Sri Lanka snatch Leeds thriller with one ball left

Moeen's defiant ton in vain as Sri Lanka take the series 1-0.

Sri Lanka 257 (Sangakkara 79, Plunkett 5-64) and 457 (Mathews 160, Jayawardene 79, Sangakkara 55, 4-112) and England 365 (Robson 127, Ballance 74, Bell 64, Mathews 4-44, Eranga 4-93) and 249 (Moeen 108*, Prasad 5-50) by 100 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Sri Lanka won when they had almost abandoned hope. From the penultimate ball of a gripping final day, Shaminda Eranga found a hostile delivery to bring their first series win in England. James Anderson, who could only fend it to the leg side in self-preservation, dropped to his haunches in despair. Moeen Ali's immense maiden Test century was briefly forgotten, submerged beneath an ecstatic Sri Lankan celebration.

An indomitable backs-to-the-wall display by Moeen had come so close to sparing England: an unbeaten 108, unblemished even, made from 281 balls. England's last five wickets had clung on for all but two balls of the final day. Pride had been salvaged, perhaps a captain had been spared too, but it is Sri Lanka who can celebrate a special moment in their Test history.

Sri Lanka's last pair held out for five balls in the first Test at Lord's. This time the task was much harder for Moeen and Anderson: 20.2 overs. Even in Cardiff, when Anderson and Monty Panesar famously held off Australia in 2009, they only saw out 11.3. This time Anderson summoned a heroic 55-ball nought, all signifying nothing.

Tension slowly seeped into the final day as it only can in Test cricket. The crowd was sparse - Yorkshire had folded its arms in condemnation, convinced like all but the most incorrigibly optimistic that England's abject collapse to 57 for 5, well adrift of a target of 350, had sealed their fate - but a night's sleep had cleared muddled heads and Headingley, treacherous Headingley, not the sort of pitch to turn your back on, behaved like an old softie. At only a fiver entrance fee for the final day, Yorkshire had turned its back on a classic.

Moeen Ali showed plenty of heart and grit. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Only with nine wickets down did Moeen seek to steal the strike, only now did his timing begin to go awry as the demands weighed upon him. But his concentration was unwavering. His century came with half-an-hour remaining, flicking Nuwan Pradeep off his pads, but it had always felt like an afterthought in an innings where he appeared entirely consumed by England's survival. This was not as much an innings as personal growth before your eyes.

Even in defeat, there should be no doubt who will be the recipient of England's annual Beard of the Year award - and, if that is one of the most frivolous awards around, this time it would have a more serious message. There are times when the wider social impact of a performance in sport must also be recognised even in a match report - and this was one of them.

A sole spectator earlier in the Test who observed, however unthinkingly, that Moeen's beard suggested he should be blowing up buildings was rightly reported to stewards and warned. Muslim cricketers have played for England before, but none had been so visibly proud to be a role model. With every stout-hearted block, Moeen made such comments appear ever more ignorant and, for those who questioned as much, integrated himself - and more importantly his beard - deep into the fabric of the England side.

There were two umpiring reviews for Moeen to survive along the way, both optimistically sought by Sri Lanka for leg-side catches. On 52, a delivery from Rangana Herath, the left-arm spinner, found its way to leg slip, on 71 Eranga flicked his thigh pad on the way through to the wicketkeeper, but he was confident that his survival chances were 100%.

Such was his selectivity that it was hard to recall another blemish. On another occasion, he had an inadvisable flirt when Herath slanted a low-arm delivery across him, but generally he curbed his attacking instincts with great resolve, only occasionally allowing himself to sweep or come down the pitch to Herath, choices he made with impeccable judgment.

England set the tone for the final day by making only 26 in nearly 18 overs during a drizzle-interrupted morning. Root clearly relished the chance to produce an innings of Boycottian bloody-mindedness in front of the Yorkshire crowd; strokelessness is no hardship for him when the match dictates it.

Not shy of a word or two himself - the innocent countenance is misleading - he became the victim of prolonged sledging from the Sri Lanka captain, Angelo Mathews, who was instructed to curb his behaviour more than once by both umpires, and whose victory celebrations looked bound to be interrupted by an audience with the match referee. He should offer him an arrack and see if he can get away with it.

If Mathews was in danger of getting sidetracked, it did not show in his captaincy, which remained well judged. He shuffled his bowlers endlessly in the final hour to try to unsettle England's last pair and it paid off when he flung the ball to his most aggressive bowler, Eranga for one last effort - although not before he kept Mooen off strike with his own excellent over.

