South Africa took the early wicket of Ian Bell on the second morning at The Oval and that of Alastair Cook 10 minutes before lunch, but England’s new captain, Kevin Pietersen, was unbeaten on a confident 42 as the fourth Test was left intriguingly poised.

Bell has yet to make a hundred at No.3, and he’ll have to wait until the second innings at the earliest in order to rectify that. After a thirty-minute delay for rain, Makhaya Ntini found one to hold its line on Bell, who was defending to extra cover, and it took a thick outside edge to Graeme Smith at first slip who held it smartly, low to his right.

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Source: Cricinfo

Dammika Prasad’s raw pace pulled India back after an explosive start, whereupon the spinners took charge of the game, as has been their wont over the course of the series. India’s middle order failed again, as they fell from 51 for 0 in seven overs to 198 for 9, after which Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma frustrated Sri Lanka for one ball less than 20 overs - the longest partnership of the innings, and at 51 runs also the joint highest. Ishant followed up the good work with the bat to get Malinda Warnapura’s wicket two overs before stumps.

Mahela Jayawardene made exceptional use of the review system, getting the wickets of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid after challenging decisions.

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Source: Cricinfo

Harbhajan Singh finally got into groove as he removed in-form Warnapura who got an outside edge and was caught by Gambhir. India finally broke a threatening partnership, which was shaping for a long partnership. He also removed Sangakkara to bring India right back in the match. With two quick wickets, and two new batsmen, India can put pressure on the Lankans.

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Source: Hindustan Times

Sehwag was unbeaten on 91 at the lunch-break before hammering a robust 128 not out for his 15th Test hundred on a rain-hit opening day. He dominated a 167-run stand for the opening wicket with Gautam Gambhir (56).

But unorthodox spinner Mendis and veteran left-arm seamer Vaas did not allow India to capitalise on a strong start, sharing four quick wickets to reduce the tourists to 214-4 in the first innings at stumps.

Only four batsmen — Australians Victor Trumper, Charles Macartney and Don Bradman, and Pakistan’s Majid Khan — have scored a hundred before lunch on the opening day of a Test.

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Source: AFP 

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir put behind them not only the debacle at the SSC, but also thoughts of how they played and missed early here, and how the ball misbehaved when it hit the cracks populating one end of the pitch.

As a result India got off to a flying start, taking the first steps towards exorcising the ghosts of the first Test. Sehwag came close - for the second time in his career - to getting a hundred in the first session of a Test.

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Source: Cricnfo

India, on 79-3 with Sehwag’s early departure and fellow opener Gautam Gambhir immediately after tea, had a shaky start in their pursuit of challenging Sri Lanka’s massive first innings total of 600-6 declared at tea on day three of the first Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

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Source: Cricket Next

Sri Lanka’s 31-year-old captain joined the great Don for most centuries scored at a Test venue as he reached his ninth at the Sinhalese Sports Club before tea on day two of the Idea Series against India.

After a rain-affected first day, 88 overs have been bowled on Thursday as Sri Lanka reached 305 for three at tea with Jayawardene not out 105 while his partner, Tilan Samaraweera has 51.

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Source: CricketNext

Sri Lanka added 120 runs without losing a wicket and the batsmen never looked in trouble. A front-foot no-ball by Zaheer Khan in the sixth over of the day denied India a breakthrough as Warnapura spooned a sharp return catch. Jayawardene was as fortuitous later on, when Dinesh Karthik failed to hold on to a thin bottom edge off an Anil Kumble slider.

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Source: Cricinfo

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Source: Hindu