England will look to seal their first Test series victory since last year's Ashes triumph against Australia when they face Sri Lanka in the climax of a three-Test campaign at Trent Bridge starting here on Friday.
England went 1-0 up thanks to a six-wicket second Test win at Edgbaston, completed with more than a day to spare, on Sunday. But they were grateful to be chasing a slight target of 78 as off-spin great Muttiah Muralitharan took four for 29.
So far this series Kevin Pietersen has been the backbone of England's batting with superb scores of 158, equal to his Test-best, in the drawn opener at Lord's and 142 at Edgbaston. His Edgbaston effort was all the more astonishing as no other England batsman made more than 30 in a first innings total of 295.
But there is a limit to the extent that England can rely on their South Africa-born strokeplayer and after Edgbaston, stand-in captain Andrew Flintoff admitted: Part of the problem has been the lack of runs from England's lower order in the absence of injured left-arm spinner Ashley Giles.
Monty Panesar, the Warwickshire slow bowler's replacement, has proved his worth with the ball but still has much to do to match Giles's contribution with the bat and in the field.
England's present bottom five have a combined average of 41.20 and this has led to plenty of attention on wicket-keeper Geraint Jones. Often criticised for his glovework, Jones's inclusion has been defended repeatedly by England coach Duncan Fletcher on the grounds of his batting.
But with just 24 runs in his past five Test innings, the Kent keeper has come under renewed scrutiny. Getting off the mark has not been a problem for Jones - if he scores a single in both innings at Trent Bridge he will equal Australian Jim Burke's record of 44 Test innings without a nought - but building a big score has.
No England side has ever been unchanged for a three-match series at home but that could happen at Trent Bridge if Jon Lewis, the uncapped Gloucestershire seamer, is once again omitted from the 12-man squad.
And having backed Sajid Mahmood and Liam Plunkett so far this series, it would be a surprise if England dropped either of them even though Trent Bridge has a reputation for aiding swing bowlers such as Lewis.
Meanhwhile the 34-year-old Murali, who took 16 for 220 in Sri Lanka's astonishing 10-wicket Test win against England at The Oval in 1998, has indicated that Friday's match could be his last on English soil, saying.
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