Another Jayawardene Ton in Colombo

England were once again frustrated by a century from Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene but fought back to reduce the hosts to 238-6 on the opening day of the second Test in Colombo.

Jayawardene followed up his 180 in the first Test in Galle with 105 this time around, but England will still retain hopes of dismissing their opponents for a satisfying total on day two.

James Anderson took three quick wickets in the morning before a stubborn stand of 124 between Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera (54) turned things back in Sri Lanka's favour.

But the duo were both removed before the end of the day, with Prasanna Jaywardene joining them after adding just seven to leave the home side with some work still to do despite their skipper's heroics.

With Stuart Broad injured, England opted to add some more firepower to their seam attack with Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan both coming into the side and Monty Panesar being dropped.

But it was Anderson who made the breakthrough early on, taking two wickets in as many balls as England made an energetic start to their bid to retain top spot in the Test rankings.

Wickets

Tillakaratne Dilshan (eight) twice dispatched him to the boundary only to nick the next ball fine to wicketkeeper Matt Prior, who gathered in a low catch.

Then Anderson snared Kumar Sangakkara for a golden duck for the second time in the series, the former captain edging to England skipper Andrew Strauss at first slip, who took the catch at the second attempt.

Jayawardene flicked the hat-trick ball for four but Anderson (3-52) was not finished, trapping Lahiru Thirimanne for eight after he padded up to a delivery that was destined for middle stump, with the lbw decision being confirmed after review.

That brought Samaraweera to the crease and he soon set about rebuilding the innings with his captain as the two remained solid to take the score to 82-3 at lunch.

Anderson could not strike again in a shorter spell at the beginning of the afternoon session as Sri Lanka passed the 100 mark and Jayawardene brought up his half-century.

Finn thought he had Samaraweera caught at short-leg for 36 only for the umpires - both on the field and on review - to disagree, a verdict that left the England players and team director Andy Flower unimpressed.

Sri Lanka's run-rate was not exactly electric - although Jayawardene did hammer Samit Patel for the first six of the day - and it was Bresnan who finally broke the steady progress.

The Yorkshireman ended 42 wicketless overs by going full and straight at Samaraweera, trapping the 35-year-old lbw.

Jayawardene brought up his century after tea but added just five more runs before the off-spin of Graeme Swann trapped him lbw, with umpire Asad Rauf finally raising his finger after a lengthy appeal. The decision was upheld on review.

Prasanna Jayawardene then came and went, attempting to defend a Finn delivery but only succeeding in edging the ball to a diving Prior.

Angelo Mathews saw out the rest of the day on an unbeaten 41, while Suraj Randiv (five not out) will return to the middle alongside him on day two.

Trott Unable to Stop England Defeat

England's miserable start to 2012 continued as they lost the first Test to Sri Lanka by 75 runs in Galle. They have now lost all four Tests since the turn of the year, with Sri Lanka's spinners picking up where their Pakistani counterparts left off in the United Arab Emirates.

Rangana Herath, who took 12 wickets in the match, and Suraj Randiv accounted for all 10 of England's batsmen in the second innings, which fell well short of an imposing target of 340 despite the best efforts of Jonathan Trott.

He scored a gutsy 112, his seventh Test ton, but only Matt Prior, with 41, offered significant support as they were bowled out for 264.

In total 18 of England's 20 wickets in this match fell to Herath and Randiv and their technique against the slow bowlers is sure to come under fierce scrutiny.

Trott, 40 not out overnight, sent the third ball of the morning through the off-side for four but Kevin Pietersen looked troubled from the off. He gave Suranga Lakmal the sniff of a caught and bowled chance and had added only a single to his overnight score of 29 when he fell to Randiv in the third over.

His shot was a grim reprise of Andrew Strauss's dismissal on Wednesday, down the track and hitting a turning ball straight to midwicket, where Mahela Jayawardene held on. It was a hammer blow for England and Pietersen, who took an age to set off for the pavilion.

Trott, meanwhile, produced a neat reverse sweep to bring up his fifty and Ian Bell got going with a lofted four off Randiv.

After 12 overs, Jayawardene sent for Herath, who took six first-innings wickets and dismissed both openers on Wednesday night.

Trott and Bell were doing a decent job of neutralising the nervous energy created by Pietersen's dismissal, only for Trott to send a leading edge straight back to Herath on 62. It was a catchable height but the bowler grassed it.

England's luck did not hold, with Herath winning an lbw verdict against Bell with the score at 152. The batsman immediately reviewed the decision, with the suspicion of an edge, but replays were not conclusive enough to reprieve him.

Prior settled quickly and England reached 177 for four at lunch. The fifth-wicket pair then looked to work the singles after returning for the afternoon's play and Sri Lanka's in-out field allowed them to do so.

The England 200 was quickly followed by the fifty partnership, which took 127 balls. After 10 trouble-free overs after lunch, Jayawardene took the new ball. The returning Lakmal leaked eight from his second over with it, including a rare boundary as Prior crashed one through cover.

Chanaka Welegedara was also taken for eight as he returned to the attack, with England's scoring rate spiking and their opponents beginning to flag.

