There's Test Cricket ... and Then There's Pakistan!

India have made a play to be back in the third Test at Colombo, on a day where the ball turned and the spinners, despite their inexperience, used flight and guile. Laxman and Raina batted with restraint but both will feel they faltered and fell to the off spinner Mendis when they had done the hard work.

Earlier in the day, Tendulkar proved mortal as he flashed at a ball outside his off stump without any semblance of movement of his feet, edged behind and sent Malinga into apoplexy. Sehwag's entertainment ended in bizarre fashion when Randiv cramped him for room with a ball which turned and bounced back into him as he shaped for a big crashing cross bat shot through cover. As he bought the bat down into the shot, he lost his grip on the bat handle and ended up spooning a catch to Welegedara at mid on, proving yet again, the game of cricket exercises justice and irony and sometimes both at a single stroke. Welegedara's bowling figures were still offended by Sehwag's assault when the innings was in infancy.

Dhoni contributed a few before becoming another Malingarer and Randiv mopped up the tail but not before Mithan and Mishra both took some time over useful contributions which gave India the lead. Sri Lanka have made the Test interesting with two wickets falling to the normally innocuous left arm Greek Orthodox of Sehwag. Dilshan was perhaps unlucky, knicking a faint edge onto his pads for Vijay at short leg to make a stunning, diving grab.

Sri Lanka just have to hold their nerve and bat through the 4th day to win the series.

Back in the Old Dart, England are preparing for the 2nd Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston and whilst Strauss made a spirited defence of Pietersen and Cook, as though it makes any difference to anyone except the tabloids, all the froth and bubble of pre match entertainment lies squarely with the Pakistanis. Kamran Akmal has been dropped in much the same way as the 34 chances he has spilled in the last 28 Tests (who keeps these stats?). The amazing thing about his career is that 12 months ago, he was the next likely candidate to have the captaincy! Pakistan selection policy seems to be a process of sitting players on a stage drop seat and giving them a gun with one bullet in a chamber and asking them to pull the trigger before the selectors pull the drop handle. Akmal has played Pakistani roulette well.

How he has survived only a Pakistani would know but one thing is assured, his replacement, Zulqarnain Haider couldn't be any worse.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Yousuf has flown half way around the world to get to Birmingham in time for the Test but will not play because he is tired and hasn't had a bat for two weeks owing to floods! What! It has been reported that he has "come out of retirement" when the rest of the cricket world thought he was "indefinitely banned" because his team played like crap in Australia last summer. Dear old Colin Cowdrey landed in Australia in 1974 when Poms were dirt and that angry old tart of Australian cricket, Lillian Thompson, was washing her hands in their blood and two days latter, chest swathed in the product of Clarkes Rubber, he was standing in the middle introducing himself. "Hello", he said to Thommo, "my name's Cowdrey. How do you do."

MCC was 42 at the time and hadn't had a bat in six months.

Meanwhile, back in London, Younus Khan, himself "indefinitely banned for causing team disharmony" plies his trade with Surrey after calling Headingley home a few years back with Yorkshire.

Pakistan! Geoff Lawson's greatest cricket achievement may well have been being good enough to get sacked by the Pakistan Cricket Board. If nothing else, it gives his cricket commentary enormous credibility.

Confusion Reigns Over Yousuf Recall