Sri Lanka's bowlers, by and large, were disciplined as the wickets came only slowly. Eranga adopted a short-ball policy in mid-afternoon, but it seemed a legitimate tactic at the time and unsettled Root. Herath lobbed up over after over accurately, but found little turn. Instead Root was unpicked by an outswinger from Pradeep, a leading edge flying low to gully where Lahiru Thirimanne held a smart catch.

Prior became a fifth victim for Sri Lanka's fourth-day hero, Dhammika Prasad, a well-directed ball into his body and a deflection which was expertly snapped up by Kaushal Silva low down at short leg - not the first time he has fallen in such a fashion.

It was Prasad's effort ball and it almost resulted in his first no-ball of the match - the TV umpire requiring innumerable replays before concluding, fairly enough, that he got a sliver of boot behind a wonky front line. The match referee, Andy Pycroft, was quick to advise that if there was any uncertainty - and there was uncertainty - the decision should rest with the bowler as there was not definite proof he had overstepped.

That decision, as it happened, was balanced out early in the final session. With the second over of the new ball, Chris Jordan drove loosely at Eranga and edged to second slip, only for another hair's breadth decision this time to fall in England's favour; again legitimately so.

There was further encouragement for Sri Lanka when a delivery from Pradeep went through the top and jagged alarmingly away from Jordan. Herath was reintroduced with the new ball seven overs old and he removed Jordan lbw with his second delivery. England's review had an air of desperation.

Indifferent light became Sri Lanka's next problem as the emergence of a blinking Stuart Broad coincided with the first appearance of the umpires' light meters. Sri Lanka were forced to resort to Mahela Jayawardene's little-used offspin - six wickets to his name in 145 Tests - but, while the restrictions were in operation, Broad's 24-ball nought ended when Herath straightened one to have him lbw.

Sri Lanka's recovery had been admirable - England had been 311 for 3 in their first innings at one stage, ahead by 54 - and over-excitability was the only explanation for wasting their second review, with 16 overs remaining, a futile search for an lbw decision for Herath against Anderson. Over-excitability became concern, became desperation, before desperation - at the last - was transformed into utter delight.

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'We know what our challenges in England are' - Dhoni

Dhoni said comparisons should not be drawn between the famed batting line-up of the last two decades, and the young lot of 2014.

India coach Duncan Fletcher expects an interesting series for India in England, terming the home team as a side that is "rebuilding". While captain MS Dhoni preferred to focus on India's strengths, Fletcher assessed the England side in comparison to the one that whitewashed India in a four-Test series in 2011.

"I think they [England] have lost some crucial players," Fletcher told reporters during the team's pre-departure media conference in Mumbai. "[The loss of Kevin] Pietersen has been a huge blow to them. And looking at them, they are in a rebuilding phase as well, so that's going to make the series quite interesting.

"I do believe though that they have got some quality batters who have got a lot of experience at Test level. [Alastair] Cook and [Ian] Bell have scored some big runs up the order. The focus will be to get them out as cheaply as we can. The bowling side is fairly well-balanced.

"They have got [James] Anderson and [Stuart] Broad who have been bowling well and picking up wickets. We will focus on going there and producing as good cricket as we can. We have done that in India and we will look forward to adapt to the conditions as quickly as possible and will look to put them under pressure."MS Dhoni: Prepared for a tough tour. (Getty Images)

Fletcher termed the 2011 series whitewashes in England and Australia "not easy to take", but added that the recent performance during the two Test series in South Africa and New Zealand has given the team much-needed confidence. The key, according to the coach, will be to take the lead in the series.

"Obviously it was disappointing. The 4-0 losses to England and Australia were not easy to take. It is difficult to tour England with a young side, but sometimes it results in an advantage," Fletcher said. "You go out there and play some good cricket - as we did in South Africa and New Zealand - and you learn from there and I hope we can do that. I think it's important to win a match early on in the series. It will give us the confidence that we can win the series. And you never know what the end result will be after that."

After the forgettable outing three years ago, the India line-up has seen drastic changes. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have all retired, while Viredner Sehwag has lost his place in the side. Dhoni said the series will provide yet another opportunity to the youngsters who fared well in South Africa and New Zealand to showcase their talent.

"Quite a few of the players will be playing their first series in England. But most of the players in the squad have got exposure in South Africa and New Zealand, so they have got a few games behind them and they know what the challenges will be," Dhoni said, adding that the team's early departure - two weeks prior to the start of the first Test on July 9 - will benefit them.

"The good thing will be we are going a bit early, so we can take our time to get into the groove, play a few practice games and prepare ourselves," he said. "Besides, it's a five-match series and I don't think any of us have played a five-Test series. Overall, it should be good, the reason being we have enough time to prepare ourselves."

Dhoni said comparisons should not be drawn between the famed batting line-up of the last two decades, and the young lot of 2014.

