Lanka Under-19 win second Test, keep series alive

Sri Lanka Under-19s scored an emphatic 151 run win over their English counterparts in the second Test at Northampton.

Earlier Sri Lanka resumed the day at 268 for 8. With a lead of 291 they continued to bat till century maker Muthumudalige Pushpakumara(135) was dismissed with the score on 285.

England, chasing a victory target of 309 on a turning wicket, were all out for 157. At one stage they were, 51 for 6. Skipper Mark Wallace(47) and David Harrison(28) offered some resistance for the seventh wicket in a partnership worth 83 runs. England started their second innings badly with Nicky Peng and Ian Bell being removed by Prabath Nissanka in successive overs with the new ball.

Then Dhammika had Gary Pratt caught at short leg before lunch. The England batsmen continued to bat in the same style even after lunch. Ian Pattison and James Dalrymple were out to full tosses from leg spinner Thilina Kandamby while Kadeer Ali got out to Kaushal Lokuarachchi in his first over.

At one point it seemed like England Under-19 were heading for their lowest ever total in Under-19 Tests. Their previous lowest score was 71 against Australia at Perth in 1990. The seventh wicket stand avoided that embarrasment before a run out marked the fall of Harrison. Seven overs later Wallace fell to Pushpakumara. The tail enders Justin Bishop and Tim Murtagh could not cope up with the presuure of frequent Sri Lankan appealing. At one stage, umpires Bob White and Jeff Evans had to intervene and calm the Lankans down.

Both the teams travel to Worcester where the third and final match shall be played with the series level at 1-1.