McKenzie blunts England's attack

England finally made their second breakthrough shortly before lunch on the second day at Edgbaston, but South Africa cemented their strong position as they reached 104 for 2. Neil McKenzie fought hard in bowler-friendly conditions with a half-century and was well supported by nightwatchman Paul Harris in a stand of 77. Ryan Sidebottom eventually extracted Harris, but England need further quick wickets to stay in the match.

Play was delayed by 15 minutes after a heavy shower moved over the ground and the first passage of play last just 15 balls. Conditions were perfect for swing bowling, but England's attack failed to make the most of them. Andrew Flintoff was hostile, but Sidebottom and James Anderson were both wayward, failing to make the batsmen play on off stump.

McKenzie continued as he has throughout the series, judging what to play and what to leave, drawing the bowlers to attack the stumps and then clipping them through the leg side. For a moment McKenzie thought his innings had ended on 29 when he edged Flintoff low to Andrew Strauss at first slip, but not for the first time in this series there was doubt over the carry. Strauss thought he'd caught it but didn't look entirely convinced, McKenzie remained and Flintoff stayed on 199 wickets.

Next over he sent a slashing cut straight through Paul Collingwood at gully and the indication was that it wasn't picked up out of the background. The bowlers' line continued to vary from too wide outside off, to drifting onto the pads with Anderson guilty of straining too hard. In fact, the whole of England's performance was flat with very little spark in the field.

Harris played his role perfectly as he repelled a short-pitched attack. He is a limited batsman, but got behind the line as Flintoff peppered him and even the edges evaded the slips. Twice balls fell short or lobbed wide of fielders on the leg side as Harris fended off his body. Eventually, though, his luck ran out as he sparred outside off and sent a comfortable edge to Alastair Cook at third slip. England's muted celebrations showed that they'd expected the success much earlier, but at least it was a start.

McKenzie's hard work was rewarded when he brought up his fifty off 100 balls shortly before the interval while Hashim Amla was settling in alongside him, despite being tested by some late swing from Sidebottom. McKenzie's diligence is a lesson to England's batsmen, whose woeful performance yesterday as left them in this precarious position.

Honours even despite Sehwag century

ndia started promisingly in their quest to exorcise the ghosts of the SSC Test before being thwarted by double-strikes from Ajantha Mendis and Chaminda Vaas. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir played India into a position of domination but, after a rain break that accounted for the middle session and 75 minutes, Sri Lanka struck gold, taking four wickets for 11, bringing the memories of the collapses in the first Test back to roost.

Like the pitch at the Galle International Stadium, which comprised two polar halves -­ one cracked and unreliable, the other flat and damp -­ the first day's play featured startling contrasts. In the first half of the day Sehwag and Gambhir put behind them not only the debacle at the SSC but also thoughts of how, early in the piece here, they played and missed, and how the ball misbehaved when it hit the cracks. They got India off to a flier; Sehwag fell just short ­- for the second time in his career -­­ of a hundred in the first session of a Test, a session in which India scored 151 runs, registering the second biggest opening stand in Galle.

What made Sehwag and Gambhir's partnership - which came at more than five an over ­- remarkable was that both batsmen were troubled amply by the bowling. Nuwan Kulasekara was the most testing,­ and the most unfortunate, of the bowlers in the first session, getting the ball to move both off the seam and off the cracks. In his first three overs he beat Gambhir and Sehwag more than once each, even getting a leading edge from Gambhir, and used the variable bounce well, bowling shooters and bouncers.

Gambhir was the first to counter the cracks: he stood outside the crease, and then walked down the pitch, almost like Matthew Hayden, as the bowler ran in. The lbw was ruled out, and a game of tip-and-run got underway, with the batsmen taking singles almost intuitively.

Soon Sehwag shook off the early jitters and shifted gears. No bowler was spared: only a soggy outfield saved Ajantha Mendis from being hit for a four in his first over. Muttiah Muralitharan was hit for a four off the first ball he bowled. Mendis was hit for a six for the first time in Tests.

