Muttiah Muralitharan won his personal battle with Kevin Pietersen at Trent Bridge on Saturday to inspire a spirited Sri Lanka fightback on the second day of the third and final test. The touring side, already 1-0 down in the series, had looked in serious trouble after being dismissed for 231 on the opening day.
But by the close of play on Saturday they had turned the game on its head, skittling their hosts for 229 in their first innings and then taking their overall lead to 47 with nine second-innings wickets remaining.
Kumar Sangakkara was 22 not out with Upul Tharanga on 17 and both looked comfortable after Michael Vandort (5) had fallen cheaply to Matthew Hoggard just as he had done in the first innings.