nagging line from Mathews, pitches it up close to off, Hales covers his sticks and shoulders arms
15.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, fullish and just outside off, Cook prods forward and blocks it
15.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, pitches it up just outside off, Cook gets half-forward and defends it into the off-side
15.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, angling on middle and leg, rolls his wrists and works it to mid-on where the fielder dives to his left and stops the ball
15.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, shortish and outside off, Cook stays back and punches it off the back foot towards point
15.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, again fullish outside off, this time Cook gets forward and pushes it to cover
15.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, very full outside off, Cook does not budge
14.6 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, threatens to come in but Hales interferes well in time to defend this full delivery that was pinged closer to the off-stump this time
14.5 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, less punctual that he would have wanted to block this full delivery towards point
14.4 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, stayed back as Mathews barbered his length back. Result is a punchy defence into the off-side
14.3 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, kicks off the pitch again. Very full length outside off, Hales had shouldered arms
14.2 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, loops off the pitch at good pace this as Mathews bends his back. Hales was forward, with his stance opening to follow the ball's trajectory as he left the ball
14.1 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, arriving ever so slowly on a fuller length, Hales squeezes out the front foot defence
Angelo Mathews, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Two slips and a gully in place for Mathews
Drinks are on the field now. Nobody's complaining, expect the Lord's administrators who might be worried with the low attendance. To be fair, the series is gone and a few stands are being refurbished. Talking about cricket, the pitch has played as expected. Corporate-like, with it been prepared to last full five days, unless Sri Lanka have an early ticket booked back. Okay, not. This is a super series.. (is that what they are calling it?). Cook looks set to celebrate his 10K runs while Hales has grown exponentially into form and more convincing defences under sunny skies. Not much wrong with the lines and lengths though. Could have been a touch fuller, but ale mugs and lengths can always be..
13.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, swinging into Cook from a widish line but the front foot made sure that the stumps stayed veiled behind his hips
13.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, this one was angled in. Finally. Perhaps held in the pitch or Cook might have been late as he hopped and blocked it slightly uppishly and off the upper half of the bat
13.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, good length delivery moving away a touch outside off to take it further away from Cook's very conservative radar
13.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, kicks up from a fullish length as Chandimal jerks back to collect that in front of his chest. Cook never bothered, another bat airlifting judged very early from the length
13.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, maybe he doesn't want to angle it in. All this LOIs have messed me up. Pings a widish line to see Cook lift his bat
13.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, goes wide of the crease from over the wicket but fails to angle it in. Wide line, fullish length, left alone
Two slips
12.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, a block off the front foot down the pitch
12.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, a touch late to come forward and defend this as this fullish delivery takes the inner half
12.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, pitched up and moving away outside off, left alone
12.3 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, the riposte is a shortish ball hurled wide outside off to invite Cook to fetch the pull. So he does. Protracts arms and short-arm jabs it away to deep mid-wicket. Couldn't time it well and never looked a boundary that, but well in control
12.2 -
Eranga to Cook, FOUR, here comes the fifty run opening stand - the first for either side in the series. Who's surprised? Full ball on the pads crying to be put away, and Cook obliges. Flick of the wrists to make the square leg fielder and the umpire mere spectators
12.1 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, fullish delivery from over the wicket, stays a touch low as Cook had to hop and dig the defence into the pitch
11.6 -
Pradeep to Hales, FOUR, and it's been catapulted downhill. Races away. Pradeep dragged his length back a touch, good bounce and Hales used it to help it away with a tuck - that stuck to the ground - through square leg
11.5 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, a defence but not too convincing. Was a tad late to meet this fuller delivery with a dead bat, did well to turn the bat and skew a defence into the leg-side
11.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, 1 run, lovely from cover. Dived to his left and stopped this front foot drive of a defence form Cook all one-handed
11.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, a front foot flowy defence into the off-side this time makes up for him being late on the tickle last ball. Well, almost
11.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, an appeal for a strangle down leg. Certain sound as this length delivery frisks something.. Replays show that it was the thigh pad. Cook has been caught down leg for many a times...
11.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, FOUR, two dives, two falls and a boundary. Punched handsomely to the left of Pradeep who air-dived but failed, as did mid-on. Crunchy
10.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery on a straighter line, blocked back awkwardly
10.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, that's an edible outswinger. Not pacy by any means. Not at all. Gets it pitching on a fullish length, Hales is not punctual to tranfer his weight in front. Is mid-way as he goes for the drive and is justly beaten on the outside edge. The slope there exaggerated the movement to make the poke look uglier..
10.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, length outside off this delivery, wide-ish line ensures an easy leave
10.3 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, stop the press. Herath has dived and stopped one. At mid-on. This was full on the pads from Eranga, gets it to nip back in for Cook's clip to be a touch stabby
Two slips
10.2 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, fullish length, good bounce as Cook rises tall as he lifts his bat to make way for that delivery
Someone's wreaking delaying havoc behind the sightscreen.. Sorted, for now.
10.1 -
Eranga to Hales, leg byes, 1 run, swinging onto the leg-stump from over the wicket, the ball skids on making Hales's tuck late. Half-an-appeal as the ball raps the pads but too leg-sidish to even invite that. Easily down leg that ball
9.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, 2 runs, too straight a line again and Cook this time cocked his wrists to not let the ball go finer. Wide of mid-wicket who chases and the slope upwards help him tame the chase
9.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, 2 runs, length on leg-stump, Cook smiles, perhaps, and then tickles it to fine leg. The deep backward square leg fielder runs across and cuts it off with some footer skills on display
9.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, softener of a full length outside off, arriving off the pitch ever so slowly. Cook had a day to lean across and drive it tamely to mid-off. Straight to him
9.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, straight line on the pads, Cook hops into a defence back to Pradeep
9.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, shortens the length and the ball kicks up a touch quicker. Cook was late to rise up, defends it off his feet off the inside edge that rolls wide side-on into the leg side
9.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, angles it across and keeps it near to the batsman, Cook shoulders arms even as the widish line threatened a nip back in
Nuwan Pradeep, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
The pitch looks flat. Flatter than a pancake. There's sun to bake it out further. Guess who will be tired by the end of day. Cook, you say? Here's Pradeep. Three slips and a gully in place, from over the wicket
8.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, widens his open stance as this full length delivery passes Hales and his bat airlifted over his head
8.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, die-straight line outside off invites Hales across with a bat-hoisting over his head
8.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, swing outside off from a fullish length, too wide to invite a poke. Left alone
8.3 -
Eranga to Hales, FOUR, that's a bread-butter ball. Too full on the pads, too straight a line and it's digested round the corner with a clip
8.2 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, too full outside off, Hales defence is chopped into the pitch and backspins. Hales uses his boot to kick the ball away
8.1 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery outside off, hint of swing, Hales leaves it alone late
7.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, full outside off, Cook pushes to cover
7.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, short of length just outside off, Cook cuts it straight to point. Misses out on a certain boundary as there was width on offer
7.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, back of a length outside off, Cook pushes to point
7.3 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, full outside off, Cook gets on the front foot and defends it to cover
7.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, full and outside off, driven to mid-off
7.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, pitches it up just outside off, left alone
6.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, good length and with a hint of away swing, Hales it pushes it and wanted a single but is sent back
6.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Hales was caught in two minds as wanted to force it into the off-side. He manages to pull his bat out of the way at the last moment and lets it go through to the keeper
6.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, beauty! Pitches it on a good length and gets it to seam away after luring Hales into the poke. The ball whizzes past the willow
6.3 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, fuller length on the stumps, pushes it towards mid-off and sets off for a single
6.2 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, fullish just outside off, Cook prods forward and defends it off the inner half of the bat
6.1 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, short of length which nips back in sharply, Cook was surpised by the bounce and swing, he was looking to let it go but the ball strikes the thigh pad
5.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, left alone
Again Hales is not happy with something behind the bowler's head.
5.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, good length with a touch of shape away from right hander who lets it go through to the keeper
5.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, defended
5.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, FOUR, nicely timed! Sees the fullish delivery, gets on the front foot and drives it along the ground after opening the face of the bat. The ball races away into the fence
5.2 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, length delivery in that channel outside off, left alone
5.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, fuller length just outside off, Hales shoulders arms
4.6 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, pitched up delivery shaping in a touch, Cook gets forward and works it to mid-on
4.5 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, fullish and angling away outside off, Cook lifts his bat and lets it go
4.4 -
Eranga to Cook, 2 runs, again sprays it down the leg, tucked away towards deep square leg. The long leg fielder gives the chase and the pair get a couple
4.3 -
Eranga to Cook, FOUR, easy pickings for Cook. Spearing on the pads, Cook gets inside the line and clips it off his hips to square into the leg-side.
4.2 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Cook lets it go
4.1 -
Eranga to Hales, 3 runs, fullish outside off, Hales came forward to push it into the off-side with soft hands, the ball takes the outside edge and rolls away wide of gully. The batsmen add three runs to the tally
3.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, superb stuff from Lakmal. Angles it around off, invites the batsman into the drive and gets it to straighten a wee bit. Cook has a tame poke and is beaten
3.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, 2 runs, short of length delivery just outside off, Cook punches it towards cover. The fielder from mid-off gives the chase and keeps the pair down to a couple
3.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, from round the wicket, keeps it on a length just outside off, left alone
3.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, short of length just outside off, Hales punches it to cover off the back foot towards point, the fielder makes a half-stop, there was bit of hesitation between the pair, eventually they get a single
3.2 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, lovely line. Pitches it up and lures Hales into the drive, who pushes at that and the ball seams away to beat the outside edge
3.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, fullish and outside off, Hales waves it through to the keeper
2.6 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, pitches it up and hint of shape back into the left hander who prods forward and defends it
Switches to round the wicket
2.5 -
Eranga to Cook, FOUR, poor delivery, goes for the inswinger and sprays it down leg, Cook leg-glances it to the fine leg fence
2.4 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, drags it a touch shorter just outside off, Hales stands tall and pushes it to cover. The batsmen scamper across for a single
2.3 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, angles it on the pads, tucked away to fine leg for an easy single
2.2 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, pitches it up and draws Cook into the drive who obliges and push-drives it into the off-side
2.1 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, smidgen fuller outside off, Cook shoulders arms
1.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, better line from Lakmal, keeps it in that corridor of uncertainty, Hales gets half-forward and blocks it
1.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, errs in line and sprays down the leg, Hales ignores
1.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, 1 run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Cook pushes it to cover and hares across to the other end
1.3 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, wobble seam delivery which stays a touch low, Cook wanted to force it on the off-side, low bounce meant he couldn't connect it and the ball bounces in front of the keeper
1.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, from round the wicket, pounds it in that channel just outside off, Cook covers his sticks and lets it go by
Cook has some issue with the sightscreen. Gets it sorted.
1.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, length delivery on the stumps, Hales prods across and works it to mid-wicket for a comfortable single
Suranga Lakmal, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
Lakmal to share the new ball with Eranga. Three slips and a gully in place
0.6 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, goodish length with a hint of inward movement back into the left hander who watches it sail through to the keeper
0.5 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, pitches it up and keeps a touch low, Cook does not play at that. The ball carries to the keeper on the bounce
0.4 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, on a length and angling on middle and leg, Cook hops in his crease and works it to mid-wicket
0.3 -
Eranga to Cook, 2 runs, drifts it on middle and leg, Cook gets across and clips to towards square leg. The pair run hard and get a brace
A deepish short leg in place too
0.2 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, much fuller this time, no swing on offer, Cook covers his sticks and shoulders arms
0.1 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, starts with a good line, keeps it in that channel just outside off, Cook greets it with a lifted willow.
Cook and Hales are at the crease. Cook is on strike. Eranga will open the attack
The players are back! Lakmal has 2 slips and a gully in place as he comes over the wicket
An early tea break has been taken. Four wickets this session then, and England ride on a solid homework to wrap this up. Guess who would be happy.. well.. Mickey Arthur. Get it, eh? This session was as much about Herath's defiance, with the bat this time, as he scored 31 off 49 balls, as much as it was about celebrating the Anderson-Broad partnership - now officially the most successful opening bowling combination in the history of the game. And they still have a few more years of menacing twosome left in them. Cook's in the hospital for an X-ray and it should be Compton and Hales who should open. Join us in fifteen minutes to see how many Compton can score in what can be his last Test appearance.. BRB
95.1 -
Woakes to Eranga, out Caught by James Vince!! Sri Lanka have been broomed aside for a 288 all out - an implosion after a 108-run opening stand. And Woakes strikes first ball, again. Keeps the ball on a back of a length, Eranga pokes with hard hands and offers a catch to Vince at third slip. Eranga c James Vince b Woakes 1(13)
Woakes to Eranga, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Chris Woakes [17.0-5-31-2] is back into the attack
Four slips
94.6 -
Anderson to Pradeep, no run, lets the ball come in perilously and then bunted it into the pitch with a bat face facing the pitch
94.5 -
Anderson to Pradeep, no run, draws his bat inside the line after this ball trims in a touch to climb past the outside edge
94.4 -
Anderson to Pradeep, no run, defends it with an opened stance
Nuwan Pradeep, right handed bat, comes to the crease
94.3 -
Anderson to Lakmal, out Caught by Root!! Another catch for Joe Root. Another one, yes. And you love delusions if you didn't see this coming. Anderson this time draws Lakmal across to defend this wobble ball that straightened just enough to take the shoulder of the bat and the edge lopped up low to the right of second slip. Root crouched and took it inches above the turf. Umpires did send it upstairs to check the catch and the replays, for once, were clear. Lakmal c Root b Anderson 0(5)
Anderson to Lakmal, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Lakmal is caught. The England players are happy but the umpires refer it upstairs to check the catch. The soft signal is OUT
94.2 -
Anderson to Lakmal, no run, hangs his bat outside off, sees the ball zip away and pendulums his bat late after getting beaten. Not punctual Lakmal, not punctual
94.1 -
Anderson to Lakmal, no run, too full a delivery to stay back and defend. No angling of the back would have helped, except here, where Lakmal almost buried himself into the pitch to jam it out
93.6 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, is early into a defence to a fuller length delivery
93.5 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, backs away to see the ball dart in from short of length, and then makeshifts into a defence
93.4 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, coils up on the back foot to defend this length ball into the leg-side
93.3 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, drives an outswinger with hard hands, a solid edge that dies in front of the first slip who pouches the half-volley for the Lord's crowd to throw their hats in the air. Well, not really
93.2 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, straightens from a good length outside off, Eranga stretches arms to reach out but couldn't. Beaten, they say?
93.1 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, blocked with an open bat face and off the outside half of the bat
World Record: Anderson and Broad (494) go past Wasim and Waqar (493) to become the most successful opening bowling pair in Test cricket's history
92.6 -
Anderson to Lakmal, no run, swipes the air as he lets the gatway this swinging delivery under his arms
92.5 -
Anderson to Lakmal, no run, late inswing after Lakmal covers his stumps and lets it go
Suranga Lakmal, right handed bat, comes to the crease
92.4 -
Anderson to K Perera, out Caught by Bairstow!! Results arrive, just a ball late after that mega meeting. Like a delayed Christmas gift from an overworked courier service. Perera skips out to see Anderson shorten the length, still went for an awkward pull to a ball climbing at him and feathered it behind off the toe-end. Anderson gets his first wicket. K Perera c Bairstow b Anderson 42(73) [4s-7]
Anderson to K Perera, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
92.3 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, a few wasted seconds of my life is followed by a bumper from over the wicket to which Perera ducks
Anderson is now walking back..
Still..
Still going on...
A mini conflab between JB and two others. Anderson and Finn have a mini-meeting of their own as the Lord's crowd cork open more champagnes on a Saturday afternoon
92.2 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, so close. Anderson bangs this in short from over the wicket, Perera thought he could hop and ride the bounce but couldn't. Pops it off the shoulder of the bat over Root who jumps up and gets his fingertips to it at 2nd slip. Good effort to even able to tip that ball.. it was high, let me tell you
92.1 -
Anderson to Eranga, 1 run, no field's going to help if a middle-leg stump delivery is allowed to be clipped to fine leg
Expect a crowded field given Eranga is on strike. Three slips
91.6 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, he cannot. Just tucks an incoming delivery to mid-wicket. Eranga on strike for the next over then
A single he needs now
91.5 -
Broad to K Perera, FOUR, how do I put it.. well played then. A back of a length delivery on the pads, Perera swings this short-arm pull round the corner
91.4 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, blocked back to Broad
91.3 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, lovely. A good length ball to which Perera pressed forward tentatively. Not behind it to drive and gets beaten, and then follows it up by hauling his bat inside the line
91.2 -
Broad to K Perera, 2 runs, a touch of width on this full delivery and Perera straightens arms to lift this over the infield. Keeps strike with that brace
91.1 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, Broad keeps it full and wide of off, and makes Perera fetch the clip that was played with a rather horizontal bat. To the left of mid-on who does well to tidy up
90.6 -
Anderson to Eranga, no run, a full outswinger to which Eranga opens up and tries to jam it into the pitch. Don't ask me why. Interesting but ugly. Past the outside edge
90.5 -
Anderson to K Perera, leg byes, 1 run, looked to tuck it away but the ball takes off the pitch, hits the pelvis and drops in front of the keeper before running away. Replays suggest an inside edge but the umpire's a human. Errs
90.4 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, looked set to take on this short ball but then spots the venom on that, jerks his back and then drops his hands
90.3 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, now gets forward and low, and defends it
90.2 -
Anderson to K Perera, FOUR, why would you? Why, when you have a bottom hand as strong as that. Just picks up a length ball with a short-arm flick and shimmies a boundary round the corner
90.1 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, gets nicely behind the line of this length ball and bunts it back
89.6 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, defends this full delivery into the pitch with a loose grip
89.5 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, flushes out the LBW plan by interrupting with a clip to handle this straight full ball on the pads
89.4 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, this is a more intentful poke. Stays his ground and just jabs his bat in front. Plays inside the line somehow as the ball angles in and zips off the turf at pace to beat the edge
89.3 -
Broad to Eranga, no run, just hangs his bat outside off (to dry) to be beaten on the outside edge as this length delivery holds its line
Shaminda Eranga, right handed bat, comes to the crease
89.2 -
Broad to Herath, out Bowled!! Oh, Herath and sweet dishes come in short servings. And Holding's high words of praise just made me trust jinxes more. Anyway, back to cricket. Herath has chopped one onto the stumps. Looked to run one down to third man, opened the bat face but the angle into him always kept chasing him. Off the inside edge and barreled onto the stumps. Herath b Broad 31(49) [4s-5]
Broad to Herath, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
"He's a thorn in the side for England," reckons Michael Holding on Herath
89.1 -
Broad to Herath, no run, blocked on the up to mid-off
88.6 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, defensively works a leg-stumpish delivery into.. the oblivion. Strike that. Into leg-side - once cricket's room of cowardice. Not now
88.5 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, walks forward into a stylish high-elbowed defence to this length ball
88.4 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, clipped into the leg-side with the intent of a full-tummied sloth
88.3 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, hurried into defending a length ball on the stumps back to Anderson
88.2 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, another one shaved into the leg-side. Not sure if there was some bat
88.1 -
Anderson to K Perera, leg byes, FOUR, gets some pad on this tuck to a delivery down leg-side
By the way, Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth II. We all know that Cook and Broad have the greatest of return gifts
87.6 -
Broad to Herath, no run, late swing from a full length, Herath goes for a delightful-but-blindfolded carving drive and misses
87.5 -
Broad to Herath, byes, FOUR, it looed like it hit the underside of the glove as Herath swiveled to pull a wide delivery down leg. But Snicko suggested that there was nothing, and the London air just made the ball misbehave.. making it dip as Herath missed the pull for the ball to run away wider of JB's dive
87.4 -
Broad to Herath, no run, a lot of deliberation to review this after Herath was struck on his pad while walking across. But the angle was overcooked, down leg easily. A wasted review averted
87.3 -
Broad to Herath, FOUR, another four. Hales leaped, Hales tried. Hales was desperate at gully. But Herath wins. Dabbed out a fullish delivery with an open bat, played it uppishly but wasn't in control. The ball looped high to evade Hales's attempt and runs all the away
87.2 -
Broad to Herath, no run, another defence off the shoulder of the bat
87.1 -
Broad to Herath, no run, rides the bounce by opening up his stance and opens the blade to guide this fend towards gully
86.6 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, extra bounce that peppers the bat splice in defence. Did well to get right on top of the bounce and dig a grave into the pitch with this defence
86.5 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, gets forward after an eternity and dead-bats this length ball on the stumps
86.4 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, another one to which he stays put and just stabs out a block. Towards mid-off this time
86.3 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, a punchy defence to where a mid-on would have been
86.2 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, pace off the pitch as Anderson bends his back on a back of a length and pings Perera high on the front thigh
86.1 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, opens the face of the bat and steers this defence towards the cordon behind
It's slightly brighter at Lord's now but it might as well be Herath's batting aura. Two slips and a gully in place wait as Anderson bowls from over the wicket
85.6 -
Broad to Herath, no run, is late to pull this quick back of a length delivery away. Ends up chopping it into the pitch - near his boot - off the face of the blade
85.5 -
Broad to Herath, no run, a forced squat as Herath buried his head under this bumper that would have cleared his head by half a Herath
85.4 -
Broad to Herath, no run, full delivery swinging away, Herath wipes the windshield in the air as he lets this ball go
85.3 -
Broad to Herath, no run, is cramped for room outside off on this length delivery and manages an inside edge on the side of his front pad
85.2 -
Broad to Herath, FOUR, wow. Herath, you beauty! Sees the length trimmed back, stands taller and rolls this pull shot over mid-wicket. If audacity were more modest, it would look like this shot from Herath
85.1 -
Broad to Herath, FOUR, now he's getting into that zone. As Warne points out, not a correct shot. But a beautiful shot nonetheless. Stays put and opens the blade to direct this drive through point
Umpire calls on Root for a chat. Not sure about what. Maybe about the lengthy discussion he just had with Broad
Hordes of cricketers at Lord's today.. Jayasuriya, Ranatunga, Sangakkara, McCullum, Morgan are the few my thick glasses could spot
84.6 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, overbakes this with a line down leg, Perera misses his tickle. This is a Test and a ball down leg isn't a sin. Not adjudged a wide
Now over the wicket
84.5 -
Anderson to Herath, 1 run, swivels into a short arm pull round the corner as Anderson kept it short again
84.4 -
Anderson to Herath, FOUR, short and wide - the mediocre twosome - delivery dished up by Anderson and it's slashed away through backward point
Cook is off for an X-ray after getting shot by the ball at silly point
84.3 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, full delivery jammed back off the back foot
Is Herath your favourite tailend batsman?
