England fans give Murali hard time

The way Trescothick and Vaughan launched the reply on a still benign pitch briefly suggested otherwise. But after 89 runs had been spanked from 17 overs, Murali struck and, by close of play England were hanging on at 163 for four, with Graham Thorpe and Paul Collingwood trying to rebuild. Trescothick was undone by the wrong 'un, which turned into the left-hander - instead of away - brushed an inside edge and then sped off pad to silly point where Tillekaratne Dilshan held a diving, one-handed catch.

Mark Butcher lasted only 10 minutes, stumped in every way by Kumar Dharmasena's bounce and turn after going down the pitch.

It was Vaughan's exit, though, that really rocked England.

Their captain had played beautifully while scoring 52 from 77 deliveries.

But another of Murali's magic balls did for him, with the help of a smart slip catch by Mahela Jayawardene.

When Nasser Hussain was pinned in front of off stump by Chaminda Vaas's in-swing next over, England were 119 for four and even the follow-on figure of 183 looked distant.

How different it might have appeared but for Sri Lanka's last two wickets adding 104 runs today.

Vaughan got away with fielding a four-man attack yesterday.

But today, despite seeing Andrew Flintoff remove Hashan Tillekeratne via a mis-hook to long leg with just a single added, England could not close out the innings until after lunch.

Instead, Dharmasena and Dinusha Fernando put together a highly damaging stand of 76 before Giles earned an leg before decision during the afternoon's second over.

But Fernando, playing only his second Test, still went on to complete an unbeaten 100-ball half-century while Murali The Menace slogged his way to 19 before becoming Giles's fifth victim in peculiar circumstances.

Murali failed to make contact with an attempted cut and a bail ended on the ground. Umpire Daryl Harper trotted in from square leg to replace it and the game seemed set to continue, presumably because it was thought the ball had rebounded off wicketkeeper Chris Read's gloves.

When England supporters in the main stand saw from a television replay that Murali had in fact been bowled they shouted out in protest and, whether or not by coincidence, the TV umpire was quickly called in to deliver the correct verdict.