Sports - So good but yet so far

It was near perfect rearguard by the young Sri Lankans. But yet England took another step closer to a win at the end of the third day of their second Test against Sri Lanka here yesterday.

Sri Lanka ended the day at 194 for 5 with Michael Vandort finally proving his worth with a fighting unbeaten knock of 89 runs made in 246 balls of batting with eight fours.

Till three overs to the close Tillakaratne Dilshan (59) and Michael Vandort staged a brave fight back by putting on a brave 125 run stand for the 5th wicket after overnight rain curtailed play in the first two sessions of the day.
With the end of the day glaring on his face Tillekeratne Dilshan who was the more scratchy out of the two batsmen suddenly chose to play across the line to opening bowler Mathew Hoggard and was ruled leg before by umpire Aleem Darr for 59 after facing 113 balls with eight fours.

Now with only the Lankan bowling line left to bat with two days remaining, it will be a tall order for Sri Lanka to save the game unless the weather comes to their aid.

The fifth wicket pair added a further 52 runs last evening after resuming from 86 for four as Sri Lanka neared their first target of making England to bat again. Vandort, playing for his place in the team, reached his third test half century in 210 minutes, facing 162 balls with 5 boundaries.

As usual, Dilshan played a few crispy shots which kept his colleagues in the dressing room on their toes. However, his fast running between wickets was a crucial factor to keep the scoreboard ticking. It also put the England captain under pressure. Dilshan and Vandort didn't just block the ball but went for their shots as well. This was a positive approach to keep the bowlers at bay.

Liam Plunkett injured his right shoulder on Friday while on the field. His shoulder was scanned and no significant damage was disclosed. However, the right arm fast medium bowler did not bowl yesterday as a precautionary measure.

Although Plunkett was out of the attack, Matthew Hoggard was extremely dangerous on a wicket where the ball kept very low. A drizzle and heavy overcast conditions delayed the start of yesterday’s play, where Sri Lanka was battling to avoid defeat. The sun finally looked at the ground at 3.00 p.m. but it was a hide and seek game for the Saturday crowd who gathered at Edgbaston. The Warwickshire County Cricket ground was full almost up to its capacity but no play was possible in the first two sessions.