Sri Lanka win despite late drama

Sri Lanka 232 for 9 (Mathews 43, Murali 32, Aamer 3-45) beat Pakistan 196 (Gul 33, Thushara 3-29, Kulasekara 2-30, Murali 2-46) by 36 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHow they were out
Thilan Thushara's three wickets derailed Pakistan's chase, which left them struggling at 134 for 8 at one stage © Associated Press
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Players/Officials: Nuwan Kulasekara Angelo Mathews Muttiah Muralitharan Thilan Thushara
Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Dambulla
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka
Teams: Pakistan Sri Lanka
After Angelo Mathews and Muttiah Muralitharan had combined to devastating effect with the bat, Sri Lanka's pace bowlers scythed through Pakistan's top order to lead them to a 36-run victory on a blustery day in Dambulla. Sri Lanka seemingly had the game in the bag at 134 for 8, but a gritty and stroke-filled 62-run stand between Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamer so nearly spoilt their day. Pakistan had bossed the opening exchanges after electing to field on a green-tinged pitch, but they never quite recovered from a batting Powerplay in which 54 runs were conceded. With none of the frontline batsmen able to build on starts, it was left to the tail to try and pull off a miracle.
Sri Lanka had scripted a stirring revival of their own in the morning. After 44 overs, they were an underwhelming 169 for 6. But once Nuwan Kulasekara fell, having added 42 with Mathews, Murali whirled his bat like a dervish. Gul was top-edged for four and then straight-driven for six in an over that cost 15, and Shahid Afridi then clobbered through the off side for fours before Aamer put the sheen on a superb debut display by bowling him for 32. It had taken just 15 balls though, and by then, on a surface where run-making was not easy, Sri Lanka had enough of a total to defend.
Pakistan appeared deflated by that revival, and their batting effort never left the ground. Kulasekara started things off, tormenting Shoaib Malik outside his off stump. The odd ball would move away, while others would nip back and force him into the most awkward contortions. The scoreboard was moving thanks to a couple of lovely drives from Kamran Akmal but there was an air of inevitability about Malik's dismissal, bowled playing down the wrong line to a straighter one.
After Lasith Malinga's slingshot pace and slower balls had failed to provide a breakthrough, Kumar Sangakkara turned to Thilan Thushara, and he struck with his very first delivery. Akmal also played down the wrong line to one that deviated little, and saw his stumps pegged back. When Mohammad Yousuf then chased a wide one from Kulasekara, Pakistan had slumped to 48 for 3.
Afridi injected some energy into proceedings, clubbing Malinga over midwicket for six, but there was nothing distinguished about the lazy slice to Thushara that ended his innings at 27. Once Younis Khan flayed Thushara down to Mathews at third man, and Misbah-ul-Haq popped one back to Murali off the leading edge, the cause was hopelessly lost.
Fawad Alam and Abdul Razzaq delayed the inevitable while making no dent on the asking-rate, but it was left to Gul and Mohammad Aamer to send some frissons of worry through the Lankan camp with some cavalier hitting in their own Powerplay. Some sloppy bowling from Malinga helped their cause and it was left to Mahela Jayawardene to seal the deal late on with a direct hit from point to run out Aamer. With Malinga yorking Gul next ball, it was all over.
It could have been so very different for Pakistan, who had seen Razzaq and Aamer bowl really well with the new ball in the morning. The initial breakthrough was delayed only because of indifferent fielding. Akmal put down a sharp chance off Sanath Jayasuriya down the leg side, denying Razzaq a fairytale return after two years in the wilderness. And Razzaq himself could have had Jayasuriya a couple of overs later, but a miscue straight back down the pitch was embarrassingly dropped right in front of the batsman's face.
At the other end, Upul Tharanga was in poor touch, beaten repeatedly outside his off stump with feet scarcely moving. It was Jayasuriya who went first though, slashing the second ball he faced from Gul down to Aamer at third man. Aamer had impressed with the new ball, bowling with pace and beating the bat often. And after Tharanga was put out of his misery, nicking one behind, it needed a 48-run stand between Sangakkara and Jayawardene to resurrect the innings.
As in the Test series, Sangakkara seldom failed to cash in on the bad ball, stroking Gul through mid-on and cover, and clipping Younis' part-time medium-pace through midwicket for fours. But just as it seemed that the time was ripe to accelerate, he was undone by a Saeed Ajmal delivery that dipped and turned, and the attempt to cut merely looped to point.
Then came an almighty stutter. Chamara Kapugedera edged Afridi behind, and the onus was on Jayawardene to up the ante. Thilan Samaraweera couldn't do much on his return to the side, miscuing a pull to mid-on, and when Jayawardene was caught short going for a non-existent second run by Younis' flat throw from midwicket, the wheels were off and the axle nearly broken.
But Mathews and Kulasekara didn't panic, scoring in singles and twos before the Powerplay was taken. The final flourish did the rest, as the previously economical Afridi and Gul were taken apart. Gul tried to return the favour when Pakistan took their own Powerplay late in the game, but by then, it was far too late to be anything more than a consolation.

Sangakkara helps Sri Lanka to a draw

Pakistan 299 and 425 for 9 dec drew with Sri Lanka 233 and 391 for 4 (Sangakkara 130*, Mathews 64*)Scorecard and ball-by-ball details How they were out
Pakistan spent much of the afternoon merely going through the motions, toiling all day for just one wicket © AFP
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Bulletin : Sangakkara key to Sri Lanka's fortunes
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Players/Officials: Angelo Mathews Saeed Ajmal Thilan Samaraweera Kumar Sangakkara
Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (SSC)
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka
Teams: Pakistan Sri Lanka
In the end, neither team wanted it badly enough. Sri Lanka couldn't quite summon up the courage for one final dash, and Pakistan spent much of the afternoon merely going through the motions. When play was called off with the 15 mandatory overs to be bowled, Sri Lanka were 101 short of the 492-run target, and Pakistan had toiled all day for just one wicket. Kumar Sangakkara's 19th Test century was the story of the day, but even his performance was overshadowed by an utterly placid pitch. After 21 wickets fell in the opening two days, the bowlers on both sides could manage just 12 in the next nine sessions.
When Angelo Mathews struck a couple of boundaries soon after reaching his half-century after tea, there was the prospect of a Twenty20-like thrash in the final hour, but ultimately Sri Lanka decided to settle for the 2-0 series win.
With Sri Lanka resuming from their overnight 183 for 3, Pakistan would have fancied their chances of pulling off a consolation victory. But with Sangakkara remorselessly grinding the bowling into the SSC dust, and Thilan Samaraweera contributing a classy 73 to a partnership of 122, Younis Khan was left to forlornly shuffle a tiring bowling pack.
As he showed in Hobart not so long ago, Sangakkara is capable of dazzling counter-attacks in pressure situations. This, on a day when survival rather than urgency was the priority, was all rearguard and little flair, with occupation of the crease the main mantra. The odd languid drive through the covers, or the precise sweep to the spinners would occasionally reveal some intent, but by and large, circumspection was the name of the game.
Prime Numbers
391Sri Lanka's score in the second innings at the SSC, which is their second-highest in the last innings of a Test. They'd scored 410 against Australia in Hobart in 2007.
134The number of overs Sri Lanka batted in their second innings, which is their second highest. They'd batted 141.4 overs in a losing cause against Australia in Hobart in 1989.
2The number of centuries Kumar Sangakkara has scored in the fourth innings of a Test, in 21 attempts. He averages 41.88 in these innings.
114The partnership for the fifth wicket between Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews, which is Sri Lanka's highest for that wicket in the fourth innings of a Test.
With Mathews showing only brief glimpses of his shotmaking potential, the run-rate slowed quite a bit after Samaraweera's dismissal soon after lunch. He had been afflicted with cramp, and was then struck a glancing blow on the helmet by Mohammad Aamer before a doosra from Saeed Ajmal was nicked behind.
Apart from a brain-fade where he nearly handled the ball after digging out a yorker from Younis, Samaraweera had constantly challenged the bowlers, never allowing them to settle into a rhythm. Danish Kaneria, the scourge of Sri Lanka's first innings, was attacked and only Ajmal managed to exercise any real control.
Younis was also badly let down by Umar Gul, who struggled with no-balls and served up dross with the second new-ball. Each mistake was pounced on by Samaraweera, whose classical drives invoked another age. Pakistan still had a slight edge, but with no Flintoff-like talisman to turn to, Younis' brow became increasingly furrowed as the afternoon wore on. Sangakkara's smile only grew wider