84.2 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, a hopping defence played with utmost control
84.1 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, rears up after it swings in to become a middle-stump delivery and then taps Herath's bat's shoulder as he defends
83.6 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, a touch late to blunt this length delivery and the result is a skewed defence that's dropped to gully in control
83.5 -
Broad to K Perera, 2 runs, nicely tames the ball angled across by waiting a touch more and then forces a punch through extra cover
83.4 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, full length from over the wicket. Hits a trampoline, maybe, and bounds up with venom only for Perera to let it go
83.3 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, blocked with an open bat face
83.2 -
Broad to K Perera, FOUR, that's a disservice to a straight drive. Nothing serene about it. All power. Shuffles across a touch and literally clubs a full delivery along the ground
83.1 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, a flowing defence to this full delivery is placed straight to cover
82.6 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, that's the change-up. The in-ducker that defies gravity to run up the slope. Herath is hurried, fails to put a bat and is struck on the thigh pad. An appeal, hence, that's turned down given it looked high
82.5 -
Anderson to Herath, FOUR, hah. Don't I love watching Herath bat. Wanted to drive this full delivery uppishly through cover but instead gets an outside edge. Did well to not go half-hearted on this shot and managed to balloon the edge over the sky-gazing slip cordon
82.4 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, brings his bat down to blunt this full delivery on off-stump ever so late
All set now. Four slips to bully Herath
82.3 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, and now Herath is hopping. This delivery which was pounded on a back of a length rears up, takes Herath's arm-guard as he defends and sways away, and bounces in front of the gully fielder. The physio is out there to tend to Herath.. that forearm blow must have hurt
82.2 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, that ball has Anderson'd away off the turf. No other way to put it. Ever so full, just outside off, Herath goes for the drive to this ball that swings so late and beats the edge
82.1 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, in the corridor of uncertainty and zipping off the turf in a die-straight path, Herath had the stumps covered and lifted his bat high to make way
81.6 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, late swing on this fullish delivery that Perera leaves alone
81.5 -
Broad to K Perera, FOUR, on a scale of 1 to Sanath Jayasuriya, that was a nine on ten. Full delivery from over the wicket, in the slot and Perera pounds it over the bowler's head. No feet, all hands. Just protracted it and bullied the ball down the ground
Different plans to the two left handers. Angle it across from over the wicket to Perera and attack Herath's pads from round the wicket
81.4 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, baby front foot stride to block this back of a length delivery on the up
81.3 -
Broad to K Perera, no run, angled across on a length, swings away after Perera windmills his bat out of the line late
To over the wicket now
81.2 -
Broad to Herath, 1 run, full outside off, Herath could stand tall and bring his driving bat down for a tap to deepish cover
81.1 -
Broad to Herath, no run, pings a fullish length outside off which Herath avoids
Stuart Broad [16.0-5-50-1] is back into the attack
Two slips and short leg in place, from round the wicket
80.6 -
Anderson to K Perera, no run, just how do you play that? Switches to over the wicket, hits a length on leg-stump and swings it viciously across Perera's flat-footed poke
80.5 -
Anderson to Herath, 1 run, quick on the pads, he takes his bottom hand off as he drops it into the leg-side
80.4 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, more venom on this length delivery swinging away late, left alone
80.3 -
Anderson to Herath, no run, jaffa from round the wicket. Pounds it on a length outside off, the ball ricochets up and climbs past Herath who arches his back and hops to evade an edge on that
80.2 -
Anderson to K Perera, leg byes, 1 run, the line's leg-stumpish again and Perera clips it to fine leg for a single
Switches to over the wicket
80.1 -
Anderson to Herath, 1 run, angles it on a back of a length from round the wicket, slips it down leg and Herath turns around to help it round the corner
James Anderson [15.0-3-45-0] is back into the attack
New ball now available to England. Will be surprised if England don't opt for it. Anderson on top of his mark. That's a sign. Yes, England have opted for the new ball. Three slips and a gully in place.. watch out for Herath!
79.6 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, tossed up on the stumps, Perera squeezed it back to Moeen Ali
79.5 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, loud appeal as Perera got into a bit of tangle. Tries to cut but the ball jags in with the slope and Perera somehow manages to keep it out as he lowered the bat. Moeen goes for the review which will anyway be replenished next over. Just a formal review. HotSpot spots a hot spot, an inside edge there on the pads. If not for it, that was hitting the off-stump
79.4 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, 2 runs, ticked to fine leg for a brace
79.3 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, 1 run, gorgreous. Onederful shot.. get the pun? Fetches the sweep as he hunches and slots one to deep mid-wicket
79.2 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, no run, was half-forward to defend this arm-ball off the splice
79.1 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, no run, threatening the pads and Herath gets forward to blunt anything on this
78.6 -
Finn to K Perera, no run, gets his bat high and blocks
Artificial lights switched on at Lord's. The fake-o-meter reads 9/10
78.5 -
Finn to Herath, 1 run, well, that stare invited a shortish delivery angled into the ribs. Herath was ready. Hopped up and turned it round the corner
78.4 -
Finn to Herath, no run, that binary bounce into play. Finn goes full outside off, Herath tries to slash it away but ends up flashing over the ball's trajectory. And then stares back at Finn.. Woah!
78.3 -
Finn to Herath, no run, not convincing as Herath defends it off the outside edge that rolls to gully. Could have played that shot on heels. No feet whatsoever
78.2 -
Finn to Herath, no run, gets across and behind the line of this length delivery, and blocks it
78.1 -
Finn to Herath, no run, defended
Morgan and McCullum in the house
77.6 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, drives a defence to mid-on
77.5 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, forward and defended
77.4 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, 2 runs, tossed up nicely, Perera goes for the sweep, gets a bottom edge that runs down to third man
77.3 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, blocked this time with sanity
77.2 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, ah, lovely from Moeen. Perera charges out, the ball slides in with the angle from round the wicket and misses. Rapped on the pad but too far down the poitch to be appealed, that
A slip and an FSL
77.1 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, 1 run, clipped to deep square leg just in time
76.6 -
Finn to Herath, 1 run, shortish length veering down, Herath ditches his lack of agility, turns around and picks it up with a tuch to fine leg
76.5 -
Finn to Herath, no run, blocked
76.4 -
Finn to Herath, no run, takes his front leg out and uses the inward angle to block this into the pitch
76.3 -
Finn to Herath, no run, tries to feel this length delivery outside off. Lack of feet movement meant he was nowhere close to wooding it. Beaten
76.2 -
Finn to K Perera, 1 run, driven to point rather defensively
76.1 -
Finn to K Perera, FOUR, Finn's down on the ground. No, not another slip in his followthrough. Dishes out a full toss that Perera drills back. Finn tries his heel to stop it, half-stops it but it was so brutal that he ends up hurting himself
75.6 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, 1 run, kneels down, sees the ball slotted wide of off but still goes to fetch the sweep to mid-wicket
75.5 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, forward and blocked
Mahela points on air that he could spot a few rain drops from the air-conditioned multi-million dollar Lord's pressbox. Yes. I can see the black posh umbrellas opening up in the crowd too..
75.4 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, 1 run, clipped to deep square leg this time
75.3 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, no run, sliding in this one. Very full and Herath could easily keep this out
75.2 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, no run, half-beaten. Slides down with the slope and Herath arrests his poke very late
Cook is off the field, Root is in charge
75.1 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, no run, flighted delivery on the stumps, blocked
It looks murkier after the lunch break out there at Lord's. Two slips and an FSL for ALi
Welcome back to the second session. Bakery outing never happened, I confess, but I did manage to experience a bit of London here in Bengaluru. As if London's my summer destination. Now back to cricket. This session should be about England's approach to wrap this Sri Lankan innings. Perera and Herath can't be banked upon much, but, but, we shall not assume.
Phew, five wickets in the session for England. Sri Lanka helped, of course, so did the lengths from English bowlers which were a touch fuller than yesterday. But let's not start a moan-fest against Sri Lanka. They have a young team, in conditions too foreign, and against an attack featuring two of the world's top three bowlers. They had started well yesterday but looked out of fuel today. Woakes made up for all of yesterday's luckless bowling by nipping out eventual top-scorer Silva outside off, and then Mathews surrendered to him with an outside edge. Broad and Finn chipped in with one and two wickets respectively, with the latter outsmarting an in-form Chandimal to help England bully a session under clouds. Join us back in 40 minutes as I head out to a nearby bakery.
74.6 -
Finn to K Perera, 2 runs, that's lunch. Two runs courtesy a tuck to fine leg as Finn slid it on the pads and, as a result, Sri Lanka manage to save the follow-on for the first time in the series
74.5 -
Finn to K Perera, no run, now his alter ego in play. Maybe he's aware of the impending lunch break. Shoulders arms and leaves it alone
74.4 -
Finn to K Perera, FOUR, that's as audacious as you will see. Sehwag-esque. Smashes a full delivery down the ground with a flat bat and loads of swagger
74.3 -
Finn to K Perera, no run, extra pace off the pitch from a back of a length, Perera couldn't quite tuck it away and ends up straight-batting the defence to short cover
74.2 -
Finn to K Perera, FOUR, that's an edible punch through covers. Delicious. Got on top of the bounce and caressed it away using the width soldered on that delivery
74.1 -
Finn to K Perera, no run, straight line and length from over the wicket, blocked with a closed bat
Last over before lunch certainly
73.6 -
Moeen Ali to Herath, 2 runs, is late to get forward and slope-exaggerated turn away takes the outside half to roll wide of the slipper in place. He's off the mark. Let the Herathon begin, please
73.5 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, 1 run, worked off the pads to backward square leg
73.4 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, ouch! Perera drives a flighted delivery straight into the knees of Cook at silly point! Looks okay. Hops and grimnaced, but the moment he turned his face towards Perera, the poker face was on..
73.3 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, gets forward and drives a defence into the off-side
73.2 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, blocked again
73.1 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, blunted down the ground
Rangana Herath, left handed bat, comes to the crease
72.6 -
Finn to Thirimanne, out Caught by Root!! Five wickets in the session for England. "Look up, not down," they say at Lord's, and to be fair, it always felt like a bowling day with the clouds shading the sun. And of course Sri Lanka helped. Like here. Thirimanne tries to drive a length ball on the up, is nowhere behind it as he leant forward and an outside edge popped at nicest of heights to Root at second slip. Thirimanne c Root b Finn 17(58) [4s-3]
Finn to Thirimanne, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
72.5 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, effort delivery on a back of a length. Not much from the pitch and Thirimanne opens the face of the bat to block
72.4 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, blocked into the leg-side with a shuffle and a high bat as Finn pings a shortish length
72.3 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, a stylish side-kicking shuffle to the off-side to blunt this back of a length delivery
72.2 -
Finn to Thirimanne, 2 runs, fired in on the pads from wider of the crease, Thirimanne clips it to dep mid-wicket with cocked wrists
72.1 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, hops himself open into defending a length delivery wide of off
Ten minutes approx. to go for Lunch.
71.6 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, tossed up outside off, Perera shoulders arms to this as the slope and the spin, if any, would have anyway taken the ball away
71.5 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, drawn across with the drift. Blocked
71.4 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, lovely. Goes round-armish and slows the pace on the stumps, Perera was nicely forward to keep this out
71.3 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, blocked again
71.2 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, straightens a touch with the slops, blocked off the front foot
71.1 -
Moeen Ali to K Perera, no run, ditches the slop and shoots in with the angle, only to be defended
A slip and an FSL
70.6 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, hops and blocks a back of a length delivery
70.5 -
Finn to K Perera, 1 run, driven firmly this time and Broad, after all the Lord's balcony time-out, dives to save a few runs at mid-off
70.4 -
Finn to K Perera, no run, that's a jaffa. And more so to a man short of cricket. Very full delivery from over the wicket, Perera looks to ambitiously drive it but the ball swings away late and with bounce to ramp to the keeper
70.3 -
Finn to K Perera, no run, works a full ball into the leg-side as he hunched forward
Three slips and a gully in place
70.2 -
Finn to K Perera, no run, fend-defended awkwardly into the leg-side
Kusal Perera, left handed bat, comes to the crease
70.1 -
Finn to Chandimal, out Lbw!! Finn can breathe. HawkEye stays loyal. This looked plumb to the naked eye but you cannot fault Chandimal for reviewing it. We have seen HawkEye behave bizzare with that Lord's slope in play, and this LBW, that looked a dead duck, was merely clipping the leg-stump. There you go. But a big, big wicket just before lunch. This was a full ball and Chandimal played all around it. Wanted to clip it, was late as the ball shot on from the turf and martyred the pad. Chandimal lbw b Finn 19(48) [4s-3]
Finn to Chandimal, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
Chandimal has been given out LBW and has reviewed
69.6 -
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, leg byes, 2 runs, veering down leg-side, Thirimanne misses the turnaround tickle and the ball frisks the pads to evade the keeper too
69.5 -
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, FOUR, that's deft. 200 up for Sri Lanka too. Tiniest of width outside off, Thirimanne uses the slop to lean across and slices it ever so late through backwars point
69.4 -
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, wider line, draws Thirimanne across on the front foot to defend
69.3 -
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, gives this one more air on a straighter line, blocked off the front foot
69.2 -
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, length and loop outside off, blocked into the off-side
69.1 -
Moeen Ali to Thirimanne, no run, starts from round the wicket, drifts it full on the pads which Thirimanne defends
Moeen Ali [8.0-1-23-0] is back into the attack
Here's spin. "Look, look, he's come," say my typing fingers which are two. Now you know
68.6 -
Finn to Chandimal, 2 runs, open-batted tap and a misfield at backward point earns Chandimal a cheap couple of runs
Just the one slip
68.5 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, that's ugly. Length ball but it's too full to be cut away. Just a wild swish of the bat to shame the top-edge
68.4 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, blocked into the off-side
68.3 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, an appeal that Finn let out. Alone. Asked Cook for a review which was turned down. This shot down with the slope to beat the tuck and hit the front pad very high.. Outside the line? Yes, that too
Rod Tucker changing sides to stand at point
68.2 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, forward and across to bunt a defence
Broad is spotted in the Lord's balcony. Off the field, it implies, no?
68.1 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, length ball from over the wicket, defended
67.6 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, overshuffles across to get outside the line of this delivery angled in on a length from Anderson. An inside edge that didn't threaten the stumps and stayed well in front of Thirimanne
67.5 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, leans nicely forward to this pitched up length and drives a defence to cover
67.4 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, sort of a loopy delivery. Almost dips and then kicks up from a very full length to hit the spilce. Thirimanne did well to take his bottom hand off as he turned the defence into the leg-side
67.3 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, switches to round the wicket, keeps it full outside off and Thirimanne defends it
Anderson is unhappy with the foot-holes at the Nursery end. Kicks it to level it up (and in disgust)
67.2 -
Anderson to Chandimal, 1 run, lovely wrists to clip this delivery from outside off to deep mid-wicket
67.1 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, fullish length is responded with a driven defence to mid-off
66.6 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, fails to tame the bounce but does well to loosen the grip and fend it away in front of gully
66.5 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, the length is dragged back, not a surprise, and Thirimanne hops to block it back
66.4 -
Finn to Thirimanne, FOUR, too full and it's been humiliated with a drive. Gets across on his knees and opened the bat to slot the drive through point. Lovely shot
66.3 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, worked into the leg-side
66.2 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, a more certain push to mid-off as Finn pushes it further up
66.1 -
Finn to Thirimanne, no run, back of a length delivery from over the wicket to see a high-elbowed defence from Thirimanne
65.6 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, gets forward and awkwardly keeps it out. That last ball playing on his mind. Definitely
65.5 -
Anderson to Chandimal, FOUR, just short of Root at second slip! Hard hands as Chandimal leant across to get behind the line of this one. Couldn't and the outside edge dropped just to the right and in front of Root.. who let out a windmill dive but failed to pouch or stop the ball. On-air commentators think it was a chance.. A nano-chance, I would say
65.4 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, gets too close to the pitch of this full delivery with a forward and across stride, and then jabs away the defence wide of gully
65.3 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, gets across on front foot and blocks
65.2 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, flows into a front foot defence to this pitched up delivery from Anderson
65.1 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, that kept low. Hit Chandimal's front pad planted outside off.. no appeal. Chandimal was so taken aback that he dropped on the pitch and let out a smile.. perhaps thinking about keeping on this wicket later
64.6 -
Finn to Chandimal, 1 run, angled in on a length and razored away off the pads to deep mid-wicket for a single
64.5 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, good length delivery defended back
64.5 -
Finn to Chandimal, wide, this is shorter than short. Too short. Into Finn's half of the pitch and wild down leg-side too. Called a wide. Yes, a wide in Test cricket. That wild
64.4 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, tame fuller length delivery that's a good boy. No mischief. Easily blocked down the ground and Finn tumbles in half-stopping it
64.3 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, fails to get high enough and the 45-degree defence ekes out an edge into the leg side
64.2 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, a high-batted defence off the back foot
64.1 -
Finn to Chandimal, no run, fullish length in the channel outside off, defended
Steven Finn [10.0-1-31-1] is back into the attack
Finn has looked the most mediocre of all the seamers. Can he? Two slips, over the wicket
63.6 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, he's just angling it in. He's not hitting a fullish length. Thirimanne is just blocking them. A maiden from Anderson this
63.5 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, middles the high-batted defence with a mini-shuffle across his off-stump
63.4 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, full and swinging into the pads, Thirimanne digs a defence into a pitch
63.3 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, gets low and blocks this very full delivery on the stumps from Anderson
63.2 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, sidekick of the back leg as he blocks this back of a length on the off-stump
63.1 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, waits a touch too long to let this ball arrive and then gets cramped with the angle in. Does well to force the delivery out towards mid-on
The graphics suggest that England have hit the good length more this morning, as compared to last afternoon. SL's score is a testament to it
62.6 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, full delivery to which Chandimal hops back and jams it out off the toe end into the off-side
62.5 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, forward and blocked
62.4 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, gets on the front foot but skews a defence off the inside edge
62.3 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, bounds up from a length slow and Chandimal gets back to block
62.2 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, 1 run, length ball worked to deep mid-wicket
62.1 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, short of length delivery but still swings down leg to evade Thirimanne's tickle and JB's glovetips
Drinks are on the field now
61.6 -
Anderson to Chandimal, FOUR, poor. Short of length veering down, Chandimal turns around and helps it to fine leg with a tuck shot that resembled opening a pipeline valve
61.5 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, pokes his front leg out and leaves this fullish outswinger from Anderson
61.4 -
Anderson to Chandimal, no run, shuffles across to get behind the line of this length ball and blocks
61.3 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, 1 run, a tighter line this time, good pace off the good length area and Thirimanne jabs it to mid-wicket for a well-run single
61.2 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, back of a length again, on the stumps from round the wicket, and Thirimanne gets his bat high in defence
61.1 -
Anderson to Thirimanne, no run, angled in delivery blocked to mid-on. Why the short length? Where's Anderson? Just the two slips he has..skewed slips with a gap between the two
James Anderson [11.0-2-35-0] is back into the attack
60.6 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, allows this back of a length ball to come in and then pushes a defence into the pitch
60.5 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, that's how you jump.. in phase with the bounce so as to middle the hopping defence on this short delivery
60.4 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, slices his bat as he stepped across his stumps and defended it back to Woakes
60.3 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, too early on the front foot waiting. Woakes shortened the length a touch and Chandimal ends up ballooning a defence off the inside half of the bat's shoulder. Okay, too technical
60.2 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, sees the venomous bumper and decided to duck under it, rather late
60.1 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, looked late on this front foot drive and ends up mistiming it to mid-off
59.6 -
Broad to Chandimal, 1 run, a deep cover was just put in and Chandimal gets on top of this short of length delivery nicely to punch this away to the man
59.5 -
Broad to Chandimal, no run, opens himself on the leaning forward defence as Broad hits a wider line outside off
59.4 -
Broad to Chandimal, no run, gets forward and across nicely to stonewall this
59.3 -
Broad to Chandimal, no run, goes wider in the crease and angles this in viciously. Chandimal is early to work this into the leg side, gets opened up a touch as a leading edge scoots into the off-side
59.2 -
Broad to Chandimal, no run, the swing on this one made sure that the ball arrived late on a full length, and Chandimal held his bat in air for a while before jamming this into the pitch
59.1 -
Broad to Thirimanne, 1 run, angled in from wide of the crease, Chandimal turns in sync with the delivery and trims a tuck to backward square leg for a single
Two slips for Broad
58.6 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, gets forward and hurries himself a touch into the defence to this fullish length outside off
58.5 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, gets forward and across as a reply to the full-wide delivery, and defends it to point
58.4 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, lovely ball that's been overdosed in T20s. A yorker that Chandimal digs out back to Woakes
58.3 -
Woakes to Chandimal, 2 runs, uses the bounce on this one to tuck a couple round the corner. And good running between the wickets this was
58.2 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, was already in the process of coming forward and blocks this fullish delivery into the off-side
58.1 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, opens himself up to ride the bounce and chops a defence towards the slip cordon
57.6 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, this delivery takes off leisurely from the pitch, giving Thirimanne enough time to rock back and middle the defence
57.5 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, well, not yet. Swings this from a length outside off to see Thirimanne hoist his bat over his head
Two short legs in place. The lyrics of the song that's going to play reads "Smell the leather"
57.4 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, an appeal in moribund. Angles this delivery in from wide of the crease, Thirimanne plays far inside the line and the ball pings the back pad stationed outside off.. Wait. Replays show an inside edge. Techology is at least better than my eyes
57.3 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, gets nicely forward to this full delivery and on-drives a defence
57.2 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, was stuck mid-way to this length delivery that jagged in, and the inside edge on the defence took the pad and ricocheted away into the leg side to oohs and aahs
57.1 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, fuller length delivery swinging in, Thirimanne trusts his stumps and stance and lets it go
56.6 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, inclines himself into the off-side and bunts this pitched up delivery towards mid-on
56.5 -
Woakes to Chandimal, no run, another one swinging in from a very full length, Chandimal just keeps it out
56.4 -
Woakes to Chandimal, FOUR, pushes this fuller to the new batsman who's tentative to come forward, the late swing in makes it worse and the inside edge on the on-drive vrooms past the stumps to the fine leg fence
Dinesh Chandimal, right handed bat, comes to the crease
56.3 -
Woakes to Mathews, out Caught by Root!! If you were working on a scientific paper dealing with Woakes's lack of luck, dump it now. He has two wickets. Keeps the length short on this, the ball kicks up while sliding down the slope, opens Mathews up and takes the shoulder of the bat to pop nicely to Root at second slip. Replays show that it was an intended outswinger that just skid on off the turf with bounce to defy Mathews. And, now, Sri Lanka look headed South under clouds. Where's the sun? Mathews c Root b Woakes 3(14)
Woakes to Mathews, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
56.2 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, gets lower to make up for lack up his weight forward and defends the bejeezus out of it
56.1 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, blocked off the front foot
It's a full house and there's a certain buzz around
55.6 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, another one into the pads from wide of the crease, Thirimanne shaves it off his pads down to square leg. Lord's burst into claps.. don't know why. For Broad perhaps.