"It will be very difficult to fill the shoes of Sehwag as an opener and Rahul at No.3, Sachin coming in and then Laxman and Sourav. I think we shouldn't compare, but think more about the current generation," Dhoni said. "They have come in and are going to serve Indian cricket. It will be a big challenge for them. The good thing is they have had good exposure, playing a few games abroad and having played a lot at home. They have the talent. It's just that they have to get used to the conditions, apply themselves and give respect to the opposition and read the conditions."

Besides the lack of experience in the batting unit, India will also be without veteran new-ball bowler Zaheer Khan, who has been sidelined with an injury, and Dhoni hoped that India would not suffer in his absence.

"Zak is someone who reads the game really well and I always felt that left-arm fast bowlers really have the advantage. They can bring the ball back in and add variation of the ball going away from the batsmen. I felt from the first game he played in South Africa till the last game, there was a considerable amount of improvement.

"Zak is someone who loves to play games. The more games he plays, the better he gets. As far as missing Zaheer is concerned, I can't really say much because with the kind of experience he has, the fast bowling unit doesn't really have that kind of experience. Hopefully we won't miss him, but as I said, I can't really say anything."

Dwelling on the disastrous 2011 series, Dhoni said the team had learned its lessons from the twin tours of England and Australia. "You can call it 7-0 [8-0] because after that we went to Australia and that was also a tough series for us. As I said, it's a constant process. I think those were very difficult periods for us.

"We were not winning games. We were behind in the games and were not able to compete. So the focus will be initially to get into the groove and to create competition. Once we are in a position when the game is kind of 50-50, that's the time when we want to capitalise, so that's what it's all about and we are looking forward to it.

"You go through tough times. What I personally believe in is you should forget the stats. But also, it pushes you to see the areas where you have to work on to be a consistent team. These were the lessons that came out of those tough twin tours. It helped us when we came back to India and when we went to South Africa."

Taking into account that this will be India's first five-Test series in England for more than five decades, the national selectors have opted for an 18-member squad. Dhoni termed it as a "good decision" since it will not only help reserves get acclimatised to the conditions, but also benefit the team immensely during practice sessions.

"What an 18-member squad does is that in case of an injury, the players who would be replacing the injured players are already used to the conditions, especially if you see the duration of the tour," he said. "In a way, it will help us if needed and at the same time, we can get some really good practice and it will give us good bench strength. They will know the conditions and what lengths to bowl. And also the batsmen, they can get used to playing the fast bowlers a little more.

"Once the series starts, the main bowlers who have bowled a lot during matches tend to take time out [in the nets] and the other lot of bowlers will bowl at batsmen. I think it's very important to have good practice sessions because it reflects in the games.

"It's a good decision but at the same time, it's something that is really needed because last time we lost quite a few players [to injury] and [replacement] players had to be flown in. We had to play them without them getting used to the conditions. It will be a good environment for the reserves to get used to the conditions, and help us when it comes to going ahead with them."

Modi lines up Clarke campaign

At stake is The Cricketer magazine, currently under an anti-Clarke ownership.

The magazine that was once the bastion of cricketing conservatism could become the platform for a campaign against the English cricketing establishment if talks between Lalit Modi and the current owners of The Cricketer bear fruit.

The Cricketer was founded in 1921 and edited for almost four decades by Sir Pelham Warner, the former England captain, selector, tour manager and president of the MCC. For much of its existence, it has been the authoritative voice of the English cricketing establishment. Later editors included the equally traditional EW Swanton.

But now, with Modi considering joining a management team that includes Lord Marland, who unsuccessfully stood against Giles Clarke for chairmanship of the ECB in 2009, and Neil Davidson, the former chairman of Leicestershire whose feud with Clarke stems back several years, the magazine could be set to become a platform for a campaign to end Clarke's spell as ECB chairman.

The Cricketer magazineThe attraction for both parties is fairly obvious. Modi, the inventor of the IPL, is currently living in exile in London and resides on the periphery of the cricket world having been banned for life by the BCCI. But he remains vastly wealthy with business interests in tobacco and chemicals and is eager to find a platform from which to broadcast views which most mainstream media remain reluctant to amplify. He also retains ambitions of reclaiming a prominent position within cricket administration.

The Cricketer, meanwhile, is an organisation fighting to remain relevant and stung by recent failed investments. As well as struggling to deal with the issues inherent in being a monthly magazine in the digital age, its foray into broadcasting ended in failure after Test Match Sofa, the on-line commentary service that the ECB believes represents a threat to the value of broadcasting rights, stopped broadcasting after the Ashes tour in February with losses understood to exceed £180,000. Its plans to set-up a website to rival ESPNcricinfo were all but abandoned after heavy losses and the magazine's editorial staff are currently involved in a "consultation process" that has fuelled uncertainly over their futures.

