England Clinch Test Series at The Rose Bowl

England secure 1-0 series victory

ENGLAND V SRI LANKA
NPOWER TEST SERIES - MATCH THREE
MONDAY 20 JUNE - DAY FIVE
THE ROSE BOWL

Match Summary: Match Drawn
Sri Lanka: 184 & 334-5
England: 377-7d
Click here for a full scorecard

A mammoth day five batting performance from Sri Lanka captain, Kumar Sangakkara saved the match for his side at The Rose Bowl but it couldn't save the npower Test series.

A good day's play gave way to tea-time showers, meaning the players shook hands to give England the draw they needed for a 1-0 victory from the three fixtures.

As well as bringing an end to the series, it also called time on a highly successful inaugral Test match for The Rose Bowl, which - despite the rain - had brought persistent praise from all areas. The quality of the pitch came in for particular plaudits as Nigel Gray and his team coped magnificently with an unprecidented amount of rain.

But the quality of the food, facilities and welcome from the staff were all also remarked upon not only by players and spectators but also from sources as respected as Michael Vaughan, Alec Stewart, Shane Warne, and Chairman of the ECB, Giles Clarke.

It was also, as a match, notable for excellent performances from former Hampshire players, Chris Tremlett, Kevin Pietersen and Rangana Herath as well as Ian Bell and, of course, Sangakkara. 

Fittingly, the final action of note in the game was Hampshire Second XI wicket-keeper, Adam Rouse - on as a sub fielder for the injured Stuart Broad - taking the catch that saw off the century-making Sri Lanka captain. It was a young player with a bright future showing composure under great pressure, while all around him it was noted that the same could be said of the venue around him.

For images of the final day's play (courtesy of LMI Photography) please click here, or read on to catch up on all the action...

Match Report:
Having started the day with a decent chance of forcing a win, England knew that early wickets would be vital in that pursuit and they nearly saw off former Hampshire spinner, Herath when a short-pitched Jimmy Anderson delivery looped towards the slips only for Alistair Cook and Graeme Swann to put each other off.

At the start of the day, many had thought  Sangakkara would be the dangerman but, in fact, it was Herath (left) who was providing the surprises, dealing with everything England threw at him with relative ease. In frustration, Strauss brought on Broad and Swann - the latter giving “Raggy” (as he was known in his days at The Rose Bowl) plenty of chin music - admittedly not hard against such a diminutive figure!

And things went from bad to worse for the hosts as, suffering with a bruised heel, Cook had to go off a mere six overs later, meaning Jonathan Trott took over with the ball and Rouse could enter the fold. Herath responded by swatting a four to square leg to firmly dispatch an over that had yielded 15.

But the nightwatchman swiped at one too many deliveries when, on 36, he was trapped lbw by Swann, bringing an end to a 75-run partnership. His replacement, Thilan Samaraweera, put the Nottinghamshire man back in his box with a clubbed four over mid-wicket off the tenth ball he faced. Meanwhile, Sangakkara was still quietly accumulating, adding to the 44 he had overnight to get to 89 not out at lunch. In doing so, the visitors had ensured England would have to bat again if they were to win, building a lead of 33. 

And for the most part, this looked like it would be the story of the second session as Sangakkara played the straight man - nudging the ball around the ground for his century – to Samarweera’s wild card; the latter hitting nearly twice as many runs as his captain in the duo’s 141 fifth-wicket partnership.

That was to come to an end when, having earlier earned warm applause from his team-mates for stopping a boundary, Rouse (right) was once again in action as a stinging delivery from Jimmy Anderson was too hot to handle and, having mis-timed his shot, Sangakarra’s swiped ball looped up in the air for the 18 year old to calmly collect at point. Rouse represented the England Under 19s against Sri Lanka as recently as last season – stepping in for Michael Bates when his colleague was drafted into the full squad due to a Nic Pothas injury – a wonderful experience, no doubt, but surely nothing could have prepared him for receiving a pat on the back from his national side’s skipper!

First innings top-scorer Prasanna Jayawardene joined Samaraweera at the crease and played for the break meaning any further action would have been a formality even if the rain had stayed away. So no result but you wouldn't find anyone complaining around The Rose Bowl. The venue - a mere 10 years since it's creation - had proven to the world it was ready for Test cricket.

What next? An Ashes Test is 2013 perhaps... but not before a good rest first!

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: LMI Photography

Catch up:

Day One Report	Historic First Day Capped with Tremlett Flourish
Day Two Report	Tremlett Takes Test Best at The Rose Bowl
Day Three Report	England Race Past Sri Lankan Total
Day Four Report	Sri Lanka Dig in After England Declaration

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