55.5 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, more like an angled in delivery hunting for the pads, Thirimanne interrupts to let the ball see some wood
Two slips
55.4 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, opens the face of the bat to block this towards point
55.3 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, ooh. Swings in from a full length, and Thirimanne on front foot leaves it on length and line. "Good leave," reckons Botham on air
55.2 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, late late swing. More belated than Sherlock's latest season. Thirimanne shoulders arms and Bairstow dived to his right to pouch it like a Superman
55.1 -
Broad to Thirimanne, no run, stands back to a full delivery and has to hurry down to keep this out into the leg side
54.6 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, a hopping block into the hallowed turf
54.5 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, rises on his toes to whip a shortish ball, is late and the ball runs off the face of the bat back to Woakes
54.4 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, hops to ride the bounce as Woakes pulled the length back. Blocked
54.3 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, stays put to this full length delivery but had his weight inclining forward. Saw that the drive was an risky option and slices it to make up.. rolls to the wide gully
54.2 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, gentler delivery on a fullish length just outside off, blocked into the pitch
54.1 -
Woakes to Mathews, no run, shoulders arms to this one a touch wide of off
53.6 -
Broad to Mathews, 3 runs, gets forward, hard hands as the ball trims away to take the edge and shoot in front of the slip cordon. Half a chance but it wasn't very uppish, this edge. Cleaves through the cordon and three men, yes three, give chase, almost coalesce at the third man fence before one (not sure who!) slides to flick the ball back in. One of them was Bairstow, are you surprised? He is omnipresent nowadays
53.5 -
Broad to Mathews, no run, waits for this length delivery to arrive and protracts hands to defend it off the lowish part of the bat
53.4 -
Broad to Mathews, no run, pitched up outside off, left alone
53.3 -
Broad to Mathews, no run, slides back to compensate for the low bounce on this one outside off. Dug into the pitch convincingly in the end
53.2 -
Broad to Mathews, no run, goes full this time, Mathews was standing across his off-stump and kicked his back leg further back to make room to jam this out
Angelo Mathews, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Four slips now! 18 catches in the series so far for Jonny
53.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, out Caught by Bairstow!! No Lord's hundred for Kaushal Silva. Not today. But what a lovely innings that just about looked fizzled out after a good night's sleep. England had come with a plan - pepper that channel outside off and get him to edge one, like he has all series. Broad hit a length outside off, angled it in a touch and the slope helped some nip away to catch a feather to the keeper. Silva lunged across, not fully forward or back, and reaped something not rewards. Kaushal Silva c Bairstow b Broad 79(152) [4s-10]
Broad to Kaushal Silva, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
52.6 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, the length's barbered back on this one, Thirimanne stands his ground and opens himself with the angle while raising his bat to block this to gully
52.5 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, a crouching Bairstow collects this delivery that was left alone by Thirimanne. Full and swinging away again
52.4 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, left alone as the angle wide of off gave away the cards early
52.3 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, FOUR, a gawky Thirimanne gets off the mark. This pitched up delivery didn't bounce much but was full enough to invite Thirimanne forward. Thirimanne went for the drive and miscues it off the toe end wide of gully
52.2 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, very full delivery just outside off from over the wicket, Thirimanne crouched to jam this out with soft hands
It feels like one of those bowling days in England..
52.1 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, angles across on a full length, Thirimanne lifts his bat and lets it go
51.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, drags the length back a touch and Silva chops it down to the slip cordon. The bounce made it a touch awkward.. but Silva did well to ride it with an acute angle between his bat and the pitch
51.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, beaten again. Stays put, just slides towards off chasing the line of this delivery that moves away just a touch, helped by the slope, yes, to beat the edge
51.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, ah. This shotguns off the pitch from a very full length. Silva shoulders arms but you should have seen Bairstow grab it with a thud!
51.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, now this defies gravity to come in against the slope. Silva did well to airlift his bat. Lovely spell this seems to be. Is it one of those from Broad?
51.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, "that's bad batting from Silva," says Nasser Hussain on air. This fullish delivery, not as full as the last ball, was pinged wide, inviting Silva across for a poke. His head fell over the slope while chasing the ball that inclined away and the ball brazes past the outside edge..
51.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, nicely prods forward to block this full delivery that's too full to do a thing perhaps
50.6 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, pitched up and moving away outside off, Thirimanne shoulders arms
50.5 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, pitched up delivery just outside off, Thirimanne blocks it
50.4 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, swinging into the pads for Thirimanne to usher out a tame clip in defence
50.3 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, swings it away from over the wicket, very full and dips just in front of Thirimanne's flat-footed defence
50.2 -
Woakes to Thirimanne, no run, oh, dicey. Goes for the drive on the up first ball and is lucky to not have walked back. Skews it off the outside edge and the gully fielder flew to his left to stop it on the half-volley
Lahiru Thirimanne, left handed bat, comes to the crease
Two slips and a gully in place for "Anderson's bunny" Thirimanne
50.1 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, out Lbw!! If you were taken aback as to why Anderson didn't partner Broad this morning, here's your answer. Woakes has struck first ball. Hits it on a good length outside off, gets it to nip in and the slope exaggerated the movement to give Mendis no time to get his bat in front. Pinged in front before he could even think. Before he could even blink. Would have hit middle and leg, this delivery. Oh wait, HawkEye has its own perspective and reckons that it could have just clipped the leg stump. Kusal Mendis lbw b Woakes 25(55) [4s-3]
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
Chris Woakes [10.0-2-20-0] is back into the attack
MEndis has been given out LBW! Review? NO.
Not Anderson, it's Woakes! He has a slip and a gully (Whaaaat?)
49.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, is hurried into a forward defence as the ball scissors in from a length to threaten the pad
49.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, now he shortens the length. Keeps it on a good length and gets it to jag in to ping Silva's forward defence
49.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, lovely from Hales at gully. Flung to his right and stopped this open-batted drive one-handed to invite claps from Broad. The length was a touch too full on this occasion, allowing Silva to dare himself into a drive off the front foot
49.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, keeps it full and gets it to swing late. Does so past crossing the stumps en route to the keeper. What did Silva do? "Leave it"
49.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, this pitched up delivery lands on the same 4th-stump line and just shoots on straight, making Silva's leave all the more safe
49.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, good delivery. Goes full outside off, gets it to seam in but Silva's front foot leave made sure that the stumps stayed veiled behind
Broad is on the top of his mark.. It's sunny but pleasant sunny. Always is in London. Three slips and a gully in place, and there's a man on the drive too
England's innings was something that threatened to be big, then imploded and then a late order revival landed them just about 50 runs short of where they would have been anyway, thanks to Bairstow's drop when he was on 11 and his wagonwheeling ton. Sri Lanka though have spined up to respond well with the bat. Both the openers recorded fifties, with one still out there to carry his team forward.
10:30am local: A warm welcome to day 3 of the third Test between England and Sri Lanka. There's an ODI between India and Zimbabwe going on, there's an ODI between Australia and South Africa scheduled later. And sandwiched between them is an entity with healing powers - a Test cricket weekend at Lord's! So, stay tuned for a day that's supposed to jerk this Test match into motion in accordance with Newton's second law of motion.
Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes deserve special mention as well for their counter-attacking partnership in perhaps the most bowling friendly hour of play. So, the big question, are we in for a fighting contest for the first time this series? Or would the English bowlers steamroll the inexperienced batsmen again? Do join us tomorrow for another day of this traditional and orthodox game of patience.
That's a wrap for today folks. The batsmen on both sides continued to pile on the runs, and it would require something very special from the bowlers on either side to manage 20 wickets on a track that appears to have turned into a batting paradise. Just the five wickets in the entire day, three of them of tailenders, lend a good testimony to this. But lets not take anything away from the way the Lankan openers, Silva and Karunaratne, took the attack to the opposition scoring at a brisk pace and did not allow Anderson and Co. to settle in. Both batsmen got to their half centuries in the process and clocked the first 100+ opening stand of the series. But just when Karunaratne looked set for a big one, Finn strangled him down the leg side, to pull things back a tad.
48.6 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, a hug, handshake and punch of the gloves between Kusal Mendis and Kaushal Silva. Sums up the day's play for Sri Lanka, stumps called on day 2 after Mendis dead-bats a length delivery
48.5 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, releases the effort ball but refuses to keep it in the troubling zone. Down leg, Mendis half-swivels to watch it sail over
48.4 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, just a touch outside off, Mendis taps towards short cover
48.3 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, 2 runs, that's the trouble with round the wicket ploy, sometimes you end up offering too much of width. Mendis is good enough to make it count, driven gently in the gap wide of cover
48.2 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, from round the wicket now, dug in short on the stumps, Mendis hunkers under it sans any fuss
48.1 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, goodish length on the stumps, clipped with strong bottom hand into the leg-side
Chris Woakes to cap off the day. "Just 6 balls left, take a deep breath Mahela" consoles Shane Warne as MJ gets tensed in the comm. box
47.6 -
Moeen Ali to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, flatter and quicker on off-stump, nudged into the off-side for an easy single
From over the wicket now
47.5 -
Moeen Ali to Kusal Mendis, no run, slows it up just outside off, Mendis leans into a head-first prod and smothers it into the off-side
47.4 -
Moeen Ali to Kusal Mendis, no run, straight-roller, eyes over the ball
47.3 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, yet again he gives charge and flicks off his toes to mid-wicket
47.2 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 2 runs, steps down and twirls his wrists on the flick, an easy double
47.1 -
Moeen Ali to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, went back and chopped it square on the off-side
46.6 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, just outside off, left alone
46.5 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, woof! That must have hurt, pacy length delivery around fourth, fifth stump. Silva saw the length and shouldered arms, the ball did enough off the seam to come back in sharply and thud Silva's gloves. He seems okay though
46.4 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, Jimmy gifts a run to Sri Lanka in the form of an overthrow which is absolutely needless. Mendis clipped it towards silly mid-on and didn't even consider running, Jimmy tries to under-arm at the bowler's end and immediately apologises on seeing the ball skim wide of the timbers
46.3 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, there's that rare old odd ball, bouncer sans any steam, Mendis will hide under that all day long
46.2 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, brings it in with a high-arm action, kept away
46.1 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, length just outside off, well forward to block
45.6 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, an optimistic cry from JB, but that's far from considering an lbw appeal. Pitched around off and hit Silva well outside the line of off as he decides to pad it away
45.5 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, puts his skates on and takes it on the full, belted straight to deep mid-on
45.4 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, bends forward and blocks this flatter delivery
45.3 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, driven with an angled bat towards short mid-wicket
45.2 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, pushed towards mid-on
45.1 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, pushed through quicker around off, smothered
Moeen Ali [6.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack
Moeen Ali to twirl his arm for one final time. Slip, leg slip and a FSL
44.6 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, edged but doesn't carry! This good length delivery nibbled away slightly from Mendis's stride who came forward to block but did well to play with soft hands. As a result, the outside edge falls well short of Joe Root at wide lone slip
44.5 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, punched solidly in front of mid-off
44.4 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, FOUR, f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c! Good length but there's too much room on offer, Mendis jumps and unleashes a steer square on the off-side. Vince gives chase but he never looked like getting there
44.3 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, a wasted bumper, Mendis ducks under it
44.2 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, full at the stumps, Mendis shuffles to flick it to mid-on
44.1 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, tad short outside off, pushed into the off-side
43.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, Silva brings up Sri Lanka's 150 with a soothing cover-drive. Leant forward and laced the drive with strong bottom hand
Back to over the wicket again
43.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, slanted away well outside off, Silva doesn't budge
From round the wicket now
43.4 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, back of a length outside off, punched sweetly towards extra cover
43.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, crashed to deep cover
43.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, crackerjack! Pitched it on a length and angles it in to create uncertainty in batsman's mind. Jagged back in just a touch after beating Silva's forward prod
43.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, slightly fuller and doesn't rise as much as Silva expected, shoulders arms
42.6 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, 86.8 shortish on off, defended with the straightest of willows
42.5 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, on the stumps, pushed back to the bowler
42.4 -
Woakes to Kusal Mendis, no run, back of a length, blocked
42.3 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, Kusal Mendis and Jimmy Anderson crash into each other. And why is that? Silva has tucked one into short mid-wicket pocket where Jimmy runs with the ball and tries to find Mendis short at the striker's end. Pings the stumps with a modest throw but the batsman was well in, almost piercing into Jimmy's body
42.2 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, bouncer sprayed down the wrong line, leg-side, Silva stays away from the line of the delivery
42.1 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, goodish length outside off, Silva hops and blocks to point. Cook looks bored...
Chris Woakes [6.0-2-12-0] is back into the attack
41.6 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, that's the kind of mistake you would expect from a tired batsman, but wait - How many deliveries has Kusal Mendis faced? Only 30 - Not acceptable by any standards as your batting coach would say. Good length and tailing away outside off, Mendis ambitiously fences with hard hands, just a few inches past the outside edge
41.5 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, full at sixth stump, Mendis's confident drive is intercepted by Mr. Jimmy A at short extra cover
41.4 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, slanted in towards off, Mendis dabs hurriedly onto the turf and towards backward point
41.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, toe-seeker from Broady, Silva digs it towards cover and hares to the other end
41.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, there and thereabouts in the same region, Silva doesn't flinch
41.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, Broad continues to explore that outside off zone, Silva doesn't loose his concentration though, through to the keeper
40.6 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, pitched up and moving away in the channel, driven emphatically but mid-off slides to his left to save a few runs
40.5 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, pulls the length back and angles it in, Mendis plays it in front of his pads, tucked to short mid-wicket
40.4 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, jammed into the pitch off the front foot
40.3 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, wider outside off, Mendis leaves
40.2 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, tapped to point for an easy single
40.1 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, dropped, is it? Yep, but must confess it has to be one of the hardest to take, Bairstow knows it. Looks in utter disbelief after composing himself post that electric dive to his left. A nip-backer from Finn and Silva attempts a tame poke, a thick inside edge whistles past the off-stump and flies past the keeper's reach
39.6 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, can you fetch that, outside off, no I'm happy to let it pass to your keeper
39.5 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, "off-stump please" pleads Broad, "Nah! You aren't getting anywhere close" reading through the willowy reaction of Kusal Mendis (Pun intended)
39.4 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, two slips lurking this time around, a hurried jab towards the cordon
39.3 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, bunted into the off-side
39.2 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, FOUR, wake up Lord's! There's an edge and a genuine one. Still no hum from the crowd, Cook has that look of a principal who knows that the kid has gotten away with one. Full and drawing Mendis forward, lured into a drive and Mendis played it away from his body. Fed an outside edge which rolled wide of gully. All happening for Sri Lanka at the moment...
39.1 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, continues to pecker that off-stump zone, dropped into the pitch with the smoothest of wrists
38.6 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, blocked with soft hands towards gully where Rooty dives and denies a run for Silva
38.5 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, another one left alone
38.4 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, and there's more napping business going around. Suddenly it seems like a frozen refrigrator, left alone. Are we watching a Test match at Lord's?
38.3 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, oh, oh! There's someone napping in the crowd as Silva gets right behind the line of this delivery
38.2 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, Silva throws his head back in disgust. He knows he's missed out on a freebie, short and wide - There to be slammed, he threw all the elements in his kitchen sink but could only slice the fresh air of London
38.1 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, wobbles back in sharply in the corridor of uncertainty, Silva left it on a length, well-judged!
37.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, drivable length and width, Silva stretches forward on a mere push to retain strike with a single through cover
37.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, into the safe hands of short cover again
37.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, full pitched and aiming for the base of off, Silva gets a tiny stride forward as he directs this push-drive to short cover
37.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, gets this 82.9mph length ball to straighten outside off, Silva pulls his bat away from the line of the delivery
37.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, drags it further wide on a same length, Silva has seen it all day, no groping business
37.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, that unconventional field is still on as Broad nips a full one outside off, no shot offered
36.6 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, leg byes, 1 run, tests the pitch with a short one, Silva arches back but fails to put bat to ball on the clip, rapped high on the pad and rolled to short mid-wicket
36.5 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, 3 runs, that's more like it, full and in his arc. Mendis leans head-first on the drive and extends his arms on the cover drive, Moeen Ali dives to his right but the ball bursts through his fingers
36.4 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, good length outside off, Mendis dabs to point and yelps "no" to his partner
36.3 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, pitches it full and asks Mendis to show one of his drives, Mendis acknowledges and silks one off the bottom half, straight to Mo Ali at short cover
36.2 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, too full and veering into middle pole, Mendis does well to get that front leg out of the way - Crisply flicked to the man stationed at short mid-wicket
36.1 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, kinda full and nipping back in, but all that after it went past Mendis, left alone
35.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, too far to fetch, Silva hoists his bat towards the sky
35.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, a CTRL C + CTRL V of the last delivery
35.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, back to classic Test match stuff, good length outside off - Silva ain't playing that
35.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, full and very little assistance off the air, Silva goes for an expansive drive and looses the bottom hand grip while doing so. Squirts it off the bottom half and ends up slicing it behind point
35.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, outside off, Silva shoulders arms
35.1 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, having mentioned all that, Broad tries to dupe Kusal Mendis with a short and wide delivery. Mendis was really taken aback both by the length and the line, ends up chopping it past the off peg
Stuart Broad [5.0-1-28-0] is back into the attack
Broady is back. Wait! There's some unorthodox field setting, lemme get it right: One slip, fine gully, short cover, silly mid-on, two men on the drive, two men behind for catching
34.6 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, that's a gimme, on the pads and Mendis ticks him through short fine
34.5 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, FOUR, dross, deserved to be punished. Short and wide, Mendis rises on his toes and times the pants of a square cut, scorched away off the turf. Finn slips in his followthrough and lands safely, checks his spikes and takes his own, sweet time to toddle back
34.4 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, length darted around off at 84mph, Mendis is back and across to block
34.3 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, goodish length with a hint of late inwards movement, Mendis prods forward to push into the covers, gets a thick inside edge onto his pads
34.2 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, tests him around the fifth stump corridor, Mendis brings his bat down at an angle as he jabs this with soft hands towards point
34.1 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, good length on middle, Silva drops it under his lid and dashes for a quick single
33.6 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, uses his feet, gets to the pitch of the delivery and biffs this down to long-on
33.5 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, dipping in, very full, wristed straight to the Chef at short mid-wicket
33.4 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, floated outside off, Silva doesn't bother
33.3 -
Moeen Ali to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, Too full and sort of tempting line for any right-hander, Mendis throws his whoosh and ends up drilling it towards cover, off the toe I reckon
33.2 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 3 runs, down on one knee is Kaushal Silva to this flatter delivery, playing a lap-sweep and sending it fine to fetch three runs. Sensible stuff!
33.1 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, floated just outside Silva's off-stump, he seeks to push with hard hands and squirts it off the outside half towards gully
32.6 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, straight on the stumps, kept away into the leg-side
32.5 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, down leg and Silva was a bit early on the attempted hook, skews off the outside half behind square
32.4 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, 1 run, clever from Kusal Mendis. A slip has been added for the new man but Mendis knows there ain't much movement for the bowlers. Tapped into the off-side for a real quick single, Broad fumbles and hurls a wayward throw to Bairstow
32.3 -
Finn to Kusal Mendis, no run, hit the pitch hard at 82mph, tad short at the ribs, Mendis tucks it round the corner
32.2 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, drags it short and wide this time, Silva brings out his horizontal bat swing as he dabs this to the cover region
32.1 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, bowls a full one tilting in towards off, Silva slides across and blocks soundly
One slip and a gully as Finn bustles into the crease
31.6 -
Moeen Ali to Kusal Mendis, no run, teased up around off, Mendis push-drives it back to the bowler
Two slips in place...
31.5 -
Moeen Ali to Kusal Mendis, no run, nice loopy delivery on off, Mendis comes well forward and blocks solidly
31.4 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, flatter, shorter and outside off, Silva punches it to sweeper cover
31.3 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, tossed up on off, Silva defends to the off-side
31.2 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, slides this across the right-hander, Silva does not offer a shot as he pads it away, the impact was outside off and the ball was not turning back to hit the stumps
31.1 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, floated up outside off, Silva is forward and blocking
Kusal Mendis, right handed bat, comes to the crease
30.6 -
Finn to Karunaratne, out Caught by Bairstow!! The most terrible way to get out. The man who dropped Karunaratne on 28 is the one who makes amends. This will give England and Finn a breather. Short of a length and on leg-stump, Karunaratne gets inside the line to help it on its way, gets it too fine and Bairstow dives full length to his right and pouches it safely. The partnership has been broken with still 18 overs left in the day. Karunaratne c Bairstow b Finn 50(101) [4s-7]
Finn to Karunaratne, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
30.5 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, slanted across the left-hander, Karunaratne shoulders arms
30.4 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, short of length ball around off, Karunaratne was initially thinking about ducking, but saw that the ball was not going to rise much, tries to play it with an angled bat and ekes out an inside edge onto pad. So easily could have dragged it onto the stumps
30.3 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, fullish and outside off, Karunaratne lunges forward and mistimes the drive to mid-off
30.2 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, sharp bouncer around off, Karunaratne does well to get his head out of the way, had some nice heat as the ball thudded into Bairstow's gloves
30.1 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, short delivery that just gets over Silva's waist, he swivels and pulls along the ground to deep square leg
29.6 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, teased up outside off, Karunaratne drills the drive straight to short extra cover
29.5 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, Silva too brings up his fifty. It is a much relieved dressing room now. Once again bit of glove love shown between the pair. Silva bunts the flatter delivery through cover and gets to the landmark
29.4 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, slower and around off, Silva taps it to the off-side
29.3 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 2 runs, Silva was almost deceived there. Shimmies down and is almost beaten, does well to get the bat in line with the delivery, goes off the outer half to the right of the second slip fielder, hurries back for the second
29.2 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, 1 run, fifty for Karunaratne. His team-mates are up on their feet in the balcony. Silva goes up to his partner and shakes hands. Floated up just outside off, Karunaratne push-drives it to a deepish mid-off
29.1 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, 2 runs, tossed up on off, Karunaratne gets to the pitch and works it through the mid-wicket region for a couple
28.6 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, back of a length on off, Silva is solidly behind that one, blocked to cover
28.5 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, another effort delivery from the Middlesex lad. But the line is wrong - outside off, Silva stays put and sways away from the line of the delivery
28.4 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, bouncer on the stumps, Silva sits down and allows it to sail over
28.3 -
Finn to Karunaratne, 1 run, straight on middle and leg, Karunaratne gets inside the line and flicks it behind square, Silva was thinking about the second but Hales does well to keep it to one
28.2 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, back of a length and lot closer to Karunaratne, who still opts to let it pass
28.1 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, a nothing delivery from Finn, short and well wide of off, Karunaratne has nothing to do with it
Steven Finn [3.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack
27.6 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, 1 run, finally, Sri Lanka have a 100-run opening stand in the series. Tossed up around off, Karunaratne taps it with soft hands in front of square on the off-side
27.5 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, that's what we want to see. Plenty of revs on this offie, gets it to drift and turn off the surface, Karunaratne was not accounting for the spin, plays for the straighter one and is beaten neck and crop
27.4 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, short and width provided outside off, Silva punches it neatly to the man at sweeper
FSL moves to second slip...