The Cricketer's parent company, Test Match Extra, has also been involved in a long-running legal dispute with the ECB over what it sees as an attempt to ostracise it from the mainstream cricket environment.

Most of all, though, the tie-up would see some of Clarke's most vocal critics united in what might be termed as a manifesto masquerading as a magazine. As well as seeing the removal of Clarke as an objective, many of those involved if the deal goes ahead are known to favour a city-based T20 competition in the UK.

But Modi's primary motivation would appear to be revenge. He clashed with Clarke over an alleged attempt to set-up an IPL-style league in England - Modi denied claims that he was involved in setting up a rebel league and the pair eventually decided to settle their differences out of court - and remains insistent that Clarke should be removed from any position of authority. "Giles Clarke has to be removed from his position and that is all I'm focusing on," Modi said in a recent interview with The Cricketer.

In recent weeks, Modi has waged an aggressive campaign over Twitter designed to goad Clarke in to taking legal action against him. Modi hopes such a process will bring to light documentation that would embarrass Clarke; a scenario that is rejected by the ECB.

"I am challenging them to sue me," Modi told ESPNcricinfo. "People are afraid of libel, but I've never been afraid of libel. Because I am very clearly saying the truth. I know where the truth lies."

The ECB dismissed Modi's comments. "The ECB does not even entertain the claims of a man who has been a fugitive from justice in his own country", ECB spokesman Colin Gibson, told News One TV. "He is banned for life by a BCCI enquiry which was led by respected politician Arun Jaitley."

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Duminy wants to test leadership skills

JP Duminy was understood to be one of four candidates under consideration to succeed Graeme Smith. He said he would not be averse to becoming a captain in the future.

Not right now, maybe not at Test level and perhaps not even for South Africa, but JP Duminy is certain of one thing: he wants to be a captain. The allrounder was understood to be one of four candidates under consideration to succeed Graeme Smith, and although Duminy did not get the job or even officially apply for it, he said he would not be averse to becoming an authority figure in the future.

The next in line: JP Duminy"I saw my name there. I didn't particularly throw my name in the hat but it's definitely something I have thought about - not necessarily only in Test cricket but also in different formats, maybe even for Delhi [Daredevils] sometime. Definitely in the future, I would like to step into that role," Duminy said at the South African squad's fitness camp in Pretoria. "I've played enough cricket to know what it's about and so it's about testing myself - whether I can do the job. I am looking forward to the challenge if it comes."

Duminy has played only 24 Tests but has a decade of international experience and has fast become part of the senior core, which includes vice-captain and ODI leader AB de Villiers, T20 captain Faf du Plessis, pace spearhead Dale Steyn and the captain Hashim Amla. Duminy believes the group of players, rather than one big personality, will be the men to collectively take South Africa forward.

"Graeme was a guy that led from the front in terms of his aura about himself and the way he conducted himself," Duminy said. "I don't think we (the current players) could fit into that role so we've got to stick together in terms of what we are trying to achieve as a senior's group. We've got a good understanding between us. We've got to focus on what we are trying to do - play good cricket and dominate the international circuit."

The above quartet and Amla have 278 Test caps among them, which is still short of the 283 Smith and Kallis had, but suggests South Africa are not gasping with inexperience. For Duminy, it also presents an opportunity for whom the team manager Mohammad Moosajee called the "second-generation" leaders to leave their own legacy. "It's a big loss for us in terms of Graeme and Jacques but the game does go on and we have an opportunity as the new breed of players to step in and fulfill that role as seniors," Duminy said.

SHOWED WILLINGNESS

Duminy has already showed willingness to embrace extra responsibility after being tasked with an all-round role following Kallis' retirement in December. Not only did Duminy bowl more Test overs and take more wickets in the 2013-14 season than at any stage of his career, he also had his best summer with the bat since he first appeared in 2008-09, when he made the century against Australia that remains his career-best score.

Duminy said he enjoyed being given a bigger role, especially as a bowler, and felt it "brought the best out of me in terms of my game." He also identified the next eight months as a test of whether he can "sustain that responsibility."

He is not the only member of the squad who will asked to contribute more. Morne Morkel, who joked that he told a member of the public he wanted to be the next Test captain and the fan swiftly advised him it was a not a good idea, said all the experienced players would need to pull their weight. "We also need to step up and deliver the goods," Morkel said. "We want to back Hashim and play for him and make his life easier."

Like Morkel, Amla goes about his business quietly, which may be why the fast bowler endorsed his more subtle style of leadership. "Hashim has been leading in the background before he was captain," Morkel said. "I don't think it will be a massive change - yes the personality might be a bit different to Graeme but we are all used to Hashim, its nothing new for us."

