Close England 275 and 53-0 (Trescothick 31*, Vaughan 20*) trail Sri Lanka 555 for 8 dec by 227 runs
scorecard

So, it was an illusion after all. For two days, while the sun shone and the ball deviated like a damp orange, we were led to believe that this pitch was an import from Colombo. It was not enough, suggested Nasser Hussain, just to put the ball on the spot and let the conditions do the rest. Experimentation, reverse swing - black magic even - would be needed to dislodge the likes of Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene.

In 22 overs in the early afternoon, Sri Lanka's underwhelming seam attack shattered this myth comprehensively. England, never comfortable but seemingly in control, crumbled from 203 for 3 to a measly 275 all out, and Sanath Jayasuriya had enforced the follow-on before the teams had even left the field. With a batting line-up that included Alec Stewart and Andrew Flintoff at Nos.7 and 8, and the brashness of Dominic Cork at No.9, it was a wretched display.

The heroes of the Sri Lankan performance typified the spirit of the side. Muttiah Muralitharan, a major factor in every one of Sri Lanka's Test victories since his debut in 1992-93, has not even arrived in the country, and Chaminda Vaas - their only recognised world-class seamer - did not arrive in the wickets until the final delivery of the innings. Instead the honours went to an unheralded trio - Nuwan Zoysa, Charitha Buddika and Ruchira Perera - and the golden raspberry, jointly, to John Crawley and Alec Stewart, whose misjudged quick single ensured that England's mini-crisis escalated into a full-scale disaster.

For the first 50 overs of the day, it had all been so different. After a twenty-minute delay for rain, England had resumed on 27 for 1, and endured a tricky first hour as Buddika and Vaas made full use of the low cloud cover and indifferent light. Mark Butcher (17) was an early casualty, via a breathtaking catch at third slip by Mahela Jayawardene off Buddika, but Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan counterattacked to carry England to a very respectable 120 for 2 at lunch. Hussain was at his fluent best, careering to 38 in 49 balls with eight boundaries all round the wicket. He has not enjoyed much luck at Lord's, breaking his fingers twice in Tests in 1999 and 2001, and again in a county match for Essex, but this time he batted with real intent.

Even when his innings came to an end, caught behind for 57 as he chased a full swinging delivery from Zoysa (149 for 3), there was no reason for panic. After an uncharacteristically flustered winter in India and New Zealand, Vaughan was looking the part once again, and his compact technique - honed on the greentops of Headingley - was tailormade for the conditions. His cover-driving in particular - all timing, no effort - was a dream.

But all of a sudden Vaughan fell to an un-Vaughanish shot, and the rot set in. Perera, whose first spell had been dispatched for 23 runs in three overs, dug one in short, and Vaughan hoisted it high down to fine leg, where Zoysa snatched the catch from over Buddika's nose, as the two fielders came perilously close to a collision (203 for 4). The very next ball, Graham Thorpe (27) was trapped on the crease by a full-pitched inswinger that he appeared not to sight, and England went to tea on a dicey 211 for 5.

Crawley and Stewart seemed to be a handy pair to have at a moment like this, but when Stewart failed to respond to Crawley's quick single and was run out by Upul Chandana's direct hit from cover (214 for 6) the end was most definitely nigh. The final four wickets fell to a succession of flat-footed drives to the keeper, punctuated only by a brief volley of boundaries from Flintoff and a hopeful rearguard from Crawley and Andrew Caddick, who had a word or two to say to Perera as the pair passed on the way back to the pavilion. Perera's jerky action had raised many eyebrows throughout the day, and Caddick has never been one to bite his tongue.

Marcus Trescothick and Vaughan - again - showed what was possible with a bit of application, as England closed on 53 for 0, still a hefty 227 runs adrift. The day though belonged Sri Lanka's three seamers, and with two days remaining, England need a miracle to dig themselves out of this hole.

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