Mark Cavendish makes history with ninth stage win

Tour de France 2009: Mark Cavendish makes history with ninth stage win

Cavendish, who rides for Columbia, held off green jersey rival Thor Hushovd of Norway with a wicked turn of pace in the final few hundred metres of the sprint after he had been led in by teammate Tony Martin.

Hushovd finished second while Germany's Gerald Ciolek took third on the 169km stage which began in Bourgoin-Jallieu and which failed to produce a winning breakaway.
Ahead of Saturday's 20th stage, which includes the 21.1km climb to the summit of the Mont Ventoux, Spaniard Alberto Contador of Astana remains the race leader with a 4min 11sec lead on Luxembourg's Andy Schleck.
Third place overall, Lance Armstrong finished just behind the sprinters to close his gap to Contador by four seconds, although the American is still over five minutes off the pace at 5:21.
Cavendish won four stages last year and with his five from this edition it means he eclipses the previous British record of eight, held by England's Barry Hoban, who raced in the 1960s and 70s.

Tour de France 2009: Mark Cavendish loses top spot to gutsy Thor Hushovd

Norway's Thor Hushovd, one of the most talented all-round riders in the peloton, signalled that Mark Cavendish will have to win the green jersey the hard way.

Hushovd made a typically gutsy ride in the mountains between Vittel and Colmar to regain the lead in the points competition.

This was in no way sprinters' territory and Cavendish decided early in the day to conserve his energy for challenges ahead. However, Hushovd sensed an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands.

Although unable to go with the break, which eventually saw Heinrich Haussler take off on his own for a memorable win, Hushovd dug deep to stay with the next bunch, containing all the main contenders. He won the sprint at the finish to take sixth place and 15 priceless points. He now goes back into green, on 205 points to Cavendish's 200.

Cavendish needs to hit back on Saturday during a gnarly run from Colmar to Besancon. The tough undulating terrain, with two category-three climbs en route, will also offer every encouragement to the likes of Haussler and others looking to pick off a stage win.

Hushovd could be tired after his efforts, although he seems to suffer less from fatigue than most, and Cavendish and his Columbia team-mates need to work hard to contain any breaks and ensure their man has a chance to use his pace at the end. After that it is mountains all the way until the last individual time-trial in Annecy next Thursday.

There are a few intermediate sprints on the way but they will probably involve Hushovd more than Cavendish and although the latter would always fancy his chance of winning the final sprint on the Champs-Elysee, Hushovd is also likely to garner points there.

Although there was no movement on the road, or indeed any attempt at movement and attack, in the main competition, Britain's Bradley Wiggins, for the second consecutive day, climbed a position and now lies in a heady fourth place, a superb effort.

Rilando Nocentini will continue to wear the yellow jersey after Brice Feillu, the best-performing of his immediate rivals, failed to close the gap significantly.

On Thursday he had a 15-second deficit reinstated after being impeded by a crash inside the final 3km and the retirement of Levi Leipheimer, who has broken a wrist, resulted in his promotion to fourth.

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Anderson leads England charge

Australia 156 for 8 (Hauritz 3*, Siddle 3*, Anderson 4-36) trail England 425 (Strauss 161, Cook 95, Anderson 29, Hilfenhaus 4-103) by 269 runs

Australia's 75-year unbeaten record at Lord's is facing its greatest threat, after England's seamers scythed through the tourists' top-order on a rain-interrupted second day at Lord's. James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff bowled with a measure of pace, movement and accuracy that eluded Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle in the preceding innings, and placed England in a position of dominance with Australia still requiring 70 runs to avoid the follow-on.

Anderson turned in a performance befitting his recently-acquired mantle of England spearhead, maintaining a threatening line and swinging the ball just enough to create angst among the opposing batsmen. With Flintoff conceding runs at barely two-per-over at the other end, and Stuart Broad and Graham Onions constantly probing the outside edge, England created a pressurised atmosphere in which the Australians spectacularly cracked. The tourists lost six wickets for the addition of just 49 runs after tea, and must now hope for more of the rain periods that interrupted the second day's play if they are to emerge from this match unscathed.

No less than six Australian batsmen fell to misjudged pull-strokes, indicating that the situation, rather than unplayable deliveries, brought about their demise. The early loss of Ricky Ponting to an incorrect decision by Rudi Koertzen, officiating in his 100th Test, did not help their cause, but too many of his team-mates sought to bash their way out of trouble; a tactic that, against a ruthless England attack in heavy overhead conditions, appeared flawed from the start.

Only now, with Flintoff entering the home straight of his Test career, have he and Anderson become the combination England had long hoped for. Both dazzled under the floodlights, switched on for the first time in a Lord's Test match, against an Australian batting line-up forced to carry the cross of their profligate bowlers from the previous day, and under pressure from the moment they marked centre.

Fortune played a role in Anderson's first two dismissals, with Phillip Hughes strangling a delivery to Matt Prior down the leg-side and Ponting adjudged caught to a ball he missed by some margin. Playing across a sharp, slanting delivery, Ponting struck the instep of his shoe as the ball threaded the gap between bat and pad and lobbed to Andrew Strauss at first slip. Koertzen asked the third umpire, Nigel Llong, whether the ball had carried to Strauss, and subsequently ruled him out for two, continuing Ponting's unhappy association with Lord's when he has 71 runs at 14.20.

England made their own luck thereafter. An obstinate, attritional 93-run stand between Simon Katich and Michael Hussey temporarily drew Australia back into the contest, but with England's bowlers maintaining disciplined lines and the rain clouds closing in, the odds of a momentum-shifting stand was always stacked against them. So it was that Katich, the most measured of Australia's batsmen to that point, swiped at an Onions delivery and was caught by a running, diving Broad at fine leg. The dismissal was a carbon copy of that which led to Katich's demise in Worcester, and represents a triumph for England's planning.

Hussey, having compiled a confidence-boosting 51, followed three overs later in the most frustrating of circumstances. Shouldering arms to a straightening Flintoff delivery, Hussey watched forlornly as the ball dislodged the off-bail in a dismissal that sent Australia's prospects plummeting. England sensed the kill with two new batsmen at the crease, and it wasn't long before Anderson had accounted for Michael Clarke and Marcus North - both dismissed attempting to force the pace of the innings. Broad continued the rout with the wickets of Johnson and Brad Haddin to loose pull-shots, reducing Australia to 156 for eight before bad light stopped play at 6.23pm.

