England dig in after early blows

Pietersen came into this Test after failing at Cardiff last week and he was quickly presented with an opportunity to kick-start his summer when both Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott were dismissed early.

But, having scored three in Cardiff, he made only two here before going hard at a ball from Suranga Lakmal and offering a catch to captain Tillakaratne Dilshan at gully.

When Pietersen departed, England were 22 for three after surprisingly being asked to bat first.

The situation had improved by lunch, with England reaching 75 for three. Alastair Cook was 32 not out, with Ian Bell unbeaten on the same score as the pair shared an unbroken stand of 53.

Strauss made only 20 in last week's first npower Test, which England won to go 1-0 up in the three-match series, and he was dismissed early again today, trapped lbw by the recalled Chanaka Welegedara.

From the final ball of Welegedara's second over, the England captain was surprised by a delivery that nipped back in and he was given out leg-before for four. Strauss declined to call for the review, and he was right not to do so as HawkEye showed the ball would have clipped the top of leg stump, meaning umpire Rod Tucker's decision would have been upheld.

Then, in the sixth over, Lakmal removed Trott, who scored a double-ton in Cardiff but had made only two here when he played across a straight one and was struck on the pad.

Billy Doctrove had no hesitation in giving Trott out and although the batsman called for the review, the umpire was proved correct as the ball would have gone on to strike middle and leg. Pietersen was gone shortly afterwards to give Bell his chance. The Warwickshire man looked in wonderful touch last week but he was slightly less consistent here, playing some classy off-side strokes yet also enjoying a degree of luck.

He had made only eight when he edged Lakmal between first and second slip and, when he was on 12, Lakmal squeezed the ball between Bell's bat and pad but it somehow failed to hit the off stump. When Bell had 26, another nick off Lakmal dropped short of Tharanga Paranavitana at first slip.

Cook followed his outstanding winter in Australia with a century in Cardiff and apart from a careless push in Lakmal's first over that almost saw him edge behind, the Essex player looked calm and secure.

For the second consecutive match, Dilshan won the toss and chose to give England first use of a pitch that initially looked conducive to batting.

The tourists had made two changes to the team that collapsed so spectacularly on the final afternoon in Cardiff. Welegedara and the fit-again Dilhara Fernando came in for Thisara Perera and Ajantha Mendis.

As expected, Steve Finn was preferred to Jade Dernbach as the replacement for the injured Jimmy Anderson in England's three-man pace attack.

Lunch: England 75-3 (Cook 32no, Bell 32no; Lakmal 2-38)