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Day 1: Sales pitches in with four wickets

Peter Deeley

Northants (314 & 52-0) lead Sri Lanka A (86) by 280

David Sales will probably relish his four wickets more than his 87 with the bat after another day of high jinks at Wantage Road.

Before he picked up the ball, the Northants player had taken one first-class wicket in four years. Yet in four overs, his gentle medium-pace accounted for as many Sri Lankan batsman.

He should not get too carried away with success. The visitors' batting would hardly pass as a minor county. They were dismissed for 86 in 28.4 overs and Northants failed to enforce the follow-on probably out of consideration for their opponents - and the hope of some weekend cricket.

The home side had been bowled out in 57.5 overs but they rattled along at 5.5 runs an over with Sales and Graeme Swann putting on 126 for the sixth wicket in 17 overs. Swann was unbeaten at the end with 75 off 62 balls.

Two weeks ago, 23 wickets went down on the first day of Northants' game with Worcestershire but England and Wales Cricket Board pitch inspectors cleared that wicket of any culpability.

This time, the opening day accounted for 20. As it is not a championship game, the inspectors are not involved. Nor should they be. The truth is that this relaid pitch with its pace and bounce was almost too good.

Sri Lanka's opening bowler Suresh Perera showed the way with seven wickets in the first two sessions, removing Northants' first three batsmen in the space of 12 balls and wrapping up the bottom four in 15.

Day 2: Swann glides high to handsome 130

Peter Deeley

Sri Lanka A (86 & 131-2) need 411 runs to beat Northants (314 & 313-7dec)

A Second free-scoring innings from Graeme Swann, this time a career-best hundred, has left the young Sri Lankans with a veritable Everest to conquer if they are to maintain their unbeaten record on tour.

When Northants finally closed their second innings at tea, the tourists needed a mere 542 for victory with seven sessions remaining.

In 1896, Cambridge University beat MCC and Ground at Lord's after scoring 507 for seven in the fourth innings, a feat never equalled by a winning team.

Since Sri Lanka were bowled out first time for 86, it seems unlikely they will usurp the university's achievement.

They did perform better when setting out on this distant target, with Tuwan Dilshan scoring a half-century after losing two early wickets, but that goal is still light years away.

Swann's batting average will have multiplied after two unbeaten innings in the game in which he grossed 205. In all he faced only 171 balls with 29 boundaries and two sixes. He survived being caught off a no-ball yesterday and his 130 was the second first-class hundred of his career.

Because of a groin strain Sri Lanka were hampered by not being able to bowl Suresh Perera, who made such an impression on the opening day with seven wickets.

If Sri Lanka have been outplayed by a Northants' side lacking three key players, they have at least stuck to the task with enthusiasm and are themselves without their captain, Naveed Nawaz, who has chicken pox.

Day 3:

Sri Lanka A lost to Northamptonshire by 156 runs with a day to spare at Wantage Road. Chasing 542, the tourists were dismissed for 385, an inevitable result once a third-wicket stand of 142 between Tuwan Dilshan and Shantha Kalawitigoda was broken.

Day 4: Tourists' winning run ends

Peter Deeley

Northants (314 & 313-7 dec) beat Sri Lanka A (86 & 385) by 156 runs

Sri Lanka's winning run came to an end at Wantage Road on Saturday with four sessions of the game still remaining.

The tourists went there on the back of a hat-trick of successes, most notably their win over Lancashire in the previous game. But injuries and an abysmal first-innings batting display let them down.

Set the near-impossible task of scoring 542 for victory in the fourth innings of the match - which would have been a world record - Sri Lanka were always chasing the game.

Their third-wicket partnership of Tuwan Dilshan and Shantha Kalawitigoda continued their overnight resistance and took their stand to 142 before the latter was bowled by Michael Davies.

Dilshan moved from 87 to 99 with three boundaries, one of which was edged off Kevin Innes between first and second slip. He reached 115 and was then dismissed leg before by Richard Logan.

Innes was the pick of the home attack, beating the bat continually and finishing with four for 85.

Indika de Saram decided that if Sri Lanka were to go down then it should be with dignity. He hit 61 off 89 balls before becoming another Innes victim.

It was left to David Sales to polish off the Sri Lankans just before tea with his fifth wicket of the match. Before this game he had one first-class wicket to his credit.

Sri Lanka suffered from the groin strain which prevented Suresh Perera from bowling in Northants' second innings.

He took seven wickets on the opening day and on this showing should soon be winning a second Test cap when Australia visit the island in August.