LONDON: Tillakaratne Dilshan batted with the responsibility appropriate to his new role as Sri Lanka captain during an accomplished unbeaten century on the second day of the second Test at Lord's Saturday. Replying to the home team's first innings 486, Dilshan (127 not out) and Tharanga Paranavitana (65) compiled 207 for the first wicket, a Sri Lanka record against England. At the close the visitors were 231 for one. Earlier Matt Prior completed his fifth Test century after resuming on 73 not out, scoring 126 from 131 balls, and Stuart Broad plundered 54 from 51 deliveries. Chris Tremlett (24 not out) and Steven Finn (19) also combined in a last-wicket partnership of 34 to add to Sri Lanka's frustration and a total close to 500 was not what Dilshan would have envisaged when he asked England to bat Friday. The suspicion also remained that Dilshan had not wanted to expose his batsmen to the England bowlers when the pitch was at its freshest after they had collapsed to 82 all out in their first-Test defeat in Cardiff last Monday. Broad, bowling from the Pavilion End, beat Paranavitana with his first two deliveries and the left-hander received a life on 13 when Alastair Cook grassed a simple chance at third slip off Finn.
