Ghosts of Cardiff may return to haunt Sri Lanka, says Finn
ENGLAND fast bowler Steven Finn has warned Sri Lanka’s batsmen they are likely face another awkward battle for survival on the final day of the second Test at Lord’s.
With memories of their fifth day capitulation at Cardiff still fresh in their minds, Sri Lanka will be concerned at the prospect of having to bat out potentially as much as a session-and-a-half after England dominated yesterday’s play.
Finn ended with figures of 4-118, in the process becoming the youngest England bowler to reach 50 Test wickets, before Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott batted his side into a position of almost total control.
“We’ve fought back in this game fantastically well, incredibly well from the position we were in at the end of the second day,” said the 22-year-old.
“We’re in a great position to push on tomorrow. We’re not looking beyond that first hour, but we’ll look to consolidate in the first hour and push on from there.
“We hope it will stay overcast, and there will be enough in the wicket. If we get a go at them tomorrow, there will definitely be enough pressure on them – and enough doubt in their mind to spread some fear, we hope.”
England started the day fearing they would have to contend with a large first innings deficit but they took the remaining seven Sri Lankan wickets for just 107 runs.
The tourists were eventually bowled out for 479, seven adrift of England, but the game was delicately poised when captain Andrew Strauss was out LBW to the second ball of his side’s response.
But Cook and Trott put on yet another century stand to steady the ship with England’s South African-born No3 putting a rare first innings failure behind him with a relatively breezy 58.
Trott was bowled out of the blue by the left-arm spinner Rangan Herath, leaving Cook, unbeaten on 61, and the under-pressure Kevin Pietersen to bat out a tricky period in fading light. The pair passed the test admirably to leave England on 149-2 and 156 ahead.
Finn, meanwhile, was among a trio of England seamers to come in for criticism from bowling coach David Saker following a sub-standard performance on Sunday.
The Middlesex right-armer, along with Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett, emerged stronger for their public dressing down, but Finn believes Sri Lanka’s batsmen should have been afforded more credit for the way they went about their business.
He said: “Sri Lanka batsmen are allowed to play well. Dilshan played exceptionally well, on a day when the ball didn’t do anything at all.
“But towards the latter stage of their innings we stuck to our guns well. We don’t dwell on negatives, on things we’ve done badly. We look at the things we’ve done well.
“We go back to where we were in Cardiff, where we were throughout the Ashes series.”