Friday 30th March, 2012

It was England’s fourth straight loss in Tests fol- Rex Clementine SCOREBOARD reporting from Galle lowing their 3-0 whitewash against Pakistan and defeat or draw in Colombo would mean that they 1st Innings 318 all out he whole of Sri Lanka rejoiced at the arrival will lose their number one ranking to South Africa. England 1st Innings 193 all out of a new hero in the post Muttiah An 81 run stand between Jonathan Trott and Sri Lanka 2nd Innings 214 all out TMuralitharan era as left-arm spinner Matt Prior brought England back into the game England 2nd Innings (Overnight 111/2) spun them to a sensational 75 run after they lost two in the morning session, A. Strauss ct Dilshan b Herath 27 A. Cook ct P.J’dene b Herath 14 win over world champions England in the first Test where Herath put down a return catch off Trott with the batsman on 62. J. Trott ct Dilshanb Randiv 112 of the two match series here at the Galle K. Pietersen ct M. J’dene b Randiv 30 International Stadium yesterday. The post lunch session proved to be decisive with England making impressive progress. History I. Bell lbw b Herath 13 It was Sri Lanka’s first Test win over England in M. Prior ct Thirimanne b Herath 41 of course was against them as the highest England five years and the first victory at this venue against S. Patel ct Dilshan b Herath 09 them in more than a decade as the Tests played here run chase to win a Test Match was 332 way back in S. Broad 05 in 2003 and 2007 ended in draws. 1928 at the MCG. G. Swann lbw b Herath 01 Herath backed up his superb first innings per- There were some worried Sri Lankan faces in J. Anderson ct P. J’dene b Randiv 05 formance with another six haul in the sec- Galle yesterday afternoon and as the last option cap- M. Panesar ct Dilshan b Randiv 00 ond innings and was well backed up by off-spinner tain took the second new ball Extras: (lb 6, w 1) 07 as the spinners took all ten wickets to and Herath was entrusted to do the job as he could Total: all out 264 Overs: 99 fall in England’s second innings. purchase more bounce from the new ball. After a couple of overs he changed ends and Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-48, 3-118, 4-152, 5-233, 6- Sri Lankan bowler Rangana Herath, right, celebrates the It was felt that Herath had to play a big role if 252, 7-256, 7-259, 8-259, 9-264. Sri Lanka were to win here but the spinners weren’t bowled from Dutch Fort End and tasted success dismissal of England’s Graeme Swann, unseen, during when Prior turned one straight to forward short leg : Welagedara 13-2-40-0, Lakmal 10-5-22- as threatening as they were in the first three days as 0, Herath 38-9-97-6, Dilshan 12-1-25-0, Randiv 26- the fourth day of the first Test match between to end a 107 minute stubborn resistance that had the wicket was slow. But Herath’s greatest strength 2-74-4 (w1). England and Sri Lanka in Galle, south of Colombo, Sri yielded 81 very useful runs. is his perseverance and he reaped rich rewards end- Toss: SL Lanka,Thursday, March 29, 2012. (AP) ing with a career best 12 for 171, the first time he England still kept fighting and with 20 minutes Result: SL won by 75 runs has taken a match bag of ten wickets. His effort is to go for tea required 88 runs with five wickets in Man of the Match: Rangana Herath (SL) also the seventh best bowling analysis by a Sri hand and that passage of play before tea gave Sri Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and R. Tucker (Aus) him 112 runs off 266 balls with the help of ten fours. Lankan in . Lanka the edge as they picked up three wickets. Third Umpire: B. Oxenford (Aus) It was his seventh Test hundred and the first in sub- Match Referee: J. Srinath (Ind) continent. Herath dismissed Graeme Swann in the penulti- T.M. Dilshan took a sharp catch at covers in the sec- mate ball before tea and it took Sri Lanka just seven ond attempt to dismiss Samit Patel and give Herath balls after tea to take the next two wickets as his fifth wicket. But the biggest blow came when Randiv struck in successive deliveries to end with Suraj Randiv continuously bowling to a leg-side four wickets to his name. field and with limited success had Trott once again Herath was named Man of the Match. It was Sri brilliantly caught by Dilshan at leg slip. His fighting Lanka’s first Test win at home since August 2010 in knock that lasted for five and half hours brought Muralitharan’s last Test. This is my best moment in cricket – Herath Twelve months ago, there were 12 wickets and winning against debates whether Sri Lanka should the number one team. This is look for a younger spinner to bank my best achievement so far,” he on as Rangana Herath was 33- told journalists yesterday. years-old and the team probably Apart from changing ends, wasn’t getting desired results from Herath bowled unchanged in him. But since then he has come a yesterday’s afternoon session long way having bowled Sri Lanka where Sri Lanka took four to a famous Test win in Durban, wickets, three of them by Sri Lanka’s first in that country Herath. “I have bowled long Rangana Herath (AP) and yesterday he finished with 12 spells in domestic cricket and wickets to give the team their first in most of the Test matches Test win at home since the retire- and I am sort of used to it. I present, he said that it added no ment of great Muttiah have that experience of bowling additional pressure on him. “It’s Muralitharan. longer spells,” he said. not a burden being a successor to Herath called this his greatest Although both Tillekeratne Murali. Although I have taken the achievement in Test cricket, above Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene mantle from him I can do only the nine wicket haul he took in have said that Herath is Sri what I am capable of.” Durban. “It’s a great feeling taking Lanka’s number one bowler at RC Mahela thrilled with win against number one team Rex Clementine important thing,” Jayawardene, many runs away as we had a reporting from Galle who was leading the team in his comfort zone. Once we got the first Test since taking over the new ball we knew we will create Yesterday marked only the captaincy,said. more opportunities and that’s second instance where Sri Lanka The hosts had to work hard as what we did. There were a cou- had beaten a number one ranked the wicket had got slower by day ple of really good catches to turn team in the world with the previ- four and the spinners weren’t get- things around for us and the ous instance being when they ting the same assistance they did bowlers took over,” Jayawardene beat India in 2010 also at this on the first three days. There added. ground in Muttiah were some who were worried Left-arm spinner Rangana Muralitharan’s last Test Match. thinking that the game was Herath was named Man of the Mahela Jayawardene going away from Sri Lanka as Match for his career best 12 for was extremely pleased with the England required 88 runs with 171. “Herath is the most experi- effort to win the Test by 75 runs five wickets in hand with 20 min- enced bowler I have right now. where he contributed heavily utes to go for tea. He’s taken responsibility not having scored 180 runs in the first “The English batting line up just here, but away from home innings. “It was a good challenge is top class and they were going as well when he bowled us to vic- for us before this series to go to come hard at us. They had a tory in Durban. He is showing a against the number one team and few partnerships and we had to lot of class and today he was we knew we had to work really wait patiently.Especially after 60 very patient. We knew we had to hard to get a result from them. overs the ball got really soft and be patient as Rangana kept it We are quite happy with that and there wasn’t much for the going. It was a long spell for him it gives us an idea where we are bowlers with the slowness of the and he kept on chipping in and right now. It’s a good start for us wicket, so we just had to wait till picked up crucial wickets for us and we need to try and maintain we got to the second new ball. and finished it off.” this. Consistency is the most We played without giving too More sport on pages 11,13 and 14

Friday 30th March, 2012