da luck： Steve Harmison’s new back injury cast a shadow over what was otherwise an encouraging day’s labour for England’s bowlers, as Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar warmed up for the first Test with three wickets apiece
da blaze casino： Andrew Miller in Colombo25-Nov-2007Sri Lanka Board President’s XI 298 for 9 (Tharanga 86, de Silva 1*, Amerasinghe 0*, Hoggard 3-57) v England XI
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Matthew Hoggard showed good form with 3 for 57 © Getty Images
Steve Harmison’s new back injury cast a shadow over what was otherwisean encouraging day’s labour for England’s bowlers, as Matthew Hoggardand Monty Panesar warmed up for the first Test with three wicketsapiece. By the close of the first day at the Nondescripts CricketClub, the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI had slipped to 298 for 9,having at one stage been well placed on 287 for 5.The mainstay of the Sri Lankan performance was once again UpulTharanga, who enhanced his own prospects of a Test recall with afluent innings of 86 to add to his century in England’s openingwarm-up. Another member of Sri Lanka’s Test squad, Jehan Mubarak,chipped in with 68 from 143 deliveries, while the young wicketkeeper,Kaushal Silva, made a dogged 53 despite being struck a painful blow onthe wrist by a loose shy from Kevin Pietersen.The talking point of the day, however, was Harmison’s injury. Itoccurred after the third ball of his 11th over, just as he wasreturning for his fourth spell of the day. Up until that point heappeared to be gathering rhythm and confidence in equal measures, andwas markedly improved on his lacklustre six-over performance earlierin the week. He bounded to the crease with menace and picked up hisfirst wicket of the tour when the President’s XI captain, TillakaratneDilshan, spooned an attempted pull to James Anderson at mid-on.With competition for places high among England’s fast bowlers, Hoggardand Anderson were handed the new ball, and Hoggard might have struckwith the fourth ball of the morning when Mahela Udawatte survived araucous appeal for caught-behind. Hoggard, who experimented withcutters and slower balls in a bid to overcome the conditions, dideventually get his man on 18, caught by a diving Michael Vaughan atmid-on to end an opening stand of 55.Anderson, who had also been suffering from a back problem in the earlystages of the tour, bowled a hostile but luckless first spell, and itwas the unlikely character of Ravi Bopara who provided England’s nextbreakthrough. Although his principal aim in this match is to outscoreOwais Shah at No. 6, Bopara did his prospects no harm whatsoever in awaspish 11-over spell. Tharanga was badly dropped by Vaughan off ano-ball, before Malinda Warnapura tried to force one off the back footthrough the covers, and edged a simple chance through to Matt Priorfor 16.
Monty Panesar picked up two wickets in two balls © Getty Images
Dilshan, who made a duck in the first of these two fixtures, signalledhis intent by smashing an Anderson bouncer out of the ground and intoa passing tuk-tuk, but he fell in Harmison’s second over after lunch.Tharanga was the next to go, well caught by Ian Bell at second slip asAnderson cramped him for room outside off stump, and before ChamaraKapugedera could pick up where he had left off in the first match, hewas expertly snaffled by Bopara at short midwicket, off the bowling ofHoggard.Thereafter England found the going somewhat tougher, as Mubarak andSilva dug in for a 105-run stand, but with the light beginning tofade, Panesar got in on the act. With his rhythm improving throughouta 22-over spell, he grabbed two wickets in two balls, as Silva poppeda simple chance to Alastair Cook at short leg, and KaushalLokuarachchi played back to be lbw for 0.Hoggard then chipped in with one last wicket of a typicallyhard-grafting spell, as Mubarak nicked an offcutter to Prior, andthree balls before the close Panesar had Chanaka Welegedara caught atshort leg, again by Cook. It was an uplifting end to England’s day,but Harmison’s injury still casts a shadow.
