Trott and Pietersen keep England in the game - Oman Daily Observer

GALLE — Top-order colleagues Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen shared an unbeaten 63-run stand for the third wicket to keep alive England's faint winning chance in the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka yesterday.
Chasing a 340-run victory target, England finished the third day on 111 for two wickets, still 229 runs behind what could be a record successful chase in Galle.
Trott (40) and Pietersen (29) will return today, hoping to continue the good work and provide the perfect platform for their batsmen to achieve the target.
Earlier, Sri Lanka's second innings folded for 214, riding largely on Prasanna Jayawardene's defiant 61 not out.
The hosts could have ended day three on a stronger position as Kumar Sangakkara, at leg slip, missed a sharp chance offered by Pietersen off Suraj Randiv's bowling when the batsman was on 12.
Otherwise, Trott and Pietersen batted comfortably on the slow surface which is expected to give the spinners more assistance on day four.
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who claimed six English wickets in the first innings, removed both the English openers in their second.
Herath had Alastair Cook (14) caught behind by Prasanna Jayawardene before he captured the wicket of England captain Andrew Strauss (27).
Cook was initially ruled not out by the umpire, but Sri Lanka were confident of the catch and asked for a review which went in their favour.
Strauss failed to get to the pitch of the ball which was tossed up to him and was caught at short mid-wicket
by a diving Tillakaratne Dilshan. Sri Lanka owe their advantage to Prasanna Jayawardene who hit an unbeaten half-century to frustrate the England bowlers.
Scoreboard

Sri Lanka 1st innings318
England 1st innings193
Sri Lanka second innings (overnight 84-5)
Thirimanne b Swann6
Dilshan b Broad0
Sangakkara c Bell b Swann14
M Jayawardene c Anderson
b Swann5
Samaraweera st Prior b Swann36
Chandimal c Pietersen b Panesar31
Randiv lbw Swann18
P Jayawardene not out61
Herath b Swann7
Welegedara c Strauss b Panesar13
Lakmal run out13
Extras: (b-1, lb-4, nb-4, w-1)10
Total: (all out, 84.3 overs) 214
Fall of wickets: 1-4 2-8 3-14 4-41 5-72 6-114 7-115 8-127 9-167
10-214
Bowling: Anderson 10.3-2-26-0, Broad 11-2-33-1 (nb-4, w-1),
Swann 30-5-82-6, Panesar
24-6-59-2, Patel 9-4-9-0
England second innings
Strauss c Dilshan b Herath27
Cook c P Jayawardene b Herath14
Trott not out40
Pietersen not out29
Extras: (lb-1)1
Total (two wickets, 40 overs)111
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-48
Bowling: Welegedara 5-2-16-0, Lakmal 3-1-9-0, Herath 15-3-52-2, Dilshan 9-1-14-0, Randiv 8-1-19-0. — Reuters