Live Test Match Blogging / Andrew Hughes / 30 May 2011 / Leave a Comment

Rain has stopped play getting under way on the final day of the first Test but Andrew Hughes is on hand with the updates should we see some action

WICKET Lakmal c Cook b Broad 0
It's all over! One of the most remarkable Test matches ever. Four days of tedium, then 20 overs of mayhem. Cardiff is developing a reputation for amazing finishes. I'm off for a lie down. See you at Lord's

WICKET Perera c Bell b Broad 20
Feisty innings from Perera ended by a brilliant catch at short leg from Bell. England are on the brink of something extraordinary.

17:22 Sri Lanka 72-8
Slapstick from the England fielders, Bell and the substitute Walters both going for a catch and colliding with each other. Both are okay, Perera survives with a rather fortunate single to his name. Mendis digging in as best he can.

17:15 Sri Lanka 64-8
Perera is fighting back, three stinging boundaries, although the last was ushered over the ropes by the England substitue fielder, to keep Mendis on strike. 36 runs required to make England bat again.

WICKET Herath lbw b Swann 3
Horrible horrible shot. Swann has another wicket without even trying. Looks like Sri Lanka have somewhere to be this evening.

WICKET H Jayawardene c Prior b Tremlett 3
Wild shot, a hook and the faintest deflection off the glove. England go for the review and get the wicket. 32 overs to go and it could be all over. Sri Lanka are playing like it's a Twenty20 game.

WICKET Maharoof c Prior b Swann 0
Unbelievable! Maharoof plays a nothing shot and gets caught behind. Sri Lanka are throwing it away. The England win is now shorter than the draw at [1.74]

WICKET K Sangakkara c Strauss b Swann
Beautiful delivery from Swann, but not a great shot from Sangakkara, tentative and gets the edge. Sri Lanka are folding under pressure.

16:50 Sri Lanka 37-4
Big shout for a catch, but ball missed bat. Tremlett causing all sorts of problems here. [4.8] about an England win and the draw is creeping up to [1.26]

WICKET T Samaraweera b Swann 0
Another one! Samaraweera has been far too aggressive in his approach and then plays a shocker, slashing off the back foot to a fullish ball. Crisis time for Sri Lanka.

16:37 Sri Lanka 33-3
Sri Lanka are really struggling now and it should be remembered that they have a longish tail. Plenty of overs left, although they are only 62 runs behind. Having started the day at [180.0] an England win is down to [11.5]

WICKET M Jayawardene c Strauss b Tremlett 15
Great delivery from Tremlett, Jayawardene gets the edge and the game is really on. Samaraweera comes out to bat and he's carrying an injury

TEA Sri Lanka 33-2
The two old hands have survived until tea, but their work is not yet done. Another 39 overs in the day, potentially and the game has become interesting. I'm off for a cup of tea and a slice of Battenburg. Back in 20.

15:54 Sri Lanka 21-2
Tense cricket, not before time. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are battling hard to survive to tea. Possibly 44 overs left in the day for England to take another 8 wickets. But they need to separate this partnership.

WICKET Dilshan c and b Tremlett 10
Unlucky from Dilshan, the ball balloons off glove, thigh pad and loops back towards the bowler who scoops it up gratefully. Now it's really getting interesting. England win plummets to [16.0]

WICKET Paranavitana c Strauss b Tremlett 0
Now then. Good delivery from Tremlett, pushed at by Paranavitana. England win price collapses to [36.0]

15:20 Sri Lanka 0-0
Right, here we go. Sri Lankan batsmen coming out. 50 minutes to go till tea. If the miracle is going to happen, England need 3-4 wickets before then. Broad will have the new ball. We've waited a long time for some interesting cricket.

15:07 England 492-5
Bell gets his hundred, they all run off and England have declared. Slightly odd. Why not lash a quick 30-40? 96 runs the lead. If you're interested, an England win can be backed at [100.0]

15:00 England 491-5
Cricket at last! First item on the agenda: Bell's century. He needs three.

14:50 England 491-5
Groundstaff are out on the pitch and we could be 10 minutes away from the start of play. If it doesn't rain again, the two teams can't agree a draw before 6 pm. We could be in for some (more) turgid cricket. Let's home England are in a mood to put on a show.

14:30 England 491-5
Few spots of rain around but nothing serious and that 15:00 start is looking good. On the subject of county cricket, there was a revealing comment by former Glamorgan player and now journalist Steve James at the weekend, defending Cardiff's Test match status on the grounds that it is vital to Glamorgan's survival. Clearly county cricket depends on the national team and not the other way round.

14:00 England 491-5
Ah, apparently we might start at 15:00. Optimistic, but still, you never know. Elsewhere, Sussex are piling up the runs against Yorkshire, currently on 430-3. The south coast county are currently going well in the four day game and available at [9.8] for the Championship.

13:55 England 491-5
Technically it isn't raining at the moment. Water is everywhere though, some of the groundstaff mopping up, but the ground is deserted spectator-wise. Still no news on any inspection. We must be getting close to play being called off for the day.

13:30 England 491-5
Still raining a little and no news on when play might start. Tomorrow's forecast is for a clear day with no precipitation.The weather gods clearly have a sense of humour. Perhaps the next Cardiff Test should be played at the Millenium Stadium with its handy roof.

13:05 England 491-5
Much talk about KP in the papers this morning. Apparently he works hard at his game, spends a lot of time in the nets, and yet has not ironed out his weakness against left-armers. I can remember him being dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan last summer, playing all round a straight one. A year on and he still hasn't sorted it out.

12:45 England 491-5
Lots of cricket elsewhere today, not least in Belfast where Ireland have made a solid start in the second one day international against Pakistan are currently 131-2. If you fancy the Irish to pull off another shock and give the ICC a timely reminder of their claims to be part of the next World Cup, you can back them at [3.5]

12:24 England 491-5
Afternoon. Apologies for the slightly delayed start to today's blog but absolutely nothing is happening in Cardiff. Early lunch on its way at 12:30 with a reasonable chance of some play after that. There is some debate over what England should do today: thrash the ball around and go for a declaration or play out time. I know what most spectators would prefer. Get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk and let me know what you think England's tactics should be today

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