Sri Lanka and England head towards an exciting conclusion in the 1st test

The final day of the 1st Test between Sri Lank and England in Kandy should present an exciting day for cricket fans worldwide with England set to chase down another 341 runs with 9 wickets in hand. With threatening showers scheduled to clear, we should hopefully receive a full day of play and an exciting climax to an intriguing Test match.

After trailing by 93 runs on the first innings, Sri Lanka lifted their game in the second dig with Kumar Sangakkara once again providing the backbone of the innings with a majestic 152. Following on from his 192 against Australia and 91 in the first innings, Sangakkara has now elevated himself as one of the premier batsman in world cricket, becoming the first to score at least 150 in four consecutive Test matches.

His innings allowed Sri Lanka to reach 8/442dec in their second innings, and set England a victory target of 350 from 95 overs. The loss of Alastair Cook in the final overs of the day has left England at 1/9, with skipper Michael Vaughan not out on 1, and night-watchman James Anderson not out on 4.

Is the target a realistic option for the visitors? You'd think that the approach would be to ensure that a draw is salvaged, considering they have already lost Cook and gun batsman Kevin Petersen will require an injection to bat with the broken finger than he sustained in the first innings. If England has wickets in hard after tea then I'm sure they will give the target some thought, however just surviving against Muralitharan on a 5th day wicket will be an achievement in itself.

After capturing the leading wicket taker world record from Shane Warne in the first innings, Murali will feel like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders as he looks to once against bamboozle the batsman and extend the world record to heights that may never be achieved again.

Sri Lanka are finding some form and playing some exciting cricket, while England will be fighting with everything they have got to avoid going 1-0 down in the series. One thing is for sure, if you enjoy Test cricket then today's play should be a real treat!

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