Kulasekara employed a similar field for Sehwag as at the SSC -­ two fielders in the deep on the leg side. Here he bowled a head-high bouncer again, and Sehwag went for the pull again, but this time he got on top and hit it to cow corner. This was a batsman who reached a triple-century with a six, after he had tried -­­ and failed -­­ to get to a double the same way. Sehwag was true to character in his approach to moving from 90 to 100. The first ball he faced after the break, he edged Vaas to gully, who collected it first bounce. The second ball, he moved his front leg out of the way and almost hit it into the Galle Fort. Two balls later he bludgeoned a straight boundary to get to his 15th century.

ATTACK IS THE BEST DEFENCE

Are the Indian batsmen thinking of adopting an aggressive approach to combat Sri Lanka's spinners in the second Test? Tuesday saw most of the top-order batsmen trying to hit the ball out of the Galle International Stadium, but it remains to be seen if they can implement the approach on a pitch which is expected to be yet another vicious turner.
‘‘We are not going to tell you guys about our tactics for sure, but we have surely planned something for the match,'' India's fielding coach Robin Singh told reporters.
‘‘The players were feeling really low after the defeat in Colombo but now they are in better shape mentally. They have picked themselves up for the match and there is no reason to worry. They are all aware of their responsibilities,'' Singh said.
Sources said the batsmen are planning to avoid getting bogged down against the spinners by combining caution with aggression, rotating the strike, getting to the pitch of the ball and occasionally frustrating the Muralitharan-Mendis duo by playing some aggressive shots if the ball is in the slot.
Singh admitted that getting decent partnerships going would be the key, and added: ‘‘Everyone is preparing for the match in their own ways. We need one person to go out there and play well and at the same time show it to the other members of the team.''
That one person night well be Sachin Tendulkar, who is the team's guiding force. He needs another 133 runs to surpass Brian Lara's record and become the highest Test scorer, and the team, like always, is banking on him to lead the way with some individual brilliance. One big problem area is the fielding, which was below average in the first Test. Singh, however, sounded optimistic. ‘‘We are doing well on that front. Gambhir is working hard on close catches. Dinesh Karthik is also working hard. He dropped a few catches behind the stumps but it's not easy to come in and do well when you are not playing at this level on a regular basis. Dinesh had a bad game and there were a couple of lapses in the match. But now he is working hard and will surely do well.''

Mendis named in first Test squad

International cricket's new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis was named in Sri Lanka's 14-member squad for the first Test against India starting at the SSC on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old Mendis, who bowled Sri Lanka to a 100-run victory over India in the Asia Cup final in Karachi this month, is most likely to make his Test debut and partner Muttiah Muralitharan, the Test world record holder.

Selection committee sources said that Sri Lanka could opt for a 'six batsmen and four bowlers' combination.

Sri Lanka have, however, fallen short in the fast bowling department with Dilhara Fernando also out of the reckoning along with Lasith Malinga and Farveez Maharoof - all recovering from injuries. Fernando, who last played a Test in December, suffered a knee injury while bowling in the three-day match against the Indians which concluded at the NCC grounds yesterday. The selectors have named Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara in the squad, one of whom will partner the experienced Chaminda Vaas with the new ball.

While batsmen Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Thilan Samaraweera and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene have sealed their spots, there could be a tussle for the No.6 slot between Chamara Silva and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Silva was impressive in the tour game, compiling half-centuries in both innings. Chamara Kapugedera, another middle-order batsman, makes a comeback to the Test squad after an impressive last few months with the one-day team.

Chamara, Gambhir shine in draw

India's only chance to acclimatise before the Test series ended in a tame draw with less than three days' play at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo. Having declared at an overnight 196 for 8, the tourists turned in an ordinary day in the field - Anil Kumble did not bowl a ball - as the Sri Lanka Board XI batted to 247 before handing the final session over. In that time, extended by nearly an hour, Gautam Gambhir helped himself to a fifty after Virender Sehwag fell cheaply again.

The Sri Lankan top order struggled, as on the opening day. Solid efforts here may not have entirely swayed the national selectors' decision when they meet to announce Sri Lanka's Test squad, but the single-digit scores from the openers was disappointing. Upul Tharanga edged Zaheer Khan to the wicketkeeper in the third over and Mahela Udawatte slashed Ishant Sharma in the air to backward point for 15.

