1st Test: England v Sri Lanka at Lord's, May 11-15, 2006 /

First Test

England v Sri Lanka, 2006

2007: England v Sri Lanka, 2006

Sri Lanka in England, 2006

Flying leaps to fumbling fingers

May 18, 2006: Andrew Strauss was the culprit for two of England's nine dropped chances at Lord's, but is confident the team will recover from the disappointment of not forcing a win

Sri Lanka in England 2006

Penney bemused by England drops

May 17, 2006: Sri Lanka's assistant coach, Trevor Penney, believes a lapse of concentration was to blame for the spate of dropped catches that cost England victory in the first Test at Lord's

Sussex v Sri Lankans, Hove

Jayasuriya omitted for Sussex clash

May 17, 2006: Sanath Jayasuriya has been overlooked for Sri Lanka's four-day warm-up game against Sussex at Hove

Sri Lanka in England 2006

Jayawardene: 'We had nothing to lose'

May 17, 2006: Mahela Jayawardene admitted that his team's achievement was beginning to sink in, as he reflected on their remarkable backs-to-the-wall draw in the first Test against England at Lord's

Upul Tharanga

Opening the debate

May 17, 2006: The Lowdown on Upul Tharanga, who began Sri Lanka's historic fightback at Lord's with a half-century

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's

500 after following on, and seven fifties in an innings

May 16, 2006: a few notable statistical achievements from the Lord's Test, which Sri Lanka saved with an incredible second-innings performance

England's national icon sleepwalks through the Lord's Test

Yes, Flintoff is fallible

May 16, 2006: Britain woke up this morning to a sobering realisation. Andrew Flintoff - the nation's hero, Mr Incredible, Superman, Leading Cricketer in the World, etc - is capable of making a mess of things

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 5th day

Flintoff upbeat despite spilled opportunities

May 15, 2006: Andrew Flintoff admitted that England's lapses in the field had made the difference, as Sri Lanka batted out the last two-and-a-half days to secure a remarkable draw in the first Test at Lord's

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 5th day

Sri Lanka find inner strength

May 15, 2006: On Friday evening, after a powder-puff bowling display and a spineless top-order performance, Sri Lanka lay in tatters. Three days later, one of the most remarkable rearguards had been completed

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 5th day

English armour dented by Sri Lankan pride

May 15, 2006: England had only themselves to blame, as Sri Lanka pulled off one of the most spectacular escapes of all time, says Andrew Miller

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 5th day

Jayawardene proves his critics wrong

May 15, 2006: Sri Lanka's captain, Mahela Jayawardene, praised the performance of his young team and said that their efforts ranked up there with the best, as the first Test at Lord's was saved through a brilliant rearguard action

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 5th day

Gloomy skies and a resolute tail defy England

May 15, 2006: Sri Lanka pulled off a stunning escape on the final day as the tail defied everything England could throw at them

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's

England drop the baton as Sri Lanka rally

May 14, 2006: In his 52-match, 202-wicket career, Matthew Hoggard has scarcely looked as enraged as he did when Andrew Strauss at third slip spilled a regulation chance off Mahela Jayawardene

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's

Jayawardene finds his home from home

May 14, 2006: Mahela Jayawardene is not one of nature's most domineering cricketers. Quiet, polite and unassuming

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 4th day

Jayawardene and light delay England

May 14, 2006: Mahela Jayawardene fought tooth and nail before being cruelly dispatched after an outstanding fighting century that kept Sri Lanka's hopes of a draw flickering in the gloom at Lord's

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 3rd day

Hoggard's content with life in the slower lane

May 13, 2006: The moment when it came was typical Hoggard. Flat on his back and chuckling merrily to himself, the tenth England cricketer to bag 200 Test wickets was a picture of modest contentment

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 3rd day

Sangakkara prays for a great escape

May 13, 2006: Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's vice-captain and top-scorer, admitted that his side were still braced for a hefty defeat in the first Test at Lord's

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 3rd day

Lord's acclaims the cult of Panesar

May 13, 2006: At 3.33pm, with an over to go until tea, England's fans and fielders were beginning to drift into an afternoon ennui. Sri Lanka's batsmen had got to grips with the conditions, and their rearguard was set to carry on for another day

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 3rd day

Panesar stunts Sri Lanka's fightback

May 13, 2006: Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara struck battling half-centuries but Monty Panesar took two wickets to leave Sri Lanka staring at a heavy defeat