Muttiah Muralitharan entered the Test series with England trying his best to avoid talk of mystery deliveries and secret plans - but was not shy when his turn came in the middle.

After a jet-propelled innings of 38, from just 37 balls, hoisted the hosts to 331, Murali's joints were released from five months of rest to impart considerable fizz on a pitch which has become a home from home.

In five previous Test matches under the walls of the Dutch fort, Murali had taken 48 wickets and he brought up his half-century with the dismissals of Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan in quick succession.

Generally negated by the English batsmen during the tourists' 2-1 series win here in 2001, the master off-spinner has something to prove and was introduced into the attack in the 13th over immediately after Vaughan brought up the half-century stand with a cut four off Kumar Dharmasena.

It took him just 15 deliveries to separate an opening pair which was coasting as Trescothick was adjudged caught behind by umpire Daryl Harper despite television technology failing to register a nick.

Vaughan fell in contrasting but equally frustrating circumstances when his own misjudgment resulted in him shouldering arms to a sharply-turning delivery which arched through his striding legs and clipped the top of off-stump.

Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe experienced some minor scrapes in reaching the close 234 runs adrift, particularly when Murali exerted extra revolutions on his wrong 'un, which spins into the left-handers.

''He has always been a prodigious spinner of the ball but maybe his other one is spinning a touch more than it did in the past,'' said Andrew Flintoff, a former team-mate at Lancashire.

''He is a world-class bowler and we have to combat him."

Wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who top-scored for the Sri Lankans with 71, believes the going will get tougher for the tourists, citing Trescothick's dismissal as key.

''In the fourth innings it will be difficult to bat on this pitch, so our bowlers will just have to make sure they take advantage of this strong position and that England's last innings is a tough one,'' said Sangakkara.

England would have been well satisfied with their patient chipping away of the Sri Lankans, who resumed a day extended by 15 overs due to the poor weather of Tuesday on 138 for four.

But Murali flailed his arms impressively - ironically with a bat Flintoff gave to him last summer - greeting off-spinner Gareth Batty with a clout over cover and lofting the Worcestershire bowler onto the top of the stand at long-on.

When Vaughan attacked number 11 Murali with pace, he top-edged Flintoff for two fours over wicketkeeper Chris Read and encouraged a bizarre field, including Trescothick stationed at fly slip.

Vaughan's men were met by initial resistance from Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera, Sangakkara using his feet to loft Giles over the rope at long-on and Vaughan turned to his seamers an hour and a half into play.

Richard Johnson swung one back to trap Sangakkara on the crease with his first delivery of the day.

Flintoff raised hope with two wickets in three balls: Samaraweera slashing at a short, wide delivery and Upul Chandana pinned leg before.

But the last three wickets produced a further 92 runs