THIRD TEST, TRENT BRIDGE (day three, lunch):
Sri Lanka 231 & 125-2; England 229
Kumar Sangakkara completed the first half-century of the match
Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara hit the first half century of the third Test as England felt the heat at Trent Bridge.
Sri Lanka were looking strong on 125-2 at lunch on day three, a lead of 127, with Sangakkara 56 not out and his captain Mahela Jayawardene on 15.
England took just one wicket in the session, when Monty Panesar removed Upul Tharanga (46) via a bat-pad catch.
None of the seamers showed any consistent threat and the alarm bells are ringing for the home side now.
England began with Jon Lewis and Matthew Hoggard bowling in tandem but there was little movement on offer and Tharanga and Sangakkara batted comfortably.
The scoring rate was not rapid, but it did not need to be.
The arc between third man and mid-off proved the most profitable area for scoring and finally, with the first hour almost up, Panesar was introduced to the attack.
Tharanga elected to use his feet to nullify the turn out of the footholes and a square drive brought him his sixth boundary just before drinks.
But he was frequently troubled by the slow left-armer, despite hitting him for one majestic six over long-off, and eventually gave Alastair Cook at short-leg a simple chance.
By then, the ball had been hit out of shape and replaced.
Andrew Flintoff, who had been treated with some disdain by Sangakkara, immediately got a little bit of seam movement.
But neither he, nor anyone else, could force another breakthrough.
Liam Plunkett was the closest to a wicket as Jayawardene played a loose cut shot which Paul Collingwood at backward point did not appear to sight against the background.
On other occasions, it would have been a fairly straightforward chance for the Durham batsman and summed up a frustrating morning for England.
Sri Lanka 231 & 125-2; England 229
Kumar Sangakkara completed the first half-century of the match
Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara hit the first half century of the third Test as England felt the heat at Trent Bridge.
Sri Lanka were looking strong on 125-2 at lunch on day three, a lead of 127, with Sangakkara 56 not out and his captain Mahela Jayawardene on 15.
England took just one wicket in the session, when Monty Panesar removed Upul Tharanga (46) via a bat-pad catch.
None of the seamers showed any consistent threat and the alarm bells are ringing for the home side now.
England began with Jon Lewis and Matthew Hoggard bowling in tandem but there was little movement on offer and Tharanga and Sangakkara batted comfortably.
The scoring rate was not rapid, but it did not need to be.
The arc between third man and mid-off proved the most profitable area for scoring and finally, with the first hour almost up, Panesar was introduced to the attack.
Tharanga elected to use his feet to nullify the turn out of the footholes and a square drive brought him his sixth boundary just before drinks.
But he was frequently troubled by the slow left-armer, despite hitting him for one majestic six over long-off, and eventually gave Alastair Cook at short-leg a simple chance.
By then, the ball had been hit out of shape and replaced.
Andrew Flintoff, who had been treated with some disdain by Sangakkara, immediately got a little bit of seam movement.
But neither he, nor anyone else, could force another breakthrough.
Liam Plunkett was the closest to a wicket as Jayawardene played a loose cut shot which Paul Collingwood at backward point did not appear to sight against the background.
On other occasions, it would have been a fairly straightforward chance for the Durham batsman and summed up a frustrating morning for England.
. And the bowlers must need to learn to use all techniques 4 get a batsman out, than stopping him making runs.
