England v Sri Lanka - day two as it happened

Preamble Morning. Back in the day, batting first and scoring 400 in a Test almost granted immunity from defeat; and, while that changed when scoring rates increased so dramatically around the turn of the century (there are 36 examples of a side batting first, scoring 400 and losing, and 23 of those have come since 1998 ), it still gives you a platform from which you shouldn't lose. For England, 400 was once an almost unattainable fantasy, like 20 wickets, staying in the game against Australia beyond lunch on the first day, or finding a bar in London that sells very, very, very cold bottles of Quilmes. These days they reach 400 almost as a matter of course. They will resume on 342 for six at Lord's this morning; if they get another 58 runs, they will have reached 400 for the fourth consecutive innings. [Statgasm] Only once before have England done that, back in 2003, and that was aided by a couple of gimmes against a poor Zimbabwe side [/Statgasm]. Who knew being an English cricket fan could be so nice ? Ah, the Saturday of the Lord's Test . So much to answer for So many happy memories. The No10 Geoff Bloody Lawson flogging 74 in 1989 ; Shane Bloody Warne and Tim Bloody May skittling England in 1993 ; South Africa chugging towards a lead of 17 million in 1994 ; South Africa chugging towards a lead of 17 million in 2003 ; England dropping 17 million catches in 2005. But seriously – because sometimes the laughter has to stop – it is a great day in the cricket calendar, and they have been so many wonderful moments. A few favourites include Darren Gough's headbanging catch to dismiss Keith Arthurton in 1995 ; the terrifying run-chase against the West Indies in 2000 (how different might the Duncan Fletcher era have been without that cameo from Dominic Cork?); the thrilling strangulation of India's galacticos on a flat deck in 2002 ; and, last and undeniably least, Gus Fraser's 67-ball 10 to help England avoid the follow-on against New Zealand in 1994 . An email from Andrew Stroud "Looking back on yesterday's highlights, it strikes me that had KP got out in the manner that Cook did on 96, then the papers & the commentary would have been full of the usual opprobrium for KP that we have seen when he has got himself out in such a manner before. I bet he'd give his eye teeth to be in a position to get that sort of criticism again! I'm no apologist for KP, but I do feel a bit sorry for him at the moment – I think he was harshly treated over the captaincy when he only did what they asked of him anyway, and doesn't seem to have fully recovered his mojo since. Maybe it's fatherhood, being happily married, I don't know. More than any player in the team, he does seem to need the love and adoration of the crowd, something he isn't getting at the moment because he isn't doing enough to deserve it. Would he benefit from a spell back at Surrey, flaying 2nd division bowlers to all parts? After all, being dropped didn't do Bell or Strauss any harm. Tough call, because it's only Twenty20 for a while now and there's no chance for him to get much first-class cricket in. Should any one player be undroppable anyway? Do you only drop players if the replacement would strengthen the team? And who do you bring in - not sure I'd bring in Bopara, even if he is next in line, but Hildreth, Stokes, Taylor seem to have a lot of backing (not seen any of them bat so couldn't say). Any thoughts from yourself or other OBOers?" I don't think it's quite the crisis that is being suggested. Dropping him is a big risk; I think the potential damage to his ego is greater than the potential reward. Leave him it for now. Give him a lot of love, lots of man-hugs, and review it after the first two India Tests. One thing I'd consider is asking him if he'd like to drop back to No5, with Ian Bell moving up to No4. I suspect he would be receptive to that. 89th over: England 351-6 (Prior 74, Broad 25) Chanaka Welegedera opens the bowling, and his first delivery is a good one that angles past the outside edge of the groping Prior. He takes a single to midwicket next ball, and then Broad squirts an edge along the ground and past backward point for four. Two balls later Broad gets another boundary with a storming drive over extra cover. A fine start for England; nine from the over. "A question for you," says Chris Wright. "Who, at this moment, would you most like to score a century for England during this Test match? Prior, of course, might be about to do so, but assuming we get a full second innings in, who do you want it to be? Do you go with those who clearly need a century (chiefly Pietersen, arguably Strauss), or are you instead more inspired by those you want to see continuing in extraordinary form (Cook, Trott, possibly Bell)? Do you want a century to settle the new guy (Morgan) or something more maverick and unexpected (Swann)? You can pick one…" Morgan, because I have a mild obsession with him. But from a team point of view, Pietersen, definitely. 90th over: England 354-6 (Prior 76, Broad 26) Suranga Lakmal, who was probably Sri Lanka's best bowler yesterday, starts at the Gin & Tonic End. Prior tucks him off the pads for a single to bring up a splendid fifty partnership, from only 49 balls. It's been textbook lower-middle order batting. "If Pietersen hasn't improved sufficiently by the time we're halfway through the India series, we should drop him for a while, but take the chance to experiment with the extra bowler, everyone below three moving up one," says John Starbuck. "After all, it's easier to train up bowlers to become better batsmen than the reverse." Personally I wouldn't do that; we'll need every run we can get against India, even though the lack of a fifth bowler is a slight concern. And this line-up, as we said yesterday, has perhaps the most intimidating group of batsmen from Nos 6-9 that England have ever had. I'd don't think England should compromise that strength cover a weakness. 91st over: England 357-6 (Prior 78, Broad 27) There has been a bit of swing for Sri Lanka – this ball is only 11 overs old – but not enough to worry England. It looks a very good day for batting, and England are nudging singles very comfortably. "The problem for KP will come when England decide that they need ten overs bowling from a batsman," says Gary Naylor. "A four-man attack is clearly the way to go, but, without Colly's cutters, there isn't anyone to break a partnership or give the seamers a rest. Ravi can do that, but Ben Stokes may be the coming man for that role. And the batsman to make way has to be KP." Well, if it were to happen now it might have to be KP (although I still think he is ahead of Morgan), but everything could have changed by Tuesday, never mind in a few Tests' time. It's a shame James Taylor doesn't bowl, as he should be the next cab off the rank in my always humble one. 92nd over: England 368-6 (Prior 81, Broad 35) Lakmal strays onto the pads and is timed nicely through midwicket for two by Prior. England are cruising, and Broad takes consecutive boundaries with a help round the corner and a withering pull stroke. He gave that some serious humpty. Broad has been perky in this innings, particularly for a man who faced only one ball in Test cricket between September 2010 and May 2011. Mind you, he has always liked batting at Lord's . "Re: KP, am I the only one who fears if he was dropped from the Test side he'd just say sod it, pack it all in and coast to early retirement and live off sporadic IPL performances and his wife's excellent music career?" says Keith Allman. "He certainly hasn't responded well to being marginalised before." I don't think he'd go that far, but I do think his fragile confidence needs to be managed very carefu HANG ON DID YOU SAY EXCELLENT MUSIC CAREER? 