Sri Lanka sprung something of a surprise by declaring late on the second day of the First Test in Galle. Upon Marvan Atapattu completing his fourth Test double century, Jayasuriya called in the batsmen with the score on 470-5. With eight overs left to survive England finished the day on 27 without loss.

Atapattu - double hundred Photo CricInfo

Although it is clearly a challenging score, England should take great credit for restricting the Sri Lankan total. With the hosts stating that they only aim to bat once they would have been looking to score considerably more runs in the almost six sessions they have batted for. England's first aim will be to pass the follow-on target of 271.

There was drama almost immediately when Atherton survived a confident appeal for a slip catch in Muralitharan's (who took the new ball) opening over. The umpire decided that the ball must have come off the pad, a view that television replays supported.

Of some concern to Sri Lankan supporters must have been the sight of the great off-spinner feeling his groin; perhaps a sign that his fitness maybe an issue before the game is through.

Still, Sri Lanka have taken firm control of the First Test against England. On a slow pitch offering the bowlers no assistance, the third wicket stand between Atapattu and de Silva put on 230 runs. England were unable to take a wicket on the second morning, but the run out of de Silva shortly after the lunch interval was due reward for their perseverance.

Atapattu, though, batted with fluency and tenacity. He reached his sixth Test century with a high elbowed drive in the sixth over of the day. It came from 302 balls and included 10 boundaries. He has a high rate of conversion from centuries to double centuries, and proved his powers of concentration once again today.

Atapattu's 150 came from 401 balls. His only moments of insecurity were against Darren Gough, who gave up trying to bowl fast on a featherbed of a wicket and bowled 70 mph off-cutters instead. Gough cut the ball too, quite alarmingly in fact for England's batsmen and completed an economical spell of 7-0-23-0 after lunch.

He survived two chances when he was on 177. Andrew Caddick missed a one-handed caught and bowled chance and Alec Stewart missed a stumping chance in the next over off Ashley Giles. His 200 came up in 531 balls with 18 fours.

Jayawardene scored an enterprising 61 off 94 balls, with four fours and two sixes, and added 111 runs for the fourth wicket with Atapattu. He survived an anxious start when a ball from Giles stopped on him and lobbed just short of Gough at mid-off. From then he countered the defensive bowling of Giles with quick use of his feet and some ungainly reverse sweeps. He became the victim of Graham Thorpe's sharp football skills, though, as the Surrey man kicked down the stumps from five foot to gain England's second run out of the innings; evidence of Thorpe's background playing football for England Schoolboy's and earning the offer of a trial from Brentford FC.

Aravinda de Silva, too, looked more like his dismissive old self earlier in the day. Twice he lofted Giles for four with his pick-up sweep and moments before the morning drinks interval he swatted Caddick to the square boundary with his swivel pull. His century, his 19th in Tests, came minutes after the lunch break, with a boundary off Croft. It included 10 fours and a six.

In truth, a run out always looked England's best hope of a wicket today. The aging De Silva just survived a trial by television umpire yesterday evening and was forced to dive into his crease earlier in the morning. Thus, it was a case of third time lucky for England as Aravinda de Silva was stranded at the bowlers' end watching the fielder gather a drive from Atapattu, when he should have been watching his partner sprinting towards him. De Silva was run out by yards for 106 well-crafted runs.

England, meanwhile, refused to allow Sri Lanka easy runs. Caddick bowled gun barrel straight to Atapattu with five men on the leg side, including a short mid-wicket and leg gully. Ashley Giles bowled over the wicket on to Atapattu's leg stump and Croft has speared the ball in.

The batsmen, however, were equally obstinate. They refused to chance their arm and prefer to accumulate their runs patiently with little glances and wristy flicks. It doesn't make for scintillating cricket, but it is enthralling.

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