SPORTS
What began as England's Mission Impossible in Galle, chasing a record 340 runs to win, was downgraded to a chance to rewrite history, after they finished the third day on 111 for two.
What began as England's Mission Impossible in Galle, chasing a record 340 runs to win, was downgraded to a chance to rewrite history, after they finished the third day on 111 for two.
After their recent batting displays against spinners on Asian pitches, you would be forgiven for not being filled with confidence at them scoring the remaining 229 runs, but this pitch is slow, with only predictable turn, and the No?1 Test team should be able to put together a coherent batting performance at some stage.
It was not going to be easy with Suraj Randiv, in particular, getting bounce as well as turn, but they should also have taken succour that there is no bowler pitted against them as good as Saeed Ajmal, while the fast outfield gives good value for shots that beat the field.
To get big scores here, batsmen need to soak up balls in the middle, something Jonathan Trott, on 40, and Kevin Pietersen, with 29, had done well but needed to continue doing, at least until lunch on the fourth day, if their team are to have a decent chance of winning. Their tactic was something Andrew Strauss appeared to be doing, too, after England lost Alastair Cook in the ninth over of their second innings, until a rush of blood took hold and he miscued a slog over the top off Rangana Herath to Tillakaratne Dilshan at short mid-wicket.
Strauss may have felt his innings was atrophying and tried to lead by example with a more aggressive approach. If he did, he misread the situation, as Trott, refusing to sheath the sweep shot that had cost so many of his team-mates dear in the first innings, had begun briskly. With over two days left, there was no need for haste and England's captain left his crease-bound comfort zone, mistaking a period of stasis for the lack of intent that blighted their fourth-innings run chase against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.
Cook's dismissal, which preceded his captain's, was strange, given the lack of Hotspot technology in this series. There was a spontaneous appeal from Sri Lanka, as he looked to work an arm ball from Herath to leg, but he stood his ground. Replays showed little obvious deviation off the outside edge, but Bruce Oxenford, the TV umpire, must have seen some contact, or heard something damning from the enhanced audio coming from the stump microphones, as he overturned Rod Tucker's original not-out decision. If Mahela Jayawardene made a good call there, his request for another review, this time against Trott, who was hit on the pad by Dilshan in the next over, was less wise. To overrule the umpire, any lbw has to be plumb and this was not, the ball striking Trott just outside the line of off-stump. It was close but not as clear cut as the catch Kumar Sangakkarra dropped when Pietersen bat-padded an edge to leg gully off Randiv. He was on 12 and Sri Lanka may come to rue the miss if he is still there in the afternoon session.
England's day, which frustrated them more than the check-in process at Indian airports, began with them needing to take Sri Lanka's five remaining wickets as quickly as possible, a task for which Strauss turned sensibly to his sagest bowlers, Graeme Swann and James Anderson. Both began steadily and, had Strauss been more attacking and posted a leg gully to Swann, as he had the previous day, the off-spinner would have dismissed Randiv in the opening over. Strauss would not have been the first leader of men to have stood below the ramparts of Galle Fort pondering which of his options was the most prudent. Eventually, it was Monty Panesar, replacing Anderson, who made the breakthrough after he persuaded Dinesh Chandimal into a reckless lofted drive that ended in Pietersen's hands at mid-on.
Swann then dismissed Randiv and Herath in swift succession after switching his angle to round the wicket; Randiv, after his review was rejected by the Decision Review System, which upheld the umpire's original decision, and Herath after the batsman had taken an almighty swish at a straight ball.
If having Sri Lanka 151 for eight made lunch easy to digest for England, what happened afterwards, soon after Chanaka Welegedera's dismissal to Panesar, brought mass dyspepsia. The frustration occurred when Stuart Broad caught and bowled Prasanna Jayawardene after the batsman had miscued a bouncer before throwing the ball absent-mindedly into the stumps as the Sri Lankan headed off to the pavilion.
England, especially those fantasising over putting their feet up under a ceiling fan in the dressing-room, were cock-a-hoop, only to have those ideals dashed when it was suggested Broad had bowled a front-foot no-ball, a transgression ratified when Tucker's suspicions were confirmed by the third umpire. It was big one too, by three or four inches, which makes you wonder why Tucker missed it in the first place but, if he is unsure, he can ask for any ball to be looked at to verify its legality.
Baked by the sun until their edges were crispy, some of England's players inquired, more in hope than expectation, about the run-out, which is the only dismissal allowed off a no-ball. Trouble is the batsmen were not attempting a run while Tucker did not call the no-ball until it had been confirmed, which meant the ball must have been dead anyway.
Strauss, with his usual authority and common sense, solved any confusion by waving the appeal away and Jayawardene, who made an unbeaten 61, went on his merry way adding another 47 runs with No?11, Surinder Lakmal, a record last-wicket partnership for this ground that not only extended Sri Lanka's lead but added a cruel, hot blast to England's overheating tempers.