93rd over: England 373-6 (Prior 83, Broad 38) Broad leans into a huge drive at Welegedara. "Och, what a shot" coos Smyth. The ball flies straight up in the air but just clears mid on. That reminded me of the time Shahid Afridi smeared one straight up in the air. "That's a magnificent hit," said Bob Willis, before correcting himself a split-second later. "But it's been caught in the wind...." Five from the over. Sri Lanka are hemmorh... they're haemmor.. they're haemora- they're conceding a lot of runs. Is there a harder word to spell than haemorrhage? I have to look it up every time. "Who do I want to get a century the most?" wonders James Himsworth. "Pietersen definitely! Can you imagine the roar if he does…..and that would just be him!" 94th over: England 387-6 (Prior 94, Broad 41) Dumb luck for Lakmal, who bowls a beautiful over – and concedes 14. First he nips a jaffa back through the gate of Broad and just past the off stump. It kept a bit low too. Broad waves the next ball through extra cover for three and then Prior, pushing outside off stump, edges a good awayswinger between the Jayawardenes for four. Prasanna, the keeper, dived to his right but couldn't quite get there. The next ball is also edged for four, this time wide of second slip. It was another lovely outswinger, and Lakmal wears the rueful expression of a man who has just had all his Martika CDs nicked. "I'm on assignment photographing the women's world surfing tour in hossegor, France," Later on I've got to shoot the delightfully monickered Hawaiian star 'Coco Ho', but right now there's a break in proceedings; I'm looking out over the bay of biscay, a cold beer in my hand with OBO updating. Life is beautiful!" You lucky, lucky bast It's always lovely to hear that the OBO is being followed around the world. Keep the emails coming! 95th over: England 398-6 (Prior 95, Broad 50) Prior is dropped! This is getting silly. He has now edged three deliveries in a row. This one came when he had a big waft outside off stump at Welegedera. It flew to Jayawardene at second slip, and he put it down. He would take those 19 times out of 20 I reckon. Broad rubs it in next ball by clouting a full delivery in the air and back whence it came for four. Broad is really bullying Sri Lanka. He has a big drive at the next ball, and it screws just short of mid on and then through him before trickling into the fence. That's Broad's ninth boundary, and more importantly it takes him to a splendid 47-ball fifty. England have scored 56 in seven overs tomorrow. It's been exhilarating stuff. 96th over: England 410-6 (Prior 103, Broad 54) Prior has now edged four balls in a row. This is just weird. He tried to cut a ball from Lakmal that was too close for the shot, and it went right between keeper and slip (who is a bit wider than first slip), with both of them motionless. That takes Prior to 99, and he pushes the next ball to mid on to reach a wonderful hundred from 107 balls. He got through the nineties in bizarre fashion, but that shouldn't obscure how exceptionally he played until then. It's his fifth Test hundred and his second in a row. He is a gem of a player. Mind you, he is batting like a clown right now, and later in the over yet another edge, this one from a beautiful lifter, loops over the cordon for three more. That's five genuine edges in six balls from Prior. Lakmal has conceded 26 from his last two overs, and they have both been crackers. "I most want to see a century from Broad," says Sara Torvalds. "No, make that two centuries. Either a double now (and another for Prior), which would be awesome, but I'll settle for one now and another in the second innings. And a five-fer to boot. A serious comeback after his Ashes didn't turn out the way he'd have wished." WICKET! England 410-7 (Broad LBW b Welegedara 54) That's the end of a brilliant partnership. Broad plays all around a straight one from Welegedera, bat jammed behind the front pad, and is palpably LBW. He considered a review, but Prior rightly persuaded him otherwise. Broad walks off to a nice ovation, well deserved after a swashbuckling knock of 54 from 51 balls. He and Prior added 108 in only 15 overs. WICKET! England 414-8 (Swann c Paranavitana b Welegedara 4) Two wickets in an over for Welegedera. He went around the wicket to Swann, who pushed at a decent delivery outside off stump and edged it to Paranavitana in a wide slip position. "They've caught one!" chirps Bumble on Sky. 97th over: England 414-8 (Prior 103, Tremlett 0) This morning: nine overs, 72 runs, two wickets. Test cricket, eh. "About Quilmes being a special lager: being in Argentina, it is readily available in one-litre bottles for the equivalent about 80 pence, rather than the £3-4 I assume you are being rushed for at a popular supermarket chain," says Jon Allison. "Quilmes is effectively Carlsberg or Carling over here: it's everywhere, they sponsor music events, and many people don't like it. The microbreweries here are excellent though, some of them have ended up taking the commercial plunge and sell excellent stuff, like the beers made by 'Otro Mundo' and 'Patagonia'. Quilmes have brought out a new beer, Bajo Cero, which is smoother than the regular one. I'd recommend you get Jonathan Wilson to bring you some back with him next time he's in this neck of the woods, for the Copa America. Of course, the trade-off of being here is not being able to watch the cricket properly!" I'm not sure I actually like Quilmes that much; I just fell in love with the label when it was on some shirt or other in the Argentinian League in the early 1990s, which you could watch on Screensport, and now I feel obliged to drink it whenever I see it. That's quite weird, isn't it. 98th over: England 419-8 (Prior 105, Tremlett 3) Fernando replaces Lakmal, and Prior pushes him to deep point for a single. Tremlett gets off the mark with a two, to the disappointment of the Sky commentators: they had just pointed out that, of all current Test players, Tremlett has the highest percentage of his runs in threes. That is a magnificently