Sri Lanka build impressive lead on 3rd day at Trentbridge

Trent Bridge—Steady as she goes was the Sri Lankan method on the third day at Trent Bridge and it proved mighty effective as they took a firm grip on the deciding Test. Kumar Sangakkara struck the first half-century of the match and Charama Kapugedera the first of his international career as the lead grew steadily. It was by no means one-way traffic, as Monty Panesar claimed three wickets, but the blows did not come quickly enough for England's liking.
Before play the Sri Lankan camp had spoken of wanting a minimum target of 250 to defend before unleashing Muttiah Muralitharan. There was one of two ways they could reach that mark; an innings of individual brilliance or a team effort. They took the latter route. Sangakkara sparkled in typical style, Mahela Jayawardene fought hard and Kapugedera produced a superbly mature innings at a vital time.
Crucially, Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga did not allow England the boost of an early wicket and ensured that they nullified the threat posed by Matthew Hoggard. Sangakkara showed the class which has been evident each time he's come to the crease and his driving off front and back foot was imperious as he notched his second fifty of the series from 108 balls. When Panesar was introduced as first change Tharanga used his feet, determined not to let him settle, punching him through the offside for a boundary then handsomely lofting a straight six.
But Panesar had his revenge three balls later when he returned to over the wicket and got a delivery to bounce as Tharanga went at it with hard hands. Worryingly for England, Panesar found turn not just from the footmarks but also from the unscuffed parts of the pitch. Sangakkara continued with his positive intent but again failed to convert an elegant innings into a substantial century. Andrew Flintoff put in another wholehearted display, despite carrying a problem with his ankle, shifting Sangakkara with one that slanted across and was taken at slip with a little bit of a wobble.
Sri Lanka then adjusted their order, moving Jayasuriya up one place to number No. 5, which kept the right-left combination at the crease. He creamed his first ball to the cover boundary but didn't last much longer. Facing his first delivery from Panesar, Jayasuriya went for a sweep and Darrell Hair decided he'd been hit on offstump. Pansear continued to impress with a probing spell, varying his pace and flight to stop the bastmen settling.
With this brief attack of the jitters, Jayawardene realised the pressure that was on his shoulders. He'd taken to play himself in, edging one short of third slip and then flashing a square cut past Paul Collingwood at backward point, who didn't pick up the ball. Tillakaratne Dilshan showed his quick footwork and along with Jayawardene continued to eke Sri Lanka forward, leaving Flintoff searching for inspiration. He turned to Liam Plunkett, who had bowled just two overs before the call from his captain, and it did the trick for England as Jayawardene relaxed and played airy drive which left him disgusted. His frustration spilled over and he knocked out a stump with his bat as he headed off.—Agencies