Jehan Mubarak's shots remained punchy as he stood tall to get over the ball, but having made 41, he played an ugly shot. Harbhajan Singh changed ends after two overs and Mubarak charged his second delivery, only to chip the ball to point.

As Munaf Patel searched for what length to bowl, Chamara Kapugedera pulled him ferociously out of the ground. Having honed his radar, Munaf picked up Kapugedera in the 21st over, perhaps with some assistance: the ball looked to have been carrying on just over the stumps when Kapugedera was adjudged lbw for 22. Thilina Kandamby looked to score off Harbhajan - a few hard cuts scurried past the infield and one straight drive, albeit uppish, stood out - but on the stroke of lunch, Harbhajan had his man chipping loosely to Sachin Tendulkar at cover for a brisk 27.

A brief but heavy shower during the interval delayed the resumption of play for just under 50 minutes. Chamara Silva, like Kandamby, was aggressive against Harbhajan - his feet constantly moved and his bat quick to come down on anything errant. A slip mid-pitch resulted in Kaushal Silva being run out and with the second session extended, Chamara ticked along to his second fifty of the match. His cutting remained his strongest suite, and a couple of lusty blows raised the landmark. The Indians' fielding slipped dramatically in the second session, with wayward throws not always backed up correctly. Kumble refrained from bowling and Gambhir's unassuming spin was employed as support to Sehwag's offbreaks.

Dammika Prasad scored a useful 53-ball 43 and the two put on 74 for the seventh wicket. A declaration at 247 for 6 gave India the final session to test out their batting.

With Sehwag falling for 14, caught at deep square-leg, Gambhir and Rahul Dravid kept the ball on the ground. Gambhir slowed down in the process and Dravid took a while to open up, but soon sweet drives and cuts peppered the ground. The helmets came off at the arrival of spin as both batsmen tried to dominate. Gambhir succeeded with some aerial drives but Dravid was late on a shot against the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and was bowled for 26. Play was extended until 6.10 pm and Gambhir, through solid cuts and pulls, made an unbeaten 60. Sourav Ganguly notched up 22.

Two days out of three were hit by rain, and locals expect the pattern to continue when the actual contest kicks off just down the road at the SSC on July 23.

Pietersen falls as England falter

South Africa were made to work hard on the fourth morning at Headingley before removing James Anderson and Kevin Pietersen in quick succession, putting them firmly on course for a 1-0 series lead. Alastair Cook remained not out on 46 at lunch having put on a courageous third-wicket partnership of 59 with Anderson, who batted bravely for a career-best 34.

Anderson played with impressive composure and no shortage of class, though South Africa passed the edge of his bat on numerous occasions. Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini opened the bowling and Anderson, mostly playing off the back foot, was beaten twice by Morkel as the fourth-day pitch began to show worrying variable bounce. Balls shot through; the occasional one from Morkel, with his extra height, spat up, but it was a concern for South Africa that they extracted so little lateral movement.

Cook showed excellent judgement outside his off stump all morning, capitalising on anything wide by calmly pushing through cover. After half an hour, there was a belief by England that while the pair were at the crease, they might as well score some runs, and they did so with impish running. If anything, it caught South Africa off-guard. Graeme Smith's side are eager in the field, but only AB de Villiers really threatens. Anderson nudged singles out to cover and to midwicket, taking on the fielders, and although they were decidedly dangerous runs, South Africa's wild throws missed the stumps repeatedly. England were beginning to frustrate them.

A languid cut by Anderson demonstrated his growing confidence, and he bettered it with two excellent fours off Paul Harris - the first, punched off the back foot and threaded through cover, before he came onto the front foot to dispatch one of fuller length. Steyn, meanwhile - kept out of the attack until the 12th over of the day - persisted with a war of bouncers against both batsman. He was at his most vicious from around the wicket, however, and rapped Anderson a nasty blow on his forearm that required physio treatment.

The next ball, however, really shook Anderson's resolve when the batsman ducked into a short ball, the grille of his helmet hammering into the right side of his jaw. He was immediately floored, prompting Steyn and Hashim Amla to assess the damage, and though he looked groggy and stunned by the bouncer, he gave a sparse Headingley crowd reason to cheer by deciding to bat on. Steyn proceeded to bounce him mercilessly, and when he finally pitched it up, Anderson was rapped bang in front. England were 109 for 3, still trailing by an ominous 210.

