Welegedara stuns England
London: England captain Andrew Strauss fell for a duck as the second Test against Sri Lanka entered into an intriguing one innings per side shoot-out at Lord’s here on Monday.
England were 18 for one at tea on the fourth day, a lead of 25 runs after Sri Lanka had made 479 in reply to the hosts first innings 486.
Alastair Cook was 11 not out and Jonathan Trott five not out.
Strauss, on his Middlesex home ground, was plumb lbw on the backfoot to left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara off the second ball of the innings and his fruitless review left England none for one.
But as England’s innings and 14-run first Test victory in Cardiff — where Sri Lanka were dismissed for 82 inside 25 overs — showed there was time yet for either side to force a win in the second of the three-match series.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s Prasanna Jayawardene, who made 112 in Sri Lanka’s first innings in Cardiff, frustrated England with the bat yet again.
Together with Rangana Herath, he put on 57 in a counter-attacking seventh wicket stand.
England’s pace attack, wayward on Sunday in the absence of injured Ashes spearhead James Anderson, showed signs of early improvement Monday but a huge total of extras, including 23 byes, was a testament to a lack of accuracy. (AFP)
