da bet vitoria： Andrew Miller provides the plays of the day from the third day between Sri Lanka and England in Colombo
Andrew Miller in Colombo11-Dec-2007
Mahela Jayawardene would be happy to take the SSC around with him as his impressive record continued © Getty Images
Shot of the day
Mahela Jayawardene rather likes batting at the SSC (see below). Hisinnings today was both chanceless and remorseless, as he set his sideup for a stab at their third consecutive Test victory over England.He’s played here long enough to know that the runs will come withoutforcing the issue, but on 146, he decided to have a dart anyway. Twosteps down the track and an elegant swat sent Monty Panesar sailingonto the grass bank at long-off.Ball of the day
There wasn’t a lot of encouragement for England’s bowlers, but KevinPietersen – of all people – found something to write home about in animprobably probing spell of offspin from the South End. Using hisheight well, he extracted both turn and bounce and in the 78th over,he beat Michael Vandort with a sizzler that bit the rough outside theleft-hander’s leg stump and fizzed past the edge for Matt Prior togather well at chest height. Today’s encouragement will be tomorrow’sforeboding, however. Muttiah Muralitharan will have noted thatexplosive spot on the pitch.Snarl of the day
Ryan Sidebottom’s new-ball exploits have been the most cheering aspectof England’s bowling effort. He bagged two early scalps at the startof the innings, then returned 80 hot and sweaty overs later to dismissMichael Vandort with a full and swinging delivery. His best deliveryof the innings, however, was reserved for the incoming Chamara Silva,whom he beat with a beauty that jagged back late outside off stump.The follow-up was not quite such a beauty however. Sidebottom stroppeddown the pitch, his face contorted and hair all over the shop, togrowl a few words of welcome. He does a very good impression of ParisHilton’s lapdog.Dismissal of the day
It came late in the day – too late, realistically, to preserve England’s prospects of victory in this Test, but it was hugely deserved nonetheless. Steve Harmison has bowled far, far worse than this and gained more rewards. The pitch offered him nothing but he never strayed from his line, and with the shadows starting to creep he did for Chamara Silva with a classic Harmy-style delivery. Short, brutish and rising in spite of the sluggish pitch, it took the shoulder and looped to Ravi Bopara in the gully. The stats don’t suggest it, but for this match at least, he’s back in the groove.Crowd/umpire banter of the day
The Barmy Army were in fine voice in the afternoon session, as theyoften are when the cricket starts to drift. Towards the end of theday, they unfurled their version of The Twelve Days of Christmas,including the verses: “Five days in Galle (we hope!), Four more run,three leg byes, two cheating umpires and a win at the SSC.” DarylHarper, at square leg, couldn’t help but react to that penultimateline, and turned and shrugged each time the verse came round. It wasall done in good humour though, with plenty mutual appreciation at the end.Stats of the day
During his run-spree at Kandy last week, Kumar Sangakkara suggestedthat a tally of 20 Test centuries was the mark of a great batsman. Inthat case, his friend and captain, Mahela Jayawardene, has justentered the pantheon. Not only did he notch up his score of hundreds,but he also broke a host of records along the way. On 111 he passedSanath Jayasuriya’s Sri Lanka Test record of 6973 runs, on 137 hebroke the 7000 barrier, and when he notched up his 150, he surpassedGraham Gooch’s long-standing record as the highest run-scorer on asingle Test ground. Gooch made 2015 runs in his 21 visits to Lord’s.Mahela has 2034 and counting in 19 games at the SSC.