Trott brought up his century by sweeping Herath for four, ending a sequence of 18 singles and celebrating lavishly in front of the Barmy Army stronghold on the Galle Fort. Four balls later it was home fans in raptures, though, as Prior swept Herath hard towards short-leg, where Lahiru Thirimanne clung on after absorbing the impact with his body. Prior having contributed 41 in 88 balls, his scalp was a key one.

That brought the debutant Samit Patel to the crease for his second Test innings. With 107 still to get and only two to his name in his first attempt, the tension was stifling.

The large English contingent, largely hushed in the morning session, began to count off the landmarks with cheers – such as a roar as the target dipped into double figures and another for the 250th run. Once again, though, a wicket derailed their fun.

Patel was the man to go, for nine, clearing his front foot and picking out Tillakaratne Dilshan at short extra-cover. He juggled the chance initially, only to snare the ball one-handed at the second attempt and give Herath his second five-wicket haul of the match.

England's prospects were firmly on Trott's shoulders now but he was gone in the next over, turning Randiv to Dilshan at leg-slip. His five-and-a-half-hour knock was a superb effort in trying circumstances but it appeared certain to be in a losing cause.

Graeme Swann lasted only nine balls before the now inevitable Herath lbw arrived, then Randiv saw off James Anderson and Monty Panesar with successive deliveries after tea to seal the victory.

Magnificent Mahela Halts England

A magnificent unbeaten century from captain Mahela Jayawardene ensured Sri Lanka stayed in contention on the opening day of the first Test against England at Galle.

Jayawardene finished the day on 168 not out as the hosts reached 289-8 at stumps with England unable to press home their advantage on a day that had, at certain stages, promised much.

James Anderson had earlier become the sixth Englishman to take 250 Test wickets as the hosts slipped to 67-4, but captain Jayawardene's 30th hundred kept his side in the contest.

His knock contained 20 fours and three sixes but he should have been gone by the close, Anderson putting him down on 90 and Monty Panesar adding two woeful drops in the closing stages.

Samit Patel performed admirably after being handed a debut ahead of Ravi Bopara, taking two wickets with his steady left-arm spin, but Jayawardene's heroics sapped England's morale in the final session.

England would surely have batted first had Andrew Strauss won the toss but their opening bowlers were quick to banish such thoughts.

Anderson had an lbw appeal against Lahiru Thirimanne rejected from the sixth ball of the day - a decision England wastefully reviewed - and then had him caught at second slip in the third over.

That wicket brought up Anderson's landmark and he celebrated in stunning fashion by removing key man Kumar Sangakkara for a golden duck with his next ball.

Sangakkara fenced at one he could have left, feeding wicketkeeper Matt Prior the simplest of catches.

By the time Tillakaratne Dilshan (11) nicked Stuart Broad to first slip, the score was 15-3.

But Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera proved more difficult to tempt. Jayawardene looked immediately at ease, hitting cleanly through the off-side, while Samaraweera was rigid in defence.

He took 31 balls to get off the mark as Panesar sent down four maidens in his first five overs. Graeme Swann, on the other hand, saw his third ball launched for six by Jayawardene.

Broad found Jayawardene's edge having returned for a second spell but the ball grounded just in front of Swann, who used England's second review on an unsuccessful lbw shout.

Unsuccessful reviews

Sri Lanka inched to 66-3 at lunch but a slice of luck allowed England to strike early in the afternoon session.

Anderson got a fingertip to Jayawardene's straight drive, doing enough to part the stumps and leave Samaraweera run out for 20 at the non-striker's end.

Jayawardene was unperturbed and promptly collected three boundaries off Anderson's next over.

New man Dinesh Chandimal, in his first home Test, got off the mark with a flat six off Panesar and clubbed a second maximum off Patel.

The debutant got his own back when Chandimal fell for 27, mis-hitting an ugly swipe to Ian Bell at cover for Patel's first Test scalp.

All the while Jayawardene was progressing serenely, passing 50 with a punchy drive off Panesar.

Prasanna Jayawardene joined his namesake at the crease but, after starting with some positive shots off Swann, became Anderson's third victim five balls after tea.

The seamer won a borderline lbw to leave the hosts six down for 170 and Strauss produced a superb pick up and throw to run out Suraj Randiv for 12.

Jayawardene offered a first real chance on 90 when Anderson failed to grasp a return catch. He did not waste his life, flaying the seamer's next attempt for six and paddling Swann for four to bring up his century in 200 balls.

Jayawardene's accumulation against the slow bowlers was exemplary and, with number nine Rangana Herath offering solid support, he did not take any undue risks.

That changed after Patel pinned Herath leg before, Jayawardene first lifting just wide of mid-on and then taking on an Anderson bouncer with the new ball.

The shot sailed straight to Panesar at fine leg, only for his fielding demons to return as he made a ham-fisted attempt at the catch.

The resulting boundary brought up Jayawardene's 150. England's worst nightmares then came true as Jayawardene hoisted a steepler to mid-off, where Panesar was again waiting.

He steadied himself as the ball fell and duly juggled it to the floor. England would have taken a total of 289-8 at the start of play, but they will know they were set for much better.