As Sri Lanka arrive at Old Trafford for the third Test against England, we delve into the Wisden Almanack archive to pick out a memorable encounter between the sides. Here we go back to The Oval in 1998, when Muttiah Muralitharan announced himself on the world stage A lot has been made of Muttiah Muralitharan's liking for life at Old Trafford, where the final Test between England and Sri Lanka is to be played. In two seasons with Lancashire, he took 116 wickets in only 14 matches at an average of 15.07. Murali left a trail of devastation all round the country … but not quite so much at Old Trafford. The reality is that he has only ever played four County Championship matches there. Mind you, he didn't do badly in those games: Murali took 35 wickets. If that wasn't warning enough for England, the spectre of the last time they presented Murali with a turning pitch, at The Oval in 1998, should hang over their preparations. If Old Trafford turns as much as that, England could be in for some fun and games as they attempt to preserve or build on the 1-0 lead they took at Edgbaston.

That match in 1998 turned into the nastiest of surprises for England. At the start, there was an almost carnival air - England had just won their first five-Test series for 12 years, against South Africa - even more so when England raced to 445 in the first innings, aided by a spanking last-wicket partnership of 91 between John Crawley, whose 156 not out trumped Graeme Hick's 107 and gave him the last spot in the forthcoming Ashes squad, and Angus Fraser.

Murali took some tap then (even Fraser heaved him for two sixes), but his figures of 7 for 155 represented a warning for England. And when Sanath Jayasuriya (213) and Aravinda de Silva (152) propelled Sri Lanka to a lead of 146, things were beginning to get a bit sinister for Alec Stewart's team. With David Lloyd petulantly crying "foul" over his action, Murali was ready to wreak havoc on a pitch that could have been imported straight from Kandy ...

Almanack report
Scorecard

Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com.

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