KANDY, Dec 2: Muttiah Muralitharan equalled Shane Warne’s world record tally of 708 wickets as Sri Lanka sent England crashing in the first cricket Test here on Sunday. The off-spinner grabbed 4-30 in 23 overs as England, replying to Sri Lanka’s modest 188, slumped to 186-6 by tea before heavy rain washed out the rest of the day’s play.

Paul Collingwood, unbeaten on 14, was England’s last remaining hope.

The overnight pair of Ian Bell (83) and captain Michael Vaughan put on 107 for the second wicket after opener Alastair Cook had been removed third ball in Saturday’s final session.

Muralitharan went into the match needing five wickets to overtake Warne. He came on in the day’s eighth over, was welcomed by a lofted boundary by Bell to wide mid-on.

Vaughan, looking solid on 37, was given out caught at silly-point off Muralitharan even as television replays showed the ball may have bounced off the pad to the fielder.

England took their lunch score of 145-3 to 170 before three wickets fell for 15 runs, two of them to Muralitharan.

The off-spinner trapped Kevin Pietersen leg-before for 31 and dismissed Bopara for eight.

The second Test will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo from December 9-13.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA 1st innings: 188 (K. Sangakkara 92, P. Jayawardene 51, M. Hoggard 4-29, M. Panesar 3-46)

ENGLAND 1st innings (overnight 49-1):

A. Cook lbw b Vaas 0

M. Vaughan c Silva b Muralitharan 37

I. Bell c Silva b Muralitharan 83

K. Pietersen lbw b Muralitharan 31

P Collingwood not out 14

R. Bopara c P. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 8

M. Prior c Mubarak b Fernando 0

R. Sidebottom not out 1

EXTRAS: (b5, nb7) 12

TOTAL (for six wickets in 63 overs) 186

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-107, 3-132, 4-170, 5-182, 6-185

BOWLING: Vaas 15-3-60-1 (nb2), Malinga 11-1-54-0 (nb5), Muralitharan 23-11-30-4, Jayasuriya 2-0-9-0, Fernando 12-1-28-1

UMPIRES: Alem Dar (PAK) and Asad Rauf (PAK)

TV UMPIRE: Tyron Wijewardene (SRI)

MATCH REFEREE: Jeff Crowe (NZL).—AFP