More importantly for Morkel, Amla will lead by example. "A leader doesn't have to talk and say all the nice things. A leader goes out and scores runs or does well and that's when people follow. Hashim ticks all those boxes," Morkel said. "He goes out in tough conditions and he scores runs. When guys are bowling fast, he delivers - that's the sign of a quality leader and it inspires guys to do those things too. It's not all about words, we know all of those things, it's about going out and fronting up."

No one will argue that Amla is not the best example of that - not even those who were competing with him for the job and who may take it off him in the future.

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WIndies cruise to 10-wicket Test victory over NZ

The result leaves the series tied at 1-1 heading into the third and final Test starting on Thursday at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

PORT OF SPAIN - West Indies finally broke the back of New Zealand's resistance and romped to a 10-wicket victory after lunch on the final day of the second Test at Queen's Park Oval on Friday.

Set 93 runs to win after the Black Caps were dismissed for 331 in their second innings, attacking opening batsman Chris Gayle stole the show with an unbeaten 80 off just 46 balls as the home side romped to 95 without loss off 13.2 overs.

The result leaves the series tied at 1-1 heading into the third and final Test starting on Thursday at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

Gayle, who belted seven fours and six sixes, left Kraigg Brathwaite trailing in his wake. But it was the junior opening partner who took the Man-of-the-Match award for his first innings of 129.

It was all very different at the start of the day, though, as New Zealand's late-order defiance and unsettled weather caused the home side no end of anxiety, especially as sub-standard cricket contributed to their own frustrations.

Starting the day at 257 for eight, just 18 runs ahead with only two wickets in hand, the Black Caps' ninth-wicket pair of B.J. Watling and Mark Craig extended their partnership to 99, a new record in Tests for New Zealand against the West Indies.

The Caribbean side broke through after 80 minutes' play when Craig was caught by wicketkeeperDenesh Ramdin for a topscore of 67 off Kemar Roach, giving the pacer his fourth wicket of the innings.

Craig had continued to live a charmed life. In a bizarre sequence of events at the start of the final day, the left-hander edged through the slip cordon, was dropped by Benn at third slip and then had another edge missed by Chris Gayle low to his right at first slip when Ramdin chose not to attempt the catch. Jerome Taylor was the suffering bowler on each occasion.

Unyielding defiance

His eventual dismissal was the prompt for rain to then drive the players off the field, holding up play for 20 minutes as West Indian impatience grew.

Last man Trent Boult hung around for more than half-an-hour with Watling as another 20 runs were eked out before touching a delivery from fast bowler Shannon Gabriel for Ramdin to take his fifth catch of the innings on the stroke of lunch.

"There are some things we still need to work on because we were a bit lazy in the field yesterday and today," said Ramdin, reflecting on his team's first Test win at the venue since 2008. "I'm still learning as captain as well. There were a few tactical things I need to look at again."

Watling was unbeaten on 66, his 387 minutes of unyielding defiance occupying 216 deliveries and including four boundaries.

"It was always going to be tough for us to get back in the game after we lost seven for 60 on the first day," said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. "It really sets it up now for Barbados, though."

Pitch offered batsmen a good workout: Raina

India captain Suresh Raina says he has never seen a subcontinental wicket such as Mirpur's.

The pitch in Mirpur was something of a revelation for Suresh Raina, the India captain. The monsoons in Bangladesh had been delayed, but their impact led to the final match becoming the first rained out at Shere Bangla Stadium. Under overcast conditions and a deck that did not lack in moisture, lateral movement was almost perennially available and batsmen had to cope with some testing bounce as well.

Suresh Raina"Especially in the subcontinent, I haven't seen a wicket do this much in the last 10 years," Raina said. "It was good for the team, for the batsmen to adapt to these conditions and take it to England and Australia for the Tests and the World Cup. Bangladesh are also going to West Indies. So I think it was a good battle between bat and ball and winning the series was important."

The average score in an ODI at Mirpur has been 240, but over the course of the last two ODIs, India had been bundled out for 105 and were on 119 for 9 when the rain ended things today. Bangladesh succumbed for 58 on Tuesday. There is room for an argument that both teams had been caught unawares by the amount of help that was on offer. Raina believed conditions like these made batsmen work harder and the bowlers were also allowed to come into their own.

BATSMEN ALWAYS HAVE UPPER HAND

"Whenever we play in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, I think the batsmen always have the upper hand. Here, rain was coming in and bowlers had a new ball at both ends. So you had to control your shots and decide when to attack and when not to. Still I think, both sides played really well, especially India.

