Sri Lanka fight back

Well I never thought it would happen - Sri Lanka actually took a first innings lead, although slender, in the current Test match against England.

Sri Lanka was dismissed for 231, and they managed to keep England down to 229. Sri Lanka built steadily until stumps, to close at 1 for 45, but given the collapsable nature of their batting line up, a challenging 4th innings target for England is by no means a certainty. Sri Lanka will want to bat for as long as possible, until the pitch becomes harder to bat on, and then unleash Muralitharan, who is playing his last Test match against England.

Kumar Sangakkara has looked in good form all series, making starts in most of his innings, but he has not yet been able to make a meaningful score. This is his chance to set up an unlikely Test victory. Mahela Jayawardene, so brilliant at Lord's, has failed in three consecutive innings. It's time for the batsmen to contribute to a sizeable total, one that will be enough for Murali and Vaas to defend.