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Day 1: Whatmore's watching brief

Martin Searby

Lancashire (53-3) trail Sri Lanka A (277) by 224 runs

The next generation of Sri Lankan Test players have the opportunity to present their credentials to the new boss who takes over as coach next month and Dav Whatmore will have learned plenty about the size of the job.

At best the batting was patchy on a pitch more suited to spin than seam although Chris Schofield, Gary Keedy and Gary Yates all suffered from the malaise of contemporary spinners, an inability to bowl an accurate stock ball.

Both left-handed openers fell to Ian Austin with the new ball, beaten by swing on a steamy day, but the third wicket pair pulled things round as the spinners bowled 33 overs in harness. Shantah Kalavitigoda was caught off the glove by the impressive second-team wicketkeeper, Jamie Haynes, and in the next over Chamara Silva, popped a googly into short leg's hands.

Indika de Saram, apparently a graduate of the Inzaman-Ul-Haq school of running between the wickets, then turned but blindly for a second and sent back Prasanna Jayawardine who was easily run out by Schofield's throw from fine leg.

The innings was steadied by a partnership of 73 in 24 overs but then Nimesh Perera, playing and missing, finally made contact and Rangana Herath played an awful shot to go the same way, caught behind. De Seram had his off stump knocked back by the reliable Austin after striking 11 fours with flourish and facing 180 balls, the cornerstone of the innings. The chunky seamer completed career-best figures of six for 43 with Payankara Wickramasinghe edging and Mario Villavarayan bowled.

Lancashire managed six scoring shots in 12 overs losing Michael Atherton, the captain, not offering a shot after making one from 30 balls and Mark Chilton caught behind off the left arm spinner Herath. Andy Flintoff pulled a six and then pushed Wickramasinghe, the leggy, into silly point's hands to leave the voluble Sri Lankans on top.

Day 3: Last stand humbles Lancs

Martin Searby

Sri Lanka A (277 & 274) bt Lancashire (271 & 101) by 179 runs

After 65 minutes Lancashire were preening like the bully on the beach having kicked sand in the faces of the young Sri Lankans to such humiliating effect eight wickets had gone for only 18 runs in 15 overs.

But the tourists' puny last-wicket pair had obviously taken the Charles Atlas course and in the next three hours either side of lunch knocked the swagger out of Michael Atherton's men by compiling only the sixth hundred-plus 10th-wicket stand in the county's 129-year history.

There has only been one better than the 134 added by 22-year-old Pryankam Wickramasinghe and Indika Gallega, 23, two slender young men who grew to enormous stature playing with commonsense and patience to put into perspective what had gone before and lift morale to such a high that Lancashire eventually slunk away in 35 overs.

There was plenty of turn in the pitch but it was no snake pit and the lack of variation in Chris Schofield's leg spin and the off-breaks of Gary Yates made batting far from impossible. Yet Shantah Kalawitigoda had his stumps spread-eagled in the first over, Avishka Gunarwardena did not add to his overnight 62 before pushing the ball into silly point's hands and Chamara Silva was run out by Gary Keedy's throw from point. Prasanna Jayawardene was leg before a good way forward to a googly, Nimish Perera edged on to his pad sweeping, Ranjan Herath was caught in front by a low one and Mario Villavarayan swept a catch to long leg; Yates had four for 18 from 11 overs, Schofield three for 32 from his dozen and the tourists were only 146 in front.

But 10 and jack were not prepared to be intimidated by close catchers nor the stream of optimistic appeals which suggested an ignorance of the laws pertaining to leg before or caught. Cautiously, using bats which would not have looked out of place in a game of beach cricket, they frustrated bowling which lacked wit; Schofield pushes his leg breaks and googlies through quickly and flatly with no variation and Yates is similar.

The new ball came and went and when Mark Chilton broke the stand in his first over only the 172 by Robin Jackman and Andy Needham for Surrey here in 1982 bettered it.

Boisterous at the best of times the Sri Lankans were in transport of delight as the top order capitulated to the wily left-armer Herath who, though mainly orthodox, slips in the odd chinaman.

Andrew Flintoff was beautifully caught at slip, Chilton leg before half forward and Atherton thought the one that did for him pitched outside leg stump. Neil Fairbrother swept to long leg, Graham Lloyd found point, Yates went first ball and Schofield belted a six and a four before he was beaten by one that went the other way. Ian Austin, missing most of the day with an Achilles strain, popped one into short leg's hands and Lancashire, only a few hours earlier so full of swank, packed their tent.

Bermuda cricketer Rodney Woolridge received a five-year ban after he kicked down his stumps and hurled two of them towards the boundary in a local match. He has appealed.