diabolical statistic. Tremlett survives a pretty big LBW appeal later in the over when a yorker knocks him off his feet. It appeared to be sliding down, and replays show it actually hit the bat rather than the pad. Dilshan decided to review the decision , but it was not out. Billy Doctrove had given the resulting run as a leg-bye, but it was changed to runs as a result of the review. "Prior batted beautifully yesterday," says Martin Saville, "but he's had so much luck this morning I suspect he also has a drawer full of Olympic tickets, including four trackside for the men's 100m." And you should hear what Zooey Deschanel is saying about him. 99th over: England 420-8 (Prior 106, Tremlett 3) One from the over. Prior tends to bat fairly sedately with Nos 10 and 11, more Steve Waugh than Adam Gilchrist, as he showed at Trent Bridge last year . There is no sign yet that he is going to engage the long handle. "Greedy England fans," says Niall Mullen. "Not so long ago this OBO would be full of dire warnings about the myriad ways England could stuff it up from here. Now we're deciding which player we'd like to get a century the most. (It's KP for me, as a cricket fan I'd love to see him back on track.)" 100th over: England 421-8 (Prior 107, Tremlett 3) Prior takes a single off Fernando's third ball, and that's it. For the time being, the game is going nowhere. England might as well give it some humpty. "Ahhh, the old Nasser favourite of 'genuine edges'," says Jonny Sultoon. "Let us know when Prior 'pretend' edges it. Yours, P E Dant." It's a fair cop, but we do need some way to distinguish the big edges from those little soft-handed daisy-cutters. 101st over: England 431-8 (Prior 112, Tremlett 8) That's a fine stroke from Tremlett, a graceful cover drive for four. Good touch for a big man, and all that. Then there's more inept fielding from Sri Lanka. Tremlett took a dodgy single to backward point and was miles short of the crease when the bowler Welegedera failed to gather the throw. That would have looked shoddy in 1964, never mind by 21st-century fielding standards. The single gets Prior back on stroke, and he pings a low full toss splendidly through point for four. "I have always been amazed by the international reach of the OBO and am hoping that someone can help me," says Jame Hammond. "I am in Asmara, Eritrea and have a day to kill. I would love to find a nice bar where I can sip macchiato all day and watch the cricket. Anyone out there with any tips?" 102nd over: England 435-8 (Prior 112, Tremlett 12) Tremlett survives a huge LBW shout from the returning Lakmal. It was very adjacent but there was a palpable inside edge. Tremlett then plays another pleasant cover drive for four. "Is being 'palpably LBW' a tautology, similar to 'palpably playing-on' and in contrast to the oxymoron of being 'palpably clean bowled'?" asks David Wall. I was going to say, 'It's Pedants' Corner today', but I'm paranoid about putting the apostrophe in the wrong place. Life lessons No1: if you don't say anything you can't cock up. 103rd over: England 445-8 (Prior 120, Tremlett 13) Prior plays a brilliant and unorthodox shot, slamming a full delivery from Welegedara through midwicket for four. He has definitely slipped into death-hitting mode now, and he hooks the last ball just short of fine leg. "You say we shouldn't weaken the lower middle order, but what if it was Bresnan who was introduced?" says Tom Bason. "A top/middle order of Cook, Strauss, Trott, Bell, Morgan, Prior with Bresnan, Swann and Broad, followed by Tremlett and Anderson. We would still bat down to No 9, with a five-man attack." True, but there's a huge difference between Prior at No7 and Bresnan or Broad. I understand the argument but I'd definitely stick to four bowlers in England, Australasia and Africa. It'll be different when they have to play two spinners on the subcontinent. 104th over: England 448-8 (Prior 122, Tremlett 14) Matt Prior's average has sneaked above 45 in this innings, which puts him third on the all-time list of wicketkeeper/batsmen . You will recognise the two gentlemen above him. "I'm with Jonny Sultoon," says Brad McMillan. "Why not just call it a big edge like you just did, Rob?" But doesn't that imply a really big shot, a windy woof and the ball racing off the edge? A genuine edge can be from a gentle push as well. What's a cricket tragic to do? WICKET! England 452-9 (Prior b Herath 126) The left-arm spinner Rangana Herath strikes with his third ball. It was a nice and courageous piece of bowling: Prior tried the slog-sweep, was beaten in the flight and had his off stump pegged back. He played a wonderful innings of 126 from only 131 balls. 105th over: England 452-9 (Tremlett 15, Finn 0) "For future reference," says John Starbuck, "it's Pedants's Corner if you're really strict." That's not really strict, that's dangerously strict. That's into too-pedantic-to-function territory. 106th over: England 453-9 (Tremlett 15, Finn 0) Finn drives Welegedara just short of mid off. There's no point faffing around here; hit out and get out. "England should declare," says Gary Naylor. "With four bowlers, the risk of either of these two breaking a finger is not worth advancing the score from 452 to 460." Hmm. You'd consider that if they were facing Croft, Garner, Holding and Lutz, but not against this lot surely. 107th over: England 458-9 (Tremlett 20, Finn 0) Herath temps Tremlett with a bit of flight, and he clatters the ball through mid off for four. "KP should definitely be sent back to his county," says Bob O'Hara. "Partly because it'll give him some time to get his mental game back, but largely because I want to watch the reality TV show of cameras following him as he tried drives around the country trying to find out which county he's playing for, and where their ground is." 108th over: England 461-9 (Tremlett 23, Finn 0) Tremlett waves a low full toss from Welegedara through extra cover for three. England aren't in much of a hurry. 109th over: England 465-9 (Tremlett 23, Finn 1) "Dentist's phone diagnosis: dying nerve under crown," begins Richard Spry. "Good painkiller 4 hours ago. Due another now (3.30ish AM). Son (6yo) puking & squirting last twelve hours. Doctor's phone diagnosis: virus. Be ready to drive to hospital if persists. Can't take good pain killer if have to drive. Thank God Lord's is 8 hours ahead. Life is good. (He's sleeping, bless his cotton socks.)" 110th over: England 466-9 (Tremlett 23, Finn 2) Nothing is happening. It's a bit of a waste of 10-15 minutes, I suppose, but it's hard to be critical of England at the moment. "Animal England XI," says Steve Churnin. "Alright, check this out: Cook, Butcher, Trott, Robin Smith, Cowdrey, Lamb, Bairstow, Jack Russell, Tony Greggs, Swann, Finn. UMPIRES: Bird, Shepherd. My friend Dennis suggested Robin Smith. It sort of breaks the surname rules but I fear he would cry if you published this and Smith wasn't included, especially as most of our conversations seem to revolve around him. We're gonna do an international XI this afternoon." 