"Everyone stepped up to the plate. Most importantly all the bowlers had a fantastic tour. Especially Stuart Binny and Mohit Sharma . I think the two debutants, Parvez and Akshar also did really well. When you come to any tour, one thing that comes to your mind is that you need to win all the games. The series was tough, the wicket was doing something. Very happy with the boys, they did a fantastic job."

Four of the squad that visited Bangladesh - Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny and Wriddhiman Saha - would also feature for the tour to England. The lessons learned from facing probing seam bowling in favourable conditions could help them.

"A lot of young players have come out of one and a half months of IPL. They were playing their first tour in Bangladesh when the wicket was doing something. We have learned how to tackle seaming conditions and a few players from our side are going to England so they could utilise these conditions to prepare for the Tests."

When asked how India could handle tougher conditions outside the subcontinent, Raina pointed out that long-format cricket would prompt a change in mindset and the pitches for those matches would be truer, which would help the batsmen. "That wicket is going to be more batting-friendly. Bounce will be there, but at the same time you can play your shots. Here I think the wicket was really doing a lot."

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Don't worry, I'm going to hold on, Pradeep told Mathews before tense Lord's finish

The Sri Lanka tail-ender survived an intense last over from Broad to draw the Lord's Test.

Nuwan Pradeep approached the last five balls of the match with confidence, as he walked out to deny Stuart Broad and England, his captain Angelo Mathews revealed after the match.

Pradeep swayed away from a bouncer first ball - avoiding a reprise of his hit wicket from the first innings - then played and missed at a back-of-a-length delivery, and fended the third one away towards point.

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Next ball - the penultimate delivery of the match - raised a raucous appeal from the hosts, and the batsman was given out by Paul Reiffel, only for the decision to be immediately reviewed. Replays showed Pradeep got a big inside edge, and lived on. The final delivery was edged to slip, but it only reached the fielder on the bounce.

"All Pradeep said to me was, 'Don't worry, I'm going to hold on. If they bowl short at me I'm just going to leave it'." Mathews said of his exchange with Sri Lanka's No. 11 before he went out to bat. "That was very encouraging from the tail-ender. I actually thought he did that exact thing. When they went for the lbw, we were not confident, because we couldn't see from behind. But he was pretty confident that he hit it, and thank God that he did."

Pradeep and Eranga celebrate surviving the last over at Lord's.Pradeep's lbw decision was the second piece of drama in the over after Rangana Herath gloved a short ball to the wicketkeeper - but his hand had already come off the bat handle. Herath did not wait for the umpire's decision to begin walking back to the pavilion.

"I guess Rangana wasn't aware of the rules," Mathews said. "It's a lesson learned. We all now know that if it hits your hand and it's off the bat you're not out."

Pradeep showed presence of mind to call for the review, even as England celebrated around him. "It wasn't the easiest time for Pradeep to go and bat, and to review the decision was also a brave effort. In that tense situation, your mind goes blank sometimes. It's always good to review it and luckily we used it. We hung in there."

Mathews was less enamoured by Sri Lanka's collapse either side of tea. The visitors had eight wickets in hand with 36 overs to play in the day, but lost three quickly to James Anderson's reverse swing, and were under immense pressure in the final session.

Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene batted out 20 overs together, despite Jayawardene's severely bruised finger, before Rangana Herath faced 13 balls, until being dismissed.

"I thought we batted poorly after tea especially. The bowlers came and gave one last effort, and we fell for that. I thought Anderson bowled really well. Their seamers bowled hard and asked questions from our batters but we couldn't really handle it after tea. It shouldn't have got close.

"It was a great effort from our lower middle-order. Rangana Herath did well, and so did Prasanna, with a broken finger. He had had painkiller injections to keep going. It was a good effort in the end, but after tea we were too relaxed."

Alastair Cook faced some criticism for delaying his declaration, and Angelo Mathews said Sri Lanka were always unlikely to attempt chasing 390 on the final day.

"They could have declared earlier, maybe. Close to 400 runs to get on the last day is going to be a tough ask. The wicket was spinning a little bit, and it was playing up and down a little bit as well. We had to bat sensibly.

"We were going in a 50-50 mode. We wanted to bat till lunch, then tea, then see how we were. We were in a pretty bad situation after tea, and we couldn't do anything but go for the draw."
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Rain delays India's clinical chase

1ST ODI, MIRPUR: Rahane, Uthappa slam fifties in seven-wicket win.

Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Robin Uthappamade fifties as India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets after a nearly three-hour rain interruption during their chase. Bangladesh rustled up 272 for 9 after choosing to bat on a slow pitch. In reply, Uthappa and Rahane racked up 99 at more than run a ball. Then it poured, but the drainage in Mirpur allowed a revised target of 150 in 26 overs to be set. The rain had freshened up the pitch and the Indians found the ball turning and bouncing sharply but, even then, 50 required in the remaining 9.2 overs did not prove to too hard to knock off.