In keeping with the theme of the match, Australia will resume on Saturday with a pair of batsmen afflicted by injury and illness. Nathan Hauritz dislocated a finger on Friday while Siddle vomited on the field before seeking medical treatment in the first session on Saturday. A bleak picture for the tourists.

Earlier, Ben Hilfenhaus temporarily lifted Australian spirits with two quick wickets that went far to rounding out England's first innings for 425. Hilfenhaus claimed the vital scalp of Andrew Strauss with his second ball of the morning, then followed with that of Broad, as the hosts lost their final four wickets for 61 before the first drinks break.

As was the case in Cardiff, England's 10th wicket partnership proved problematic for the Australians, as Anderson and Onions added 47 valuable runs. With Siddle taken from the field with illness - effectively reducing Ponting to just two frontline bowling options - England's tailenders took the attack to the out-of-sorts Johnson. He eventually claimed the wicket of Anderson for 29, but not before his figures had swollen to 3-132 from 21.4 overs.

John Terry remains silent over Manchester City interest as Chelsea head to US

John Terry joined his team-mates on the plane leaving for Chelsea’s pre-season tour of America with questions hanging over a possible move to Manchester City while Joe Cole was left behind after undergoing an operation on his knee.

Terry has yet to break his silence over persistent rumours that Chelsea are willing to listen to City’s overtures for a player who has been at Stamford Bridge since his teens and has come to be an emblem for the club.

And with a public commitment to Chelsea not forthcoming from the player himself, City manager Mark Hughes has been encouraged.

He has already had two bids turned down but will have little hesitation in raising his offer for a second time to around £40 million.

Chief executive Peter Kenyon moved to play down speculation that Terry might be heading to Eastlands when he told the Daily Telegraph’s Jeff Randall on Sky News: “I don’t know what they’re offering but I’m confident John will remain with us.

“John is a talisman; he’s the heart of Chelsea. He came through the academy, he’s our captain and he’s also become captain of England whilst he’s been here.”

Cole did not travel with the rest of the squad after undergoing minor surgery yesterday.

Cole required the operation to correct a small tear to his meniscus in his knee and is expected back in full training in one month.

The England midfielder had recently recovered from cruciate ligament damage sustained in January, an injury that ruled him out of the rest of the 2008-09 season.

Chelsea left for America today and will play the opening match of their tour against Seattle Sounders on Saturday.

Tour de France 2009: Mark Cavendish retains green jersey but fails to win stage 12

On an afternoon when a determined break stayed away and Denmark's Nicki Sorensen sealed an impressive stage win, Mark Cavendish claimed useful sprint points to stretch his lead over Thor Hushovd in their absorbing battle for the green jersey.

For the first time on the 2009 Tour de France Cavendish contested, and won, an intermediate sprint early in the stage at Channes to claim six useful points – to Hushovd's two – and then when the bunch came in behind the break he won the sprint to finish eighth and claim 13 points, one more than Hushovd.

Cavendish now has 200 points to the Norwegian’s 190, with two clear-cut sprint stages to go – tomorrow in Besancon and then in Paris a week on Sunday.

With more than 200km of racing yesterday over gently rolling terrain, the attacks came thick and fast in a first hour, in which the peloton completed an impressive 48km. However, none of those attempts were allowed to leave the peloton’s clutches until the 64km mark, when a six-man group formed.

Sorensen, sensing that this was the decisive point, pulled away from the main bunch to try to join the breakaway group, who were allowed to go on ahead unhindered and soon built a five-minute lead.

With 5km to go, Sorensen then pulled away, leaving the fading Sylvain Calzati to be submerged by the chasing pack, which included Rinaldo Nocentini, who retained the yellow jersey, seven-time champion Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador.

At the finish, Sorensen, 34, was free to bask in a first-ever Tour win after 10 years as a professional cyclist and seven previous Tours. Astada rider Contador remains in second place overall, with Armstrong in third. Bradley Wiggins finished in 17th spot and stays in fifth place,

There were five riders 48 seconds behind Sorensen, while Remi Pauriol was at 1min 33sec and the main peloton arrived at 5min 58sec, with all the contenders for the title arriving safe and sound.

The action could, however, be much hotter today when they race into the Vosges mountains, with the Col du Platzerwasel and the Col de la Schlucht offering the mountain goats an outside chance to show their class again, although neither climb is an epic.

There are three intermediate sprints en route and this could be a day for Team Columbia to fiercely protect Cavendish’s lead because Hushovd survives better in the mountains and might fancy at least the first two sprints of the day.

Tour de France details

Stage 12: 211.5-km from Tonnerre to Vittelge:

1. Nicki Sorensen (Denmark - Saxo Bank) 4hrs 52mins 24secs 2. Laurent Lefevre (France - Bbox - Bouygues) +48" 3. Franco Pellizotti (Italy - Liquigas) same time 4. Markus Fothen (Germany - Milram ) 5. Egoi Martinez (Spain / Euskaltel) 6. Sylvain Calzati (France - Agritubel) 7. Remi Pauriol (France - Cofidis) +1:33" 8. Mark Cavendish (Britain - Columbia) +5:58" 9. Thor Hushovd (Norway - Cervelo) 10. Marco Bandiera (Italy - Lampre)
Other: 17 B. Wiggins (GB, Garmin); 30. N Roche (Rep of Ireland, AG2R); 153. D Millar (GB, Garmin); 158. C Wegelius (GB, Silence-Lotto) all at 5-58.

Overall: 1. R Nocentini (Italy, AG2R) 48h 27m 21s; 2. A Contador (Spain, Astana) at 6s; 3. L Armstrong (US, Astana) 8; 4. L Leipheimer (US, Astana) 39; 5. Wiggins (Great Britain, Garmin) 46; 6. A Kloeden (Germany, Astana) 54; 7. T Martin (Germany, Columbia) 1m 00s; 8. C Vande Velde (US, Garmin) 1-24; 9. A Schleck (Luxembourg, Saxo Bank) 1-49; 10. V Nibali (Italy, Liquigas) 1-54.
Other: 51. Roche 16-45; 65. Millar 28-18; 81. Wegelius 36-14; 132. Cavendish 1h 13m 54s.

Points: 1. M Cavendish 200; 2. T Hushovd 190; 3. J J Rojas (Spain, Caisse d’Epargne) 116.

Mountains: 1. E Martinez (Spain, Euskaltel) 88pts; 2. F Pellizotti (Italy, Liquigas) 71; 3. C Kern (France, Cofidis) 59.

Team: 1. Saxo Bank 143h 47m 41s; 2. AG2R at 34s; 3. Astana 37.

Young rider: 1. T Martin 48h 28m 21s; 2. A Schleck at 49s; 3. V Nibali 54.

Strauss ton holds England together

England 364 for 6 (Strauss 161*, Broad 7*) v Australia

Andrew Strauss launched a stirring riposte to Ricky Ponting's 150 in Cardiff, carrying his bat through the first day to hand England the early ascendancy in the second Test. Strong off his pads, and stronger through the point region, Strauss moved within 16 runs of his highest ever Test score and beyond the 5,000-run career barrier. But the significance of this innings lay not in personal milestones but in its impact on an England team which, after the tea break, looked decided shaky against the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson.