111th over: England 469-9 (Tremlett 24, Finn 2) Finn survives an LBW shout when he misses a sweep at Herath, but Dilshan decides to review the decision. It looked very good on the replay, yet Hawkeye showed it was bouncing over the stumps. Interesting stuff. He did get a huge stride in. He survives another decent shout later in the over, again presumably on height. Sri Lanka are out of reviews. Replays showed it was just clipping leg stump, so the original decision would have stood anyway. "I really do feel for KP," says Guy Hornsby. "He gets so much grief for just being 'KP' and yet he's a picture of maturity compared to even a few years ago & aeons away from KP circa 2005. I would dearly love a ton from him now, as under all the proclamations of 'form' he desperately wants one himself, and KP in full flow is just a glorious thing. Oh, and Quilmes sponsored Boca didn't they? Not a bad beer either, but it's no Tannen Zäpfle." 112th over: England 482-9 (Tremlett 24, Finn 15) Steven Finn, of all people, hits Dilhara Fernando for three boundaries in the over. The first was screwed to fine leg, the second steered over the cordon and the third slapped imperiously over midwicket. Shot! This is an appropriate way to conclude a miserable morning for Sri Lanka, who have been flogged all over Lord's. England have scored 140 runs in 24 overs. "One of the biggest sagas ever in Private Eye was over what to call their pedants' correspondence section," says Ivan Smith. "After innumerable readers' opinions on the matter, running over several weeks, Hislop settled on 'Pedantry Corner'." WICKET! England 486 all out (Finn b Herath 19) Finn drags Herath sweetly over mid-on for four, and is bowled four balls later when he misses a slog sweep. That's a superb effort from England, who were 22 for three and 201 for five. Their lower order not only scored plenty of runs, they also scored them at a demoralising rate. It was terrific stuff, and that's lunch. Tom Lutz will be with you for the afternoon session; you can contact him at [email protected] . LUNCH 1st over: Sri Lanka (Paranavitana 0, Dilshan 0) Broad's first two balls beat Paranavitana's outside edge. He's bowling a tad short but it is the first over, so we'll forgive him. After the Cardiff debacle it would have been been for Sri Lanka's collective heart-rate if they'd been coming in after England posted a modest score. As it is, they've got a mere 486 run deficit to negotiate. In their favour, the pitch doesn't seem to be doing too much although it should offer a bit of bounce. At which point, I'm contractually obliged to mention that England have the tallest attack this side of Brobdingnag. Meanwhile, I'm still reeling from watching Mammuth – yeah, it has subtitles, I've got a towering intellect – last night. There's a scene involving Gerard Depardieu and his aged cousin, which is the most disturbing thing I've ever seen on a movie screen. I defy you to watch it and finish your Minstrels. 2nd over: Sri Lanka 5-0 (Paranavitana 4, Dilshan 0) Dilshan has a big old hoik at Tremlett's wide first ball and misses by a mile. Sri Lanka then get off the mark with a leg-bye. Tremlett's radar is off in this over and his fifth ball sails wide down leg and Prior needs a good take. "Forgive me if this has already come up," says Mike Needham. It hasn't so carry on. "There's been a lot of comment in the media re. England's giant attack at Lords, but was the last wicket pair of Tremlett and Finn the tallest test match batting partnership, at something like 13' 3" combined?" Well, I think we were deprived of Shaquille O'Neal and Giant Haystacks's partnership when both just missed the squad for this series, so I'd say Finn and Tremlett would be up there. Anyone? Oh, and Giant Haystack is dead too, so that would be another contributing factor to him missing the squad. 3rd over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Paranavitana 4, Dilshan 3) Broad looks far more effective than Tremlett at this early stage. Dilshan gets an edge off the first ball of the over and it drops just short of Swann at slip, who juggles it before the ball squirms free and Sri Lanka get three. 4th over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Paranavitana 4, Dilshan 3) Dilshan really is keen on getting after Tremlett. Another hoik and another miss. If he actually connects things could get spicier. "In relation to your disturbing scenes," writes Karl Gilfrey," surely anything involving Richard Gere and romantic comedy would be the most disturbing thing committed to film." 5th over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Paranavitana 4, Dilshan 3) Swann is off the pitch after failing to hold on to that ball at slip – hit his wrist, see. Paul Muchall is your substitute fielder. Broad is still bowling a tad short but as yet, Sri Lanka are seeing him off rather than attacking. Dilshan gets a ball to the hip that will produce a nice bruise tomorrow morning. 6th over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Paranavitana 4, Dilshan 4) Dilshan fends one away from his body and the ball plops safe but he never had it completely under control. Somebody is proposing to his girlfriend in the crowd on the telly. She is crying but in a good way so I'm thinking she said yes. They've got the champagne in now, it's a yes. "I watch all films with the subtitles on," says Avor Kodyetsz. "What does that make my intellect? Swollen?" I've been getting on the subtitles for all films bandwagon recently too. It helps for anything with a complicated plot: Brick, Inception … Cheaper by the Dozen 2. 7th over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Paranavitana 4, Dilshan 5) Despite needing to bowl fuller, Broad is the pick of the England bowlers so far, mainly because he isn't spraying it all over the place. He has managed to get the ball to move in a few times too. Helen Goulden is here with our tallest batting partnership stumper: "Joel Garner 6'8" and Courtney walsh 6'6'' come close at 13'2" but no cigar." The quest continues. 