England captain Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott warmed up for next week's Test series against Sri Lanka by slamming centuries in a practice match on Wednesday. Strauss made 100 and Trott scored 101 before both batsmen retired to give other batsmen a hit-out on the second day of the three-day match against the Sri Lanka Development XI.
The pair put on 197 for the opening wicket as the tourists, replying to the home team's 431-6 declared, posted 272-4 before Strauss then declared after tea at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo. The development XI raced to 44-1 from eight overs in their second knock by stumps.
Left-handed Strauss hit 13 boundaries and a six and Trott contributed 16 fours to strike timely form before the two-Test series opens in the southern coastal town of Galle on Monday. The second Test will be played at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo from April 3. Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Development XI 1st innings: 431-6 declared (Chamara Silva 163, Thilina Kandamby 64, Angelo Perera 85, Stuart Broad 3-69, Steven Finn 2-93, Samit Patel 1-83) England 1st innings: 272-4 declared (Andrew Strauss 100 retired, Jonathan Trott 101 retired) Sri Lanka Development XI 2nd innings: 44-1.