Close England 275 and 529 for 5d (Vaughan 115, Butcher 105) drew with Sri Lanka 555 for 8d (Atapattu 185, Jayawardene 107) and 42 for 1
scorecard

England's batsmen took a rare chance to improve their averages, and Sri Lanka's bowlers opted to keep their powder dry for more winnable battles later in the summer, as the first Test drifted to a peaceful conclusion on the final day at Lord's.

Resuming on 321 for 2, England batted right up until the final hour of the match, before Nasser Hussain surprised everyone by declaring on an impregnable 529 for 5, a lead of 249. It proved to be a fine psychological move - after three days of inactivity, Andrew Flintoff's first ball clattered Kumar Sangakkara flush on the helmet, and by the time Marvan Atapattu had flicked Caddick off his hip to Mark Butcher at backward-square leg, England could almost claim a points victory. It was an unexpectedly high-octane finish to a low-key day.

But England's man of the day was Butcher, who scored 105 - his fourth Test century. His innings may have lacked the grace of Michael Vaughan's earlier century, but it was no less valuable for that. He had come to the crease with England still 112 runs in arrears, and in all he faced 296 deliveries, with just ten fours. For the most part he was content to curb his aggressive instincts, though some of his counterattacking against the new ball on Sunday night - particularly square of the wicket on the off side - was straight out of his Headingley 2001 scrapbook. He reached his century with a tickle off his pads, but two overs later he fell in a disappointing fashion, run out by Chaminda Vaas while attempting a three to fine leg (432 for 4).

Butcher was ably supported by Hussain, who was unluckily adjudged lbw for 68, and Graham Thorpe, who scored 65, as England's top five all passed fifty for the first time since the Timeless Test at Durban in 1938-39, 553 Test matches ago. England's total of 529 was the first time they had passed 500 since the Auckland Test of their 1996-97 New Zealand tour, though given their present company, that particular record is little to crow about - Sri Lanka have achieved that little feat in eight of their last ten matches.

Leading by a mere 41 overnight, England were by no means out of the woods. Yet Sri Lanka were uninspired from the start. Their field placings, with just the one slip despite a relatively new ball, betrayed their lack of conviction, and Hussain and Butcher were happy to let them doze, adding just 26 runs in a sleepy first hour. Their running between the wickets left a little to be desired, however, and Butcher was fortunate to survive when the pair found themselves stranded in mid-pitch with the score on 346.

But that was the only scare, and both batsmen were cruising on a pitch that had held up remarkably well over the five days. Hussain, however, was prised out by another less-than-convincing lbw decision from umpire Daryl Harper. Replays proved that the ball would have gone over the stumps, and had pitched outside leg to boot (372 for 3). Ruchira Perera, who earlier in the innings had dismissed Marcus Trescothick via a big inside-edge, was again the beneficiary.

With half-an-hour to go until tea, a Sri Lankan victory was out of the question, at which point Thorpe's impatience finally got the better of him. He had played some coruscating shots against the seamers, but allowed himself to be tied down by the part-time spin of Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya. With the score on 483, he danced down the wicket and holed out to Charitha Buddika at mid-on, but John Crawley and Alec Stewart ensured that there would be no further mishaps.

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