8th over: Sri Lanka 24-0 (Paranavitana 4, Dilshan 19) Dilshan gets his first boundary, with a four. Then there's a six off a pull that just beats the substitute over the boundary. That's been coming for a while off Tremlett's iffy bowling so far. "Surely the most disturbing thing ever seen on the big screen is Steven Seagal?," says Anil Hanji. "I'm not sure anyone else in the history of cinema has been out-acted by his own fringed jacket." That jacket got me tearing up every time. 9th over: Sri Lanka 25-0 (Paranavitana 5, Dilshan 19) Paranavitana is happy to fend off and let Dilshan provide the glamorous stuff. That said, he hasn't been tested too much by Broad or Tremlett so far. Here's Andy Tyacke: "Last night the TMS pundits were rightly criticizing the over rate and it certainly seems to me that over rates have nosedived over the years. I seem to recall that in the 50's and 60's the spinners would turn in 16 or 17 overs per hour and even the quickies managed 14 or 15. And we're talking about seriously fast bowlers like Lindwall, Miller, Trueman, Statham and Tyson – probably the fastest bowler in Test history. This diminution of the over rate robs spectators of a good percentage of the potential entertainment and adds to the perception of cricket as being boring. A reversion to the historically higher over rate must surely make for more entertaining cricket and is long overdue. The current practice of docking the captain's match fee for unacceptably slow rate doesn't seem to work. How about a formula which would add runs proportionate to the number of overs deemed to be "missing". That would surely liven up the bowling rate, especially if the expected rate is more in line with that of the mid 20th century. Allowances can naturally be made for time lost due to wickets falling or batsman injuries. What do you think?" I think it may cause a bit of friction if a team lost due to slow-over rate. And what if batsmen deliberately time-wasted to slow the over-rate? I do agree the current system isn't great though. Basically, I'm saying I can't think of my own solution. 10th over: Sri Lanka 25-0 (Paranavitana 5, Dilshan 19) Paranavitana continues to block. England have failed to do much with the new ball. "I am developing my own cricket ground here in Phuket the ACG," says Alan Cooke. "Working with the Phuket Cricket Group the ground and pavilion will be up and running for the Group's use starting in November." I imagine there are worse places to build cricket grounds. 11th over: Sri Lanka 30-0 (Paranavitana 9, Dilshan 20) Steve Finn is on to see if he can liven things up for England. He's at his home ground, so maybe a little local knowledge will help. He is also really, really tall, so makes a nice contrast to England's other bowlers who are merely really tall. England have a think about an appeal for lbw but it was pitching outside leg and Strauss leaves well alone. "Re: Disturbing film scenes. I commend all the uninitiated to an hour and half of filth titled Unfaithul," says Nicky Turner. "Thank God for cricket and OBO here in the Turks and Caicos Islands." Turks and Caicos Islands, eh? Have you considered building a cricket ground?" 12th over: Sri Lanka 33-0 (Paranavitana 9, Dilshan 21) Dilshan continues to swing at anything vaguely connected to Tremlett, who has been way under par this afternoon. If Dilshan actually connected he'd be approaching his century. Swann is back on after he jarred his wrist. "I'm planning on a good old-fashioned snooze this afternoon," yawns Ian Middleton, resplendent in his jim-jams. "Can you recommend a likely time? Hopefully it will be when the wickets will fall like ninepins, as the tiny Sri Lankans are skittled like ninepins by our behemoth-sized pace attack?" How about during my commentary? That usually sends people off. 13th over: Sri Lanka 37-0 (Paranavitana 13, Dilshan 21) Finn miscues and fires a full toss at hip height to Paranavitana, who blocks. He gets his revenge next delivery with a sweetly-timed boundary. Then Paranavitana is dropped by Cook in the slips. Should have taken it. 14th over: Sri Lanka 42-0 (Paranavitana 13, Dilshan 26) Broad is back on by virtue of not being as bad as Tremlett this afternoon. Dilshan is chuntering along at nearly a run a ball without looking entirely secure. A boundary comes off a four down to point. "One of the reasons for slower over-rates might be the practice of chucking the ball to the wicketkeeper all the time, plus the designation of one or two people as ball-polishers," says John Starbuck. "You can see why this happens, post reverse-swing, but it's been going on for longer than that. At one time, the ball went back to the (fast) bowler pretty quickly and it was up to him to polish it on the walk back. Another reason is Jonathan Trott." I'll second the Trott point. 15th over: Sri Lanka 43-0 (Paranavitana 13, Dilshan 26) Sri Lanka go for a single and Dilshan has to sprint to make it home safely. "The problem with subtitles is that they're invariably not actually done by the person who wrote the script, and errors often ensue. C.f. the infamous Backstroke of the West ," says Ryan Dunne. Oh, and that's drinks. 16th over: Sri Lanka 52-0 (Paranavitana 13, Dilshan 31) England crunch their cans of White Diamond and job back rehydrated and ready to roll. Broad has been the best of England's bowlers, mainly because he's actually been quite miserly rather that due to any threat. Dilshan drops his hands and guides the ball down to third man and a four. He then gives away four byes with a ball that bounces over Dilshan and Prior. "The theory that more overs per hour provide more entertainment is a delusion," trumpets Rick Foot. "The West Indies pace quartet in the 80s bowled at something like 11-12 overs per hour and were never less than compelling to watch ... and during the same period, I seem to recall a requirement in County Championship matches that meant you'd often see joke bowlers wheeling through 20+ overs an hour to up the rate - and that wasn't remotely entertaining." 17th over: Sri Lanka 55-0 (Paranavitana 15, Dilshan 31) This is now Sri Lanka's highest-ever opening partnership at Lord's, which says more for past failures that any brilliance today. Two off the last ball of the over. Andrew Tyacke is back: "But, surely, the decline in over rates has been developing since long before reverse swing or J Trott. Anyway, which Bangladeshi quickie can reverse swing it enough (at all?) to notice? It's all part of the general trend to ignore the interests of the paying customers as well as the cheapskates like me who just follow for free on OBO." 18th over: Sri Lanka 66-0 (Paranavitana 18 Dilshan 39) Dilshan is tucking in now. A four comes off the first ball of the over and then it takes some sharp fielding by Morgan to stop a second. Paranavitana then gets in on the fun with a drive that's chased down - eventually – by England. "I would suggest to Ian Middleton (12th over) that he takes his nap any time soon," says Clare Davies. "When OBOers disappear for a while, wickets usually start to fall. He could have a doze in front of the Wales v Barbarians match on the telly." 19th over: Sri Lanka 69-0 (Paranavitana 20, Dilshan 40) Strauss turns to Swann, taking the average height of the attack down by an inch or nine. I should say that Broad got Paranavitana in all kinds of trouble with the last ball of last over, showing the quicks can make a breakthrough. Dilshan cracks a ball into the ribs of Bell, who is fielding close in. As a fellow top-class athlete I can say I'm carrying a rib injury at the moment, and it's rubbish. You get no sympathy because there's no strapping and it takes all the pleasure out of sneezing. Bell is going to carry on though. 