Profligate in the first session, prolific in the last, Johnson personified a day of fluctuating fortunes at Lord's. The foundations built by Strauss, the gallant centurion, and Alastair Cook during an historic 196-run opening stand were eroded by a middle order stumble that drew Australia back into the contest. And, in both cases, Johnson was the pivotal figure.

Through his first 11 overs Johnson conceded 77 runs, including 15 boundaries, to allow England the opportunity to build on the bonhomie of their Cardiff escape. Whether overawed by the occasion of his first Lord's Test, upset by the ground's pronounced slope or just shy of form and confidence, Australia's spearhead appeared decidedly blunt in his exchanges with Strauss and Cook, guilty of straying both sides of the wicket and failing to find a consistent length in the period before tea.

But with a change of session came a change of fortune. The ball, which stubbornly refused to swing while still coated in lacquer, suddenly found its arc, with Johnson its pilot. His reverse swing slowed a scoring rate that had threatened to spiral out of control, and eventually accounted for the wicket of Matt Prior, bowled to a beautiful, tailing delivery.

Were it not for the stoic batting of Strauss, who ground his way to his highest Test score on home soil, Johnson may well have seized back all the initiative surrendered in the earlier sessions. As it was, England headed to stumps in a position of strength, though perhaps not quite as strong as they might have hoped, with Strauss to resume on 161 alongside Stuart Broad.

Together with Cook, Strauss forged the highest first wicket partnership by an England combination at Lord's (196), bettering by 14 runs the 83-year-old record held by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. Though Cook fell just five runs short of his century, becoming Johnson's 100th Test scalp in the process, Strauss thrust forth into the evening, denying the probing offerings of Johnson, and the more consistent Ben Hilfenhaus.

Prior to the final session, England's cause had been helped no end by an Australian attack that lurched from the lamentable to the horrendous, and one temporarily without the services of Nathan Hauritz. Hauritz, in dropping a powerfully struck return catch by Strauss, dislocated the middle finger on his bowling hand and was immediately taken from the field for treatment. So savage was the force of Strauss's drive that Hauritz, upon viewing his contorted finger, immediately signalled to the dressing room in distress and almost vomited on the pristine playing surface.

Scans cleared Hauritz of a fracture, and the off-spinner resumed his place in the field in the final session. Certainly, the Australians will harbour concerns over Hauritz's effectiveness over the final four days; a major issue not only on account of variation, but also in terms of the workload of the fast bowlers, playing the second of back-to-back Test matches.

Extras, misfields and overthrows all blighted Australia's early effort, but by far the biggest disappointment was Johnson, who arrived on these shores trumpeted as the best paceman in international cricket. In a portent of what was to come, Johnson began the day with a full, leg-side delivery that Cook duly clipped to the square-leg boundary. His errant ways continued in the first half-hour, at one stage conceding four boundaries in six deliveries to Strauss, prompting Ponting to replace him with Siddle after four expensive (26 runs) overs.

Siddle, too, was awry, failing to contend with the slope of the Lord's pitch and making life difficult for Brad Haddin. Australia's only saving grace was Hilfenhaus, who began the match with three consecutive maidens and was rewarded after lunch with the wicket of Ravi Bopara. He might also have had Strauss earlier in the second session, if not for the small detail of his no-ball and Haddin's turfed catch. Strauss went onto raise his 18th Test century moments before tea. It was that kind of day for the Australians.

The confidence of England's openers visibly lifted over the course of the first session. Cook, the chief aggressor, enthralled the capacity Lord's crowd in the lead-up to lunch by pulling Johnson at every opportunity - not all of them from bad deliveries - en route to a half-century raised from just 73 deliveries. Strauss, save for a bright flurry against Johnson, was happy to steadily accumulate as part of a partnership that rocketed along to 125 by the lunch break.

Eight minutes prior to lunch, Cook and Strauss bettered their highest ever opening partnership against Australia, eclipsing their stand of 116 from the Perth Test two years ago. They advanced that total to 196 - England's highest opening stand in an Ashes Test since 1956 - before Cook fell in the 48th over to a fuller, straighter Johnson delivery that rapped him on the back pad.

England's day tapered thereafter. Bopara's cheap dismissal was compounded by that of Kevin Pietersen, whose aura is dimming with each innings at present. The prodigiously talented batsmen tried mightily to surrender his wicket before the tea break, and succeeded just after by playing inside a shorter Siddle delivery. Paul Collingwood, the rock of Cardiff, then fell to the loosest of strokes of the bowling of Michael Clarke, a part-time finger spinner, and was soon followed by Andrew Flintoff, the departing hero.

Tour de France 2009: Mark Cavendish denies racism claims

Mark Cavendish has hit back at claims that he racially insulted French riders at the Tour de France. I love to come here (France) and I love to come here and race. For sure I'm going to have a go at some lad – because I'm like that," said Cavendish.

"But their nationality, and what they look like or where they come from is irrelevant."

Cavendish woke

up on Wednesday to allegations in L'Equipe which cited anonymous French riders saying he had racially insulted them – and that his arrogance was getting on their nerves.

"Cavendish is racist, he's anti-French," said one rider.

"He should be careful. We're not going to put up with his attitude much longer."

But while seemingly admitting that he can be a difficult customer – allegations in the press about his arrogant ways have prompted hot debate in the past – Cavendish refuted allegations that he was a racist.

He added: "I didn't say this. I had to laugh at that article this morning. I would have been nice to have the name of the rider who supposedly said this so that I can go and sort it out.

"I get a little hot-headed sometimes, but it's irrelevant the nationality of the rider when you have a go at someone.

"When you're a rider with a public profile, you can't be friends with everybody, it's going to be like that.

"I take it as a compliment that they're going to try and start trouble about something that's not about bike riding, because they've got nothing to criticise my riding about."

Another claim levelled at Cavendish was his refusal to do his share of the work in the 'grupetto', the slow bunch of non-climbers which usually works together to get through the difficult mountains stages.

On Sunday, Cavendish made sure he will make even fewer friends among his fellow strugglers in the mountains when he said he would continue sitting at the back and not taking his share of the relays.

"I'm just content to stay there," he told French television. "I have to save my energy at certain moments in the race."

Tour de France 2009: Mark Cavendish sprints to third stage win

The peloton might have been staging an unofficial go slow on Tuesday but Mark Cavendish was still racing like a bat out of hell at the end and duly pulled off his third stage win of the 2009 Tour de France to narrow the gap on Norway's Thor Hushovd in an increasingly close and exciting tussle for the coveted green jersey.

The 10th stage – from Limoges to Issoudun – was always one of Cavendish's bankers as along as he came through the Pyrennes safely. Only a slight uphill finish presented anything unusual and so it proved although the teak-tough Hushovd raced hard for second place to preserve his lead, at least for one more day. Cavendish's efforts garnered 35 points, Hushovd's 30 and the battle for Tour de France green is clearly about to get red hot.

Wednesday's stage between Vatan and Saint Fargeau presents more opportunities for the sprinters as does Thursday's run between Tonnerre and Vittle; after a testing Friday in the Vosges mountains the Colmar-Besancon stage on Saturday remains the final realistic opportunity of points for the quick men before the finale down the Champs Elysees a week on Saturday.

