Sun sets on England hopes

CRICKET/Third Test: Mahela Jayawardene batted England out of the third Test and thus the series yesterday

CRICKET/Third Test:Mahela Jayawardene batted England out of the third Test and thus the series yesterday. Relentlessly, with infinite patience, dedication to the cause and a technique as flawless as the best Sri Lankan sapphires, the captain, on 51 overnight, took his score to 149, still unbeaten, accumulated over more than eight-and-a-half hours.

A cataclysmic weather forecast does not help, but Michael Vaughan's side had, by last night, been long since up against it and, at 384 for six, Sri Lanka surely cannot lose.

It was not through lack of effort on behalf of the bowlers who, given a cloudy day yet one still of sapping humidity, hurtled into the fray with gusto. Two wickets, both in a single over and one of them a run-out, were the scant reward.

Blame falls instead on shoddy catching of a sort that characterises sides with their backs to the wall. England spurned opportunities galore, with Tillekeratne Dilshan twice missed in his swashbuckling innings of 84 before he was run out with tea imminent, and Jayawardene, in the rarest of lapses, edging Ryan Sidebottom only for Matt Prior to drop his second catch of the day.

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Together Jayawardene and Dilshan, the former playing controlled second fiddle to his more dashing scrapper of a partner, frustrated England by adding 149 for the fifth wicket, Dilshan thundering out his drives in a red-blooded manner.

Only the imminence of Jayawardene's 21st Test century brought them a wicket, the Sri Lanka captain dropping Ravi Bopara's delivery virtually at his own feet and responding to Dilshan's call. From gully, Alastair Cook, who had had a dismal day in the field, ran in, collected the ball and, in the manner of a diving scrumhalf, threw down the stumps. After careful consideration, the third umpire ruled for the fielding side.

One wicket then brought another, Bopara's first in Tests, as he moved the ball away from Prasanna Jayawardene, and Prior made good the low catch.

Mahela Jayawardene, on 99, had to wait until after the interval to complete his second hundred in successive innings, and his sixth against England who, while no doubt appreciating the aesthetics, had even then seen more than enough of him.

Jayawardene is a player, though, who regards centuries and half-centuries not as landmarks to be attained but as milestones to be passed on the course of a journey. His hundred was followed by retrenchment and, with Chaminda Vaas for company now, he saw his side through a final session until the sun had all but set in the Indian Ocean. It rather summed up England's chances.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA first innings (overnight 147-4)

M Vandort lbwSidebottom 18

U Tharanga lbwHarmison 16

K Sangakkara cPanesar bHarmison 46

M Jayawardene not out 149

C Silva cBell bHarmison 1

T Dilshan run out 84

P Jayawardene cPrior bBopara 0

C Vaas not out 46

Extras(b-1, lb-14, w-7, nb-2) 24

Total(6 wkts, 129 overs) ... 384

Fall of wickets:1-34, 2-44, 3-132, 4-138, 5-287, 6-287.

Bowling:Sidebottom 30-9-75-1, Hoggard 27-4-97-0, Harmison 29-4-72-3, Panesar 24-3-58-0, Bopara 10-1-39-1, Collingwood 6-1-17-0, Pietersen 3-0-11-0.