20th over: Sri Lanka 72-0 (Paranavitana 20, Dilshan 43) Great ball from Broad to start the over. The ball thumps into Dilshan's pads at tremendous pace – it was going over but the batsman didn't know much about that. 21st over: Sri Lanka 78-0 (Paranavitana 20, Dilshan 49) Dilshan gets a boundary with a hoof down to third man. 22nd over: Sri Lanka 86-0 (Paranavitana 24, Dilshan 49) Broad calms things down after a rather expensive over from Swann. He's finding his length better as the overs go on but still not causing the Sri Lankans too may problems. Then Paranavitana scores a rare boundary for him down to third man. 23rd over: Sri Lanka 90-0 (Paranavitana 26, Dilshan 51) Dilshan brings up his half-century with a nudge down to cover. He's taken the attack to England after the Sri Lankan bowlers were pummeled this morning. Swann turns the ball a huge amount with the fifth ball. One thing you can be sure of in an OBO is a email on bilingual subtitles. Here's Sara Torvalds: "Being a translator myself, I've done some subtitling, but in bilingual Finland we do rather take it more seriously than that, I'm happy to report. I did the Swedish subtitling for the Finnish distribution of the Lord of the Rings saga (there are two lines of subtitles, right; go to the movies in Finland and you'll find the first one is in Finnish, the second in Swedish - or maybe you won't be able to tell the difference; in that case, go to the movies in Estonia, and you'll find the first line is Estonian and the second Russian; you'll be able to tell the difference thanks to the Cyrillic alphabet) and I can say that despite the time-constraints of a simultaneous global opening night (meaning we had to do the translation from film versions which lacked some of the special effects, which was rather a shame), every effort was made to ensure for instance that Tolkien's place names were translated as they had been in the published translations of the books - or, in the cases where the same locales in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings had been translated differently (by two separate translators), I could pick the one I thought was better." 24th over: Sri Lanka 90-0 (Paranavitana 26, Dilshan 51) Finn replaces Broad. He doesn't do to much to trouble Paranavitana though and the batsman is happy to leave most of the stuff that comes his way. Lord's looks immaculate, the sky beautiful. I am stuck indoors. Still they're paying me at least £3.58 an hour for this, so I won't complain. 25th over: Sri Lanka 94-0 (Paranavitana 27, Dilshan 54) Dilshan is rather enjoying facing Swann and has attacked at any opportunity. He comes down the pitch to notch a single off the first ball of the over. Paranavitana is a little less comfortable and isn't quite in control as he gets a single. 26th over: Sri Lanka 99-0 (Paranavitana 32, Dilshan 54) Paranavitana cracks Finn off the middle of the bat and away through the overs for four. Sri Lanka have settled here but then again they looked fine for most of the Cardiff Test. A statement from the Beard Liberation Front: "The Beard Liberation Front has said that while Sri Lankan captain Dilshan has unwisely trimmed his beard, it is clearly growing into condition on the second day of the Lords Test as he has scored another 50. BLF organiser Keith Flett said, Dilshan has a way to go to make the impact Prior's beard has done, but his beard is not in crisis as Kevin Pietersen's is." 27th over: Sri Lanka 99-0 (Paranavitana 32, Dilshan 54) Paranavitana survives an appeal for lbw. It was probably just clipping leg but the call on the field was not out and review would have sent it to the umpire's call. Still, an actual chance for England. "Never mind which is the tallest partnership," says Caroline Cowan. "I could do with any combination of them right now. I've just moved into a new flat in Edinburgh and, despite being 6'1", I can't reach the top of the walls to paint them. Tremlett night be more use here with a paintbrush at the moment." Or Eoin Morgan could pop along with a step ladder. 28th over: Sri Lanka 101-0 (Paranavitana 32, Dilshan 54) Before this Test started many people questioned where the variety would come from with three similar bowlers and it's all too samey at the moment. Maybe Finn should send down an over of spin before Bell fires down some bouncers. A wide brings up the century partnership. Finn then cramps up Paranavitana with a beauty. He's 89% filth, 11% beauty at the moment. Tea: That's a good response from Sri Lanka after England tore into them this morning. Having said that, England's bowlers have been insipid. Rob will be here for the evening session. 29th over: Sri Lanka 102-0 (Paranivatana 32, Dilshan 55) Evening. Graeme Swann is going to bowl the first over after tea, and he should ease into a long spell during this two-and-a-half-hour session. He almost strikes with the first delivery. Dilshan pushes the ball defensively into the floor, from where it spins back towards the stumps, and he reacts smartly to knock it away with the back of the bat. Well played. "Rob, I sincerely hope you bring some luck," says Sara Torvalds. "England needs some wickets here. Sharpish." Stay calm. With it being Saturday, it's very easy to forget that this is only the second day of the match. There are still 300 overs to bowl. 30th over: Sri Lanka 102-0 (Paranivatana 32, Dilshan 55) It'll be Chris Tremlett from the Post Prandial End, and his first ball is a brutish lifter that raps Dilshan on the glove. Dilshan wrings his right hand and calls the physio on. That looked very painful; the ball bent his thumb back a fair way. Dilshan has his thumb taped up, eventually decides to continue, and gets solidly into line for the rest of the over. A maiden. 31st over: Sri Lanka 106-0 (Paranivatana 36, Dilshan 55) Swann's first ball is a rare long hop that Paranivatana cuts for four with the minimum of fuss. I've just realised that Lutz has typed my email address incorrectly at the top of the page, a clear attempt to scupper me that will be returned with interest next time he does an OBO. 32nd over: Sri Lanka 107-0 (Paranavitana 36, Dilshan 56) It's been a quiet start to the session. England will have to work very hard for 20 wickets on this pitch, although it might turn sharply later in the match. "Surely Dilshan should have been out hit the ball twice?" says John Morison. You're allowed to hit it twice if you are guarding the wicket . 33rd over: Sri Lanka 114-0 (Paranavitana 36, Dilshan 63) Dilshan charges down the track and blasts Swann for a big six over long-on. That's a superb stroke. It hit one of the members on the head in fact. A single later in the over makes this, a little surprisingly, Sri Lanka's highest opening partnership in Tests against England. 34th over: Sri Lanka 121-0 (Paranavitana 37, Dilshan 69) That's another lovely stroke from Dilshan, a well-timed push through mid-on for four off the bowling of Tremlett. 