27.3 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, flighted around off, Silva prods forward and blocks
27.2 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, 1 run, flatter and just outside off, punched off the back foot to the left of point
27.1 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, a clean pick up from Anderson and Silva would have been in trouble. Steers the slider behind point, Anderson runs across from slip, slides and allows the ball to go through. Silva was sent back after he was halfway down, in the end the duo complete the run
26.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, another one which is touch wide of off and Karunaratne is not bothered with that
26.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, drags the length back outside off, Karunaratne ignores
26.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, on a length and just outside off, left alone
26.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, FOUR, hat-trick of boundaries for Karunaratne. Fullish and angling in, Karunaratne wanted to play the on-drive, but closes the bat face and drags it towards mid-wicket. He won't mind how they come
26.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, FOUR, that's a top nut. Good length ball which straightens and rears up, Karunaratne is committed to the forward defence, the ball takes the shoulder of the bat and goes between the two gully fielders. Was in the air and evaded Root's dive
26.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, FOUR, there comes the uppish drive. But it is well over the fielders. A conventional mid-off would have made it interesting. Pitched up outside off, Karunaratne is not afraid to take the aerial route
Anderson setting the field. It is a funky one. One slip and two gullies. But has two short covers for the uppish drive. The mid-off fielder is also very square, he is almost at extra cover...
25.6 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, 1 run, flighted on off, Karunaratne leans forward, rolls the bat face and works it past FSL for a single
25.5 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, Broad is fine. Absolutely fine. Karunaratne steers the slider to the right of backward point, Broad moves across quickly, dives and stops the ball
25.4 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, gives this bit more air, Karunaratne pushes it down the wicket
25.3 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, skids on around off, Karunaratne cuts and finds backward point
25.2 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, flatter and attacking the stumps, Karunaratne goes right back and blocks it in front of his pads
25.1 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, quicker and on the stumps, Karunaratne shuffles across and turns it to mid-wicket
Broad is back on the field. That is a good sign for England..
24.6 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, good length ball outside off, Silva lifts his bat and lets it go
24.5 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, back of a length around off, Silva taps it with soft hands in front of silly mid-off
24.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, shortish and nips back in after Silva lets it pass
24.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, pitched up and asking the batsman to drive, Silva obliges and picks out extra cover with a fine cover drive
24.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, back of a length on the fourth stump, Silva dabs it in front of gully, Karunaratne wanted the run this time, but his partner sends him back with a good loud call of "NO"
24.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, lifter in and around off, Silva arches back and stays away from the line of the delivery
23.6 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, Karunaratne decides its time to use his feet, gets near to the ball and smothers it to the on-side
23.5 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, flighted around off, good revs on the ball, Karunaratne moves forward to defend, but gets a thickish outside edge to point
23.4 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, skids on and goes straight, Karunaratne comes forward to defend, gets it off the inside edge to FSL
23.3 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, tossed up around off, Karunaratne pushes it to cover
23.2 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, slides on with the angle, Silva uses soft hands and open bat face to steal a single to point
23.1 -
Moeen Ali to Kaushal Silva, no run, trifle short and just outside off, Silva is late on the pull and hence doesn't get the timing right, finds the squarish of the two mid-wickets
Moeen Ali, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Mo Ali in the attack. Cook only going with a slip and FSL. Bairstow gets his helmet on. Round the wicket to start...
22.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, back of a length close to off, punched off the back foot to the left of Jimmy
22.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, fuller and on off, Karunaratne works it with a close bat face to mid-wicket
22.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, good length ball just outside off, Karunaratne inches forward and taps it to point
22.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, short of length on off, Karunaratne stands tall and whips it in the air towards mid-on, goes on the bounce to Woakes
22.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, fuller and around off, Karunaratne pats it softly towards the cover region
22.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, another risky single. They need to be more careful with these. Silva jammed at a length delivery and got it a thickish inside edge to the right of Anderson, who runs across and fails to collect the ball
21.6 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, fullish and targeting the stumps, Karunaratne turns it gently to mid-on
21.5 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, fuller and on off, Karunaratne push-drives it back to Woakes
21.4 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, too straight from Woakes, on middle and leg, flicked towards mid-wicket, where a dive was required to stop the ball
21.3 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, leg byes, 1 run, short of length and pings Silva's thigh pad, the batsman once again shuffled across, this time didn't get bat on the glance
21.2 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, good length ball around off, Silva prods forward and dead-bats it to cover
21.1 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, Woakes is trying too much. Attacks the sticks with a full delivery, Silva walks across, gets inside the line and clips it away fine. The man in the deep was square and there was no point running for that
20.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, good length ball on off, Karunaratne presses it towards cover after coming forward
Broad is off the field and a substitute is on. England will hope that it is not a major injury as there is a long summer awaiting them..
20.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, fullish and around off, defended back to Anderson
20.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, fuller and just outside off, Karunaratne strides forward and almost lost his balance while defending this one
20.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, on a length and on off, Karunaratne's bat turns in his hand and the forward defence ends up at mid-wicket
Stays over the wicket for the left-hander...
20.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, this time the pair go for it. In the end, a direct hit would have had Karunaratne short of the crease. Silva taps it in front of point and sets off, Karunaratne obliges and Vince fails to hit timber at the striker's end
20.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, Silva was going for one of his drop-and-run singles to cover. However, this time the fielder was alert and Karunaratne rightly sends him back
19.6 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, fuller and close to off, Karunaratne prefers to hang back and keep it out
19.5 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, short of length on off, Karunaratne gets right up on his toes and blocks
19.4 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, leg byes, 1 run, stifled appeal for lbw. It seemed more like an enquiry than an appeal. Silva shuffles across and misses out on the clip, is hit on the pad in front of leg-stump. Would have kissed leg-stump or even might have missed it as per HawkEye
19.3 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, Woakes keeps Silva honest. The opener is almost always ready on the front foot, hence Woakes bangs one short and gets the batsman to duck underneath it
19.2 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, drags the length back around off, Silva plays it with soft hands towards the point region
19.1 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, fuller and just outside off, Silva goes for the full-blooded drive, gets it off the splice and the ball goes only as far as mid-off
18.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, pitched up on off, Karunaratne drives it straight back to Anderson
18.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, very full and outside off, Karunaratne pushes it towards mid-off
18.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, spears in the yorker on off, Karunaratne squeezes it back to Anderson
Round the wicket to Karunaratne..
18.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, once again Anderson finds the inside edge off Silva's bat. Nips back in sharply from a length, Silva is prodding forward, not sure which way the ball would go, hangs his bat out meekly and the ball squirts away off the inside edge
18.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, inward movement for Jimmy on a good length, Silva for the umpteenth time in this innings, yanks his bottom hand off the bat handle and keeps it out off the inner part of the bat
18.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, short of length on the fourth stump line, Silva hops and bunts it to the off-side
17.6 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, another appeal for LBW. Tucker once again shakes his head. Cook and Woakes think about the review. But they won't gamble. This was slightly short on middle and leg, Karunaratne falls over on the flick and is rapped on the pads. Height and line was the issue there.
17.5 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, fuller and angled across off, Karunaratne was in a dilemma whether to leave or play, in the end the ball takes the toe-end and rolls towards the slip cordon
17.4 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, short of length on off, defended down the wicket
17.3 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, back of a length around off, blocked to the off-side
17.2 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, Mike Atherton reckons "it was very close to Bairstow's review yesterday." It certainly was. The ball was shaving the top of off-stump. Millimeters lower and it would have been reversed. Good length ball that holds its line, Karunaratne plays down the wrong line, is beaten on the outside edge and struck on the back pad in front of off
England are reviewing for an LBW against Karunaratne. I thought it was OUT. Rod Tucker didn't think so. Fair delivery. Aleem Dar wants to check with the HotSpot. No spot on the bat. RTS also shows no spike when the ball passes the bat. Over to the HawkEye. Did it pitch outside leg? No. Umpire's call.
17.1 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, short and slanted across the left-hander, left alone
16.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 1 run, has Broad injured himself? Some concerned England players. Back of a length delivery on off, Karunaratne tucks it towards mid-on, Broad started to move to his left, might have twisted his ankle as he went down in installments. He is on the ground as of now, so nothing to worry for the moment
16.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, round the wicket comes Anderson. Hits the good length spot just outside off, Karunaratne covers his off-stick, watches it all along and shoulders arms
16.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, indipper which Silva handled well. Nipped back in late, Silva was not expecting it to jag back, but he jerks his bottom hand off the bat handle and allows the ball to roll off the inside half to backward square leg
16.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, back of a length around off, Silva is solid in his back foot defence
16.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, pitched up outside off, Silva checks his drive, but ends up hitting it along the ground to extra cover
16.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, on a length and close to off, Silva allows the ball to hit the bat and roll towards gully
James Anderson [5.0-1-18-0] is back into the attack
Anderson to partner Woakes. He has a rather conventional field - two slips, a gully and a silly mid-off in place...
15.6 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, full and on off, blocked back to the bowler
15.5 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, pitched up just outside off, Silva leans into the drive, but can't place it well enough to collect four. The cover fielder cuts it off and keeps it to a single
15.4 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, good length ball on off, Silva is half-forward and defending
15.3 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, back of a length and curling away outside off, Silva keeps his bat inside the line and lets it pass
15.2 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, leg byes, FOUR, Woakes loses his radar this time. Goes a touch wide and angles it in, on the hips and Silva fails to lay bat on the flick, ball trickles away after deflecting off the thigh pad
15.1 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, the session starts in the same way as Sri Lanka's innings started - with a four. On a length and hint of away movement, Silva pokes at it half-heartedly and the outside edge eludes the outstretched hand of the gully fielder
How quickly things change in cricket? Bairstow wouldn't have stopped thinking about his magnificent hundred and there he was dropping Karunaratne on 28. Woakes was once again at the receiving end of Bairstow's mistake, remember Durban? Amla was the lucky batsman then, now it is Karunaratne. Can he make the most of it? Or will Anderson and Co. change their lengths and get the ball to talk? The players are out in the middle and it will be Woakes to kick-start proceedings. Only one slip and two gullies in place...
That's it. Sri Lanka's session. Wrapped up England and then managed to evade the Anderson-Broad burst unscathed. Sun's out, the batting conditions are admittedly the best in the series and it's time to make hay. The hero of the session remained Jonny Bairstow who carried his form by notching up his highest Test score which also unsurprisingly happened to be the highest score by a wicketkeeper at Lord's. More sun beckons. A flatter pitch awaits. Can you, Sri Lanka, can you, compensate for all the batting blips on this featherbed? Join us next session for this cliffhanger that I have miserably managed to frame. See you in fifteen!
14.6 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, a back of a length delivery fended to short mid-wicket for a quick single and that's tea on day 2
Last ball before tea
14.5 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, sees the width on this, and with an eye on the ticking clock, hoists his bat over his head
14.4 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, past Anderson at gully. Waits for the short delivery to pass him, opens the bat face late and manages to chop it all the way to the third man fence
14.3 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, pendulums his bat in and slices a defence to point.. and then aborts his idea of a run which would have bordered on silly
14.2 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, is hurried with a straight length ball and manages to keep the defence one-handed
14.1 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, that's creamed away. Hops up nicely, had the width to manipulate the ball away with a soft punch through point. Just timing
Last over before Tea this should be.. Are we going to do that boring spin routine again? NO. Finn it is
13.6 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, lets out a baby stride forward as Woakes gets back to a fullish length, and defends it
13.5 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, exploits the depth of his crease to slide just a touch back, rides the bounce on this short delivery and helps it away on the leg-side rather defensively
13.4 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, Woakes hits the deck on a length and chooses a middle stump line to straighten the delivery. Silva is lured into a tuck, is opened up by the miniscule movement and skews a leading edge to deep point
13.3 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, is drawn across to this fuller length delivery and then makes a late decision to haul his bat up to open the gates to the keeper
13.2 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, fails to suction Silva into a poke with a fuller delivery speared wide on say sixth stump
13.1 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, a wake-up bumper to find Silva already woken up and ducking.. but a touch late and shying away from it to justify that bumper
12.6 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, pokes his front leg out to make up for the ball pushed full. Turns the bat on impact and eases the defence to the left of Finn
12.5 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, tries to cut a delivery too full and the red ball zooms over the top edge. Beaten by the pace on that too. Is Finn back?
12.4 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, lifts his bat and lets it go
12.3 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, short ball that was there to be pulled. So Silva went for it, overestimates the work Finn put on it and was early into the shot. Tries to adjust with a wrist roll and ends up rolling his bat over the ball, yes, but the ball went only as far as short mid-wicket.. looping instead of shotgunning itself away
12.2 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, shoots off the pitch from a fuller length and almost falls over a Silva trying to ride the bounce and bunt it into the pitch
12.1 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, hops across, takes off too high and the underwhelming bounce exaggerates how ugly this toe-ended defence looked
11.6 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, fails to tuck a leg-stumpish delivery and is speared on his pad
11.5 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, 2 runs, Sri Lanka have bettered the spider that inspired King Bruce. Six attempts for it, was it? Sri Lanka have done it in their fifth attempt on this tour. A fifty run opening stand brought up by a short-arm hack to deep mid-wicket
11.4 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, is drawn across to defend a ball outside off
11.3 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, length outside off, good bounce again, Karunaratne shoulders arms to this
11.2 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, now this stays a touch low as Karunaratne looks to steer it away but manages to play well over the trajectory, as the ball scoots under the willow
11.1 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, a Lannister always pays his debts. So does Bairstow. This took off from a short of length, as the pitch obliged the quickest bowler on display from England. Good bounce, Karunaratne leisurely looked to punch it on the up but Bairstow messed it up. In his defence, the ball did swirl around after it hit the edge and dipped right in front of the keeper's gloves. But that's a drop
Chris Woakes, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
10.6 -
Finn to Karunaratne, 1 run, syncs his elevation well with the bounce on this short of length delivery and tucks it round the corner
10.5 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, drops this length delivery in front of him. Did well to get right on top of it, sees the ball roll away towards cover-point and runs to the other end
10.4 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, bumper to which Silva sits under. Looked a good one. Pacy and scavenging for the cranium..
10.3 -
Finn to Kaushal Silva, no run, stays loyal to the fuller length outside off and brings Silva forward with a push
10.2 -
Finn to Karunaratne, leg byes, 1 run, late swing as Finn goes full and raps the front pad. Too leg-sidish and half an appeal is ignored. Easily going down, with it pitching outside leg and going down
10.1 -
Finn to Karunaratne, no run, bangs it on a short of length straightaway. Underwhelming bounce, I must say, given the effort. Karunaratne had the time to coil himself open and block it away
Steven Finn, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Sri Lanka four runs away from their first 50-run opening stand. Can they? Finn's here to play a spoilsport. Sports a smile and practices throwdowns to Woakes. Starts over the wicket with two slips and gully
9.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, prods forward and across nicely and blocks this length ball on the up
9.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, opens the bat face and controls the bounce with a loose bottom hand grip that ultimately yields
Finn warming up..
9.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, was a touch late to get onto the front foot, meaning that the ball shot on to hit the splice as he looked to defend
9.3 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 3 runs, tries a repeat of the first delivery but Karunaratne isn't shy. No one is, twice they say? Gets forward with a gigantic front foot stride and strokes it through mid-off
9.2 -
Broad to Karunaratne, FOUR, now why would you? Why this length? Drags it back on the pads and sees a tuck shot trimmed through fine leg
9.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, that's a rippah! Pitches it deliciously full from over the wicket, the ball hits the pitch and moves away viciously off the deck. So much so that there was daylight between the flat-footed defence and the ball's trajectory
8.6 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, mid-pitch wrecker to which Silva ducks and almost loses his balance
8.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 1 run, a gentler length ball that threatens the pads as much as India threaten the Davis Cup. Tapped to cover for a single
8.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, goes full outside off but that's a wide line. Easy lift of the bat
8.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, angles this on a good length for Karunaratne to rise up and block
8.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, more intent into this. Gets the ball to ricochet up quick from back of a length and Karunaratne turns around quick to block this into the leg-side
8.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, more venom into this good length delivery that's delivered from round the wicket, with Anderson getting ever so close to the stumps. Karunaratne had to hurry into a defence back
Anderson gestured a field change with his hands.. not sure what
7.6 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 1 run, allows this length ball from round the wicket to come right onto his pad and shaves it away round the corner to keep strike
7.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, good run. Quick run. Hunched forward on the forward defence and tapped a single to mid-off. Quick single. Quick run. Add whatever
7.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, gets forward, opens the face of the bat and exploits the fullishness of the delivery with a push to point
7.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, pokes his front leg out, sees the outswinger swing wider and victoriously lifts his bat out of the way
7.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, a wide half-volley and all Silva had to do was to lean across to reach out and drive it through covers. Still much had to be done and how well did Silva do that
7.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, two slips now. Gets sucked into blocking a fullish delivery that nips away and climbs past the outside edge
This is a good start, let me tell you at the risk of jinxing it!
6.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, hops himself open and taps the ball wide of a diving gully's reach. Fielded at point
6.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, a middled defence. A rarity. Gets his bat higher and blocks this short of length delivery outside off
6.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, angled in on a back of a length again and Karunaratne bunts it jabbily into the leg-side
6.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, FOUR, fires this in but overbaked the angle on this. Sliding down leg and Karunaratne could easily tickle it away. The seam suggested that Anderson was looking for the dream delivery - darting in on leg-stump and then swinging/nipping away to take the edge. Not to be
Some sightscreen issues and men in suits help adjust it. Oh Lord's!
6.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, helps the inward angle on this with a crouch to fine leg
6.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, no inswing but the just the angle imparted on this as Anderson went a touch wider. Extracted good bounce off the turf and Silva's loose bottom hand helped the defence to survive
5.6 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, he's hit his length. On a good length from where you aren't sure whether to go back or forth. Or from where the ball can trim either way to take the edge. This delivery doesn't and Karunaratne could block it with flat feet
5.5 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, went wide of the crease but the nip away off the turf foiled the plan to attack the pad. Blocked with protracted arms by Karunaratne into the off-side
5.4 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, back of a length on off, Karunaratne gets his bat higher and defends as he slid deeper into the crease
5.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, not the most convincing of taps to short cover for a quick single. But a single nonetheless. The ball pinged the top half of the bat and shot away, to see the gully fielder run across and cut it off
5.2 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 1 run, forces Broad to be fuller and the bowler obliges. And then trumps him by shuffling across the line and defending it into the leg-side
5.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 2 runs, starts from round the wicket this time, keeps the length short and Karunaratne short-arm jabs it away through mid-wicket for a brace. Got all stylish and one-legged while doing so
4.6 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, Anderson bends his back as he hits a shortish length and extracts venom out of the pitch. Silva blocks and ends up doing so one-handed, as his bottom hand yanked off the handle to control the bounce
4.5 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, lovely leave as the cordon moans. Got nicely forward and across, covered his stumps a long way to this gentle inswinger and airlifted his bat
4.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, half-a-leave. Skids off the pitch from a length, meaning Silva's attempted leave took the bat and shot into the pitch.. to the dismay of the slip cordon
4.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, he's compensating for all the bouncers that Sri Lanka did not bowl. Another one, Anderson's second. Silva ducks and takes his eyes away while doing so
4.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, firmer this time. Length ball curling in, Silva gets nicely behind on the front foot and blocks
4.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, is waiting on the front foot for this fuller length delivery. Doesn't middle the defence and soft hands ensure that the skewed defence goes rolling to the cordon
3.6 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, good ball to a right hander. Down leg for Karunaratne this was, and swings late after passing the stumps as Karunaratne half-turned in an attempt
3.5 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, opens himself with the angle across, jabs at the delivery and gully's dive gropes the ball on the half-volley. Lord's lets out modest claps
3.4 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, looked a touch late to tuck this back of a length delivery on the pads away, and manages to shave it away ever so late round the corner
3.3 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, there's nothing off the pitch so far. This length delivery shoots across Karunaratne as he expected to, and could punch a defence towards cover
3.2 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, better. Full length delivery angled across, Karunaratne reads it right and shoulders arms
3.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, plenty of width from over the wicket, enough width and Karunaratne hops himself open for a punch slotted to backward point
2.6 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, that's it. Shot of the day. Anderson goes fuller, Silva's confidence more so and the batsman leans across to shame a drive through cover
2.5 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, extends his arms and blocks a fullish delivery into the off-side
2.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, a head-hunter bouncer. Angled in and Silva opts for safety. Ducks
2.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, another outside edge as Anderson sticks to the fuller length. Safely guided away
2.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 2 runs, if runs off the bat were a fuel, Bairstow is all full. Takes off his gloves while sprinting to third man and manages to arrest this edge inside the third man ropes. Anderson went fuller, got the outside edge but soft hands meant it bounced in front of the second slip who only half-stopped it
2.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, a shortish outswinger and Silva pendulums his bat inside the line to tease Anderson
1.6 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, angles it across but the scavenger hunt for a fuller length is still on. Not to be found. On a back of a length and Karunaratne left it alone
From over the wicket now
1.5 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 2 runs, another one. Not quite as bad, and an overdose of width meant that Karunaratne's cut was a touch mistimed. Ali gives the chase and hounds it down in the deep
1.4 -
Broad to Karunaratne, FOUR, a new ball has been disserviced with a short length and a wide line. Karunaratne rises on his toes and laces it with a cut through point
1.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, at best a guided edge. Just a hint of movement away, Silva did well to open the bat face and steer it between the second and third slip, who dived one-handed to his left but the ball snuck through
1.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, yanks his bottom hand off as controls this fend to this back of a length delivery into the leg side
1.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, a fullish length to be skewed off the outside edge on the attempted push. Runs away wide of the cordon, Vince and Compton chase it gently and the ball managed to beat the former's dive at third man. A four hence
Stuart Broad, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Broad from the other end. World's No. 3 Test bowler, is Broad. Same field
0.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, another one that kicks off the pitch. The ball's responding well to Anderson's backbenders. On a fullish length and bounds up to hit the peak of Karunaratne's blade
0.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, down leg side on a length, Karunaratne tries to flirt but fails
0.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, gets tentatively forward to this length delivery that jags off the pitch. Hits the splice as Silva defends and runs a single to cover
0.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, there's the fullish length. There's the patent swing away. Silva decides to leave late and then reverse-windmills his bat out of the line
0.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 1 run, keeps it short again. Karunaratne had to hop and tame the bounce on this one with a open-batted block to cover point. Then uses his brains and steals a single
0.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, FOUR, what a way to start. Anderson errs a touch in the length, pings a back of a length with this new ball and Karunaratne could punch it all comfortably through the vacant cover region. Good intent
Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva are at the crease. Karunaratne is on strike. Anderson will open the attack
Broad gets the new ball. Surprise is the best weapon, I think. Five slips
Guess what England have declared. This is more surprising than Cook's 11th Test six. At one point, I thought, they are going to bat through and only an all-out can force them out of the ground. But I cannot be always right. So here it is, Sri Lanka will need 362 to make the scoreline read 2-1. Task for England seems far easier, they have got 12 overs today (provided it does not rain) and then three sessions tomorrow to send Sri Lanka packing and register a whitewash which has been the only thing missing from their otherwise cleansheet. Join us in a few moments. In fact, do not bother leaving, stay here. The players will be out soon
70.6 -
Eranga to Woakes, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Woakes wanted to force it away from his body but was beaten
70.5 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, this is comic from Cook. He is not being himself there, wanted to scoopt this one over the keeper. The ball kept following him and though he did execute the scoop but it was not a pristine sight, might have hit his arm as well. Anyway, the keeper was not able to reach it with a dive to his right
70.4 -
Eranga to Cook, SIX, what did I just see? Is he Cook or someone else in his cloak? Launches this one across the line and sends it soaring over the long-on fence. How rare a feat this is can be understood by the fact that this was Cook's only 11th six in Tests
70.3 -
Eranga to Cook, 2 runs, slower ball and Cook closed the face of the bat to beget a leading edge. It skied fairly high but fell in no man's land at extra cover. Enough time to get two
Chris Woakes, right handed bat, comes to the crease
70.2 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, out Caught by Herath!! Cook is still there, signalling that there is not going to be a declaration. Moeen Ali has sacrificed himself for the cause. He wanted to loft this length delivery through the line but did not middle at all. Got it off the toe for a simple catch at deep mid-off. Moeen Ali c Herath b Eranga 9(25)
Eranga to Moeen Ali, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
70.2 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, wide, Eranga has bowled a wide in Test. Wow. Full and well wide of Ali's reach outside off
70.1 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, premeditated pull from Moeen Ali. It was a back of a length delivery outside off, Moeen Ali timed it well but straight to the fielder at mid-wicket. Some sense of urgency from the English, and it is for good
69.6 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, 1 run, there are enough boundary riders in the deep on the off-side, this one goes towards deep backward point. Width on offer outside off and Moeen Ali flashes the drive to send it down to the fielder in the deep
69.5 -
Mathews to Cook, 1 run, and again, pretty slow. Cook gets towards the line of the delivery and then turns his wrists to work it through mid-wicket for a single
69.4 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, some extra pace behind this back of a length delivery from round the wicket from Mathews. Cook stands in the line of the delivery to block it
69.3 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, 1 run, Mathews looks tired. He bowled this one real slow, the ball did not even rise much, Moeen Ali punches to long-off
69.2 -
Mathews to Cook, 1 run, clipped off the pads towards mid-wicket for a single
69.1 -
Mathews to Cook, 2 runs, does he play T20s? Does not matter, for he knows the art of playing one. Cook crouched trying to scoop this one towards fine leg, toe-ended it away from the man at slip for a couple. Would have wanted to play it better
68.6 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, 2 runs, this one might have held a bit in the pitch. Moeen Ali intended to flick it through the on-side, got a bit early on the shot and chipped it over the bowler off the face of the bat. Mid-off runs back to keep it down to a brace
68.5 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, Moeen Ali hops back to get himself in the line of the delivery, pushes towards the cover fielder
68.4 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, comes round the wicket trying to deprive Cook off room. Does well but Cook is confident in his push towards mid-off for a single
A slip and a gully in place in place for Eranga
68.3 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, wee bit of width for captain Cook as well. He chops it off the inner part of the bat towards cover
68.2 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, 1 run, wide and full, Moeen Ali throws his bat on the drive. Did not get it off the meat of the bat, perhaps off the toe towards deep backward point
68.1 -
Eranga to Moeen Ali, no run, Moeen Ali could have played this off the front foot but he decides to wait for it in his crease and then pushes gently towards the cover region
Shaminda Eranga [12.0-1-44-2] is back into the attack
67.6 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, 1 run, waits for the ball to come to him and then slightly opens the face of the bat on the push to find gap through cover. Sweeper in action out there
67.5 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, and again! This time Moeen Ali goes for a full blooded off-drive. Fails to beat mid-off though
67.4 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, 2 runs, the outfield is not that quick and Moeen Ali won't get value for his loft. He just lofted this fuller length delivery through the line over the bowler's head. The man from mid-on chased it well in time
67.3 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, just short of a length and in the channel. Moeen Ali covers the line and blocks
Welcome back.. we are off and running. The sun is out as well..
