Maharoof admits Sri Lanka struggled

Farveez Maharoof was left to reflect on a "tough day at the office" as Sri Lanka again toiled in the field on the fourth day of the first npower Test in Cardiff.

Jonathan Trott led the way for England with a superb 203, the highest Test score by an England player against Sri Lanka, with Alastair Cook and Ian Bell contributing 133 and 98 not out respectively as the home side reached 491 for five in their first innings, a lead of 91, by stumps.

The tourists have gained little reward from the 153 overs sent down over the past two days and, while he was quick to praise the performance of the England batsmen, Maharoof believes he and his team-mates needed to keep things a bit tighter.

The 26-year-old seamer said: "It was a tough day at the office, but credit to the English batsmen; they batted really well. Personally I am coming back into the side after a three-and-a-half year period and it was tough, but that is what Test cricket is all about.

"To be honest Trott batted really well, but we could have bowled much better to him.

"We could have been more consistent with our line and length, but you should not take anything away from his innings; he batted really well."

Maharoof, recalled to the Test side this week after his impressive recent form for Lancashire, had got rid of Cook, who edged a cut behind, not long after play began at 2:30pm following more rain in the Welsh capital.

Soon after, Rangana Herath trapped Kevin Pietersen in front for three - the 19th time in Tests he has fallen to a left-arm spinner.

While Maharoof admitted Sri Lanka had discussed that record, the seamer believes that it was the tactic of denying Pietersen easy scoring opportunities that ultimately paid dividends.

"It's normal with any batsman on a pitch where bowlers don't get much help that you want to keep the run scoring dry," he said. "That's what we did with him, we tried to stop him getting easy runs and he got out so it worked very well.

"It (left-arm spin) is something we talked about. Herath had bowled a massive spell of about 20 overs or something like that and he bowled very well.

"Most of our bowlers bowled very well and the only thing to work on is to be more consistent in the coming days."

The prospects of there being a result in Cardiff appear slim with three of the four days being blighted by rain.

More rain is forecast for tomorrow and the docile nature of the pitch would suggest that Sri Lanka will have little difficulty in securing a draw should they be asked to bat again, particularly as England will be down to three frontline bowlers due to James Anderson's side strain.

And Maharoof believes there is little that either side can take from this game ahead of next week's second Test at Lord's.

"A lot of time has been lost in this Test, there are two innings not completed, so you can't take much out of this Test because more than 100 overs have been lost," he added.

"As a team we batted really well to get 400 on that wicket in the first couple of days, we just need to be more disciplined and bowl in the right areas."

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Trott doubles up as Bell shines

Jonathan Trott - again - and Ian Bell were the biggest beneficiaries as England condemned Sri Lanka to another chastening day in the field at Cardiff.

Trott converted his overnight 125 into a sterling 203, the second double century of his Test career but one which perhaps serves as the greatest example of his apparently unquenchable thirst for runs.

Bell, meanwhile, helped himself to a sprightly unbeaten 98 on a truncated day that ended with England 491 for five and boasting a lead of 91.

Although this game is seemingly destined to end in a draw, the positive manner in which Bell - and, late on, Eoin Morgan - batted suggested England have not entirely ruled out the prospect of mounting an improbable victory push tomorrow.

The hundred that Bell’s pleasing strokeplay warranted may have to wait until the morning, but he, Trott and Alastair Cook, who finally fell for 133 today, have done much to demonstrate the scale of the task facing Sri Lanka this summer.

Today followed much the same pattern as yesterday, with initial success for the tourists after a rain-delayed start merely heralding another sizeable England partnership.

While Cook and Trott’s 251-run stand for the third wicket was finally broken shortly after the resumption today, Trott and Bell joined forces to add 160 for the fifth once Kevin Pietersen had fallen cheaply.

Sri Lanka have mustered just five wickets in 153 overs in this match - 63 of which were bowled today - yet it is the benign nature of the pitch which is likely to ensure the teams head to Lord’s on Friday with the series all square.

Trott’s occupation of the crease was, therefore, more remarkable. His approach to batting borders on monastic, and it was only after he breached 200 did he allow any element of risk to enter his thinking.

England resumed at 2.30pm on 287 for two, following the loss of the morning session for the third time in four days.

Stymied by a combination of Cook and Pietersen’s downfall in quick succession, Sri Lanka’s accuracy and their containing tactics, Trott was becalmed but in control for much of the afternoon.

Cook had added just four to his overnight score when he was caught behind via outside edge as he chased a short, wide one from Farveez Maharoof six overs in.

It represented Sri Lanka’s first success in almost 74 overs, and Maharoof’s obvious relief was no doubt shared by his colleagues.

Pietersen fell lbw to Rangana Herath, the left-arm spinner, moments later. Attempting to cut one that kept low, he was afforded the benefit of the doubt by umpire Billy Doctrove given that there was plenty of bat involved, but the decision was overturned on the basis of video evidence that suggested, but did not prove, the ball clipped his back pad first.

Bell marked his arrival at the crease with a towering straight six out of the ground at Herath’s expense, although he saw Kumar Sangakkara spill a sharp chance to his left at gully off the persevering Maharoof on 20.

He continued to mix good fortune with typically immaculate drives and cuts, and was in confident enough mood to unfurl a couple of reverse-sweep-cum-switch-hits after registering an 88-ball half-century.

Trott, who struck a solitary boundary in a 23-over afternoon session, pressed on unerringly, punching Suranga Lakmal past mid-on to usurp Graham Gooch’s 172 as the highest score by an Englishman against Sri Lanka.

