da supremo： Andrew Miller provides the plays of the fifth and final day between Sri Lanka and England at Kandy
Andrew Miller in Kandy05-Dec-2007
Ian Bell batted like a champion…before falling to Muttiah Muralitharan’s new weapon, the non-spinning offbreak © Getty Images
Innings of the day
For the second time in the match, Ian Bell looked a million dollarsfor as long as he was in the middle. But, once again, he let his poiseslip at the critical juncture of the innings. While he and Matt Priorwere in harness, adding 109 for the seventh wicket, England’s survivalseemed assured. But then he fell with his century in sight, beaten -much like Paul Collingwood in the first innings – by Murali’s deviousnew-ball weapon, the non-spinning offbreak.Ball of the day
It didn’t take a wicket, but if any delivery was designed to put theheebie-jeebies into England’s batsmen, it was the one that LasithMalinga sent down to James Anderson in the very first over of themorning. Outside off stump, it exploded through the top of the pitch,took off like a jump jet, and fizzed past Anderson’s flinchingdefences and all the way for four byes. Malinga’s grin brought to mindthe look on Curtly Ambrose’s face after a similarly trampoline-likedelivery at Edgbaston in 1995. And for the rest of the season, Englandbatted as if they were on a minefield.Bowler of the day
Chaminda Vaas has been a largely peripheral figure in his 100th Testmatch. The combined efforts and announcements of Muttiah Muralitharan,Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya have squeezed his milestone tothe margins for the last four days. But in the opening salvoes ofEngland’s second innings, he was unstoppable. Three cheap wickets,including both openers and the nightwatchman, James Anderson, pavedthe way for the main man to work his magic. Extraordinarily, Muraliwas then made to wait until his 32nd over for a breakthrough. Thoughhe made amends quickly enough.
When the sheets hit the fans © Andrew Miller
Distraction of the day
England did their damnedest to string out the final overs, withglove-changes, runners and medical attention all eating up preciousminutes, not to mention some of the slowest coming-and-goings from thewicket since Inzamam-ul-Haq made his last lugubrious trudge to thepavilion. One break in play wasn’t quite so opportune, however. Soonafter the new ball had been taken, onto the pitch trotted a dog, whopromptly decided to curl up and go to sleep at long-on, before MahelaJayawardene chased it off the park to resounding boos. The wastedminutes were no compensation for what happened next, however. Backcame Murali, and out went Bell.Howler of the day
Asad Rauf’s lbw decision against Ryan Sidebottom in the closing oversof the game. Unfortunately it was a shocker, cannoning off a biginside-edge before rapping the pads in front of middle-and-off. Intruth it probably would not have made too much difference to England -the breach in their batting had been made and Murali by this stage wasswarming like the bees that held up play on day four. But Sidebottomhad shown in his first-innings stickability an appetite for the fightthat few had credited him with. Another 20 minutes with him in themiddle could conceivably have made a difference. But then again, SriLanka need only mention Sangakkara’s saw-off in Hobart last month.What comes around goes around in cricket.Incident of the day
English wickets weren’t the only things that went tumbling in thefirst hour of play. Midway through the 15th over of the innings, KevinPietersen had to pull away from his stance after an almighty clatterin the stands behind him. A gust of wind had ripped three panels ofcorrugated iron off the roof of the special enclosure at theHunnasgiriya End of the ground, injuring four supporters and causing ahasty evacuation. It was a literal case of the sheets hitting thefans.