If there is anything to be had in the Test pitches in this early part of the summer, this could be a torrid tour for Sri Lanka.
They do not appear to have any firepower with the ball sufficient to dismiss a good batting side, and during the afternoon here, showed that they are vulnerable to good pace bowling.
The hard work appeared to have been done against the new ball as Paranivatana and Dilshan added 59 against Onions and Finn before the former made a breakthrough. But it was the introduction of Dernbach and Shahzad that left Sri Lanka floundering at 114 for six at tea.
Three of the wickets went to Dernbach, who worked up a considerable pace and at one stage was on a hattrick, and the other two to Shahzad, including that of Kumar Sangakkara, well caught down the legside by Jonny Bairstow.
Two catches have gone down, one to Patel at second slip and another to Dernbach in the gully, off Onions and Shahzad respectively, but otherwise the catching has been sharp.
Now the clouds have started to rumble over, as Mahele Jayawardene takes himself off to the nets behind the press box.
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