35th over: Sri Lanka 126-0 (Paranavitana 37, Dilshan 74) Dilshan is going after Swann, whose first ball is dragged vigorously through midwicket for four. This will be a fascinating tussle. Later in the over Dilshan nails a sweep straight into the leg of Cook at short leg. "Greetings Rob," says Mark Hiratsuka. "As promised yesterday , here's a quick report on our Japan fundraiser T20 today. It was sh*t hot (30C), people played cricket, someone won, although we lost count around noon when it became clear beers were banned from the ground (!). We just hit Sunday (it's 12:30am here) and I'm off to bed with sunstroke, but thanks again." 36th over: Sri Lanka 137-0 (Paranavitana 42, Dilshan 80) Dilshan steers a lifter from Tremlett to third man for four, and then Paranavitana times another boundary down the ground. That's an excellent stroke. England are getting plenty of hard yakka here. "Three tall bowlers and not much happening," says Indy Neogy. Maybe some variety would have been a better bet? Not so easy with Bresnan injured and Onions still recovering, but there must have been someone out there who could offer a different challenge. I've never seen Dernbach bowl well (he was erratic in the game I saw) but even erratic might be a step forward from largely harmless?" I expected Shahzad to replace Anderson, but I don't know if a lack of variety has been England's problems today. They just haven't bowled that well. 37th over: Sri Lanka 137-0 (Paranavitana 42, Dilshan 80) Dilshan is dropped. Swann duped him with a glorious slider that drifted in and then ran straight on off the pitch. Dilshan got the thinnest of edges as he pushed at it, and Prior couldn't hang on to a very tricky low chance. That was a masterful piece of bowling. One of the joys of modern cricket is watching Swann at work when a batsman is trying to get after him. He has had a couple of cracking duels with Graeme Smith and Umar Akmal in the last couple of years, and this is shaping up to be another. A maiden. 38th over: Sri Lanka 139-0 (Paranavitana 43, Dilshan 80) "Just back from a mammoth training ride along the windy Hove Riviera," says my colleague Steph Fincham. "The cricketers down here are having to hold on tight to their caps today. Could you please pass on my thanks to the anonymous OBOer who kindly sponsored me yesterday ..." 39th over: Sri Lanka 144-0 (Paranavitana 43, Dilshan 81) Swann has a stunning record at Lord's , particularly in the first innings, and he has a nice rhythm here. The moment I typed that, he speared one down the leg side for four byes. Oh, me . Prior looks pretty disgusted that he didn't stop the byes as well. 40th over: Sri Lanka 148-0 (Paranavitana 45, Dilshan 83) Kevin Pietersen replaces Chris Tremlett, and he almost slips a quicker, fuller, straight delivery into the pads of Paranavitana. Four singles from the over. 41st over: Sri Lanka 151-0 (Paranavitana 46, Dilshan 85) Stuart Broad is going to replace Graeme Swann, who may just switch ends. It looks like Broad is going to bomb Dilshan, because there are three men back on the leg side and another at short leg. Dilshan handles it comfortably in that over. "Just reading through the earlier OBO coverage and saw the email from a globe-trotting surf-girl photographer," says Ste Curran. "Can't compete with that but I did follow the OBO yesterday from 30,000ft up, on a plane from JFK to LAX. Which isn't just showing off but a lead in to an actual question: I wonder if you or any of your readers know of anywhere in Los Angeles where I can watch the cricket over the next few days (or presumably, given the time difference, the highlights)? I've brought a Kevin Pietersen-branded park cricket set with me so recreating the magic ('magic', perhaps) on the beach in Santa Monica is my backup plan." 42nd over: Sri Lanka 156-0 (Paranavitana 47, Dilshan 89) Pietersen continues, and Dilshan slices a poor delivery to third man for four. "There's been a fair amount of chat about Shahzad on the county blogs, Rob," says Phil Sawyer. "By all accounts he's been trying to up his pace and has consequently lost a fair bit of his control. Whether this is something he's decided to do on his own or whether it's something someone has advised him to try is rather a mystery." Crazy fool think he's MJ McCague. 43rd over: Sri Lanka 162-0 (Paranavitana 52, Dilshan 90) Paranavitana survives a run-out referral after a direct hit from the substitute Muchall, running in from the covers. It was really tight, because Paranavitana's bat was in the air for a long time, but he just got away with it. He flashes Broad past backward point for four next ball, which takes him to a fine half-century. 44th over: Sri Lanka 164-0 (Paranavitana 53, Dilshan 91) Pietersen continues; nothing happens. "Not quite as impressive as people reading OBO on planes, or skiing or doing something exotic but I did get bowled yesterday due to reading OBO while batting," says James Austin. "The umpire, who happened to also be the bowler, was not open to my appeal that I had to at least be looking at him before he bowled and thus I was forced to walk. On 60 as well. The rules of 'rec cricket' huh..." 45th over: Sri Lanka 168-0 (Paranavitana 57, Dilshan 91) Paranavitana pierces England's cover ring, clattering Broad's slower ball for four. England don't look like taking a wicket at the moment. It's surely time to get Swann back on. "Was the last sentence of the 42nd over entry your impression of Mr. T?" says Mac Millings. "Racist." 46th over: Sri Lanka 171-0 (Paranavitana 57, Dilshan 94) Swann replaces Pietersen (3-0-11-0). Dilshan guides him to third man for a couple. He's closing in on his first century as Sri Lankan captain. "So it appears I've been asleep all afternoon," says Piers Barclay. "Have I missed anything? Did we spot Jen from yesterday's OBO in her fancy dress (or being pursued by selected other OBO readers)?" I'll give you the long answer: no. 47th over: Sri Lanka 179-0 (Paranavitana 57, Dilshan 98) A short ball from Broad wobbles after passing the bat and goes through Prior for two byes. Two balls Dilshan plays a classy back-foot drive through the covers for four. There are no nerves in his nineties. "I'll send you an email, Rob," says Doug Suttle. "I'm just checking back every now and again to the OBO and I have to say, as an England fan, I expect at least four Sri Lankan wickets to be down, Swann to have got one in his first over and Broad to be doing some kind of garden implement based dance. What in the blue hell is going on??? We're not Australia, I expect more!" That's the trouble with competence; people always want more of it. 48th over: Sri Lanka 184-0 (Paranavitana 58, Dilshan 102) Dilshan reaches his century in fine style, slamming a cut stroke for four off Finn. He punches the air and then beats his breast. This has been an outstanding innings in isolation; but when you place it in the context of what happened in Cardiff on Monday, it's a wonderful captain's innings, full of physical and moral courage. 