Big tour wins are becoming common place for Cavendish but it is worth reiterating that in the last 15 months he has now accumulated seven separate Tour de France victories and five individual wins in the Giro d'Italia not to mention another position atop the podium in the team time-trial at this year's Giro.

Events on Tuesday were both predictable and curious. On Bastille Day it was entirely in keeping with the usual script on these occasions for a group of French riders – Benoît Vaugrenard, Thierry Hupond and Samuel Dumoulin – to disappear up the road in an early break fulfilling a vague desire to satisfy national pride. They, as ever, were joined by the perennially aggressive Mikhail Ignatiev who is alway spoiling for a fight.

The peloton initially stirred themselves enough to ensure the break wasn't decisive – this was going to be a day for the sprinters and nothing was going to threaten that – but then held them at arms length for most of the afternoon is a strange stand-off.

You could argue that so early in the race it was not in the sprinters teams interest to close the gap and leave themselves open to another attack but the conspiracy theorists point instead to the UCI's decision that for this stage – and indeed Friday's – teams were banned from using radio communication between riders and team managers.

The vast majority of the peloton were much angered by this and all but two teams signed a petition of protest to the UCI who themselves have been keen to react to suggestions that the extensive use of radios has made racing too boring and too controlled with little opportunity for individual initiative, a theory that was heavily challenged after a cracking first week of action.

In stage 10 the only information on the road was the old fashioned chalkboard time differences displayed by the motorbike couriers which is far from reliable and definitive. The result was comfortably the most boring day of the tour thus far, something which will not altogether displease the peloton.

As far as the overall lead goes there was no change at the very and, unless something dramatic happens in the Vosges on Friday, it will probably stay like that all the way to the Alps on Sunday. All of which is exceptionally good news for the unheralded Rinaldo Nocentini who could be in yellow for a good while yet after maintaining his six-second lead over Alberto Contador with Lance Armstrong a further two seconds adrift.

There was, however, a slightly disappointment for Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins who lost 15 seconds, along with fellow contender Levi Leipheimer, and dropped down to seventh, 1 min 1 sec behind Nocentini. His priority now must be conserving energy and ensuring the easiest possible passage as he faces the biggest challenge of his career in trying to stay with Contador, Armstrong and others in the high mountains from Sunday onwards.

Tour de France details

Stage 10: 194.5km, Limoges-Issoudun:

1 M Cavendish (GB, Columbia) 4h 46m 43s; 2 T Hushovd (Norway, Cervelo); 3 T Farrar (US, Garmin); 4 L Duque (Colombia, Cofidis); 5 J J Rojas (Spain, Caisse d’Epargne); 6 L Mondory (France, AG2R) same time; 7 K van Hummel (Holland, Skil-Shimano); 8 W Bonnet (France, Bbox Bouygues); 9 D Bennati (Italy, Liquigas); 10 S Haddou (France, Bbox Bouygues) all same time.

Other: 17 N Roche (Ireland, AG2R) same time as Cavendish; 64 B Wiggins (GB, Garmin); 151 C Wegelius (GB, Silence-Lotto); 154 D Millar (GB, Garmin) all at 15s.

Overall: 1 R Nocentini (Italy, AG2R) 39h 11m 04s; 2 A Contador (Spain, Astana) at 6s; 3 L Armstrong (US, Astana) 8; 4 A Kloeden (Germany, Astana) 54; 5 L Leipheimer (US, Astana) same time; 6 T Martin (Germany, Columbia) 1-00; 7 Wiggins 1-01; 8 C Vande Velde (US, Garmin) 1-24; 9 A Schleck (Luxembourg, Saxo Bank) 1-49; 10 V Nibali (Italy, Liquigas) 1-54.

Other: 50 Roche 16-45; 62 Millar 27-33; 80 Wegelius 35-55; 135 Cavendish 1h 13m 54s.

Points: 1 Hushovd 147; 2 Cavendish 141; 3 Rojas 97.

Mountains: 1 E Martinez (Spain, Euskatel) 78pts; 2 C Kern (France, Cofidis) 59; 3 F Pellizotti (Italy, Liquigas) 55.

Team: 1 AG2R 115h 59m 24s; 2 Astana at 3s; 3 Columbia 4m 45s.

Young riders: 1 Martin 39h 12m 04s; 2 A Schleck at 49s; 3 Nibali 54.

Text size: A | A

Sri Lanka 240 (Sangakkara 87, Gul 4-43, Ajmal 4-87) and 171 for 3 (Warnapura 54) beat Pakistan 90 (Kulasekara 4-21) and 320 (Fawad 168, Younis 82, Herath 5-99, Kulasekara 4-37) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Rangana Herath picked up his first five-for in Tests © AFP
Related Links News : Give this team time before you judge us - Younis Analysis : Kulasekara finds his range Players/Officials: Fawad Alam | Rangana Herath | Nuwan Kulasekara | Younis Khan Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS) Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka Teams: Pakistan | Sri Lanka

A match in which fortunes swung wildly finally ended in an emphatic seven-wicket win for Sri Lanka, as they sealed their first home series win against Pakistan with a convincing performance at the P Sara Oval. Pakistan were left to rue another batting collapse of monumental proportions, one in which they lost nine wickets for 35 to go from a commanding 285 for 1 to 320 all out. That left Sri Lanka with a target of just 171, which they knocked off in a mere 32 overs to ensure a three-day result.

That had seemed a remote possibility when play started this morning, and seemed even less likely when Fawad Alam and Younis Khan were motoring along during their 200-run second-wicket partnership in the morning. Pakistan had wiped off the 150-run deficit with aplomb, and were building a substantial lead of their own; the pitch was flat, offering little assistance for pace or spin, and the Sri Lankans appeared completely deflated. Sri Lanka got a very small glimmer when Younis gifted his wicket away, attempting a reverse sweep against the part-time offspin of Tharanga Paranavitana with the second new ball just two overs away, and from there it went horribly wrong for Pakistan.

Surprisingly, it was Rangana Herath who took the new ball, and equally surprisingly, he struck immediately, removing Mohammad Yousuf with his second ball. That triggered a spectacular collapse, as seven more wickets fell in the next 92 deliveries. Pakistan had recovered brilliantly from their first-innings debacle, but there was no escape route this time around.

Nuwan Kulasekara had struggled for seam and swing in the first 80 overs, but armed with the new ball in overcast conditions, he suddenly found exaggerated inswing, trapping four batsmen lbw. Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Abdur Rauf and Saeed Ajmal all got their front foot too far across, though Misbah was unlucky as the ball seemed to be missing leg stump.

Herath, meanwhile, was as effective with the straighter one as he was with the one which turned. The lack of turn accounted for Yousuf, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul, while turn and bounce ended Fawad's outstanding innings of 168, the second-highest by a Pakistan debutant. His four wickets with the new ball gave him figures of 5 for 99, his first five-for in Tests, and a series which had already seen several twists had another monumental, and decisive, one.

At lunch, though, no one could have seen the end coming, as Fawad and Younis reduced Sri Lanka's bowlers and fielders to a completely dispirited lot, adding 116 in 28 overs for the loss of just one wicket. More than the runs themselves, it was the ease with which Fawad and Younis batted that would have worried Kumar Sangakkara. Fawad, especially, showed excellent concentration, knocking the ball in the gaps, driving fluently through the covers, and cutting and pulling whenever the bowlers pitched it marginally short.