17:50 Local Time, 16:50 GMT, 22:20 IST: It's been such a day at Lord's. The covers are coming off, the sun is shining and we should have cricket soon.
17:32 Local Time, 16:32 GMT, 22:02 IST: Did I take long to type the previous ball? I think so, for while I was typing, it started raining again. The players trudge off the centre. I can be anything but a groundstaff at the Lord's at this moment. By the way, do they pay well? Still a No!
67.2 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, where did that come from? Mathews put some shoulder on it and got to lift from a length. Moeen Ali wanted to push at it but the bounce was too tough to tackle. Lucky that he did not edge it to the keeper
It is darker than an outhouse out there
67.1 -
Mathews to Cook, 1 run, Mathews sticks to length outside off, Cook pushes it softly towards sweeper cover
66.6 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, gets to put his bat on sweep this time. Did not quite time it that well but has enough to put send it towards square leg for a single
66.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, sweep this time from Cook, does not connect with it and the ball scoots under his bat outside off
66.4 -
Herath to Cook, no run, well bowled, turning on the stumps. Defended
66.3 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, 1 run, again it is too full and Moeen Ali wrists the drive to long-on
66.2 -
Herath to Moeen Ali, no run, oh. Moeen Ali decides to use his feet but does not quite reach the pitch of the ball, pads it away towards the slip fielder. No bat there
66.1 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, too full, does not allow the ball to turn, clipped through mid-wicket for a single
One slip and a FSL in place
65.6 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, short of a good length around off, more in the channel. Moeen Ali pushes from his crease towards the off-side
65.5 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, and again Moeen Ali leaves. The last time he did so, it started raining. Hope it stays clear. Anyway, length ball outside off it was
65.4 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, touch fuller than what he had been in this over before the rain. Moeen Ali drives off the front foot towards mid-off
17:25 Local Time, 16:25 GMT, 21:55 IST: Rain is gone and we are back. Have you ever played a hide and seek game more interesting than this one
17:21 Local Time, 16:21 GMT, 21:51 IST: Even the gods are not happy with that leave. It has started to rain again. The covers are coming back again. What do we do now? Wait, is there something else you can suggest?
65.3 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, angles this one outside off and Moeen Ali, oblivious of the situation match is in, decides to let it go
65.2 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, lone slip in place for Mathews, who bowls a back of a length delivery just outside off. Moeen Ali gets tall and punches to mid-off
65.1 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, harmless length ball on the stumps, Moeen Ali gently pushes it back to the bowler
The players are back. Oh, I am not surprised, England will bat. No declaration
Do England need to bat anymore? If you think so, perhaps you missed out that Hales is no longer at the crease. He will have to wait for his maiden Test ton. And since the only reason England needed to prolong their innings is out of equation, I think Sri Lankans will be out there facing the music soon
17:09 Local Time, 16:09 GMT, 21:39 IST: The covers are off. For how long did they stay there? Not sure. We will start at 17:20 local
17:05 Local Time, 16:05 GMT, 21:35 IST: So bringing out the covers was not just to scare us. It has actually started to rain now
With a lead of 334 runs already and dark clouds looming around, it wouldn't be long before captain Cook decides to put the visitors back to face the music. Join us in around 20 minutes for the final session of play.
That will be TEA on a gloomy London afternoon and it was a session that went firmly into England's kitty. Hales will have to wait for another innings before he gets another crack at brushing off those dreaded few runs to get to the three figure mark that has eluded him so far. After losing more than two hours to rain, the traditional English openers, Cook and Hales got together for the seventh wicket and continued to pile on the overnight lead, stitching together an 82-run partnership at a pretty good rate. This would be yet another session in this series where the statistics do not indicate how well the Lankan bowlers have bowled. With a bit of help from the umpire Rod Tucker, who erroneously signaled a 'no ball' when Pradeep had Hales bowled on 58, or from the "umpire's calls" on DRS, the Lankans could have been in a much better position.
64.6 -
Herath to Cook, no run, Herath flights one outside off, Cook gets well forward defensively. That will be tea on Day 4
64.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, slower and just outside off, Cook presses forward and defends it
64.4 -
Herath to Cook, no run, appeal for LBW, but Cook had got a big stride forward, might have been spinning down the leg-stump. Spin for Herath, Cook got a huge stride forward as he thrust his pad out
64.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, slower and well outside off, Cook gets a big stride forward and blocks
64.2 -
Herath to Cook, no run, full and just outside off, Cook jams it towards the off-side
64.1 -
Herath to Cook, FOUR, tossed up well outside off, Cook went down on his knees and swept it past square leg. The fielder in the deep went the wrong way first, by the time he recovered and started the chase, it was too late
63.6 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, this one kicked from the deck after passing the batsman, short of a length and shaping away, left alone
63.5 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, on a good length and slanting across the left-hander, Moeen has a nervy poke at that and is beaten on the outside edge
63.4 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, short of a length and just outside off, punched towards mid-off
63.3 -
Mathews to Moeen Ali, no run, on a good length and just outside off, Moeen prods forward and blocks
Moeen Ali, left handed bat, comes to the crease
It has started to rain, the floodlights have been switched on as well. The ground staff are ready, the two umpires confer and decide to continue for now..
63.2 -
Mathews to Hales, out Lbw!! No hundred for Hales once again, his luck runs out and Sri Lanka heave a sigh of relief. This was the inducker from Mathews, came back into Hales from outside off, he was looking to work it towards the on-side, missed and was struck in front of middle and leg. Hawk Eye suggested that the ball would have been clipping leg-stump. That's enough for the onfield decision to stand, Hales will have to wait another series to get to a maiden Test ton. Hales lbw b Mathews 94(179) [4s-10 6s-1]
Mathews to Hales, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
Hales has been given OUT LBW. He wants a review. It's a fair delivery, struck Hales just above the knee-roll. Looks like there's nothing on the HotSpot, missed the bat as well, no spike on RTS. Umpire's call, Hales is OUT
63.1 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, the bouncer from Mathews, Hales ducks under it and lets it go
62.6 -
Herath to Cook, no run, fraction shorter and just outside off, Cook goes back and pushes it towards mid-wicket
62.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, slower and well outside off, Cook lunges forward and turns it towards the on-side
62.4 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, this one is given more air, eased down towards long-off for a single
62.3 -
Herath to Hales, 2 runs, Herath tosses one on Hales' pads, tucked away past the keeper for another brace, brings up England's 200
62.2 -
Herath to Hales, no run, flighted delivery and on off, Hales gets well forward and blocks
62.1 -
Herath to Hales, FOUR, that's a gift from Herath, low full toss, Hales gets down low and sweeps it in front of square on the on-side, moves into the nineties with the boundary
61.6 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, fraction fuller and just outside off, Cook plays with soft hands and drops it towards the off-side
61.5 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, Cook presses forward and defends it
The sun is out but there are some dark clouds hanging over the ground at the moment.. makes quite a picture
61.4 -
Mathews to Hales, 1 run, length ball on Hales' pads, tucked away towards long leg for a single
61.3 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, the off-cutter from Mathews, Hales watches it all along and defends it with soft hands
61.2 -
Mathews to Cook, 1 run, short and wide from Mathews, cracked square on the off-side for a single
61.1 -
Mathews to Cook, no run, on a good length and just outside off, driven firmly but straight to mid-off
Angelo Mathews [4.0-1-8-0] is back into the attack
60.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, slower and on Hales' pads, turned towards the on-side
60.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, pushed through flatter and well outside off, Hales gets a bottom edge on the cut - towards cover-point
60.4 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, tossed up outside off, Cook gets down low and sweeps it behind square on the on-side for a single
60.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, flighted and on off, Cook lunges forward in defence
60.2 -
Herath to Cook, no run, lovely flight from Herath, drifts one well outside off, Cook went for the drive, doesn't get to the pitch of the ball, the inside edge rolls away towards short mid-wicket
60.1 -
Herath to Cook, no run, tossed up just outside off, Cook gets well forward and defends it
59.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, 1 run, short and wide outside off, chopped past point for a single, retains the strike with that run
59.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, length ball on Hales' pads, whipped away towards long leg for a single
59.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, on a good length and angling back into the right-hander, Hales was looking to work it towards the on-side and is struck high on the pads
The sun has suddenly peeped out from nowhere.. strange London weather..
59.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, on a good length and just outside off, Hales shuffles across and defends it towards the on-side
59.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, 3 runs, too full and angling back into the left-hander, that's easy pickings for Cook, he presses across and flicks it past Herath at mid-on. He lumbers behind the ball, but can't prevent the batsmen from taking three
It's gone overcast once again, looks like there's a shower or two in the horizon
59.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, Cook presses across and defends it towards the off-side
58.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, slower and on the stumps, Hales gets half-forward and nudges it towards the on-side
58.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, tossed up outside off, driven straight to the fielder at cover
58.4 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, Cook brings out the sweep now, the line was well outside off as well, gets it behind square on the on-side for a single
58.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, slower and just outside off, Cook gets a big stride forward and defends it towards the on-side
58.2 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, this one is teasingly flighted on middle, Hales gets forward and works it past mid-wicket for a single
58.1 -
Herath to Hales, no run, tossed up on off, Hales gets a big stride forward and smothers the spin
57.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, 2 runs, fraction too straight from Lakmal, Cook presses across and works it to the left of Herath at mid-on, back for the second run
57.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, fuller length delivery and well outside off, driven with a straight bat towards mid-off
57.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, short of a good length and just outside off, Hales was prodding forward and gets an inside edge behind square on the on-side, just a single
57.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, leg byes, 2 runs, Lakmal slips one onto Hales' pads, he was looking to flick and is late on the shot, rolls away off the pads towards long leg
57.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, 1 run, tad fuller and a hint of shape away from outside off, Cook was looking to work it towards the on-side, closes the face of the bat early and gets a thick leading edge, all along the carpet, just a single to deep point
57.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, on a good length and just outside off, Cook gets well forward as he pushes it towards cover
56.6 -
Herath to Cook, byes, 3 runs, lovely bowling from Herath, Cook survives once again. This was tossed up invitingly outside off, Cook obliged on the drive, the ball turned from the rough, went in between bat and pad and somehow missed the stumps, Chandimal can't stop it either, three byes is the end result
56.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, tossed up and just outside off, Cook gets behind the line and defends it
56.4 -
Herath to Cook, 2 runs, flighted delivery and well outside off, Cook gets down low, rolls his wrists along and sweeps it behind square on the on-side for a brace
56.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, this one is fired onto Cook's pads, turned straight to the fielder at square leg
56.2 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, flighted delivery and on the stumps, Hales went down on his knees and sweeps it behind square on the on-side
56.1 -
Herath to Hales, no run, that's much better from Herath, slows down the pace and gets this one to grip across the right-hander, Hales pushed forward on the defensive poke, gets a thick edge towards the off-side
Herath is back to round the wicket
55.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, Lakmal keeps it full and just outside off, Cook's bat slightly turned on the drive, ends up scooping it towards cover
55.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, tad fuller and just outside off, Cook plays with a closed face and drives it towards mid-off
55.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, short of a length and just outside off, Cook presents the full face of the bat and punches it back at the bowler
55.3 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, tad fuller and slanting across the left-hander, Cook went for the chop, gets a bottom edge onto the ground and the ball lobs towards gully
55.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, on a good length and angling across the right-hander, Cook covers the line, lifts his bat and lets it go
55.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, leg byes, 1 run, fuller length delivery and slanting back into the right-hander, he was looking to flick and missed, sneaks in a leg-bye as the ball rolls away behind square on the on-side
54.6 -
Herath to Cook, no run, Cook attempts the reverse sweep now, but can't get it past Mathews at first slip, this was pushed through quicker by Herath
54.5 -
Herath to Cook, no run, Herath drifts one outside off, Cook gets a big stride forward and blocks
54.4 -
Herath to Cook, no run, slower and on off, Cook goes right back and blocks it with a straight bat
54.3 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, a bit of a top-edge on the sweep, but the man at 45 has gone back now, just a single to Hales
54.2 -
Herath to Hales, FOUR, this line of attack is not working against Hales, once again too full and well down the leg-stump, Hales gets on top of the bounce and beats short fine to his left - with the sweep
54.1 -
Herath to Hales, no run, tossed up outside leg, Hales prods forward on the block
53.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, on a length and well outside off, Cook gets forward and pushes it towards the off-side
53.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, short and wide from Lakmal, Cook cracks the back cut, but can't get it past Mendis at gully
53.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, on a good length and holding its line outside off, left alone
53.3 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, fuller length delivery and well outside off, driven sweetly but straight to the fielder at cover
53.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, on a good length and slanting back into the left-hander, Cook watches it all along and lets it go
53.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, 2 runs, fuller length delivery and well outside off, Cook gets a big stride forward and punches it wide of the fielder at deep cover, comes back for the second run
52.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, Herath drifts this one miles outside leg, Hales thrusts his pads forward and kicks it away
52.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, Herath tosses one outside leg, Hales gets his bat in front of the pads and blocks
52.4 -
Herath to Hales, FOUR, Herath drifts this one well outside leg, Hales went down on his knees, rolls his wrists across and sweeps it very fine, beats short fine and rolls away to the fence
52.3 -
Herath to Hales, SIX, lovely shot, this was tossed up outside leg-stump, Hales comes down the track, gets close to the pitch and lifts it over mid-on, went sailing over the ropes for a maximum
52.2 -
Herath to Hales, no run, Herath is looking to land it on that rough outside Hales' leg-stump, he gets well forward and blocks
52.1 -
Herath to Hales, no run, tossed up on Hales' pads, defended towards FSL
51.6 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, extra bounce for Lakmal, this was short and well outside off, Cook was looking to ride with the bounce as he shaped for the cut, beaten on the top-edge
51.5 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, tad fuller and on off, Cook presents the full face of the bat and punches it towards mid-on
51.4 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, short of a length and angling back into the left-hander, Cook shuffles across and defends it towards mid-on
51.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, too straight from Lakmal, worked away in front of square on the on-side for a single
51.2 -
Lakmal to Cook, 1 run, on a good length and well outside off, Cook plays with an open face and dabs it towards gully, the fielder misfields and allows a run
Two slips and a gully for Lakmal
51.1 -
Lakmal to Cook, no run, fuller length delivery and just outside off, Cook leans forward and jabs it towards mid-off
Suranga Lakmal [8.0-1-32-0] is back into the attack
50.6 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, pushed through flatter and well outside off, Cook dabs it wide of cover for a single
50.5 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, Herath gave this one more air, eased down to long-on for a single
50.4 -
Herath to Hales, no run, slower and on middle, Hales gets his bat in front of the pads and blocks
50.3 -
Herath to Hales, 2 runs, this one is given more air, Hales gets a good stride forward, plays with the drift and works it past mid-wicket, comes back for the second run
50.2 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, slower and just outside off, Cook plays with the spin and nudges it wide of mid-wicket for a single
50.1 -
Herath to Cook, no run, tossed up on off, Cook lunges forward and blocks
Drinks are on the field now
49.6 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery and a hint of shape back into the right-hander, Hales gets forward and drives it towards mid-on
49.5 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, Pradeep shortens his length outside off, Hales plays with an angled bat and defends it towards the on-side
49.4 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery and just outside off, Hales gets behind the line and defends it back at the bowler
49.3 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, tad fuller and just outside off, Hales gets across and defends it towards the on-side
49.2 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, the bounce has been very inconsistent, this one nipped back in from a length, kicked on the surface as well. Hales was caught half-cock and is struck high on the body
49.1 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, tad fuller and holding its line outside off, Hales prods forward and defends it with a straight bat
48.6 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, this one is given more air, eased past cover for a single
48.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, slower and on off, Hales gets across and blocks
48.4 -
Herath to Hales, no run, flighted delivery and just outside off, Hales prods forward defensively
48.3 -
Herath to Hales, 2 runs, slower and just outside off, Hales pushes forward with soft hands, gets a thick edge past the lone slip, back for the second run
48.2 -
Herath to Cook, leg byes, 1 run, spin for Herath, struck Cook right in front (or so I thought), and replays suggest that the ball clipped Cook right in front of off-stump. This one spun a long way back, Cook was shuffling across on the flick and missed, would have gone on and hit the leg-stump. Another wasted opportunity for Sri Lanka, Cook survives once again
Loud shout for LBW. No, says Mathews, as Ravi waits for them to see if they want a review
48.1 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, tossed up outside off, Hales gets forward and drives it towards deep mid-of, just a single
47.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, fuller length delivery and holding its line outside off, left alone
47.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, short of a length and holding its line outside off, Cook stands tall and defends it
47.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, tad fuller and holding its line outside off, another easy leave for the batsman
47.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, tad fuller and in that channel outside off, Cook gets a big stride forward and lets it go
47.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, short of a length and holding its line outside off, Cook watches it all along and lets it go
47.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no ball, FOUR, poor ball from Pradeep, short and wide outside off, Cook gets on top of the bounce and cracks it square behind point.. and Pradeep has overstepped once again, and this time, it's a clear no-ball
Cook has an issue with someone sitting right below the sightscreen. An old man is helped out and play will resume..