DNA TV Show: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar delivers strong message to Pakistan at SCO Summit
Meet Yasmin Joseph discovered by Raj Kapoor, very bold scenes made her famous, her screen name is…
Uttarakhand: CEC Rajiv Kumar stranded in Pithoragarh village, rescue operation continues
Bomb hoax threats to airlines: Police detain class 11 student from Chhattisgarh
PAK vs ENG: Ben Duckett scripts history, surpasses Adam Gilchrist, Virender Sehwag to become....
Bengaluru rains: 'Manyata Tech waterfalls,' internet mocks city’s infra amid heavy rainfall
'If you delay more then...': Mithali Raj wants India to move on from Harmanpreet Kaur as captain
Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers announces Bollywood star Sharvari as their brand ambassador
Exploring the Future of 316LVM Stainless Steel in India’s Emerging Tech Sectors
How Construction Management Software Can Improve Project Scheduling
'Apne pariwar walon ki arthi uthaoge': Salman Khan threatens Lawrence Bishnoi in viral video?
Who is Surender Choudhary, and why J-K CM Omar Abdullah picked him as his Deputy?
This company secures Rs 8668700000 contract to build India’s first bullet train, it is owned by…
MS Dhoni keeps CSK on edge as retention deadline looms, yet to confirm participation in IPL 2025
Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti back documentary film Turtle Walker set to premiere at Doc NYC
Viral video: Sibling dancing to Shah Rukh Khan’s 'Chaleya' at wedding is unmissable, watch
Viral video: Giant python wraps itself around drunk man, netizens say ‘find out the liquor brand'
Mukesh Ambani afraid of Elon Musk? Tesla CEO responds to a meme on X, says, "I will…"
Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: R Ashwin sums up 'better batsman' debate with stunning remark
This woman claims to be a 'real-life vampire', feeds on energy of...
Mukesh Ambani loses over Rs 160000000000 in 24 hours, Gautam Adani's net worth boosts by…
IND vs NZ: Day 1 of first Test between India and New Zealand called off due to rain in Bengaluru
Ashish Bansal's Vision: Transforming Business Operations with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Gautam Adani acquires two more companies, pays Rs 380000000 for...
Good news for online shoppers! Blinkit to introduce this feature to ease up returns
7th Pay Commission: Good news for central government employees, Cabinet approves 3% hike on...
Watch: Priyanka Chopra makes her Bollywood dreams come true, video from Switzerland goes viral
Akasa Air flight to Bengaluru gets bomb threat, returns to Delhi
Fake cop jumps into auto, demands Rs 50,000 from Mumbai woman for…, watch viral video
Delhi CEO shares screenshot of jobseeker’s CV with mistakes all over, blames…, see viral pic
IND vs NZ Test: Virat Kohli's cool walk in rains at Bengaluru's Chinwaswamy Stadium steals spotlight
Video of drunk man wrapped in giant python's deadly grip in Andhra Pradesh goes viral, watch here
Maharashtra NEET PG counselling 2024: Round 1 registration to close today, check important details
Omar Abdullah takes oath as Jammu and Kashmir CM as UT gets elected government after 10 years
German Ambassador ties 'nimbu-mirchi' to his new EV, smashes coconut, WATCH viral video
People live with their deceased loved ones on THIS island, the reason will shock you!
BIZARRE: Tea seller spends Rs 60,000 on party after buying 2-wheeler on loan
Ram Gopal Verma finds Lawrence Bishnoi more good-looking than film stars, urges Salman Khan to...
Pakistan's New Batting Sensation Kamran Ghulam Was Slapped By Haris Rauf On Field. Old Video Viral
Watch: Avinash Mishra thrown out of Bigg Boss 18 house for SHOCKING reason
IND vs NZ test: Toss delayed due to rain in Bengaluru, next inspection to be in...
Karnataka rains: Bengaluru reels under severe waterlogging, traffic hit; check IMD forecast till...
IndiGo flight redirected to Jaipur due to security-related alert
Rakul Preet Singh suffers back spasm after 80 kg deadlift without belt: 'Situation has been scary'
IND vs NZ Test: Sanju Samson's BIG revelation, says, 'Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir told me to...'
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a new job, he now works for...
Chennai Rains: Two-wheelers parked in flats, 4th floor of apartments, SEE VIRAL PICS
Blow to Gautam Adani as retail investors take this big step, know details here
'Cheaper to buy abroad': Gurugram's luxury apartments priced at Rs 75 crore leave netizens stunned
EAM Jaishankar and Pakistan PM Sharif shake hands at SCO reception
'We very much want to see changes...': US warns Israel to boost Gaza aid in 30 days
Bigg Boss 18: Gunaratna Sadavarte exits from Salman Khan's show for THIS reason
Here's how to enroll in management college that provides internships with stipends worth over Rs...