Steady start for Sri Lanka

Graeme Swann
6 April 2012

England took two wickets in the morning session as they began their push for a series-levelling victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

It was a steady, if unspectacular, start to the day with out-of-form opener Lahiru Thirimanne and nightwatchman Dhammika Prasad the only men to go as the hosts reached 84 for two at lunch - 101 behind.

With Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara at the crease, and Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera due in next, sterner challenges await.

England turned to Graeme Swann after six overs for 18 runs and he almost made an immediate impact, with Matt Prior making a mess of a simple stumping opportunity to reprieve Thirimanne.

Swann then had an lbw appeal turned down but it was Anderson who ended Thirimanne's awkward stay for 11 when he drew a loose shot away from the body, feeding Andrew Strauss a waist-height catch at slip.

Next at the crease was Dilshan, whose refusal to bowl when Kevin Pietersen set himself to switch-hit saw the England batsman warned by the umpires.

England could not quite see off Prasad, who edged Swann just past Prior for four and was dropped badly by Steven Finn two balls later.

Prasad's presence had started to become more than an annoyance and he was on 34 when he lifted a Finn bouncer down Tim Bresnan's throat at fine leg.

New man Sangakkara came into this series ranked as the the world's best Test batsman but managed just 14 runs in his first three innings.

He had added just one to that when Finn drew a low outside edge that squirmed beyond second slip for four and at the break Dilshan had an unusually watchful 25 not out and Sangakkara had eight.

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