47.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, on a good length and just outside off, Cook gets behind the line and defends it
46.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, Herath drifts one on off, Hales presses across and blocks
46.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, slower and just outside off, Hales gets forward and blocks
46.4 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, tossed up just outside off, Cook gets down low and sweeps it behind square on the on-side, just a single
46.3 -
Herath to Cook, no run, tossed up just outside off and spitting back from the rough, Cook went back on the cut, was cramped for room. The ball flicked the front-pad and then struck him on the back-end, the impact was just outside off and replays confirm it. More luck for England
Cook has been given OUT LBW. He wants a review. It clipped Cook on the front pad first, has he been struck outside the line of off-stump? The original call is OUT. Dar wants to check with the RTS, there's no bat for sure, Hot Spot shows nothing as well. He's having a close look and decides it's inconclusive. Now to the Hawk-Eye, the impact is outside off and the decision will be reversed, Cook survives
46.2 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, tossed up just outside off, Hales gets a big stride forward, rolls his wrists and sweeps it behind square on the on-side
46.1 -
Herath to Cook, 1 run, flighted delivery and just outside off, Cook plays with the spin and works it past mid-wicket for a couple of runs
Rangana Herath [9.0-2-16-0] is back into the attack
A slip and a FSL in place for Herath
45.6 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, fraction fuller and just outside off, Hales gets forward and pushes it towards mid-off
45.5 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, on a good length and holding its line, left alone
45.4 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, Pradeep shortens his length outside off, Hales presses across and defends it
45.4 -
Pradeep to Hales, 3 no ball, Hales has been cleaned up, but Pradeep has overstepped, he has his hands on his head. Almost a carbon copy of Root's dismissal, this one came back from the slope, stayed very low as well. Hales was caught in his crease, the ball snuck underneath and crashed into the off-stump. Oh dear! Replays in and Pradeep just had a smidgen behind the line
45.3 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, fraction fuller and just outside off, Hales prods across and defends it towards the on-side
45.2 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, tad fuller and in that channel outside off, Hales gets a good stride forward, covers the line and lets it go
45.1 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, short of a good length and holding its line outside off, Hales covers the line, lifts his bat and lets it go
44.6 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, short of a length and holding its line outside off, Cook watches it all along and lets it go
44.5 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, tad too straight from Eranga, Hales clips it past square leg for a run
44.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, on a good length and well outside off, Hales stays behind the line and defends it towards the off-side
44.3 -
Eranga to Hales, FOUR, lovely shot, Eranga pushes this one wider outside off, almost ends up offering a half-volley, Hales leans into the drive and caresses it past cover, no chance for the man in the deep this time around
44.2 -
Eranga to Hales, 2 runs, tad fuller and just outside off, Hales gets a good stride forward and punches it in front of square on the off-side. The fielder at deep point gets across and keps them down to a brace
44.1 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, on a good length and shaping away from outside off, Hales has a thought about playing it, decides against at the last moment and lets the ball go by
43.6 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, Cook gets behind the line and defends it
43.5 -
Pradeep to Cook, FOUR, cracking shot, too short and too wide from Pradeep, Cook gets on top of the bounce and beats cover-point with the cut, rolls away to the fence in a jiffy
43.4 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, short of a good length and holding its line outside off, Cook watches it all along and lets it go
Pradeep switches to round the wicket
43.3 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, Pradeep shortens his length and angles this one across the left-hander, left alone
43.2 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, this one pitches just outside off and shapes away from off, Cook covers the line, lifts his bat and lets it go
43.1 -
Pradeep to Cook, no run, full and swinging back into Cook, he almost fell over on the flick, does well to get some bat on that and clips it towards mid-wicket
42.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery and shaping away from outside off, looking to tempt Hales into the drive, he resists and lets it go
42.5 -
Eranga to Cook, 1 run, tad too straight from Eranga, ends up drifting onto Cook's pads, he's off the mark with a clip past square leg
42.4 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, short of a good length and in that corridor outside off, Cook gets half-a-stride forward and defends it
Two slips and a gully for Cook
42.3 -
Eranga to Cook, no run, short of a good length and holding its line outside off, left alone
Alastair Cook, left handed bat, comes to the crease
Cook at number seven, England aren't batting for the declaration, Eranga switches to round the wicket
42.2 -
Eranga to Finn, out Lbw!! This is as plumb as it gets, easy call for umpire Ravi. This was slanted back into the right-hander, Finn shuffled a long way across on the flick, he missed it and it was curtains from there on. Struck bang in front of middle, would have crashed into the leg-stump. The umpire checks for a possible no-ball, it was tight, but Eranga just got a bit behind the popping crease. The nightwatchman has been dismissed, Sri Lanka have their first wicket of the day. Finn lbw b Eranga 7(28) [4s-1]
Eranga to Finn, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
Finn has been given OUT LBW, he's walking
42.1 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, too straight from Eranga, ends up drifting onto Hales' pads, clipped away behind square on the on-side, just a single
41.6 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, almost cleaned him up, but Finn was alert as well, he immediately turned back, short of a good length and on off, Finn defended with soft hands, the ball rolled close to the off-stump, but no damage done
41.5 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, Finn presses across and defends it
41.4 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, half-an-appeal for LBW, but Tucker says NO. Sri Lanka decide against a review as well, might have been slipping down the leg-side. I could see the leg-stump and Finn was struck in front of middle, he went a long way across on the flick and missed. Replays suggest that the ball was just clipping the leg-stump
41.3 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, Finn gets across and defends it towards the on-side
41.2 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, tad fuller and straighter from Pradeep, Finn moves right across his stumps and gets an inside edge onto the flick
41.1 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, short of a good length and on off, Finn prods across and tucks it towards mid-wicket
40.6 -
Eranga to Finn, 1 run, short of a length and well outside off, Finn pushes it to the right of extra cover. The fielder fumbles but Herath is quick to get across and keeps the batsmen down to a single
40.5 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, fifty for Hales, his 4th in Tests, has been a good knock from the England opener, pitched up and well outside off, he leans forward and drives it square on the off-side, raises his bat as the Lord's crowd appreciates
40.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, short of a length and holding its line outside off, defended towards the off-side
40.3 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, this one nips back in from outside off, Hales watches it all along as he let it go by, went perilously close to the off-pole
The second slip now moves across to a fine gully position. Just one slip and two gullies now..
40.2 -
Eranga to Hales, FOUR, edged and four, no luck for Eranga, pitched up in that corridor outside off, drew Hales into a loose prod, the outside edge is found and it flies in the gap between second slip and gully
The sun is out at Lord's, the floodlights are on though, there are a couple of clouds hanging around
40.1 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, fuller length delivery and holding its line outside off, left alone
39.6 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, short of a length and just outside off, Finn stays besides the line and defends it with a straight bat
39.5 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, the bouncer from Pradeep, it's pretty sharp as well, Finn watches it all along and ducks underneath it
39.4 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, fraction fuller and in that channel outside off, Finn gets a good stride forward and pushes forward, the inside edge rolls past short-leg
39.3 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, tad straighter from Pradeep, angles it back into the right-hander, Finn pressed across on the flick and is struck high on the thigh pad
39.2 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, that has gone past Finn's inside edge, fuller length delivery and in that corridor outside off, Finn shuffled across and ended up playing outside the line, didn't miss the edge by much
39.1 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, full and just outside off, Finn gets well forward and defends it towards mid-on
Two slips and a FSL for Pradeep
38.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, tad fuller and on off, stays a tad low as well, Hales watches it closely and defends it with a straight bat
38.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, lovely delivery from Eranga, he's started well today, pitched up and held its line outside off, Hales was looking to defend, the ball doesn't swing and zips past his outside edge
38.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, Hales gets half-forward and lets it go
38.3 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, a good call from umpire Ravi. This was pitched up and nipped back in slightly, Hales was caught in his crease as he prodded forward, misses and is struck on the pads, well above the knee-roll, would have just clipped the bails, can't give those one in the favour of the bowler
Loud shout for LBW. Sri Lanka want a review. Looked a tad high to the naked eye. It's a fair delivery, clips Hales above the knee-roll, there's no inside edge on that, RTS doesn't show anything, missed the bat, says third umpire, Aleem Dar. This must surely be going over the top, umpire's call, it is. NOT OUT will stay
38.2 -
Eranga to Hales, FOUR, edged and four, streaky start to the day's play from Hales, this was drifted across the right-hander, Hales stabbed at that but played with soft hands, gets a thick edge that rolls away in the gap between second slip and gully
38.1 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, Hales gets behind the line and defends it towards the off-side
Right, we are all set for the action to begin. Eranga will start for Sri Lanka. Two slips and a gully in place
Right, we will finally have some cricket. Out come the players on a cloudy Sunday afternoon at Lord's. With time lost, England will surely have their eyes set on getting some quick runs.. Well, not yet.. Play will start in a short while though.
14:15 Local Time, 13:15 GMT, 18:45 IST: We have some positive news. If there's no more rain, play will start at 2:40 pm local time. There will be two full sessions - from 14:40 to 16:40 and the final session from 17:00 to 19:00 (rain and light permitting). A maximum of 60 overs to be bowled.
13:55 Local Time, 12:55 GMT, 18:25 IST: The rain has stopped once again and the covers are coming off. I think we should have a restart soon..
13:30 Local Time, 12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST: We should have started with the cricket now, but all I can inform you is that it's still raining and more covers have been brought to protect the square. Pretty much frustrating to everyone and more so England, who are eyeing a 3-0 whitewash.
13:15 Local Time, 12:15 GMT, 17:45 IST: Well, we were just about to get going, but a light drizzle has returned and so has the hover cover. Hopefully, it will just be a passing shower.
12:55 Local Time, 11:55 GMT, 17:25 IST: Some good news from Lord's. The rain has stopped and the covers are being removed. The groundstaff are firmly at work. We might have play soon. We will have an inspection in 15 minutes and play will start at 1:30 PM local if there is no further rain
12:35 Local Time, 11:35 GMT, 17:05 IST: We are officially into lunch now. The forecast is for a cloudy afternoon, but there shouldn't be any rain. Hopefully, it stays good.
11:50 Local Time, 10:50 GMT, 16:20 IST: It is still raining and we will have an early lunch, at 12:30 local time. Fingers crossed, we might have some action soon after.
11:25 Local Time, 10:25 GMT, 15:55 IST: It is still raining and things look pretty gloomy at Lord's. The forecast is for rain to clear by noon, although there are some more showers predicted for later.
10:55 Local Time, 09:55 GMT, 15:25 IST: As we wait for the rain to clear, here's some news about England skipper Alastair Cook. He didn't open the batting in England's second innings, having received a blow on his knee while fielding and having to go for an X-Ray. He seems to be a lot better now and will bat at some point during the second innings.
It's a pity that the rain has had its say in what was turning out to be an absorbing contest. The English bowlers found swing on a cold and dull Saturday to restrict Sri Lanka to 288 all-out, after having started the day at 156/1. Finn took 3 wickets but Woakes was the pick of the bowling, his early strikes playing a big part in the Lankan collapse. Batting a second time, England suffered a mid-innings collapse themselves and finished the day at 109/4, an overall lead of 237 runs. The pitch has started to play tricks and any chase of more than 300 looks tough.
10:40 Local Time, 09:40 GMT, 15:10 IST: Hello and a warm welcome to a cold and wet Sunday morning at Lord's. Play will definitely not start on time, with the covers well in place. The forecast is for some thundery showers throughout the day. Hopefully, the rain will relent and we will have some action.
Stumps, Day 3: Never trust a Lord's Test match to hand out boredom. Never can be the case where men in suits handle the sightscreen, champagne corks line the boundary ropes and a slope that springs up in action time and again to not let the bowling go extinct. 13 wickets fell today. Sri Lanka's implosion earlier could be accounted to some fuller English lengths that was complemented by the visitor's perversion to learn. And just when England looked headed away with the Test after a 45-run opening stand, 3 wickets fell in two overs with Bairstow just about denying Pradeep a hat-trick. Herath dived, smiled, and threatened with his bowling as always, but despite all of Sri Lanka's late surge with the ball, England look set for a 3-0, given the lead and the pitch's growing binary disposition. That's it. Join us tomorrow for day 4. With the news that Cook is fine after that injury at silly point, it's a goodbye for now. Ta-ta!
37.6 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, and he's done it as the Lord's crowd wakes up from slumber to admire a day that was skewed towards England. Finn stood tall and lazily bent a touch forward to block this delivery hunting the pads. That would be stumps on day 3
Last ball of the day coming up!
37.5 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, length delivery on the pads is blocked
37.4 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, gets a leg-stumpish delivery that he flicks away and doesn't run to save the Prince of Dorne.. err.. Hales
A silly mid-on, an FSL and 2 slips
37.3 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, bumper that keeps Finn honest on the back foot. Duck'd
37.2 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, snakes down the slope and pings the pad. An appeal in sync but it was sliding down and hit the pad high to make the appeal look rather distasteful
Last over of the day
37.1 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, gets high and defends this short of length delivery into the leg-side
36.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, gets forward and blocks it in front of his pad as the ball drifts across him
A single else Finn takes the last over, which is desirable, no?
36.5 -
Herath to Finn, 1 run, blocked off the inside edge to backward square leg
36.4 -
Herath to Finn, no run, blocked into the leg-side and safely away from FSL
Two slips and FSL for this over
36.3 -
Herath to Finn, no run, closed bat face to run this defence into the leg-side
36.2 -
Herath to Finn, no run, full and drilled back in defence
36.1 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, pushed to long-off for a single
35.6 -
Pradeep to Finn, FOUR, the irony is that I can't even call it dropped. There wasn't an attempt. Finn pushed forward to poke at a ball, an outside edge that leisurely makes its way between a wrong-footed Chandimal and the first slip..
35.5 -
Pradeep to Hales, 1 run, and the get-him-caught-down-leg plan to Hales now nearly pays off! Wow. Full delivery slanted across, Hales's clip was finer than intended and Chandimal's dive to his left only tips it away. Top effort though
35.4 -
Pradeep to Finn, 1 run, certain plan to get him caught down leg. Certain plan. An uppish tuck this time that's slotted wide of leg slip
35.3 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, a more convincing appeal for a strangle down leg. Chandimal was pleading with Mathews there.. but the captain doesn't budge. No review. Certain noise as the ball brushes something down leg. HotSpot show that it was the trouser
35.2 -
Pradeep to Finn, no run, short leg was interested in a strangle down leg and others followed in the appeal. Took the pad perhaps
Steven Finn, right handed bat, comes to the crease
35.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, out Bowled!! Don't you dare to watch The Conjuring 2 after this. A horror shot from Bairstow, but we'll let this pass, given all the runs that he's scored of late. A straight delivery to which he brings his bat down at an angle, is late and misses to see the stumps shattered. Buries his head down and walks off. If wickets could be shared, Herath will own half of this. Bairstow b Pradeep 32(72) [4s-2]
Pradeep to Bairstow, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
Hales has looked limited against spin. until now , he's done well to survive. That's the optimistic view. "He's gotten into a shell," the pessimist in me blurts out
34.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, quicker dart on the stumps, blocked
34.5 -
Herath to Hales, byes, 2 runs, 100 up for England. Drifts across, Hales fails to meet the tickle and the ball takes the pad to run away. Should have been leg byes
34.4 -
Herath to Hales, no run, round-armish and slow to threaten the pads, averted
34.3 -
Herath to Hales, no run, dropping in front of the forward defence, this ball
34.2 -
Herath to Hales, no run, fires it in but keeps the length slightly back, Hales went back and had to stab it out
34.1 -
Herath to Hales, no run, continues round the wicket, floats it in full to see Hales defend it after pressing forward
33.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, maiden as Bairstow pushes one back
33.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, driven off the front foot was this length delivery, on the up
"This has been a very good Test wicket," says Mahela on air
33.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, rolls the defence back down the pitch
33.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, punches a defence towards mid-on
33.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, this length ball jags in to keep a touch low. Bairstow yanked his bottom hand off and managed to keep it out off the toe-end
33.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, blocked back
Nuwan Pradeep [6.0-0-19-2] is back into the attack
32.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, there it is. The turn. Herath slows it up, gets it to drift in with the slope from round the wicket and rips it away, as Hales shouldered arms
32.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, drifts it across and brings Hales forward and low to block
32.4 -
Herath to Hales, no run, opened Hales up there! Drifts in on leg-stump, Hales looks to defend and gets an outside edge that falls short of Mathews at slip
Now round the wicket
32.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, 3 runs, a sliding stop at deep cover as Bairstow drove this ball pinged on middle stump
32.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, even further down leg as Herath rips it more. Turns in to take the pad
32.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, doesn't threaten the stumps from outside leg and is padded away
What's shorter than Mathews's length? His hair. Okay, no more. Herath ralies on from over the wicket as a slip and FSL wait on
31.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, patted to deep point
31.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, nicely forward to cream a defence back to Mathews
31.4 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, cocks his wrists and pushes the ball away with an open bat face
31.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, stood tall to this back of a length delivery and punches it back
31.2 -
Mathews to Hales, 1 run, jags downhill sharply with bounce, a closed bat face helps a single to backward square leg
31.1 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, shuffles a touch to get behind the line and defend
30.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, forward and blocked with the bat this time
30.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, was looking to block it off the bat, saw the ball skid on and since the ball pitched outside leg, he used his pad to defend
30.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, gets his bat in front of his pad, as the stumps stay exposed, and blocks
30.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, 2 runs, makes room for the drift in and drives the fuller length delivery through cover
Just one slip now
30.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, thrusts his pads forward and defends it
30.1 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, there to be swept to deep square leg
Two slips and an FSL
29.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, finally all the boredom of dots built up to this. Bairstow was drawn across uphill to fetch a poke at this length ball which hits the deck and spices away to beat the edge. Lovely channel, lovely length
29.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, more like a front foot push-drive to this fuller length delivery outside off
29.4 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, is late to prod forward to this length ball that takes the inside half to roll round the corner
29.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, jab-punches a defence to cover
29.2 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, bunted off the front foot into the off-side
29.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, short delivery outside off, Bairstow sways away late
28.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, gets closer to the stumps and loops it up within the stumps. Hales blocks it back
28.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, pads one away again
28.4 -
Herath to Hales, no run, shoulders arms to this ball pitching outside leg to get his pad rapped
28.3 -
Herath to Hales, no run, goes wider from over the wicket, hits a fullish length on leg-stump and Hales crossed his bat in front of his pad to block
28.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, pushed through flatter on middle, Bairstow took his front leg out and pushed it to long-off
28.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, sees the ball pitch down leg and pads it away
27.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, 1 run, carves out a defence to backward point to a length delivery outside off
27.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, pressed forward and defends this fuller length delivery
27.4 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, allows the ball to cut in from a back of a length and blocks
27.3 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, ooh. Was early into the drive and skewed it off the outside half to eke out an edge that rolls to the left of a widish gully
27.2 -
Mathews to Bairstow, FOUR, delicious late cut. Waited and then waited some more to chop this wide of the slip in place
Men in suits adjusting the white sightscreen
27.1 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, straight high bat to block
26.6 -
Herath to Hales, no run, is early to get low and defend in front of his pad as Herath slows down the pace on this one
26.5 -
Herath to Hales, no run, almost got in a tangle as he twisted across to defend off the face of the bat towards square leg
26.4 -
Herath to Hales, no run, pitches outside leg and turns across to rap the pad as Hales shouldered arms
26.3 -
Herath to Hales, no run, looped up full and squeezed back
26.2 -
Herath to Hales, no run, similar response
26.1 -
Herath to Hales, no run, from over the wicket, pings it on leg-stump, a hint of turn in that's punched back
Rangana Herath [3.0-0-7-0] is back into the attack
Change of ends for Herath
25.6 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, is late to tuck this back of a length delivery angled across on leg-stump and the ball bounds off the pitch to hit Bairstow's side pelvis
25.5 -
Mathews to Bairstow, no run, was surprised by the nip in from a back of a length, and then jabbed the block back one-handed, I think
25.4 -
Mathews to Hales, 1 run, almost allows this back of a length delivery to come right into him, and then stands up as he flicks to deep mid-wicket
25.3 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, crisscrosses his legs as he blocks a tame length ball back
25.2 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, was on front foot to defend and does well to make up for the extra bounce with a loose bottom hand grip
25.1 -
Mathews to Hales, no run, punches a defence off the back foot
Angelo Mathews, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
24.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, punched to mid-on
24.5 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, drives a defence to extra cover. Overthrows and there's an extra run
24.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, an attempted on-the-up front foot drive chopped
24.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, is standing back to this back of a length delivery and bows to the bowler as he blocks
24.2 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, on a driving length, Hales obliges but is intercepted by a deep cover in place
24.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, full and straight, driven back
Just spotted a man in a pink shirt and a striped suit in the crowd. And I thought that MCC's dress code was hilarious. Maybe this man wanted to look hilarious, pretty sure the MCC members don't..
Not much turn for Herath. Rather no turn at all.
23.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, holds his front foot weight transfer seeing the ball fired in and toe-ends the defence to cover
23.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, gets low and smothers a iota of turn on this
23.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, shoots on straight wide of off, left alone
23.3 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, well played. Waited on the front foot to get a wider line and jabs it out late with an open bat to backward point
23.2 -
Herath to Hales, no run, even quicker and in the blockhole in front of the toes, pulped out into the leg-side
23.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, 1 run, quicker and too full, Bairstow squeezes out a defence as Chandimal goes "ohhh"
22.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, gets low and foils a pad-hunting delivery
22.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, zips off a length in the fifth stump channel, Hales covers his stumps and lets it go as his front foot presses the pitch
22.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, blocked to cover
22.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, punched off the back foot and literally steals a single to extra cover
22.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 2 runs, a hint of width for Bairstow to slash it to deep point
22.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, fast legs. Even grayer gray cells. Holds a defence back to a fullish length delivery, sees that he hasn't timed it too well to mid-off and runs a quick single
21.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, 2 runs, flights this more outside off to see if there's turn. There's none and Bairstow flat-bats the drive through cover a couple of more runs. He's off and running. Again
21.5 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, gets lower to a flatter quicker one and blocks
21.4 -
Herath to Bairstow, 2 runs, turns it round the corner. Wants two, gets it. A direct hit hits the stumps after Bairstow had made it in, Bairstow wanted another but Hales denies
21.3 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, arm ball looped onto the pads and is defended off the inside of the splice
21.2 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, walks forward to punch a defence past Herath
21.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, drifting on the pads, blocked into the leg-side
20.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, full delivery on say fifth stump, goes die-straight and is predictable enough to be left off the front foot
20.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, drives a defence to this fuller length delivery to mid-off
20.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, very full, Hales jerks himself up and standing as he jams it out
20.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, Lakmal goes for the pads again and Bairstow evades it with a clip to deep mid-wicket again
20.2 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, picks it off his pads and flicks a straight delivery to fine leg
20.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, falls over a touch as he shaves a clip to mid-wicket
19.6 -
Herath to Bairstow, no run, fired in on the pads, the fuller length brings Bairstow forward to block
19.5 -
Herath to Hales, 1 run, slower delivery but with its length trimmed back a touch. Allows Hales to go deep, bring his bat down from a height and squeeze out a back foot punch through cover
19.4 -
Herath to Hales, no run, flatter this time, Hales is on the front foot to push this away
19.3 -
Herath to Hales, no run, flighted full on the pads, Hales gets very low to block this out with a closed bat
19.2 -
Herath to Hales, no run, drags his length back a touch, slides it in and Hales's defence falls short of the FSL fielder. Looked in control through
19.1 -
Herath to Bairstow, byes, 1 run, drifts it across from round the wicket but lands it well down leg. Bairstow crouched as he turned around but failed to lay a bat on that.. Runs away. Did it hit the pad? I think so..
Rangana Herath, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Herath is here.. Scrathing his head and looking at his field which's a slip and an FSL
18.6 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, 1 run, a soft edge off this pokey drive that drops well in front of gully who dives side-on and then springs back to half-stop the ball
18.5 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, angling in quick, Bairstow arrests his shuffle and then fend-defends it into the leg-side.. almost like a shave off the pads
18.4 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, zooming in for the stumps from a widish line and Bairstow hurried to get his bat down and block
18.3 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, a symphony of a flowing defence to mid-on. Did I spot Herath there?