Sangakkara's tactics were perplexing - the second over of the day was bowled by Paranavitana - and when he did turn to his main bowlers, the results weren't much better. Ajantha Mendis had a shocker, either dragging the balls too short or serving half-volleys, and leaked 38 in six overs, including five fours.

As the runs piled up, so did the records: Fawad became only the fourth Pakistan batsman to score 150 on debut, while the partnership was the highest for the second wicket at this ground, and for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Tests.

It was all going exactly as Pakistan would have wanted it to, till Sangakkara gave the second new ball to Herath. The collapse that followed seemed to completely take the fight out of Pakistan, for when they took the field to defend 170, they were flat and uninspired. Gul and Mohammad Aamer bowled on both sides of the wicket and got none of the movement that Kulasekara had managed earlier in the afternoon. The aggressive Malinda Warnapura cashed in, getting a flurry of boundaries with pulls and flicks to ensure that Sri Lanka never felt the pressure of chasing an uncomfortable target against an attack known to trigger collapses.

The opening partnership added 60 in a mere ten overs, and even when that pair was separated, with Paranavitana playing a careless sweep, Pakistan were never in the contest as Sangakkara carried on from where he had left off in the first innings. Younis brought back Gul for a late spell, hoping for some reverse swing and inspiration, but Gul managed neither. A lofted six by Sangakkara off Malik brought down the target to just 11, but he wasn't in the middle to celebrate his first series win as captain, falling off the next delivery. With Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera around, though, that hardly mattered.

Kulasekara and Herath set up series win

A match in which fortunes swung wildly finally ended in an emphatic seven-wicket win for Sri Lanka

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Spinners seal historic Bangladesh win

Bangladesh 238 and 345 (Tamim 128, Sammy 5-70) beat West Indies 307 and 181 (Bernard 52, Mahmudullah 5-51, Shakib 3-39) by 95 runs

Four years and six months after their solitary Test win, Bangladesh sealed a historic second victory when they beat West Indies by 95 runs in St Vincent. Bangladesh's spin twins Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah weaved a tantalising web to shove West Indies to defeat. Spare a thought, though, for David Bernard who thwarted everything thrown at him for 134 balls to remain unbeaten on a fine 52. The win, as special it was, would come with an asterisk that this was a second-string West Indies team.

The Champagne moment arrived at 4.40 pm when the stand-in captain Shakib nailed the last man Tino Best in front with a dipping full toss with only ten overs left in the day. Best put up his bat as if to suggest he had edged it but the finger was up and the Bangladeshi fielders moved into a huddle of joy. A limping Mashrafe Mortaza hobbled to the middle to join in the celebrations.

It was an enthralling last couple of sessions in the beautiful Kingstown stadium ringed by sea. The cricket in nature was almost sub-continental in its elements. Spinners operated with several close-in men prowling near the batsmen waiting for a mistake, and an over-excited chirpy wicketkeeper, Mushfiqur Rahim, applying immense pressure on the batsmen and the umpires with his appeals and adding drama with his oohs and aahs. And when the seamers came on, it wasn't seam but reverse swing on view with the slinging Rubel Hossain and the grunting Shahadat Hossain trying their best to break through.

And the plot thickened in the last session, as Bernard found a willing partner in Nikita Miller, taking the minds back to Cardiff where England pulled off a great escape yesterday. But Mohammad Ashraful, who failed in both innings with the bat, stamped his presence in the game by removing Miller, who hung on his back foot to defend stoutly for 54 balls, with one that straightened to get the edge. Mahmudullah returned to trap Ryan Austin and take out Kemar Roach before Shakib sealed the finish.

Until then, Bernard had given a huge headache to the visitors as he stood solidly between them and history. His CV describes him as a stylish batsman but today he added grit to the existing grace. Even under tremendous pressure, he managed to bat almost elegantly, using his wrists skillfully to ride the turn and the bounce on the final-day's wicket. While the rest around him pushed hard at the ball, he played with soft hands and defended confidently. The contest between Shakib and him was high-quality, with the bowler shifting angles and trying everything in his arsenal - the left-arm breaks, the straighter one, the arm-ball, the round-arm delivery, over and round-the-wicket - but he was in a zone of his own. He moved forward or back, as the length demanded of him, using his wrists to drop the ball down short of the fielders. When the spin strangle got tighter, he had the courage to play the pressure-relieving strokes like the lofted drives and the cuts. He survived a close lbw shout in the 44th over against Shakib when a ball straightened to hit the pad in front of the stumps but that blemish apart, he was pretty solid.

However, Shakib and Mahmudullah ensured no other batsmen would deny them a slice of history. Shakib, hailed by the former Australian spinner Kerry O' Keefe as the "best finger spinner in the world", turned in a suffocating spell of left-arm spin to relentlessly force the pressure on West Indies. Shakib was slightly slow through the air in the first innings and couldn't pose too many problems on a slow track. However, today, he ripped it slightly quicker and immediately looked threatening. He varied his pace, even his angle, by lowering the arm on occasions, and, unsurprisingly, was the better of the two spinners, despite finishing with fewer wickets. He occasionally got the ball to straighten and slipped a few with the arm.

In his first over Shakib harassed Omar Phillips before going past an attempted sweep to trap the batsman. Later, when Darren Sammy and Bernard added 37 in 11.3 overs, he struck, removing Sammy with a little bit of help from the batsman. Suddenly, against the run of play and just before tea, Sammy jumped out and sliced an ambitious square drive straight to point.

Even when he was not taking wickets, Shakib kept the pressure on and by keeping the batsmen on a leash, allowed Mahmudullah the space to wreak some damage. At one point in the chase Rahim shouted out to Mahmudullah, "Just keep hitting the right areas; the pitch would take care of the rest buddy". Mahmudullah did exactly that to pick up three quick wickets post lunch before he returned to take another two in the last. He tightened the stranglehold by being accurate and making the batsmen play at every ball. It paid off and how.

Floyd Reifer, who was tormented by Shakib, showed himself to be a prime lbw candidate. Time and again, that front leg was pressed dangerously across but he managed to stab and jab his way out against Shakib. But Mahmudullah broke through finally with one that landed and straightened to strike that front leg. His next victim was Travis Dowlin, inducing a nervous prod straight to short-leg. Chadwick Walton walked in and started off with a second-ball six but was done in by one that kept low from Mahmudullah and was struck in front of the leg stump.

The slide had started with a moment of madness from the opener Dale Richards who added 20 runs in two overs before he had a brain freeze. He ambled out of the crease after being hit on the pad by Shahadat Hossain, all the while looking anxiously at the umpire for the verdict on the lbw appeal, which went in his favour, but was run out by a direct hit. That allowed Bangladesh the opening and they stormed through.

When the day started, it looked as if Bangladesh were dawdling with the bat and not showing enough urgency to either go for quick runs or leave many overs as possible to bowl out West Indies. However, Darren Sammy took a five-for to bowl them out and that proved a blessing in hindsight as it allowed their spinners enough time to bowl them to a euphoric triumph.

Tour de France 2009: Alberto Contador denies reports of tension

Armstrong made the claim in an interview after Sunday's mountain stage to Tarbes. But Contador countered: "We have a normal relationship. It's not like we are the best of friends, but we eat together, we talk on the bus."

