Live Test Match Blogging / Andrew Hughes / 18 June 2011 /

There's certainly nothing wrong with England's bowling but there's been plenty not quite right with the weather over the last couple of days. Will there be enough overs for England to force a result? Andrew Hughes talks us through all the action.

CLOSE England 195-4
A long and rain-interrupted day but we did get some entertainment. Enterprising batting from England and still the outside possibility of a result. Join me tomorrow when there will hopefully be more action to describe.

WICKET Pietersen c Jayawardene b Perera
That's a shame, Pietersen was in such good touch, one of the best innings he has produced in the last year. Nightwatchman Anderson is on his way out. Five minutes to go before the close

18:55 England 161-3
The shots are flowing now, an uppish cover drive from Pietersen and a front-foot cut from Bell. This is lovely to watch. England are down to [2.2] in the match winners market

18:43 England 139-3
The two most attractive English batsmen at the crease although they are being quite circumspect at the moment. Should England keep on pressing or try to dig in for the close?

WICKET A Cook c Samaraweera b Fernando 55
Wicket out of nowhere, Cook flashed at a wide one and caught after a juggle at gully. England pushing hard and taking extra risks

17:55 England 110-2
Another half-century for Alistair Cook, his 26th, and his 6th in a row, followed a ball later by Pietersen's fifty. Refreshing intent from England, the only team who can possibly win this game now. And the sun is out!

17:35 England 85-2
The long delay seems not to have affected the England batsmen, Pietersen and Cook racing along at a healthy strike rate. Can't be long before we see Herath.

17:20 England 69-2
Big cheer as bat finally makes contact with ball. We've got cricket! And it's not too late for a result, although it's hard to see how Sri Lanka can win from this position. If you want to dabble, they are available at [65.0] but they need an England collapse starting about now.

17:05 England 69-2
Play will start at 5:20 and in theory, we can go on till 7:30. Call me Mr Optimistic, but the forecast is looking slightly better. Could the authorities have done more to get cricket on today? Let me know what you think at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

16:55 England 69-2
An invasion of super heroes! Captain Marvel has been arrested but Batman is giving the stewards the slip. Best entertainment of the day.

16:45 England 69-2
Right, finally ready to play and inevitably, the clouds gather, the umbrellas are going up and nothing is happening. At least Ascot is keeping us entertained. The Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes is up next. My money's on Sharaayeen at [9.2]

16:18 England 69-2
It is becoming a farce at the Rose Bowl. The ground is bathed in sunshine but we're currently taking tea. Total disregard for the paying public.

16:04 England 69-2
It's raining again, but then you probably knew that. The crowd aren't happy and in the circumstances, surely they should just try playing on in the rain, at least for ten minutes or so, rather than this stop-start performance. Why exactly can't cricketers play in the rain anyway? Rugby players and footballers seem to be able to manage it.

15:45 England 69-2
Hard work for the groundstaff, but we're hoping to start at 4:00. Bizarrely though, tea will be taken at 4:40. No, I don't understand it either

15:25 England 69-2
It's all becoming a bit futile. The covers are coming off again the rain has stopped, but the dark clouds are piling up. The draw is starting to look inevitable, down to [1.62] now.

15:10 England 69-2
Looks like the opening scene of some alien invasion movie. Apocalyptic skies. And here comes the rain. Off they go again.

14:58 England 61-2
The players are trying again but the skies look ominous. Not sure how long they'll be out there, but fingers crossed.

14:45 England 61-2
If, as expected, England win this series, where does this put them in the hierarchy of Test cricket? Some have suggested that they are the best team in the world, but the rankings say otherwise. Get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk and give me your answer to the question: which is the best Test team in the world?

14:24 England 61-2
Oh dear. The rain returns and on come the covers. Not sure how long this break is going to be either. Away from the cricket, the action on Ascot's final day is about to get underway with the Chesham Stakes, for which Maybe is the [3.75] favourite

14:22 England 61-2
Glorious shot by Alistair Cook, England looking good, but Sri Lanka will still be hopeful of getting another breakthrough on this pitch. An England win is [2.38] at the moment, with the draw at [1.79]

14:12 England 54-2
Good news. Play will start in about five minutes. In the meantime, it's well worth having a look at some of the excellent articles on the Betting@Betfair site, including Frank Gregan's interesting take on Shahid Afridi

13:51 England 54-2
Bad news, its been raining again, the sun is out now and we should have some play soon. Another cup of tea I think.

LUNCH England 54-2
That's it for the morning, fascinating session and the prospect of more Pietersen after the interval. There is a dark cloud in the vicinity, but hopefully we will avoid the worst. Back in 40 minutes.

12:47 England 40-2
No disrespect to Trott, but for the sake of the crowd, it's probably a good thing from the crowd's point of view that he's gone. They deserve some entertainment and with Pietersen looking belligerent, they're getting it.

12:34 England 28-2
England are fighting back, this is good stuff. And it looks like we've dodged some unpleasant looking clouds. Going back to Strauss, is it time to be concerned about the England captain's vulnerability to left-armers? Get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

WICKET Trott c Jayawardene b Lakmal 4
Good tactics from Sri Lanka, bowling round the wicket and pushing it across Trott who gives it away in uncharacterstic fashion. Game on! Sri Lanka are down to [17.5] in the match winners market.

WICKET Strauss c Paranavitana b Welegedera 3
Strauss goes to Welegedera again, a tentative prod and a fourth failure for the England captain. Sri Lanka are still in this game. Their odds have already dropped to [23.0]

11:41 England 0-0
This will be a crucial passage of play. The pitch still looks green enough so there's still the glimmer of a possibility of a result. The draw is still just favourite at [1.91] but Sri Lanka's odds of [28.0] could come tumbling if they make early inroads. Worth backing the tourists to lay at this stage.

WICKET Welegedara c Morgan b Broad 7
A drive to cover, and the last wicket goes down. A semi-recovery from Sri Lanka, but surely 184 is insufficient? What can the likes of Welegedara do on this pitch?

11:26 Sri Lanka 182-9
After another delayed start, we're off and running. Broad is firing in the bouncers and the Sri Lankan tail enders are clinging on.

Good morning all and let's hope we get a few more overs in than we have over the last couple of days. With England's top order in fine form and the likes of Chris Tremlett and James Anderson just adoring these conditions, one senses only more rain can stop England from winning the Series 2-0.

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