18.2 -
Lakmal to Bairstow, no run, blocked this time off the front foot
18.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, 1 run, clipped to mid-wicket
Suranga Lakmal [4.0-1-21-0] is back into the attack
17.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 4 runs, and these two run four. Dear Bairstow and Hales, take off your Kohli and de Villiers masks. Please. Bairstow chops it ever so late, past the slip cordon and they hunted four runs by the time a fielder could (The) Hound it down from third man
17.5 -
Pradeep to Hales, 1 run, fullish on the pads and Hales employs lesser wrists this time on the clip. Places it straighter through mid-wicket
17.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 1 run, now this one's where you go wide of the crease to aim at. Overdone though. Veering down, Bairstow could clip it round the corner
Missing: 38-year old Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath. Have you seen him? Why hasn't he bowled yet?
17.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, wide of the crease again but a lack of bounce on this length delivery meant that Bairstow hopped and then crouched to keep this out
17.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, wristed into the leg-side. Pradeep went way wide of the crease but still pinged a line on say fourth stump. Maybe he intended it to trap Bairstow in the angle tangle
17.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, a delivery angled in from over the wicket, Bairstow presses forward to defend, as a short leg and 2 slips looked on
Sun's out.. surprising us all
16.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, gets forward and blocks this incoming delivery back down the pitch
16.5 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, chopped to deep point for a single. Width there but Bairstow opts for a soft kill. No ferocious cut shot
16.4 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, flicks his wrists and takes a single to deep mid-wicket, as he digests a straighter line from Eranga
16.3 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, a half-volley that swings away late to make Hales's reaching lean fall short. Mistimed front foot drive as a result to cover
16.2 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, covers his stumps off his front foot and leaves an inswinger pitched on a length
16.1 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, a jabby back foot defence as Hales weighs forward and blocks
15.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, 2 runs, pokes his front leg across and steers this wide and full delivery with a push-drive through extra cover
15.5 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, sliding into the pads only to be defended into the leg-side
15.4 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, stood back with a readymade room and hurried to ping this low-bouncing fuller length delivery into the pitch
15.3 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, a straight delivery turned into the leg-side
15.2 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, back of a length delivery, shoots up off the pitch and Bairstow gets his bat high and higher to middle the defence
15.1 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, blunts it back to the bowler
14.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, a moment this. Herath has dived at mid-on to save a clipped single. And what follows is more fun. Players gather around him to shake hands, pat his back, and Herath sports a big grin. An ear-to-ear grin almost
14.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, forward and across to dead-bat this full length delivery
14.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no ball, beaten again. Falls over the slope trying to chase this, and sees the ball purr past the outside edge. Wouldn't have mattered. Eranga had overstepped. Thankfully no edge, I would say
14.4 -
Eranga to Bairstow, 1 run, tapped off the front foot to cover
Oh, this is interesting. But Mathews sticks to two slips. Can't blame him. The uneven bounce threatens the stumps more and takes the cordon-catches out of equation, more so with Sri Lanka's bowling pace. There's no Chameera, remember?
14.3 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, back of a length and punched through point for a single
14.2 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, chases a length delivery that yields to gravity, nips down the slope and climbs past Hales's outside edge after the batsman was drawn across. With the uneven bounce on sale, Eranga is bowling it cross seam
14.1 -
Eranga to Hales, 2 runs, buries his head in front and helps the ball up the slope with a clip
13.6 -
Pradeep to Bairstow, no run, full delivery and Bairstow survives the hat-trick ball. Squeezes it somehow one half of the bat to mid-off
Jonny Bairstow, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Okay. A hat-trick ball. Lord's clapping.. Pradeep on top of his mark.. Two slips and a short leg.. Whaaaat?
13.5 -
Pradeep to James Vince, out Bowled!! Oh my. Some one tell Vince that his bat's an iOS app, maybe he would use it then. A first-ball duck. Challenges the slope as he shoulders arms to this length delivery jagging in, stood put and didn't bother to cover his stumps. Gone, as the ball darts in off the seam and is helped by the slope to hug the off-stump. Pradeep is on a Test hat-trick! James Vince b Pradeep 0(1)
Pradeep to James Vince, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
James Vince, right handed bat, comes to the crease
13.4 -
Pradeep to Root, out Bowled!! There you go. Low bounce plunders Root of some easy runs. Pradeep hits a fullish length, the ball stays very low to sneak under Root's bat to take the off-stump. CLATTER. Root b Pradeep 4(5) [4s-1]
Pradeep to Root, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
13.3 -
Pradeep to Hales, 1 run, lashed full on off-stump, Hales plunges forward and pokes it away to mid-on for a single to being up the fifty for England
13.2 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, back of a length delivery outside off is punch-packed to cover
13.1 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, half-forward to tentatively defend this
12.6 -
Eranga to Root, FOUR, nearly! Gets cramped for room as he went for the open-batted cut shot, the inside edge shot back and thankfully found a piece of turf far from the stumps
12.5 -
Eranga to Root, no run, leans forward and drives a defence into the off-side
12.4 -
Eranga to Root, no run, blocked back to Eranga
12.3 -
Eranga to Root, no run, skids back in and overbalances as he tries to clip and is rapped on the pad. Easily going down
Joe Root, right handed bat, comes to the crease
12.2 -
Eranga to Compton, out Caught by Chandimal!! Is that it? Compton perishes. His next Test appearance is no longer a function of runs; it's a function of the trust that the selection committee might want to place in him. And this was a good ball to be fair - in case it turns out to be a career-terminating delivery - just that Compton wasn't punctual enough to come forward. Was late as this length delivery nibbled, took the outside edge and popped to the keeper. See you around, Compton. Compton c Chandimal b Eranga 19(35) [4s-3]
Eranga to Compton, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
12.1 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, solid front foot block
11.6 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, an inswinger that fails to conceal itself. Easy leave as Hales covers the stumps and then turns around to hawk-eye the ball's trajectory
11.5 -
Pradeep to Compton, 1 run, now he's snug at the crease. Shuffles across and opens the blade on this defence, runs the ball to where point would have been, and runs
11.4 -
Pradeep to Compton, no run, reaches out to get to the pitch of this length delivery outside off and blunts it out
11.3 -
Pradeep to Hales, 1 run, Sri Lankan bowlers are getting as much help as me from my daily to-do lists. Nothing. Nothing in the air or off the pitch. Easy defence into the leg-side
11.2 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, shuffles his left leg to the off-side, gets his bat high and blocks this back of a length delivery outside off
11.1 -
Pradeep to Compton, 1 run, blocks a straight delivery to mid-on
Rod Tucker is smiling. Atherton chuckled on air. Have I missed the best moment of the day? More importantly, have you?
10.6 -
Eranga to Compton, 1 run, hurries into a block to mid-wicket, manages to evade the fielder by a meter or so, and uses the opportunity to shoplift a single
10.5 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, lifts his bat and lets it go
10.5 -
Eranga to Compton, no ball, FOUR, never seen a pull shot that's not authoritative.. except perhaps you-know-who's! Gets on top of the bounce nicely as he hauled his front leg in air and rolled his wrists to bullet the ball through square leg
10.4 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, worked off the pads to fine leg
10.3 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, ah, beaten. Fullish length outside off that Hales wants to late cut. Is too late and the ball too full.. zooms past the top-edge as Hales whirs his bat
10.2 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, is half-forward to block a length ball just outside off
10.1 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, lets a full zippy delivery outside off go
9.6 -
Pradeep to Compton, no run, gets forward, hawks the swing on this and opts to leave
9.5 -
Pradeep to Compton, FOUR, a back foot punch so well-timed that it defies gravity to run uphill to the deep cover fence. Played it late and played it well, like Tendulkar
9.4 -
Pradeep to Compton, no run, had his weight forward as he blunted a length delivery into the pitch
9.3 -
Pradeep to Compton, no run, left alone
9.2 -
Pradeep to Compton, no run, chops a block into the pitch and Pradeep latches onto the ricochet. No excitement from the crowd. They are too sophisticated, too sharp and measure 6/6 in vision
9.1 -
Pradeep to Compton, no run, shuffles his leg across and blocks it square on the off-side
8.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, blocked into the off-side
Constants in the Universe: Pole Star, Virat Kohli's LOI form and the decibel measurement of this Lord's crowd buzz
8.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, clipped with intent but straight to mid-wicket
8.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, arrests a full-fledged tuck shot as the ball hurriesd into him from a back of a length. Manages to stopgap it with a drop into the leg-side
8.3 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, gets up in sync with the bounce on this and bunts it back
8.2 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, defended back to Eranga
8.2 -
Eranga to Compton, no ball, 1 run, swinging on a length outside off, Compton had to room to flash a drive. Does it handsomely for a single to dep point.. Eranga now oversteps
8.1 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, arrow-straight on the pads and clipped to backward square leg
Shaminda Eranga [3.0-1-4-0] is back into the attack
Eranga. Sri Lanka operating on the dogma that no one gets more than 2 slips and a gully..
7.6 -
Pradeep to Compton, no run, an outswinger too wide and too full to be flirted with. Left alone
7.5 -
Pradeep to Hales, 1 run, yanks his bottom hand off as he manages to block this off the inside half to short mid-wicket
7.4 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, back of a length, tucked into the leg-side
7.3 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, driven off the front foot to mid-on
7.2 -
Pradeep to Hales, no run, a drop at second slip. A wobble seam delivery straightens off the pitch, Hales was pushing off the back foot with hard hands. A healthy edge, at a decent height but cleaves the gap between first and second slip to perfection. Karunaratne, at 2nd slip, dived to his left, perhaps got a hand to it but failed to latch on. First slip shadowed the dive to his right but not to be. The ball was grounded by then
7.2 -
Pradeep to Hales, no ball, punched off the back foot in defence. Pradeep has overstepped the line of fire. Wait. Actually no. Had a better of his heel was behind the line.. Oh umpire
7.1 -
Pradeep to Compton, 1 run, 80.1mph this. Hardly threatened the pads. Looked headed there but the modest pace gave enough time for a clip round the corner
Nuwan Pradeep, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, FOUR, hail Hales. Overpitched delivery on middle and leg, what Hales had to do was to crouch, half-turn and clip it through mid-wicket. He did that. What he did better was to place it well wide of mid-wicket's radar
6.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, is late to tuck this delivery veering down. Perhaps takes the side of the pad
6.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, FOUR, that arrowed back off the bat. Takes a length delivery on the up and massages it through Lakmal
6.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, a diving stop at mid-on to stop this rather tame clip from Hales
6.2 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, more blocks than LEGO. Another one off the front foot
6.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, sliced off the pads to mid-on
5.6 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, an overpitched delivery there to be driven but Compton opts to get forward and block
5.5 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, very fuller length delivery squeezed out into the ground
5.4 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, nibbles in in the corridor of uncertainty and Compton shuffles into a leave
5.3 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, gets even lower to defend as the length is fuller
5.2 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, forward and blocked
Blue skies on side of the ground and dark skies on the other. Need to have a look at the Old Father Time at Lord's to decide if the clouds are threatening or not
5.1 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, underwhelming bounce on thils fullish outswinger that's been ignored
4.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, jams out a defence to a ball rearing in to rap the pads. Not to be. Not this ball
4.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, that's the SI unit of a good leave. Pitches full close to off, just a hint of giveaway that the ball would swing away and Hales lets it go
4.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, full delivery darting away with good bounce, Hales shoulders arms
4.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, fullish delivery staying low, Hales crouches in his forward defence
4.2 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, back of a length in that corridor of uncertainty, Hales covers his sticks and lets it go
4.1 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, goodish length outside off, Hales stands still and defends it solidly
3.6 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, short of length holding its line just outside off, Compton stands tall and bunts it out
3.5 -
Eranga to Hales, 1 run, back of a length outside off, punched towards cover, the fielder puts in the dive and saves a certain boundary.
3.4 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, left alone
3.3 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, swings gently, swings early on a fuller length and Hales could cover it up with a front foot driven defence to cover
3.2 -
Eranga to Hales, 2 runs, allows the length ball to almost kiss his pads and then interferes with a clipped couple to deep mid-wicket
3.1 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, loosens his grip as he defends it in front of his eyes
2.6 -
Lakmal to Compton, FOUR, that's a filth to which Compton has executed the most stylish of cuts. Just extends his arms to meet a short-wide horror and then cocks his wrists to generate power through point
2.5 -
Lakmal to Compton, no run, better. Gets closer, on a length and good pace off the deck makes Compton hop in his high-batted defence
2.4 -
Lakmal to Compton, no run, takes off from the pitch and trims away to make it an easy leave. Good ball but far too wide to even threaten the blade of a batsman taking a fifth stump stance
2.3 -
Lakmal to Compton, no run, banged on a length, Compton hops to cover the bounce and blocks
2.2 -
Lakmal to Compton, no run, no need to interfere with a wild outswinger. And Compton doesn't. Shortened length, moving away ever so wildly
2.1 -
Lakmal to Compton, no run, doesn't interfere with a fullish outswinger
1.6 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, waited on front foot to greet this full delivery and then shoulders arms
1.5 -
Eranga to Hales, no run, tight line and length on the stumps squeezed out into the leg-side
1.4 -
Eranga to Compton, 1 run, uses the bounce to tuck this back of a length delivery round the corner
1.3 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, full outside off, Compton shuffles across to make sure that the stumps are overprotected and then lifted his arms to make way for the ball curling in
1.2 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, from over the wicket, hits a fullish length on say 4th-5th stump and Compton lets it go
1.1 -
Eranga to Compton, no run, swings it away from a short of length, Compton looks to cut but the swing beats his toe-end
Shaminda Eranga, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Eranga from the Pavilion End.. Same field
0.6 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, effort ball on a length that's been denied by this Lord's pitch. Low bounce and a hint of swing as Hales lets this one go
0.5 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, goes more round-armish to hit a length on off-stump and the ball's bunted into the pitch
0.4 -
Lakmal to Hales, no run, a hint of curl away as Lakmal pings a fuller length outside off, Hales shoulders arms
0.3 -
Lakmal to Hales, FOUR, glorious shot that. Takes a length ball on the up and punches is through cover-point off the sweetest past of the willow
0.2 -
Lakmal to Hales, FOUR, length ball on leg-stump, Hales swivels around and shames it with a clip through fine leg. Good shot to a rather poor ball
0.1 -
Lakmal to Compton, 1 run, stays low on a length within the stumps, Compton crouches to keep it out to short mid-wicket and gets off the mark
Compton and Hales are at the crease. Compton is on strike. Lakmal will open the attack
Thus ends the 3-match Test series but the pilot 'Super Series' continues with five ODIs and a T20. The fact the the duration of the three Test matches fall in an increasing arithmetic progression (3.. 4.. 5 days, you see!) is a testament to Sri Lanka's gradual graduation. Five things we will miss: slip cordon. But only for a while because there is more Test cricket lined up; so much so that when cricket tragics shall go to sleep, the ones on the other side of the world will wake up and behave the exact same way - like cricket tragics. On that note, this is your commentator-cum-weatherman Pratyush Sinha bidding good night on behalf of Sreenivas, the scoring gizmo. Here's hoping that the London showers didn't make your Monday bluer.. Hope you enjoyed the coverage. Ta-ta!
Alastair Cook receives the trophy as shutterbugs try to nearly blind him. No teammate mobbing him with champagne jets.. this is Lord's!
Cook: "It would have been a good day's cricket. It would have been good to see our guys under pressure. Pretty good three games but there's always room for improvement. I thought some power-hitting was needed in the middle order, so showed it to the guys myself (on his innings yesterday). As a captain, it's great to have that experience - no. 1 and no. 3 ranked bowlers. Hales has done very well. Really impressed how he has worked out his game after South Africa. He's getting closer to the three-figure mark. We do bat deep, but the top order, in tougher conditions, we would want more hundreds at the top. A lot of hard work's gone into this series, so we will enjoy it tonight."
Mathews: "I thought we started pretty poorly. We came into the series in the second innings at Durham. Today would have been an interesting chase, would have been a result certainly. We wanted to go for it (the target) but we couldn't get enough play. Don't repent the limited practice before the Tests, we had a good couple of weeks. We have a lot of positives: all the bowlers bowled very well, Herath was brilliant. Mendis, Chandimal and everyone batted well. That no-ball was a mistake, a human error. What can we do, can't really control the umpire. We have had a good month in England before that (talking about the ODIs lined up)."
Kaushal Silva is Sri Lanka's Man of the Series. "They have a quality bowling lineup. I felt that from the second innings of the Durham Test, I tried to be positive and it paid off. Headingley was seaming with uneven bounce. Durham and Lord's were good wickets. The skills they have as fast bowlers is remarkable. I missed out three times at Lord's. Hopefully next time, I will get a big one," he adds.
"To be back for England was the main aim. I wouldn't say that it's been a conscious decision to stand up a little in my stance. It's never nice to get dropped. So I went back, worked on my game to prove a point. You want to contribute to the team in every way possible. Maybe, in this series and the one in South Africa, I did that. All our bowlers showed skills throughout the series. I was disappointed to drop a couple of catches but pleased to take nineteen of them. Delighted to be in the LOI squad. I feel I'm striking the ball well. I have no idea who's going to take the gloves in the LOI side," exclaims Bairstow as Lord's long room bursts into applause
Jonny Bairstow is the Man of the Match. He's also England's Man of the Series (chosen by Graham Ford)
Now, we wait for the presentations. Atherton is mic'd up indoors.
*********************************************
Thanks to the rain breaks, my thinking cap overstayed and I've really tried to be funny while making sense, I hope. Like here. Below are my takeaways in the form of 'seven laws' that eventually governed the series, because the science kid in me just doesn't go away. Shoo, you nerd who can't even throw a ball!
Law of lack of grey matter: If it takes you nearly 10 years to choose the correct end at Headingley, you repent your early-blooming handicap and then celebrate your beginner's luck with a 10-wicket haul, like James Anderson. And as a result, you roll over Sri Lanka for 91 and 119 in the 1st Test to fetch a commanding innings win.
Law of ridiculous evolution: If you dare to defy flaws, return to the First Class set up and literally evolve your game to the extent that your new form's more an invention than a discovery, you are rewarded with 387 runs in a 3-Test series, like Jonny Bairstow. You also hit two Test tons to average a Bradman-brooding 129.
Law of the less good-looking: If your batting is in the Graeme Smith mould, if your batting isn't worshipped like David Gower's, if you lack Viv Richards' swagger, if you have lived in Kevin Pietersen's shadow but still manage to harvest 10,000+ Test runs at a pace that threatens Tendulkar's numbers, you are Alastair Cook. You're your own kind of beautiful.
Law of brutish consolation: If you miss your maiden Test ton three times in a series because of nerves or destiny or whatever, like Alex Hales, you still get the credit for putting to bed England's opening woes that had started to bore with their persistence. In addition to that, your form joins hands with Nick Compton's lack of it to perhaps end a certain Test career.
Law of stinky fortunes: When you don't have the rub of the green and you're on the receiving end of horrors - a DRS blip that allowed Jonny Bairstow to speedboat from 56 to 167*, a no-ball that never was and denied Pradeep a wicket - and you make your plight worse by dropping catches, you end up losing an overseas series, like Sri Lanka.
Law of Rangana Herath: If you are 38 years old with Twitter jokes on your fitness being a hit, if you can keep a man with 10,000+ Test runs on tenterhooks, can dive to stop runs, and can also bat to shame your colleagues, you are Rangana Herath. No one else. Cannot be. And you are also cricket's Marilyn Monroe; eras, numbers and lack of expectations fail to contain you.
Law of damp prophecies: When you most look forward to cricket that bears a context and is being played on the grandest of stages (with most slanted of slopes and poshest of sight-screens), the clouds conspire and the weather forecasts prove to be atypically correct, like today, to rob away your only companion for the day - cricket.
*********************************************
STATBUZZ: Sri Lanka have not lost a Test at Lord's in the last 25 years. They haven't won one either, I say, as if homebound Sri Lankans in Galle and Colombo and Jaffna are interested in that.
Yes, seconds after I type that, we have a word. This ends in a draw. We aimed to have our hopes up but eventually it was the umbrella we had up and above our heads, metaphorically or otherwise, for most part of the day. A potential contest was hose-piped by rains, and it all ends in a draw. A wet draw. But thanks to the recurring rains through this game, we managed to see some play on the fifth day of a Test match - a feat rarer than a non-sponsored 5-star movie review. Jonny Bairstow's 167* (and luck and DRS) and Cook's declaration had this game set up nicely. Sri Lanka, after that 108-run run opening stand in the first innings, kick-started the chase yesterday with intent until the rains intervened to ruin it all. 2-0 to England then, consolations to a young Sri Lankan side who've managed to avert a whitewash. At least they had the weather on their side, if not the DRS. There, someone said it.
5:10pm local: Still raining. It ain't over till the fat lady sings, they say, but the fat lady seems to have sung, had had her dinner and has now burped it all out. No official word yet.
4:47pm local: Hovercover, The Mountain, makes its way out as the players make their way back into the pavilion. Is that it? Not heavy showers, mind you, but just enough pitter-patter for our cricket-surrendered genes to get us worried for mankind's survival. This is really frustrating, really, but kudos to Sri Lanka for not bowing to the prospect of a mini-session of survival. They have done well, even hit a six.
24.2 -
Root to Kusal Mendis, SIX, whoa. Got low on his knee and swept it all the way over deep mid-wicket. Hint of turn in on this tossed up delivery allowing Mendis to turn into this shot. Has that hit a cloud? Heavens open up, again
24.1 -
Root to Kusal Mendis, no run, blocked
Joe Root, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
"Look up, not down". Applicable to all of us here as the rain clouds threaten. Here's Root. A slip, a leg slip and FSL
23.6 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, flights this a little more, Karunaratne opens the blade and guides the defence past the two slip fielders. Hauled back, Karunaratne looks to rob a run and then turns back to ground his bat
23.5 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, pinged straight in front of the pad to be driven to mid-on
23.4 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, no turn as of now. Just arrows in to be defended into the leg-side
23.3 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, darted in full, Karunaratne pulps out a block back
23.2 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, sliding on with the arm, blocked
23.1 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, very slow through the air and drifting across on a very ful length. Karunaratne turns around to tickle and misses
Moeen Ali [1.0-0-4-0] is back into the attack
The fourth umpire runs out with the lightmeter.. Rod Tucker protracts arms and records as Bairstow gazes into that piece of instrument. All done. Nothing to stop the cricket. Yet. Moeen Ali has the ball, two slips and a FSL
22.6 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, lets this length ball bounce in and then squeezes out a back foot defence
22.5 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, short ball ducking in with the slope. Hits something as Mendis ducks. The keeper half-appeals. And Cook goes for the review on Broad's persistence! Didn't look out to me. No, it isn't. The ball hits the left arm and pops to the keeper. A review more wasted that your notebook's front page
22.4 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, inswing from a good length, Mendis gets forward as he got behind the line and drove a defence into the off-side
22.3 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, tickled off the pad to mid-wicket
22.2 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, FOUR, supersonic bouncer. Took the top-edge as Mendis was shaping to play.. then saw the venom on that.. tries to duck but was too late. Over the keeper's head for a boundary as Mendis smiled and punched his partner's glove
22.1 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, wide line, staying low, Mendis hops and gets his bat low in his extended arms to block it towards gully
21.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, FOUR, clipped through mid-wicket as Anderson radars the pads
21.5 -
Anderson to Kusal Mendis, leg byes, 3 runs, another one angled in on the pads, looked pacy too. Mendis did well to hurry up in his spindle for this tickle but couldn't. Took the pads and shot away, this ball
21.4 -
Anderson to Kusal Mendis, FOUR, sliding way down, Mendis turns around and helps it with a clip
21.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 1 run, not much bounce on this one. Karunaratne had open-batted it wide of gully where the fielder dives, shies and a direct hit just misses the stumps at the striker's end. Was it Hales? Was it Vince?
