Day 1 Report: England bowlers on top on first day of second Test by Andy Jalil

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Scorecard:	England v Sri Lanka
Event:	Sri Lanka in Ireland and England 2014

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DateLine: 20th June 2014

 

By Andy Jalil In association with INVESTEC

 

Andy Jalil at Headingley In association with INVESTEC cricketarchive.com, pcboard.com.pk © Andy Jalil

 

Leeds – A wonderful hat-trick by England fast bowler Stuart Broad, spread over two overs and an excellent bowling performance by Liam Plunkett who achieved his first five-wicket haul in Tests, were the main features on the first day of the second Test which saw Sri Lanka dismissed for 257. It was the third hat-trick on this ground and Broad’s second, the first having been against India at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, in 2011. By stumps England faced 15 overs and made slow progress to 36 without loss.

 

Having put Sri Lanka in to bat, it took England a little over an hour to claim the first wicket when Kaushal Silva got thin edge to a virtually straight ball from James Anderson and was held behind. He had scored just13 following his two half centuries in the previous match. Plunkett was brought on as the second bowling change and he accounted for Dimuth Karunaratne in his first over with a big in-swinger coming sharply into the left hander.

 

Sri Lanka made a partial recovery in a 52-run stand between Kumar Sankakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. The former was fortunate not to have been run out before he had scored but the England wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, failed to hold the return cleanly before taking the bails off. The batsman went on to hit three fours before lunch, the first of which off Chris Jordan was an effortless push to mid-on.

 

At lunch the tourists were 74 for two and after the break Sangakkara, on 27, was dropped by Prior the ball going through his gloves on to his chest before dropping. The suffering bowler was Plunkett but in his following over he claimed Jayawardene’s wicket with the help of a brilliant right-handed diving catch by Jordan at second slip. The batsman was on 22 and with his next ball Plunkett removed Lahiru Thirmimanne. It was a rising ball which he fended to short square leg for a simple catch and the tourists were 108 for four.

 

Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews who both played such fine innings for their hundreds at Lord’s, put on 53 with Mathews playing attacking shots. He reached 26 from 28 balls which included the only six of the innings at that stage, off Moeen Ali, after he had hit the off spinner for a four two balls earlier. Sangakkara, whose batting seemed to be in a defensive mode eventually played some attractive shots.

 

He drove Anderson to the mid-off boundary to get to 35 and then ran three in the same over. A pull off Moeen Ali took him to 49 and his 47th Test half century followed from 106 balls. He celebrated it with a boundary and then on 57 he square cut Jordan but Ali failed to hold the catch. Just when the partnership was showing promises of bringing about a revival of the innings, England got the breakthrough with Anderson having Mathews caught off a thick edge by Gary Ballance at third slip.

 

Sangakkara went on to put up another useful stand with Dinesh Chandimal and at tea Sri Lanka were 182 for five. After the break, Chandimal played aggressively, his powerful drive to the mid-on boundary off Anderson took him to 38. His senior partner then square cut Jordan to take his score to 76. Three runs later his innings spanning three-and-three-quarter hours was ended with Bell taking a fine diving catch to his right at gully off Broad to end a 67-run partnership.

 

With Sangakkara’s dismissal, Sri Lanka were 228 for six and a run later Plunkett claimed his third wicket wih Dhammika Prasad gloving a rising ball to Prior without scoring. That was followed by Broad’s hat-trick. Chandimal, who by then had progressed to 45, chased a ball outside off stump and edged it to Alastair Cook at first slip. With his next ball Broad completed the feat having Shaminda Eranga caught behind for naught, leaving Plunkett to mop up with his fifth wicket

 

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2014 Andy Jalil)