Collingwood shuts up shop under Sri Lanka pressure

NOTTINGHAM, England, June 3 (Reuters) Sri Lanka were on course to eke out a first innings advantage on the second day of the third and final test today after a blundering, go-slow performance by England.

The home side, having resumed the day on 53 for two, limped into tea on 191 for seven, still 40 runs behind, with Paul Collingwood the last specialist batsman on 48 not out. Matthew Hoggard was on three at the other end.

A blameless Trent Bridge pitch and a blazing sun suggested a profitable day for batsmen but Sri Lanka's bowlers wrenched back the initiative, getting rid of Alastair Cook (24), Kevin Pietersen (41) and Andrew Flintoff (1) in the first session.

When Geraint Jones, charging rashly, was stumped off Muttiah Muralitharan early in the afternoon, England looked in serious trouble on 151 for six. Their last five wickets had contributed just five runs in the first innings of the second test.

But the right-handed Collingwood shut up shop, putting on 33 with tailender Liam Plunkett for the seventh wicket.

Plunkett, given one life after being dropped at short leg off Muralitharan, survived 72 minutes before he was bowled by Sanath Jayasuriya for nine.

Only 52 runs were scored from 35 overs in the afternoon, with six of them coming from one shot when Collingwood, playing for his test future as Michael Vaughan prepares to return to the side, hoisted Muralitharan into the crowd at wide long on.

Remarkably, that was the only boundary of the session.

The key to England's problems came with the fall of Pietersen and captain Flintoff off consecutive overs.

With half an hour to lunch, Pietersen opted to hit his way out of becalmed waters, pulling Muralitharan with the spin for six over midwicket.

Two balls later, though, he was gone. Attempting another big leg-side hit, he top-edged straight into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at short fine leg after making 41.

Flintoff went six balls later to the worst shot of the day.

Having edged his second ball from Muralitharan just wide of short leg, he was offered a long hop from left-arm spinner Jayasuriya which he edged lazily to first slip.

REUTERS PG RAI2056