49th over: Sri Lanka 186-0 (Paranavitana 60, Dilshan 102) Swann changes ends again, and there are two from the over. 50th over: Sri Lanka 187-0 (Paranavitana 60, Dilshan 103) Finn has been very rusty in this short spell, spraying it both sides of the wicket. England are struggling, although their body language is still very good considering the score. "I've been enjoying re-watching Last Man Standing on Dave over the last couple of weeks," says Tom Van der Gucht. "I think the episode where they play the funky Pacific Islanders' tribal version of cricket coming up soon. Lord's could do with the teams putting in some ritual dancing, face paint and loin cloths. It may perk up the England bowlers and allow them to conjure up some wickets. I'm not a religious man, but in desperate moments I have been known to pray to lesser-known deities; the lost key god, the goddess of delayed trains and the lord holy of getting through job interviews have all received my worship in recent years. Come on boys, get down and pray to the god of tumbling wickets, sacrifice a stump if it helps appease his wrath." 51st over: Sri Lanka 190-0 (Paranavitana 61, Dilshan 105) Swann is milked for three singles and then almost slides one through Paranavitana's gate. He got a crucial inside edge onto the pad. "I can't help thinking, Rob, that for the bowlers, Mo Mentum has gone for a little Saturday afternoon wander somewhere that is not in North London," says Clare Davies. "Perhaps England need to engender some real fielding fierceness and force a run-out. Can't see the bowlers managing a wicket any time soon." You hear that, Dame Fortune? 52nd over: Sri Lanka 201-0 (Paranavitana 65, Dilshan 112) A stroke of luck for Dilshan, who inside-edges a flash at Finn over the top of the stumps and away for four. He works three more through midwicket, and then Paranavitana pings a lovely boundary off the pads to bring up a mighty 200 partnership. What a wonderful effort it has been from an opening pair who complement each other perfectly. "I know I'm way behind," boasts Alistair Halton, "but your stat about Prior being a really good keeper-batsman (Eng 104th over) made me think about how good Sangakkara must be when he's not keeping ." Madon! 53rd over: Sri Lanka 202-0 (Paranavitana 65, Dilshan 113) "Afternoon Rob, afternoon everyone," says Ben Hendy. "I have literally just stepped out of Fire in Babylon, the magnificent documentary on West Indian cricket in the 70s and 80s and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone who has even a passing interest in cricket. OBOers need to track it down. While aware of the cricketing legacy I had naively missed what that team meant in a political sense. It was eye-opening as well as being a wonderful way to relive what was probably the greatest cricketing force ever unleashed. Have you been yet?" Indeed. It was great fun. If you want to see more of that team, there are some wonderful clips here . WICKET! Sri Lanka 207-1 (Paranavitana c Strauss b Finn 65) A wicket at last. Paranavitana flashes at a very wide delivery from Finn, angled across him, and it flies off the edge to Strauss at first slip. That is a bonus for Finn, who has struggled badly in this spell. 54th over: Sri Lanka 211-1 (Dilshan 118, Sangakkara 4) Sangakkara times his first ball sweetly through midwicket for four. By the way, that was the third-highest opening partnership in a Test at Lord's . "Tell Ste (Ste?) Curran that he can ask Jimmy, who runs the Press Club, on Ortega Street in downtown Santa Barbara, who will obligingly put on cricket shown on Sky at any time of day or night, open 24 hours, or nearly," says Paul Berkowitz. "I'm sure there must be somewhere right in greater LA itself, but I don't know it, and Santa Barbara (100 miles north) is worth the trip." 55th over: Sri Lanka 215-1 (Dilshan 121, Sangakkara 5) Four from Swann's over. "Exactly what kind of garden implement-based dance was Doug Suttle expecting?" says Phil Sawyer. "A hoe down? A soft shoe shovel? A bit of rake dancing?" 56th over: Sri Lanka 221-1 (Dilshan 122, Sangakkara 8) Finn will continue. Strauss must have been tempted to go back to the accuracy of Tremlett for the new batsman. Finn is still struggling with his line and particularly his length, and Sangakkara pushes an overpitched delivery down the ground for three. Dilshan then survives a big shout for LBW. I think it was sliding down the leg side, and England decide not to review the decision. Replays confirm that was the right decision. The next ball is short and Dilshan pulls it almost on the half-volley to Trott at deep midwicket. That was very close. "Accidentally got the non non-drowsy form of cough syrup, and have found that the subsequent stupor is marvellously appropriate for England's current bowling efforts," says Ryan Dunne. "Highly recommended! Hope I wake up before Doctor Who though." 57th over: Sri Lanka 222-1 (Dilshan 123, Sangakkara 9) It's been a long day for the bowlers on both sides, with 367 runs scored for the loss of five wickets. "The Beard Liberation Front has said that it will celebrate two hirsute centuries in one day at Lord's – Prior and Dilshan – with a brief beard waggle at the close of play," says Keith Flett. "BLF Organiser Keith Flett said 'Beard Power has been the dominant theme of the second day's play at Lord's'." 58th over: Sri Lanka 226-1 (Dilshan 123, Sangakkara 12) Broad replaces Finn and is eased through midwicket for three by Sangakkara. Then Dilshan almost falls in unusual circumstances. He tried to work the ball to leg and it goes stuck in the flap of his pad before dribbling just wide of leg stump. "Hark at Ryan 'Posh' Dunne," says Phil Sawyer. "Does he realise that cough syrup counts as a high class cocktail by OBO standards? I'm on the dregs of the Old Spice myself." 59th over: Sri Lanka 226-1 (Dilshan 123, Sangakkara 12) A maiden from Swann to Sangakkara, who has started well after a difficult time in Cardiff. 60th over: Sri Lanka 227-1 (Dilshan 124, Sangakkara 12) Dilshan calls Sangakkara through for a dicey single to backward point, but Pietersen's throw misses the stumps. 61st over: Sri Lanka 228-1 (Dilshan 125, Sangakkara 12) Chris Tremlett will have a short burst before the close, probably only a couple of overs. Dilshan deflects a single to fine leg, and that's about it for the over. Sangakkara is playing for the close, leaving everything outside off stump. 62nd over: Sri Lanka 229-1 (Dilshan 126, Sangakkara 12) Dilshan hooks a short ball from Broad for a single. He looks as fresh as he did four hours ago. This will be one of his proudest days in cricket. 62nd over: Sri Lanka 231-1 (Dilshan 127, Sangakkara 13) That's the end of a run-laden day: 375 for the loss of five wickets, with brilliant centuries from Matt Prior and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Thanks for your emails; night.