21.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, very full and bumping up like a bouncer. Left alone, thankfully
There's a silly mid-off in place
21.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, opens the face of the bat and blocks it as he rode the bounce
A quick chat between the umpires about the light, cricket's other step-brother. The groundsmen wait on near the boundary. Nothing in the air yet. Nothing, I say again.
20.6 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, back of a length delivery blocked back
20.5 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, "that's a super grab down the leg-side," says Nasser Hussain on air. Hit on a halfway mark, the ball hits a crack and jags away way down leg. Bairstow dives to his left and pouches it one-handed Superman-ishly
20.4 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, skews this off the outside half and does well to play it right into the pitch.. the ball drolls out to gully
20.3 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, this was there to be hit. Pitched up, doing nothing and Mendis opts to go cross-batted and whip this away. Ends up mistiming it to mid-on
20.2 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, gets forward and gets behind this fullish delivery to block
20.1 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, staying a touch low on a length outside off but line's too wide to threaten. Ignored
19.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, behind and blocked off the back foot
19.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, fullish length driven on the up from Karunaratne. Half-stopped at point and the batsmen don't risk a single
19.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, hops in his crease and gets lower to whip this low-bouncing delivery from outside off to square leg
19.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, rides the bounce with a high-elbowed defence from the crease
19.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, lovely leave this. This inswinger slides across Karunaratne and then curls in. Didn't look to be doing much and Karunaratne had his stumps covered to leave
19.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, sliding across with a hint of shape away, Karunaratne presses forward and defends it
18.6 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, darts in a long way this time as Broad bends his bak on a good length outside off. Mendis could easily make up by spindling in his crease to block
18.5 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, lovely transfer of weight forward as Mendis lunges and blocks
18.4 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, good length outside off, Mendis decides to leave late and Bairstow goes "ohh" behind the stumps
18.3 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, pushed fuller, Mendis crouched as he middles the front foot defence on this one
18.2 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, back of a length delivery defended with a high bat
18.1 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, half a chance! Caught-and-bowled.. but the ball was just too quick. Flat-bats a drive to this full ball. Wanted to get over Broad's head but the bat turns. Broad dropped to his left in his followthrough but could only get his left hand to it before it shot into the pitch
17.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, inswinger driven to mid-wicket with a closed bat face
17.5 -
Anderson to Kusal Mendis, leg byes, 1 run, loud appeal. Inswinger that rips in to hit the side of the thigh. Perhaps doing a little too much, this delivery, as Mendis shuffled a long way across to miss the tuck. HawkEye shows it as missing leg-stump
17.4 -
Anderson to Kusal Mendis, no run, just on a good length, good pace off pitch as Mendis stands tall and defends it
17.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, byes, 1 run, inswinger curling in viciously enough from over the wicket to slide down leg
17.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, FOUR, a boundary. Nicely opens the punch and steers the ball wide of the gully fielder in place
17.1 -
Anderson to Kusal Mendis, 3 runs, good length outside off, Mendis stays nicely back to this and punches it wide of point. The outfield's slow after all the rain dose and it's cut off in front of the rops
16.6 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, pitched up outside off, no real threat for the ball to nip back in and Karunaratne lets it go
16.5 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, leg byes, 1 run, swings it in into the pads from a fullish length. Mendis is late to turn and clip it away, is rapped on the pads for the ball to roll away wide enough to allow a leg bye
Much brighter at Lord's now. "I would be rain-dancing," says Warne on air
16.4 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, barbers the length back and ducks it in, Mendis stays put and blocks
16.3 -
Broad to Kusal Mendis, no run, fullish length on fifth stump, Mendis carves out a defence to point
Two slips and a gully in place for the right hander. No short leg..
16.2 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 1 run, an attempt to ping the pad from wide of the crease, Karunaratne interrupts in time and clips it away through mid-wicket
16.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, full from round the wicket, angled into but not quite. Karunaratne gets forward and defends it
Broad.. 3 slips and a gully in place
15.6 -
Anderson to Kusal Mendis, no run, extra bounce again as this back of a length delivery jags away and up the slope for Mendis to quickly open up and defend awkwardly
15.5 -
Anderson to Kusal Mendis, no run, good length delivery shooting off the pitch as Anderson charges on from over the wicket. Mendis gets high and higher and blocks it into the pitch
The players are back! Such a sight. Four slips and a gully wait on.
3:47pm local: Cricket today is wishful thinking, you said? Well, take that. A zillionth restart has been scheduled. 4:10pm local. Did I just hear the clouds chuckle? To be less humourous, it's clearing up at the Lord's.. Sri Lanka need to chase 317 in 47 overs that are scheduled in a single session. Or to be more pragmatic, England need 9 more wickets. Interesting. Have to give it to the drainage at Lord's!
3:36pm local: Yay, covers coming off.
3:20pm local: Another inspection at 3:45pm local. The dark clouds are slowly subsiding but that 'slow' will have to be quick for us to get some cricket.
3:00pm local: It's looking sinister at the Home of Cricket. Dark clouds pouting and threatening to release and inundate. You would rather want to be a painter than a cricket lover today, I swear!
2:34pm local: The inspection is currently going on.. The umpires are out there. It's still very, very gloomy out there. Another inspection at 3:15pm local but we hear that more shower canons have been loaded by the heavens to keep denying us. The outfield is also very wet at the moment. And to make things worse, the forecast's like a backbencher's mathematics paper; it's ugly.
2:11pm local: First things first, the rain has stopped. Mean-minded Super Soppers are at work. We will have an inspection by the umpires at 2:30pm
"It's absolutely hosing it down now," says Alison Mitchell on BBC. There you go. Grab a book to read maybe because there's an ongoing whitewash that's very different to what England had planned this morning.
1:38pm local: So, the dry cricket-permitting patch was a guest after all. The rain updates replace cricket commentary now. It's back and it's come back heavier, this rain. Looks very murky out there.
15.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, out Lbw!! Perfect script. Early strike. And a perfect delivery from Anderson to end Silva's get-caught-by-the-keeper hoodoo. Gets the wobble ball out, scissors it in with the slope and Silva had just shouldered arms to this. Iffy that decision given the slope could have always threatened a nip back in. Pinged on the side of the front pad, given out on-field and Silva went for a review which surprised humanity. Even the impact was in line - to make it all the more embarrassing - as this ball went on to hit the leg-stump. Kaushal Silva lbw b Anderson 16(51) [4s-3]
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
Not much crowd in.. Wait! Silva's been given out LBW. No shot offered. Looks a dead duck, does Silva, but he's reviewed. No bat at all. Remember, impact doesn't matter here. It should just be clipping for DRS.. Guess what, even the impact was in line! OUT!
15.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, another outswinger. Good bounce again. Silva swipes his bat in the air as he hauls it up and over the line of this delivery
15.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, leaping off the deck from a fullish length, this outswinger, and Silva pendulums his bat inside the line
15.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 1 run, angled across, allows Karunaratne to coil himself open and bunt it past backward point for a quick single
14.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, beaten. This is good bowling from England. Silva plays for the angle on this incoming short of length delivery that just straightens off the deck and whistles past Silva's high-batted defence
Certain intent from Sri Lanka to go after this score
14.5 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 1 run, Finn's too tall to be agile, it can be said. Takes his time to field this defensive drive from Karunaratne and allows the duo to shoplift a single
14.4 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, better as Karunaratne comes forward with a big stride and blocks it into the covers. The length stays full. You will have to be insane to prune it given half-a-result last ball
14.3 -
Broad to Karunaratne, FOUR, swing! Pitches this full, draws Karunaratne across with a drive and swngs it very, very late. Skewed off the outside half and the edge flies past a diving fourth slip..
14.2 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, darts away from a fullish length very wide of off. The slope across never threatened to bring it in either. Easy leave
14.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, goes very wide to dart the ball very full on the pads. Not much pace to stun Karunaratne and he could easily clip it to mid-wicket
13.6 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, that's edible. An outswinger that drifts in and then zoots past Silva's defence as it climbed past the edge. But for that short-wide tripe, a very good over this
13.5 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, now this kicks up. Shaped to be an outswinger and gets up a length to ping Silva's right arm as he looked to block
13.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, doesn't swing as Anderson shortened the length but puts in enough for the ball to rear up at good pace from short of length. Around 4th stump and Silva tapped it into the pitch
13.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, better. Outswinger on a fullish length but not with the patent Anderson's late swing. Does its bit too early for Silva to safe shoulder arms
Silva is standing way outside his crease
13.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, too much width. Too much. Silva gets up to ride the bounce on this shortish delivery and crashes it wide of a diving gully in Moeen Ali
13.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 1 run, on a length and ever so close to the off-stump, Karunaratne could stand back and block it to mid-off with some intent for a single
James Anderson [4.0-1-5-0] is back into the attack
A good start. Anderson to try and bully from the other end. Just the two slips and a gully in place. Now that's a let down. Starts from over the wicket..
12.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, gets right on top of the bounce on this length delivery jagging in and blocks it into the pitch
12.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, back of a length scissoring in again, blocked with a widening stance
12.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, edged and short! Lovely bowling. Draws him across to a good length delivery that came in with the slope but just about managed to hold its line. Silva edged it but made sure that the bottom hand came off in time.. for the edge to fall short of Cook at 1st slip
12.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no ball, oversteps but this was right on money. Comes in with the slope from a back of a length and hurries Silva into a defence underneath his eyes
12.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, pitched up again, keeps it wide again to let the slips go uneasy but Silva does well. Leans across to get right behind this drive slotted straight to cover
12.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, tame fullish delivery outside off to which he shoulders arms
Only two slips and a gully in place for Kaushal Silva
12.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 1 run, angles it on the pads from wide of the crease, too straight and Karunaratne clips it round the corner for a single to start the day
Players are out. Broad with the ball, from round the wicket. Five slips! Yes, five.
So about half an hour to go for the restart. The weather, much like Rod Tucker's no-balling yesterday, has denied Sri Lanka somewhat today. A win looks difficult for them but England will still believe in Anderson and Broad, in the Lord's slope and in Sri Lanka's iffy defence to get over a certain hoodoo of falling short in the last Test of a series.
12:53pm local: The latest we hear is that we will have a 1:20pm start, given the umbrellas stay folded and cricket's fussy weather laws keep their head down. 81 overs still possible today.
12:19pm local: We have news. Early lunch to be taken at 12:30pm, sigh! Another session bargained away to the joy that Test matches in England are. Join us at 1:10pm local to see if the rains have relented..
12:08pm local: Inspection in about fifteen minutes. And this just when I was second-guessing an early lunch! Cricket, you wonderboy! To add: if the conditions aren't fit, we should have lunch at 12:30pm local
A compulsive GoT reference: If rain delays could be fit into a GoT-style TV series, Lord's hovercover could be The Mountain. Who'll be Cersie Lannister then?
11:52am local: The rain seems to have stopped. Yes, certainly stopped. Covers now in the process of being taken off. Let's hope that it, the rain, doesn't return while the wet outfields get their make-up done. But such has been the weather today. Aaaaaand it's started to rain again...
11:09am local: Here we go.. the drizzle is back and the 11:30am start is certainly dustbinned! As a cricket fan, rather a cricket tragic because we don't have a life, apparently, just when you start taking things for granted, the weather bites back. To not lead you into delusions, the weather is supposed to be damp at least till say 3:00pm in the afternoon according to the forecast. So stay put. We will airmail the latest updates to your smartphones and desktops, like always.
10:57am local: Yes, covers are being taken off! Lord's official twitter handle says that we will have a 11:30am start if there's no more rain. Morning session: 11:30 am - 1:30pm, afternoon session: 2:10pm to 4:10pm, and evening session: 4:30pm to 7:00pm.
10:45am local: The clouds haven't yielded, colourful umbrellas still show up in the crowd and a delayed start cannot be ruled out.
Weather: Well, there's only one thing that can deny us a thrilling contest.. the damp forecast for today. It was raining an hour back at the ground and there's still enough in the air to force the covers on. Fingers crossed because we might as well have to make do with half a day of cricket. We shall see.
10:30am local: Have we time-traveled? I mean just how, how can a Test match go to the fifth day? But here we are, defied by all that the Universe conspired and about to be comforted by the bliss that Test cricket is. Make sure you haven't risen from your bed with the notion that this is either a drab draw or a 3-0 washout for England. Well, things do point to that, but let's not be realistic for a moment. Sri Lanka showed signs yesterday that they were up for the target. The pitch seemed to have quickened up to keep switching allegiances between England and Sri Lanka, but the openers tamed it well in the end to walk away unscathed.
Stumps, Day 4: England bowled well after declaring but credit goes to the Lankan batsmen who saw through the 12 overs of play today. There were moments when the ball beat the outside edge but that was it. Other than that, there was nothing faulty about the Lankan approach. Going into the last day of the Test match, all three results are possible. But it is tough to imagine Sri Lanka going for a win. That makes the task a little tougher for England. I still think, England took a bit longer than required to declare the innings. The weather forecast for tomorrow is better than what it was today. Whether England missed a trick by declaring late or not? We will know the answer tomorrow. Until then, it's bye from all of us here. See you tomorrow. Take care!
11.6 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, short one at the stumps and Silva is rightly behind it to block. Well done Sri Lanka. End of day 4
Last ball
11.5 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, bit fuller this time outside off, Silva resists the temptation to drive and lets it go
There's a weird fielding postion. Can we call it short gully? Have to call that
11.4 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, length delivery outside off, left alone
11.3 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, fuller this time and Silva drives on the up, terrific diving effort at cover saves a few runs
11.2 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, touch of movement from Woakes outside off, Silva is not interested in it
11.1 -
Woakes to Kaushal Silva, no run, soft hands from Silva again, this helped him keep the edge low to the ground as it went towards the slip cordon
10.6 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, well flighted on the stumps, Karunaratne lunges forward and blocks
10.5 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, Karunaratne did not take a run this time. Wants to face the next over, the ball went straight with the arm and kissed his pad before rolling away towards short fine leg
10.4 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, defended off the back foot this time
10.3 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, cuts this one with the turn towards point
Two slips, one silly point and one FSL. Such a crowded region this batting crease is
10.2 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, no run, tossed up this time, Karunaratne dead bats it
10.1 -
Moeen Ali to Karunaratne, FOUR, this will ease the pressure. Shortish ball and Karunaratne goes back to punch through cover, no protection in the deep
Moeen Ali, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Time for Mo to have a go. Spin for the first time
9.6 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, 1 run, another shortish ball, another tuck for a single through mid-wicket. Worst over of the innings so far, lacked purpose, lacked vision - the right word
9.5 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, 2 runs, Karunaratne gets to put his bat on the tuck after hopping back in his crease. The ball rolls through mid-wicket for a couple
9.4 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, short ball. Karunaratne sits under it
9.3 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, only those who are behind the stumps appealed. The bowler had a good view of it and he did not bother hurting his vocal chord. Shortish ball and Karunaratne wears it high on the pad, trying to tuck it across
9.2 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, no run, this is more like it, short of a good length slanted across, defended
9.1 -
Woakes to Karunaratne, FOUR, short and Karunaratne has no respect for a new bowler at all. Pulls it off the front foot and sends it to the deep square leg fence. What are those three slips and a gully for? Short balls?
Chris Woakes, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
Woakes is here, takes off his jumper
8.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, 2 runs, full on the stumps, Silva pushes it past the bowler and mid-on has to do the chasing to save two for his team
8.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, length delivery around off, kept away towards the cover region
8.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, Cook thought for a while but there were not enough convincing faces around him to send this one upstairs. It was an appeal for a caught behind on a failed glance from Silva. No, no bat involved there. Rightly called
8.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, another half-volley, another drive. Only a little more beautiful this time, nicely done. Well balanced drive off the front foot. So unlike the Cook we saw earlier today
8.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, Broad immediately shortens the length outside off, draws nothing from Silva, who lets it go
8.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, FOUR, half-volley served outside off. Silva leans and drives through cover. How confident he will be effecting this one with ease
7.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, swinging in from a fuller length from off, Karunaratne dead bats it
7.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, pushes this one across Karunaratne, who is solid in defense
7.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, in his bid to get too forward, Silva got across. The ball shaped in, he was lucky that he got some inside edge on the defense, else could have been troubles. Anyway, single to square leg
7.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, this one goes with the angle and Silva does well to drop his bottom hand to drop it right under his nose. The length was a bit shorter and it helped Silva there
7.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, another one! This time Silva did everything right with it, he allowed the ball to come to him. Still for all his efforts, it was not enough. Beaten again
7.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, gem! Pure class from Anderson. Outswing outside off beating Silva's push
6.6 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, well played. Allowed the ball to come to him, got himself in the line and dropped it down in front of short cover
6.5 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, goes well wide of off after hitting the deck on a back of a length, Karunaratne shoulders arms
6.4 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, if Karunaratne won't play, Broad will make him play. This is cruel! Angles this one and gets to leave the batter, who was poking at it
6.3 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, away movement with 0 bounce. The line too is outside off, Karunaratne has his eyes on the clock, he won't play at that
6.2 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, closer this time. Right on the stumps, Karunaratne's bat is nicely behind in the defensive push
6.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, Broad threatens to target the stump from round the wicket, the ball did held its line outside off. Karunaratne is not going to fall for the bait
5.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 1 run, another shortish looking delivery around the off pole, Karunaratne gets on his toes and pushes in front of cover. Puts his wicket on line to get the single. Will have the strike
5.5 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, lot of bounce outside off, length was not that short. Line was harmless and Karunaratne was okay to leve it
5.4 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, better! Angles it again, might have kept a bit low as well, Karunaratne's bat was not down in time and the ball scoot through. Was not that far from off pole
5.3 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, 2 runs, too straight, Karunaratne does not mind, tucks it, a bit uppishly though. In the gap through backward square leg. Broad has to do the mopping work moving across from fine leg
5.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, how do you play that? Do not know the answer? Let's not play that. Full ball angling in swinging outside off, left alone
5.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, back of a length from round the wicket, Karunaratne is in the line to keep it away
4.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, too much of bounce to Silva's liking, wears it on his glove trying to defend while taking the bottom hand off the bat
4.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, had it not bounce as much as it did, Silva would have been bowled round his legs. He got long way across and then missed the glance due to extra bounce. Lot of oooa aah from the Englishmen
4.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, oh! This is good stuff from Broad, angles it outside off, Silva played inside the line. The ball might have held its line outside off, beaten
4.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, Silva gets forward, emboldened by the fuller length Broad has been bowling. Push-drives off the front foot towards extra cover
4.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, nothing worth mentioning. Length outside off, left alone
4.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, 1 run, too full from Broad's standards. Karunaratne clips it off his pads towards deep backward square leg, single on offer
3.6 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, there was at least 3 inches between the bat and the outswinging ball this time. Silva does not mind as long as he is out there. You do not get wickets for beating a batsman, right
3.5 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, this time though Silva is well behind the line, aided by the lack of swing, defended
3.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, too good to get the edge! Angled in and leaving Silva after pitching. He was completely squared by it, there was no way he could have edged it. It was just too good
3.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, edged! But Silva has used soft hands to quell it down, one of the many men in the slip cordon dives and prevents it from crossing the region
3.2 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, leg byes, 1 run, Karunaratne wanted to hop and tuck this shortish delivery. Could not put a bat but managed it off his thigh towards backward square leg
3.1 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, swinging into Karunaratne, who is ready for it, gets the bat in the line of the delivery to guard it out
2.6 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, these are the deliveries for which I save the term ripper. Hits the deck and gets the ball to tail in from back of a length, Silva had no idea what happened. All he could is see his bat get beaten on the defense
2.5 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, back of a length delivery again, stock delivery from Broad. Silva hops back in his crease and blocks
There's a leg gully
2.4 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, not much movement for Broad, unlike his partner in crime. Kisses length outside off and Silva is happy to let it go
2.3 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, well wide of off. Kaushal Silva shoulders arms
2.2 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, goes straight with the angle in the channel outside off. Silva was not ready for it, tried to poke away from his body, beaten on the outside edge
2.1 -
Broad to Kaushal Silva, no run, over the wicket now. Short of a good length outside off, Silva does not oblige
1.6 -
Anderson to Karunaratne, no run, some outswing against Karunaratne as well. He gets in the line, only so little, and defends back to the bowler
1.5 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, 1 run, Anderson wanted to produce the dream delivery this time - outswing from middle and leg. Instead this went straight with the angle, helping Silva to nudge it to short mid-wicket for a single. He is off the mark finally
1.4 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, Silva did well. Completely accounted for the swing. The fuller length helped his cause a bit as he got in in line and blocked
1.3 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, this is much closer to the stumps and warrants a pokey defense towards the off-side from Silva
1.2 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, and when he shortens the length by a bit, we get to see what he can do. Angles it in and then takes the ball away from Silva, who was wise to not flirt with it
1.1 -
Anderson to Kaushal Silva, no run, Anderson is much fuller than his compatriot from the other end. Kaushal Silva defends off the front foot
James Anderson, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Sri Lanka would want their openers to see off the remaining 11 overs. It's not going to be easy because now we have Anderson from the other end
0.6 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, short of a good length just outside off, Karunaratne defends off the outer part of the bat. He is not looking that confident, what matters is that he is there
0.5 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, drifting down the leg-side, pacy delivery this. Karunaratne missed the glance and the keeper had to move to his right to gather this one
0.4 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, angled it around off, Broad this time. Karunaratne is behind the line and tentaively pushes towards the slip cordon
0.3 -
Broad to Karunaratne, FOUR, this has been cut away. Short and width on offer. Karunaratne did not extend his arms on the cut but timed it well to get it over a leaping backward point
0.2 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, fences this length ball towards the cover region. A dive there denies him a single
0.1 -
Broad to Karunaratne, no run, Broad comes round the wicket and gets this one to bounce outside off. Karunaratne won't fiddle at that
Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva are at the crease. Karunaratne is on strike. Broad will open the attack