India had the openers to thank for giving them such a solid headstart. Playing his first ODI in nearly six years, Uthappa showed he was still in the same touch that had earned him ten successive scores of 40 or more in the IPL.

First ball of the innings, he flowed forward to steer Mashrafe Mortaza behind point for two. Mortaza responded by beating the outside edge twice in the next three balls. That was about as difficult as it was going to get for Uthappa. In the fourth over, he opened the face to guide Al-Amin Hossain past slip for four and also drove him past mid-on for the same result.

Two shots were emphatic proof of the ridiculous form Uthappa is in. On a pitch where batsmen had to resort to slog-sweeps to generate power and distance, he stepped down to Abdur Razzak in the left-arm spinner's first over and calmly clipped him over the deep midwicket boundary. Three overs later, he drove Shakib Al Hasan in the air, held his straight followthrough and watched the ball sail over the wide long-off rope.

Rahane had to labour harder for his runs. He started slowly and eventually decided to give Mortaza the charge. The first time, he cleared mid-on awkwardly, the second time, he timed it for six over extra cover. He was at ease after that, as both batsmen easily and regularly rotated the strike.

Uthappa had just reached his fifty when he was given leg-before off Shakib, replays showing a healthy inside edge before ball hit pad. The skies had been threatening to open for quite some time, and they did so in the same over.

Upon resumption, Shakib belted out successive appeals for leg-before against Cheteshwar Pujara as the ball darted around alarmingly. The second appeal saw Pujara heading back for a duck, even as replays suggested the ball would have gone over the stumps.

Some confused running and close calls followed, but Rahane and Ambati Rayudu found the big hits ultimately, and captain Suresh Raina completed the job with more than an over to spare.

Bangladesh would have felt confident at the break after taking India's ragtag attack, with two debutant spinners and two limping fast bowlers, for 272. They could have got even more. Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib, Anamul Haque and Mahmudullah made solid contributions but all of them fell when they were looking good for more.

India were hurt by Mohit Sharma hobbling off the field in his fourth over. He came back but could send down only two more. The other fast bowler Umesh Yadav also pulled up and lost his lines in the Dhaka heat at the death.

Bangladesh targetted the three specialist spinners after a rather slow start. It was Mushfiqur who built some momentum. Yadav and Mohit had tied down the top order with their discipline. Bangladesh were 35 for 2 in the 11th over when Mushfiqur came in and began positively, his approach also rubbing off on Anamul.

Even as Anamul holed out after moving to 44, cutting short a promising stand at 52, Mushfiqur continued slog-sweeping at the other end and raced past his fifty. The shot eventually brought his downfall, and the mishit gave debutant Parvez Rasool his second wicket. Yet another partnership had grown but had been terminated prematurely, this time at 47.

Shakib and Mahmudullah, another batsman in need of runs, now added a composed 65 for the fifth wicket. Both batsmen fell against the run of play, once again. Bangladesh slipped from 229 for 5 to 235 for 8 but Mortaza and Razzak clubbed a few boundaries to haul them to 272. They weren't getting those many to defend, though.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Root puts England in control against Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka fought back well reaching 140 for one at stumps on day two on Friday.

Kaushal Silva avoids a bouncer from Chris Jordan at Lord's.

Scorecard | Action in Images | Day 1: Root turns Sri Lanka tide

LONDON - Yorkshireman Joe Root's maiden double hundred has given England a big advantage in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's after the hosts declared their innings on 575 for nine.

Sri Lanka fought back well reaching 140 for one at stumps on day two on Friday. The Sri Lankans are still 435 runs behind and need a further 235 to avoid follow on.

They lost opener Dimuth Karunaratne for 38 as debutant Chris Jordan claimed a wicket in his first over of Test cricket.

But Kaushal Silva added 82 runs for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara as the tourists ended on a positive note after a tough start. Sri Lanka haven't lost a Test Match at Lord's in 23 years.

Root became only the second Englishman to score a double hundred against Sri Lanka after Jonathan Trott and helped the hosts to their highest score against the Sri Lankans surpassing their 551 for six declared made in 2006.

Resuming from the overnight score of 344 for five, Root extended the partnership with wicketkeeper Matt Prior to 170 runs, also a record for England against Sri Lanka for the sixth wicket.

The one dimensional Sri Lankan attack struggled on good batting conditions as England scored at a healthy rate on day two.

Seamer Shaminda Eranga threatened to help Sri Lanka regain the initiative when he bowled a good spell in the morning session where he had two wickets in quick succession.