Both riders enjoyed a gentle two-hour spin on Monday, during the Tour's first rest day.

"It is more the perception from outside which is not so good. Whatever people may think from outside changes nothing for me. I just stay relaxed and am concentrating on the competition. The Tour is demanding and it is better not to waste energy on something like this. These things are just a distraction, but at the end of the day, I try to stay relaxed."

At the start of Tuesday's 10th stage, Contador, who attacked Armstrong on the seventh-stage climb to Arcalis in the Pyrenees to take back 19 seconds on the American and move into second overall, will start six seconds down on Italy’s Rinaldo Nocentini with Armstrong third, another eight seconds back.

Despite reports from Spain claiming Astana are 100 per cent behind Armstrong, according to a newspaper report, Contador believes he will be able to rely on his team when the race moves into the mountains on Friday.

"I don't feel any tension in the team, I don't feel alone, I have important people around me," said Contador. "We still have two weeks to go, the most important thing is that Astana wins in Paris.

"All the riders in the Astana team are professional enough to work for all four main riders, I have no doubts about this. In the peloton, I have more affinity with some riders than others, just like Lance does. For the moment, it is not important to find allies yet. Believe me, everyone who wants to win a Tour needs a team – to win the Tour de France on your own, it's impossible."

Contador also said he expected the Tour to be decided in the mountains: "I think the Alps will make the difference. From Colmar – stage 13 – onwards we have Verbiers, and the time-trial and Mont Ventoux are also important, but I think the difference will have been made before."

And when asked about who he feels are his main rivals, Contador refused to mention the A-word. "The Schleck brothers [Andy and Frank at Saxo Bank], especially Andy, and the 2008 champion Carlos Sastre as he has a lot of experience."

Tuesday's stage will start under a cloud after 14 rebel teams and race organisers reached a stalemate in a row over the banning of radio communication.

So far 14 of the 20 teams on the Tour have signed a petition protesting against the decision by the International Cycling Union to ban radio communication between riders and team managers for two stages this week.

Representatives from the 14 teams, the race jury chief and Tour organisers met on Monday but failed to reach an agreement.

Kaka better than Ronaldo: Brazil legend Altafini

New Delhi: Former Milan and Brazil legend Jose Altafini believes Kaka is better than Cristiano Ronaldo and he has tipped the Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or once again after scooping the award in 2007.

Kaka was officially unveiled by Real Madrid on Tuesday night in what was a high-profile, glitz and glamour press conference in front of 50,000 fans inside the Bernabeu. Altafini believes the Brazilian ace will be the star of the new Galacticos ahead of Portuguese winger Ronaldo, who is set to be unveiled by the club on Monday.

"I think Kaka is destined for greatness at Real Madrid and he will become their idol, just like he was at Milan and Sau Paolo," Altafini told Sky Sport Italia.

"I don't think you can judge Kaka and Ronaldo based on who scores the most, look at Pele and Maradona.

"In my opinion, and not because I am Brazilian, I think Kaka is the best. Ronaldo has extraordinary power and potential, but Kaka is better and I think he will win the Ballon d'Or again.

"He has a great personality and character and Milan fans will be suffering plenty following his departure."

Pakistan openers make steady start

Tea Pakistan 90 and 61 for no loss (Fawad 30*, Manzoor 29*) trail Sri Lanka 240 (Sangakkara 87, Gul 4-43, Ajmal 4-87) by 89 runs Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Pakistan made giant strides towards restoring the balance in the second Test after being completely outplayed on the first day. Led by outstanding performances by Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, they skittled out seven Sri Lankan wickets for a mere 76 to restrict the first-innings difference to 150, and then continued the good work with the bat, reaching 61 without loss at tea.

There were question marks being raised about Pakistan's commitment after the manner in which they capitulated in Galle and on the first day at the P Sara Oval, but as is their wont, they hit back just when their chances had been written off. The pitch remained a pretty good one for batting, though the bounce had diminished, but Pakistan relied on lethal spells of reverse swing, aided by steady spin and an inspirational bit of fielding, to launch an astonishing revival.

Gul was completely lacklustre in Galle, but here he was back near his best, reverting to his original action instead of trying to hide the ball with both hands. He generated late swing, bowled at a brisk pace, maintained excellent control over length and line, and asked plenty of questions of Sri Lanka's batsmen. He also bowled the ball that announced Pakistan's comeback, slipping in a quick delivery from round the wicket that crashed through Kumar Sangakkara's defences. Sangakkara had progressed serenely to 87 and looked good for many more, but that delivery was an emphatic declaration of the fact that Pakistan were back in business. That's exactly how it turned out, as Sri Lanka lost five wickets after that for just 52.

Gul received plenty of support from Ajmal, who bowled unchanged through the day and finished with deserving figures of 4 for 87. The pitch wasn't as responsive as it had been in the last session on the first day, but Ajmal maintained excellent control, seldom giving the batsmen easy scoring opportunities. He also had some help from umpire Darryl Harper, who adjudged Tillakaratne Dilshan caught behind though the bat had only made contact with the ground.

It was a day when almost everything went right for Pakistan, with even the fielding getting better. The day started with a superb direct throw from Mohammad Aamer that found Thilan Samaraweera short of his crease. It was a crucial blow, for Samaraweera was in excellent touch and had begun the with a sumptuous straight-drive for four off Younis Khan. The run-out began the slide for Sri Lanka, and it only kept getting worse thereafter.

Gul's first spell of six overs in the morning fetched him a wicket for 11, but when he returned for a second spell before lunch he did even better, striking twice in successive balls. Nuwan Kulasekara drove hard to slip, while Rangana Herath was caught-and-bowled as he tried to check a drive, thus improving Gul's morning figures to 3 for 15 from eight overs.

The one batsman who offered resistance was Angelo Mathews, but even he was lucky to survive a straightforward chance to Khurram Manzoor at second slip when he was on 4. He went on to score 27 and ensured the lead touched 150, but he dismissed soon after lunch as Pakistan's relentless fightback continued.

Their opening pair of Manzoor and Fawad Alam then set about atoning for their first-innings lapses. With the pitch easing up and the swing movement being considerably less pronounced, both batsmen settled in fairly comfortably, playing within their limitations. Alam's shuffle was still prominent, but he was able to work the deliveries angling towards him to the leg side for runs. Manzoor was assured too, bringing up the fifty of the partnership with a glorious on-drive off Ajantha Mendis as Sri Lanka went into the tea having lost most of the advantage they had after the first day.

Tamim century puts Bangladesh in charge

Bangladesh 238 and 321 for 5 (Tamim 128, Siddique 78, Shakib 26*, Mushfiqur 28*) lead West Indies 307 by 252 runs
Bangladesh moved towards safety in the first two sessions before accelerating in the last to take control of the game. Tamim Iqbal hit his maiden century and shared a 146-run stand with Junaid Siddique to hand Bangladesh a 252-run lead by the end of the fourth day's play in St Vincent. However, if they don't manage to bowl out West Indies on the final day they might wonder if they had erred by not scoring at a faster clip today.

West Indies didn't allow them to get away at a frenetic, match-controlling, pace with disciplined line-and-length bowling but perhaps Bangladesh were worried about repeating their first-innings collapse and opted for the safety-first tactic; they didn't try to quicken the scoring until post-tea.

