THIRD TEST, TRENT BRIDGE (day four):
Sri Lanka 231 & 322 beat England 229 & 190 by 134 runs
Muralitharan celebrates another wicket |
Muttiah Muralitharan took 8-70 as Sri Lanka thrashed England at Trent Bridge to claim a share of the Test series.
England were bowled out for just 190 on the fourth day, losing by 134 runs.
Muralitharan took the first seven wickets but when Matthew Hoggard was run out, the spinner's ambitions of his maiden Test "10-for" were at an end.
Sri Lanka had set England a formidable 325 to win, but the home side collapsed from 84-0, with Andrew Strauss' 55 the only major contribution.
It was only Sri Lanka's second Test win in England and their first since 1998.
On that occasion, Muralitharan, in the early stages of his glittering career, had taken 9-65 on a similarly dry surface at The Oval.
This triumph mean the three-match series finished 1-1 following the draw at Lord's and England's six-wicket win at Edgbaston.
If England had won, it would have been their biggest successful run chase in the fourth innings since a 1928-29 Test in Melbourne.
But in reality, it was all set up for Muralitharan, and once he had his first wicket, there was no stopping him.
Inconsistency of bounce drained England's batsmen of any confidence and the close-in fielders waited for inevitable chances.
When England began their run chase, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene waited just half an hour before introducing Muralitharan.
Before Trescothick was out, there was still hope for England |
Strauss hit a confident square cut off the spinner 10 minutes before lunch as the home team's fans hoped for something memorable.
And England continued to make smooth progress after lunch - there was a flurry of boundaries scored through the off-side off Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya.
But as soon as Trescothick was bowled off-stump by Muralitharan for 31 - playing back to a good-length ball - the brilliant off-spinner proceeded to wreak havoc.
Alastair Cook was lbw to the 'doosra', Strauss was caught at slip via a fumble by the wicket-keeper and Kevin Pietersen was ajudged to have gloved to Tillakaratne Dilshan at short leg.
When Andrew Flintoff was out for a duck, completing a disastrous series with the bat by giving Dilshan another catch, England were in free-fall.
Paul Collingwood was the sixth man to go, dismissed in the most unfortunate of ways when a forcing shot bounced off his own boot to be caught by a diving Dilshan.
After tea, the only question was whether Muralitharan, who had all six wickets in a score of 125-6, could make it 10 out of 10.
He got the seventh by bowling Geraint Jones but then came Chamara Kapugedera's direct hit and the magic "10-for", only twice achieved in Test cricket, was no longer on.
Muralitharan had not finished. He trapped Jon Lewis lbw and looked set for his best-ever figures before Monty Panesar unexpectedly hit two fours in one of his overs.
Panesar and Liam Plunkett ended up by adding 37for the last wicket, and that included a tremendous six off Muralitharan which elicited the biggest cheer of the day from the fans.
The day had begun with Sri Lanka on 286-7, already leading by 288.
Kapugedera fell in the first over of the day, attempting to fend off a ball from Plunkett.
The teenager, on 50, only succeeded in hitting Cook at short-leg, the Essex youngster grabbing the ball at the second attempt after it had ricocheted upwards off his right knee.
New batsman Malinga dispatched three half-volleys to the boundary off Hoggard as he shared a ninth-wicket stand of 33 with Chaminda Vaas.
But when Panesar was introduced into the attack he quickly took the two wickets he needed to claim 5-78, his first five-for in Tests.
Malinga was bowled around his legs in Panesar's first over, before Muralitharan was caught at long-off attempting to hit the spinner for a straight six.
