Hussain had been in adventurous mood and in sparkling form leading up to the match. However, having taken 17 off the last over before tea, he went for an expansive drive to what turned out to be a well-disguised slower ball from Fernando. Apart from being undone by the lack of pace, the ball was probably rather too wide for the shot, resulting in Hussain going back on one knee as the ball sailed up to mid-off where Muttiah Muralitharan took the catch.

Thorpe had just four on the board when he flashed at a ball outside the off-stump from the same bowler. It was taken by Kumar Sangakkara, who joined the appeal from the slips belatedly, but umpire Dave Orchard was not impressed. For what it is worth, the television "snickometer" indicated a sound, although super-slow motion showed no change to the flight of the ball. With such inconclusive evidence, doubt in the umpire's mind was entirely understandable.

Butcher missed out on a century by six runs at Edgbaston, but looks in the mood to make good here. He is timing the ball to perfection and has dealt with both pace and spin with equal facility, while Thorpe could well be intent on adding another century to the one he completed at Edgbaston.

Trescothick had been batting with great assurance, apart from the two dropped chances that he survived just after lunch. One of his great attributes is that he can go on unperturbed after such a let-off or, indeed, series of let-offs. However, having faced 152 balls and after stroking 14 boundaries, he pushed forward firmly to Muralitharan, edged very low to slip where Mahela Jayawardene scooped it up. There was a short delay while the umpires consulted before the man who is now the most experienced of them all, Steve Bucknor, raised his finger.

Nasser Hussain came in determined to take the game to Muralitharan. He frequently came down the pitch to the spinner, but seldom made clean contact as he used his pad as much as his bat in the early stages of his innings.

Butcher had no such problems and when the unfortunate Eric Upashantha returned to the attack, he latched onto to half volleys that he despatched elegantly either side of mid-off, before square cutting another boundary when the bowler dropped short. His spell was confined to the one over.

Dilhara Fernando replaced him and, perhaps concerned by a warning for running on the pitch, twice dropped short for Hussain to pull savagely to square leg and less well-timed to the mid-wicket boundary. He changed line to outside off-stump, but not the length. The result? Four runs to third man. He straightened up to be pulled for another couple to mid-wicket, meaning that 17 runs came off the over immediately before tea.

Trescothick had 64 when he cut fiercely at a short ball outside the off stump from Fernando, who managed to work up a fair degree of pace. Trescothick did not manage to get over the ball and Hashan Tillakeratne failed to hold the catch that came straight to him, albeit quickly. As it bounced up and out of his hands, he made another attempt but the ball escaped from him and the batsmen completed two.

Next ball was short again and Trescothick went to hook. A top edge went up in a gentle arc just back ward of square leg where the unfortunate Eric Upashantha, who had bowled a dreadful opening spell, got underneath it only to see the ball go to turf. Fernando had already started his celebrations, only to find elation turning to despair.

These were momentary aberrations by Trescothick who otherwise played a number of delightful strokes, while Butcher continued the rich vein of form that has served him so well of late.

The fall of Vaughan's wicket came as something of a surprise, for the opener appeared to be in prime form, stroking the ball away with delicate timing. Not for the first time, however, he lost his wicket when looking well set for a big score. A cleverly disguised slower ball from Dilhara Fernando had Vaughan driving tamely to Chaminda Vaas at mid-off.

Butcher showed no outward signs of discomfort from his injured knee, and continued to make Muttiah Muralitharan suffer. The off-spinner had to be withdrawn from the attack having conceded 22 runs in his first three overs. After the problems encountered by Upashantha, Sanath Jayasuriya's bowling options were becoming severely limited.

Fernando was enjoying the bounce in the pitch, and bowled a testing spell in which he caused Trescothick to duck and weave out of the line of some quick deliveries. Once he failed to get out of the way. But Trescothick survived to bring up his fifty just before lunch, greeting Aravinda De Silva's first ball – a full toss – with a full swing through mid-wicket for his tenth boundary.

After an exploratory opening over from Chaminda Vaas, Upashantha included three no balls in his first over from the Warwick Road end, as well as providing Vaughan with the chance to clip a boundary off his legs. Nevertheless, it was Vaas who made way for a distinctly rapid Dilhara Fernando.

At the other end, Upashantha continued to suffer a total crisis. Even when he got his front foot in the right place, the same could rarely be said of the ball which was gleefully despatched to all parts by the batsmen. He was taken off after four overs that had cost 24 runs with five no balls, to make way for Muralitharan who was promptly stroked for two boundaries by Vaughan in his first over.

Despite the fact that Trescothick also cover drove the off-spinner for a brace of boundaries, there was evidence of turn and with Fernando generating pace and bounce from the other end, the batsmen were not getting everything their own way despite reaching 60 without loss when drinks were taken.

The weather in Manchester is overcast, but the clouds are reasonably high and there is no immediate threat of rain.

England team: ME Trescothick, MP Vaughan, MA Butcher, *N Hussain, GP Thorpe, +AJ Stewart, A Flintoff, AJ Tudor, AF Giles, AR Caddick, MJ Hoggard.

Sri Lanka team: MS Atapattu, *ST Jayasuriya, +KC Sangakkara, DPMD Jayawardene, PA de Silva, HP Tillakaratne, RP Arnold, WPUJC Vaas, CRD Fernando, KEA Upashantha, M Muralitharan.