Pietersen marched to the crease and predictably took the attack to South Africa, with Steyn being taken for four down to fine-leg before a shorter delivery was punched through mid-off. He took on Jacques Kallis, too, with the most emphatic square-drive but Pietersen's explosive innings ended with Kallis's next ball, feathering a wideish delivery to Mark Boucher. South Africa greeted Pietersen's wicket with frenzied delight; England's big gun had fallen after only a five-ball stay.

Cook continued to block his way to lunch with Ian Bell, but with the pitch offering variable bounce, England have it all to do with five sessions in which to survive.

Bowlers restrict Sri Lanka XI to 224

India's bowlers, several of whom are returning to the Test squad after breaks due to injury, form or discipline, had a satisfactory start to the tour of Sri Lanka, dismissing the Board XI for 224 at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.

Zaheer Khan, who hasn't played for India since the tour of Australia due to an ankle injury, struck twice with the new ball; Harbhajan Singh, returning from a disciplinary ban, took a brace of wickets; while Test captain Anil Kumble slotted back into the side with 3 for 30. Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel, who was not picked after the IPL, took a wicket apiece. Dinesh Karthik, standing-in for Mahendra Singh Dhoni for this series, also held three catches.

The Sri Lanka Board XI top order struggled, slipping to 82 for 4 after the team had won the toss. Upul Tharanga, who hasn't played a Test since December 2007, failed to make use of his opportunity. He was trapped lbw by Zaheer for 6.

The danger of a collapse was averted by Thilina Kandamby, whose last international appearance was in an ODI in Lahore in October 2004, and Chamara Silva. Kandamby struck 11 fours during his 84, and added 100 for the fifth wicket with Silva, before he was caught by Karthik off Patel. Silva was dismissed by Harbhajan with the score on 214 and the innings folded swiftly thereafter.

The Indian openers had to negotiate a short period before stumps but Gautam Gambhir failed to see out the day. He was caught by Jehan Mubarak off Dilhara Fernando for 4, leaving India trailing by 220 runs with nine wickets in hand.

England struggle on eventful morning

England lost three early wickets on the first morning of the second Test, under classically cloudy Leeds conditions, after South Africa won the toss and unsurprisingly chose to field. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel exploited the helpful pitch, and a lot rests on Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen, the two not-out batsmen at lunch, if England are to fight back with a challenging first innings.

This Test was supposed to be dominated by Andrew Flintoff's return after 18 months in the wilderness, but the limelight was stolen by England's shock decision to hand Nottinghamshire's Australian-raised Darren Pattinson his debut at the expense of the injured Ryan Sidebottom. Pattinson, a roof-tiler born in Grimsby who has just 11 first-class matches under his belt, was left waiting in the pavilion for his first bowl as Graeme Smith chose to field in ideal bowling conditions.

Steyn's first ball at Lord's was a leg-side drifter, a delivery that seemed to set the tone for his side's disappointing effort on the first morning. Their coach, Mickey Arthur, promised his attack would find their lines at Headingley, and today they duly responded, led by Steyn and Morkel. Strauss began confidently enough, however, cutting the disappointing Makhaya Ntini over cover before pouncing on a shorter delivery from Steyn, hooking him powerfully around the corner. After 30 minutes, there was plenty of movement on offer, but on an easy-paced pitch that offered good value for strokeplay on the front foot.

If South Africa needed a stroke of luck, they got it in Morkel's second over. Cook attempted to flick a leg-side delivery around the corner, failing to make contact, but South Africa's raucous appeal was vindicated by Billy Bowden. A disconsolate Cook trudged off, perhaps wondering why England didn't choose to initiate the umpire-referral system in this series, but South Africa had their breakthrough.

