Cook and Trott keep England in control

Alastair Cook, six runs short of a century, was the only England batsman to fall as Sri Lanka struggled to fight back on the third morning at the P Sara Oval. It was Tillakaratne Dilshan who did the trick and the fact that Sri Lanka's back-up spinner was bowling with the new ball less than five overs old told the extent of their problems.

Dilshan found modest turn to have Cook caught by Mahela Jayawardene at slip and he was the only bowler to pose much threat as England, 154 for 1 overnight, collected another 85 runs in the morning session. At lunch, Jonathan Trott was 62 not out, a picture of tranquillity as he had been during his Test hundred in a losing cause in Galle. It was a session of untold riches in what has been a largely attritional contest.

England trailed by 121 with nine wickets remaining at the start of the third day and Sri Lanka's need was for at least some breakthrough before the second new ball, still 14 overs away. They did not achieve it and instead wasted both their umpiring reviews in consecutive overs as Jayawardene, normally so composed, succumbed to desperation.

Sri Lanka's unsuccessful challenges came during the last two overs before the new ball was available. Cook had 84, but it was still a surprise to see him dust off a reverse sweep, especially as he had eschewed the conventional sweep throughout his innings. The ball deflected off the pad to Jayawardene at leg slip, umpire Asad Rauf showed no interest, and despite innumerable replays the third umpire could discern no sign of a flick of the glove for which Sri Lanka's captain had appealed.

For Sri Lanka to follow up with a review when Suraj Randiv's appeal was refused for leg before against Trott, on 42, was more wasteful. Replays showed an obvious inside edge. Trott communicated this to the umpire with a subtle quizzical look and a peaceful examination of his inside edge, his alibis presented as peacefully as his strokeplay.

There was early encouragement for Sri Lanka - a grubber from Dhammika Prasad that suggested the pitch might reveal its crabbier side; a hint of turn and bounce for Randiv, but England's batsman played with as much authority as at any time in their Asian winter, Trott having the confidence to beat Jaywardene's packed leg side fields by reverse sweeping for four.

When Sri Lanka got the new ball, taken immediately at 193 for 1, they did not like it and soon succeeded in having it changed. They would have been better changing their opening attack - neither new-ball bowler found any purchase from the pitch. The next ball from Suranga Lakmal was an inviting half volley that Cook drove to the extra cover boundary.

Dilshan was also refused an impassioned appeal against Trott, rushing down the pitch on the assumption that there had been an inside edge to short leg. Again umpire Rauf turned it down and again replays vindicated him. When Dilshan did find the inside edge onto pad, the ball flew over Lahiru Thirimanne at short leg.

Nothing was going right for Sri Lanka. Appeal began to follow appeal, each one of them increasingly absurd. Sri Lanka entered lunch with one more wicket and an urge to study TV replays that would have only brought more disappointment.

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