Bowling with a leg slip and a short leg in place, Eranga bowled short and had Prior caught at short leg by Kaushal Silva for 86 and another short ball accounted for Jordan.

But overall he was erratic giving away too many loose balls down the leg side and finished with three for 163 in 30 overs.

Stuart Broad made 47 off 38 deliveries with nine fours and added 64 runs for the eighth wicket with Root.

Nuwan Pradeep claimed his wicket and two balls later should have had Liam Plunkett, but the chance was put down by Eranga at midwicket.

That proved costly as the ninth wicket stand between Plunkett, playing his first Test in seven years and Root produced 81 runs and more importantly got Root closer to the double hundred.

Anderson, in with Root 19 runs shy of a double century, showed his confidence by getting off the mark with a reverse-swept four off Herath.

Root's lapped two off the spinner then took him to a double century in just over five hours off 298 balls with 16 fours.

Ton-up Root turns Sri Lanka tide

England, after losing the toss, were 344 for five at stumps on the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's.

Joe Root celebrates getting 100 runs at Lord's.

Scorecard | Action in Images | Warne tells Cook to stop being 'boring'

LONDON: Joe Root's second hundred in as many Lord's Tests was thecornerstone of England's recovery on the first day of their series opener withSri Lanka on Thursday.

Root's 102 not out helped take England to 344 for five atstumps on the first day of the first Test after they'd been struggling at 74for three when the 23-year-old Yorkshireman walked out to bat.

Root, who made a Test-best 180 against Australia atLord's last year, was well supported by Matt Prior (76 not out) in a so-farunbroken sixth-wicket stand of 135.

However, recalled wicketkeeper Prior was fortunate not beout for a second-ball duck before completing just his second 50 in 21 Testinnings.

Moeen Ali (48), one of three debutants in a new-lookEngland side following their 5-0 Ashes drubbing in Australia, had previouslyhelped Root steady the ship during a fifth-wicket stand of 89.

"It's a very slow wicket and hard to time when theball goes softer," Root told Sky Sports. "It was a day when you hadto scrap.

"There's nothing that beats Test cricket and thechallenge of scoring runs in the first Test of the summer after the winter wehad was something that I relished."

Root, criticised for not playing forward enough inAustralia, added: "Getting forward is something that I'm working on andwant to develop. I worked hard on that today."

Things initially went well for Sri Lanka after captainAngelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field.

Although sunny blue skies above suggested ideal battingconditions, the pitch was a greener-looking one than usually associated withLord's at this time of year.

Early double strike

Mathews's decision yielded a quick reward as England lostboth their openers inside the first half hour.

Australia-born Sam Robson, one of England's newcomersalong with Ali and all-rounder Chris Jordan, fell for one on his Middlesex homeground when drawn forward into edging a full-length Nuwan Pradeep delivery thatwas well caught by diving wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

And 14 for one became 22 for two when England captainAlastair Cook, who in this match became only the fourth man after India's SunilGavaskar and the Australian duo of Allan Border and Mark Waugh to play 100consecutive Tests, exited for 17 when he edged an intended cut off Nuwan Kulasekarainto his stumps.

Ian Bell, the only other experienced batsman in arevamped top order, eased first-change Shaminda Eranga through the covers forfour.

Gary Ballance looked less assured and the Zimbabwe-bornleft-hander's innings ended when he was caught behind off Pradeep for 23.

England had struggled to 98 for three at lunch but Bellwas unbeaten on 41 and looking in excellent touch in his 99th Test.

Shortly after lunch, he drove left-arm spinner RanganaHerath for six to go to a 69-ball 50.

But he was out soon afterwards when, hitting across theline, he was lbw to Eranga although Sri Lanka had to first challenge Australianumpire Paul Reiffel's original not out decision .

Ali began cautiously but the left-hander and Root wereboth unbeaten on 43 at tea.

Root subsequently completed his fifty but Ali fell justshort when he drove loosely at Herath and was caught by Mahela Jayawardene atslip.

Prior, dropped during the Ashes, had still to score onThursday when struck on the back leg by Herath.

Sri Lanka appealed for lbw but Reiffel ruled in thebatsman's favour and, despite a review, the 'umpire's call' stood after replaysindicated the ball, which would have hit the stumps, had pitched fractionallyoutside off stump.

Meanwhile, the initially watchful Root cut andcover-drove Eranga for two well-struck boundaries.

Prior, who marked his Test debut with a hundred at Lord'sagainst the West Indies in 2007, reached 50 when he cover-drove Pradeep,bowling with the new ball, for his seventh four.

Root, obliged to be more vigilant, drove Kulasekara downthe ground for just his eighth boundary to go to 96 before then reaching histhird hundred in 16 Tests off 183 balls with three off Herath.