Michael Vaughan arrived at the crease, but lasted a mere seven balls when he edged a beautiful outswinger to Smith at first slip. It was the third time in five Tests that Steyn has removed the England captain, and although Vaughan is a wonderful driver of the ball back down the ground, his defence against straight balls (he was bowled at Lord's by Steyn) looks worryingly suspect. No such concerns for Pietersen, however, fresh from his hundred at Lord's. Steyn fed him with an easy-paced delivery on middle-stump, flamingo-flicking it through midwicket, though the bowler produced a corking comeback that beat Pietersen's outside edge. Two balls later, a half-tracker was dispatched into the midwicket stand for the morning's most authoritative shot for six, as the drizzle began to fall more steadily.

Since Strauss's comeback to Test cricket, he has struck a more composed and cautious figure than the free-flowing batsman who took on South Africa in 2004-05, and such vigilance was needed by England while Steyn and Morkel continued to probe. Twenty minutes before lunch, however, Morkel - mostly looking to bowl a fuller length than his natural Steve Harmison-style lifters - found one to rise on Strauss who edged it to a diving AB de Villiers at third slip. As South Africa rose to appeal in unison, a perplexed Strauss stood his ground, and Bowden was forced to refer the appeal to the third umpire who - as the partisan crowd's jocular booing helped suggest - noticed de Villiers had grounded the ball. And grounded it comfortably, too.

Strauss continued to make the most of any fuller deliveries, driving down the ground before lashing a cover-drive off Morkel to move into the twenties. But on 27, a slightly shorter ball from Morkel found Strauss's outside edge, and England found themselves struggling on 70 for 3 at lunch. With Tim Ambrose batting uncomfortably high at No.6, and Flintoff making his return having struggled with the bat for Lancashire, much rests on Pietersen and Bell this afternoon.

India ready for President’s men

Considering the current scenario, winning a Test series against a formidable side like Sri Lanka in their own backyard is like stealing food from the lion’s den.
It’s not mission impossible, but it undoubtedly demands a lot of planning and then executing it by the right people. The Indian team will be aiming for precisely that as it begins the tour with a three-day match against a Sri Lanka Board XI at the Nondescripts Cricket Club on Friday.
To realize the dream, though, it has to first get its combination right. So the big question right now is: 7 batsmen and 4 bowlers or the more dynamic 6-5. The team management may have already found its answer but it’s not revealing it as yet.
One thing is sure though: it wants to give match practice to all the Test specialists, especially those who haven’t played One-day cricket for some time now. “We have decided that to play the Test specialists for the match to provide them with ample match practice,’’ India’s coach Gary Kirsten said after a regulation practice session.
On the bowling front, it is certain that India will have two spinners in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Then Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma are more or less certain to make the cut.
Incidentally, both seem to be bowling superbly in the nets. Zaheer, who is coming back after a long lay-off, is immaculate with his length and line while Ishant has been quick and bang on target.
The big muddle: Will it be a third pacer who will fill the slot for the fifth bowler? It will be a tough nut to crack and the form shown by bowlers in this match will probably be the deciding factor.
On the other hand, Kirsten is quite satisfied with left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha’s recent form. “Pragyan has impressed me in the One-dayers. He is good and he should be ready to throw himself into the ring as and when it is required. If suppose there is an injury, I am confident that he will fit into our scheme of things,’’ Kirsten said.
After all, even Kumble and Harbhajan have had a long break after the IPL season. So, the spin duo will be keen to get its rhythm right. The choice for the third pacer is between RP Singh and Munaf Patel and, according to team sources, the former has a brighter chance of making it to the XI. “We have to decide on two things before we start our practice match on Friday,’’ the Indian coach conceded, without going into further details.
In the absence of MS Dhoni, Kumble can turn to either Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel. In the nets, though, when the slip catchers were honing their skills, it was Karthik who was made to wear his gloves ahead of Patel. Does this drop a hint? Probably. But in a long tour anything can happen.
From the Board President’s point of view, there are a couple of cricketers, including Jehan Mubarak, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva and Chamara Kapugedera, who would be keen to prove a point.
The teams: India XI: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Dinesh Karthik, Anil Kumble (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma, Parthiv Patel.
Sri Lanka Board President’s XI: Mahela Udawatte, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak (capt), Chamara Kapugedera, Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushal Silva (wk), Chanaka Welagedera, Sujeewa Silva, Dammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, Dilhara Fernando.