The double century was never in doubt - fittingly, a single into the leg side took him to the milestone - and he had faced 409 balls and struck 17 fours during the best part of two days when he was finally bowled making room to Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Sri Lanka’s reward: the sight of Morgan, who made 193 for England Lions against Sri Lanka last week, on his way to the middle.

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Pakistan thrash Ireland

Ireland's hopes of convincing the International Cricket Council they are deserving of a World Cup place were undermined by a thumping seven-wicket defeat to Pakistan in a rain-affected first one-day international in Belfast.

Ireland were bowled out for just 96, with young left-armer Junaid Khan claiming career-best figures of 4-12, before the tourists eased past the total with 51 balls to spare.

The defeat was as one-sided as it was untimely for the Irish just a month before an ICC chief executive committee is due to discuss the possibility of overturning a decision to omit the associate countries from the next World Cup in 2015.

They were bowled out for their lowest total since Australia skittled them for 91 at the 2007 World Cup, may have left them with some convincing left to do in Monday's final game of the short series.

Ireland could, however, claim they lost an important toss after 21-year-old Junaid, who had only taken three wickets in his young international career before today, revelled on a Stormont wicket that offered the seamers plenty of assistance after rain had delayed the start by just over three hours.

The home batsmen hardly helped their own cause, though, as they surprisingly opted to play their shots despite the conditions.

That strategy initially paid dividends when nuggety opener Paul Stirling thrashed 39 from 22 balls, but when he became Junaid's first victim the wickets fell at regular intervals thereafter.

Junaid next skittled Alex Cusack's stumps before he had scored, while Umar Gul found skipper William Porterfield's edge.

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Ireland's star man at the World Cup Kevin O'Brien showed signs he was intent on following Stirling's lead with a couple of muscled strikes, but his stumps were also sent cartwheeling by Junaid before he found full flow.

And when Junaid then located Andrew White's edge next ball Ireland found themselves deep in trouble at 66 for six before the rain arrived again.

That offered the hosts a 20-minute reprieve, but with their top order having already succumbed in the hour beforehand, the wickets continued to fall and Saeed Ajmal cleaned up the tail to finish with three for seven as Ireland last only 20 of the rain-reduced 36 overs.

Pakistan's openers Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez took a cautious approach to the chase, which straddled the lunch break after Ireland's early demise.

The pair took until the 15th over to bring up the 50 with their only moment of concern before when Taufeeq edged Trent Johnston to Stirling at first slip, only for a no-ball to be called.

Ireland did finally get a breakthrough, albeit with just 22 required, when Taufeeq again offered a low chance to Stirling at slip off Cusack to depart for a laboured 23 from 62 balls.

Hafeez brought up his half-century soon after, with his seventh four, but fell next ball bowled by Cusack who then also picked up Asad Shafiq to finish with three for 13.

That left it to skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and veteran Younus Khan to guide the tourists home with plenty of time to spare.

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Mental strength key for Cook and Trott

England opener Alastair Cook believes stubbornness is the key to the phenomenal weight of runs scored by himself and Jonathan Trott in recent months.

Cook and Trott were the mainstays of England’s batting line-up during the triumphant Ashes campaign, scoring a combined 1,211 runs in five matches Down Under, and the pair shared another unbroken stand of 240 on day three of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Cook reached stumps on 129 not out, with Trott only four runs behind following a superb partnership in Cardiff in reply to Sri Lanka’s 400 all out.

Cook has now scored five hundreds in his last eight Test outings, with Trott striking four in his last seven appearances.

Explaining what has made the duo so unflappable at the crease in that period, Cook said: “We’re very similar in terms of our mental approach, I think we’re both quite stubborn guys and it seems to suit our style playing together.

“We’re quite happy just to bat in fives. We just try and get five more runs and we always remind ourselves of that. I think ’just another five’ is going to be stuck in my head all night.”

With 17 centuries to his name at the age of 26, Cook is already just five shy of the England record of 22 held jointly by Geoffrey Boycott, Wally Hammond and Colin Cowdrey.

Reflecting on the fine recent run that has taken him to those lofty heights, he added: “You never master it (batting), but you can improve on it and that’s certainly one of those things I was talking to people about before I went out to Australia.

“I’d never really gone on and got big 150-plus scores, daddy hundreds, but the last couple of hundreds I have done that so the method I’m using seems to be working.

“You never say you’ve mastered it but it is certainly improvable. A double hundred would be nice tomorrow but it’s easier said than done.”

With plenty of time lost from the game to rain, forecasts uncertain for the final two days and seamer James Anderson unfit to bowl in the second innings, England may struggle to force victory at Cardiff. But this was a time to revel in the efforts of two men in the form of their careers.

Trott’s average stood at over 66 by the close of play, a figure that puts him above most of the game’s greats bar Sir Donald Bradman.

It will take something special if he is to maintain that mark but Cook was full of praise for his partner.

“He’s been a revelation for us since he came in in the 2009 Ashes. He’s been fantastic,” he said.

“His stats are phenomenal. Having that rock at number three means our batting order is very settled. We have every base covered at the moment.”

Looking ahead to England’s prospects of doing enough to set up a final-day tilt for victory, Cook added: “Our only real way of winning this game with the weather around is to bat once and bat really big. We’ve laid a platform to do that and there’s still 200 overs left in this game which is a hell of a lot of cricket to be played.”

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