Tamim started the third session like a runaway express, hitting David Bernard to all parts of the ground - a crunching pull hopping on one leg and a thunderous wallop over wide mid-off being the highlights - but fell, going for the fifth boundary in the over. With his exit, the momentum started to slowly shift and when Siddique fell, squeezing Darren Sammy to gully, it slowed down further. And with Mohammad Ashraful falling cheaply, yet again, Bangladesh were forced to return to the cautious route.

Before his late blitz Tamim had steered the side calmly, playing almost out of character. In the past, he has paid for his over-aggression but today, he was careful not to cross that line. He looked for his favourite off drives and didn't flinch from cutting if the ball was short. When Tino Best hurled sharp bouncers at him, he swayed away calmly but when it was short and wide enough to cut, he went for it. Post lunch, he grew more sedate, concentrating on defense and singles, and fetched the odd boundary to reach a century off his 206th ball - the most he has ever faced in a Test innings - with a push in the direction of point.

He did have his share of luck, though. He was on 34 when Floyd Reifer, the West Indies captain, dropped a sitter at slips off Sammy and, while on 76, Omar Phillips dropped another easy chance at midwicket with Ryan Austin bowling.

Siddique gave him company after lunch and started the session with two cut boundaries against Kemar Roach, but he too settled down to score at a gentle pace. With the bowling looking unthreatening as the session wore on, he picked singles easily without breaking much sweat. He looked to get on the front foot for his drives and appeared set for his maiden hundred, but the new ball found him out as he edged Sammy to gully.

Tamim had Imrul Kayes for company for much of the first session. Kayes chose to stay rooted to the crease, intent on blocking everything thrown against him. He was aware of his off stump and left many a delivery alone, only defending what he had to play at. However, he lost patience when Austin tempted him with a flighted delivery and drove it straight to short cover.

For their part, West Indies stuck gamely to their task on hand on a slow pitch. Sammy and Kemar Roach attacked the left-handed batsmen from round the stumps, punctuating the length deliveries coming in with ones that straightened outside off stump. It was a game of patience. Sammy, in particular, was disciplined and was unlucky to go wicketless in the first two sessions. He saw Tamim being dropped at slip and, in the same over, produced another edge only to see the ball fly between slip and gully. He went past the outside edge on a few more occasions but found some luck in the last session, removing Siddique with a full delivery that moved away and inducing Raqibul Hossain to drag an attempted pull onto the stumps. However, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan steadied the innings after the loss of three quick wickets with an unbeaten stand of 54. They rotated the strike well, ensuring the lead kept growing, and will look to take it beyond 300 tomorrow to set the hosts a challenging target.

Sammy was well supported by Roach, who attacked mainly from round the stumps today. He had tended to push a tad too much across to the left-handed batsmen in the first innings but he switched the angle today and kept it fuller than the rest. He even slipped in a couple of very good yorkers but they were well dug out by Tamim. He dragged a few short in the second session before the spinners Austin and Nikita Miller took over the burden.

Austin did his part; he flighted his deliveries from a high-arm action and attacked with men crowding the bat. The suffocation nearly worked when Tamim slogged him across the line to wide midwicket but it fell safely. He continued to chip away relentlessly, never afraid to flight the ball but couldn't break through. Miller bowled a flatter trajectory and didn't taste any success. It would be interesting to see how Bangladesh spinners bowl on the final-day track. That could determine the fate of match

Not for the first time in this fascinating Tour de France the peloton, with all the main contenders and their teams in ultra-cautious mode and already looking towards the Alps at the end of this week, misjudged the chase and allowed the breakaway to roar home and take the plaudits.

In Tarbes on Sunday it was Frenchman Pierrick Fedrigo, of the Bbox Bouygues team, who outwitted his fellow escapee, Franco Pellizotti, on the ninth stage as they managed to fight off the peloton who came home en masse 35 seconds later.



Fedrigo, who played his part in the original break after just five kilometres much earlier in the day, will rightly glory in the triumph and the race's passage over the Col D'Aspin and the historic Tourmalet on a perfect summer's day was a sight to behold but essentially nothing changed as all of the overall leaders held station in the peloton.

All of which will result in another day in yellow for Rinaldo Nocentini when the race recommences on Tuesday after a rest day in Limoges with the Italian six seconds ahead of Alberto Contador and eight in front of Lance Armstrong.

Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins, whose Rolls-Royce engine had been purring away beautifully all tour, is still handily placed in fifth and has a week largely down in the flatlands to prepare for next weekend's assault on the Alps which will determine whether he can fulfil his dream of finishing in the top 10 of the final standings, something no British rider has achieved since Robert Millar in 1989 when the Scot finished 10th. If he could pull that off it would, in many ways, match anything he has achieved during his illustrious track career.

The relative inertia of the leaders, who always knew that any move by any one of them could be chased down during the 70km descent and run in from the summit of the Tourmalet, was evident in the final half-hour when, with 30km left, they were less than 2mins and 30 seconds behind the break. Ordinarily they would reckon to eat that up but this time there was no gain for anybody other than the points contenders who managed to get over the mountains in the main group.

Chief among them was Oscar Freire whose third place sees the Spaniard move up to third place in the points competition behind Britain's Mark Cavendish and Norway's Thor Hushovd, who stole away to earn 12 points in the intermediate sprints en route to Saint Girons on Saturday and now leads the race for the green jersey by 11 points.

After Monday's rest day, something of a misnomer as riders have to go for a minimum of a two-hour spin to avoid seizing up, Cavendish and his Columbia train must hit back hard on Tuesday and for the next two days after that.

All three stages present realistic chances of victory and Cavendish at present lacks the all-round ability of a Hushovd or a Freire to pick up points away from the pure sprints. Cavendish has to win big, and harvest maximum points whenever the opportunity presents itself. By the end of the week we will know whether the green jersey is work in progress or about to happen.

Tour de France details

Stage nine: 160.5km Saint-Gaudens-Tarbes

1 P Fedrigo (France, Bbox-Bouygues) 4h 05m 31s; 2 F Pellizotti (Italy, Liquigas) same time; 3 O Freire (Spain, Rabobank) at 34s; 4 S Ivanov (Russia, Katusha); 5 P Velits (Slovakia, Milram); 6 J J Rojas (Spain, Caisse d’Epargne); 7 G Van Avermaet (Belgium, Silence-Lotto); 8 G Lequatre (France, Agritubel); 9 A Ballan (Italy, Lampre); 10 N Roche (Rep of Ireland, AG2R) all same time.

Other: 41 B Wiggins (GB, Garmin) at 34s; 67 D Millar (GB, Garmin) same time; 80 C Wegelius (GB, Silence-Lotto) 2-08; 134 M Cavendish (GB, Columbia) 24-57.

Overall: 1 R Nocentini (Italy, AG2R) 34h 24m 21s; 2 A Contador (Spain, Astana) at 6s; 3 L Armstrong (US, Astana) 8; 4 L Leipheimer (US, Astana) 39; 5 Wiggins 46; 6 A Kloeden (Germany, Astana) 54; 7 T Martin (Germany, Columbia) 1-00; 8 C Vande Velde (US, Garmin) 1-24; 9 A Schleck (Luxembourg, Saxo Bank ) 1-49; 10 V Nibali (Italy, Liquigas ) 1-54.

Other: 50 Roche 16-45; 62 Millar 27-18; 80 Wegelius 35-40; 135 Cavendish 1h 13m 54s.