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Tame draw at Lord's

Published:Wednesday | June 8, 2011 | 12:00 AM
England's Matt Prior (left) and Andrew Strauss (fifth right with cap) apologise to MCC members underneath a broken window during the fifth day of the second Test at Lord's Cricket Ground, yesterday. England wicketkeeper Matthew Prior had to apologise to members of the august Marylebone Cricket Club after showering them with broken glass in a fit of temper. Furious at being run out for four on the final day of the Test, Prior broke a dressing room window in the Lord's Pavilion to send glass tumbling down on the neatly dressed members below. - AP

LONDON, (AP):

Sri Lanka held firm yesterday to avoid a repeat of last week's humiliating defeat to England, reaching 127-3 to draw the second Test at Lord's.

Set 343 to win off 58 overs when England declared their second innings on 335-7, Sri Lanka never attempted to chase a target that was near impossible with captain Tillakaratne Dilshan able to bat only in an emergency, because of a broken thumb.

Sri Lanka resumed the final session on 32-1 and took few risks, comfortably surviving the loss of Mahela Jayawardene for 25 and opener Tharanga Paranavitana for 44.

England had won the first Test after a similar declaration, putting the tourists in for 50 overs in Cardiff and bowling them out for 82 for an innings victory.

"We thought we had a chance if we took early wickets,'' England captain Andrew Strauss said. "We needed something special to happen and it didn't quite happen for us.

"But I'm very pleased from the way we came back from being 22-3 on the first day. There's a lot of positives to take out of it. It wasn't the best Test match we have ever played, but we move onto The Rose Bowl and, hopefully, we can make it 2-0.''

Alastair Cook's 18th Test century (106) for England and the early loss of stand-in opener Kumar Sangakkara - out for 12 when he miscued a cut off Chris Tremlett to Eoin Morgan at cover point - had left Sri Lanka facing a nervous final session, with 45 overs remaining.

But an unadventurous run rate of 2.95 per over used up plenty of time, with Jayawardene taking 71 balls for his 25 before falling when he drove at a wide delivery from Stuart Broad to Kevin Pietersen at fourth slip.

An inswinger from part-time bowler Jonathan Trott trapped Paranavitana lbw, reducing Sri Lanka to 96-3, but Thilan Samaraweera finished 17 not out after successfully reviewing an lbw decision on 4. Umpire Billy Doctrove initially gave him out, not offering a shot to a ball that pitched well outside off stump.

Prasanna Jayawardene inched his way to 12, with 15 overs remaining at the close.

"All round it was a good performance after the Cardiff match,'' Dilshan said. "At the moment, I believe I'm going to miss the last Test match but we'll see over the next couple of days.''

Sri Lanka now need to win the June 16-20 third Test at The Rose Bowl to salvage the series, but are almost certain to be without man-of-the-match Dilshan.