Vaughan Back In Opening Position

Cooke and Collingwood paved the way for England with half-centuries in Sir Lanka today as England's batsmen, with the exception of Kevin Pietersen, were finally able to have some fun.

Captain Michael Vaughan was back to where he is best for England, at the head of the batting order and looking as if he’d never been away.

After two days of watching their bowlers toil, England put in some useful shifts against a President's XI attack containing top spinners Malinga Bandara and Rangana Herath before the teams shook hands on a draw.

On the plus side, Cook (63), Michael Vaughan (38), Ian Bell (49), Collingwood (52), Owais Shah (38), Ravi Bopara (40) and Matt Prior (18) all shook off some winter rust with only Vaughan finishing on the dismissed list with Pietersen.

The rest either retired themselves to give others a hit or finished not out as England responded to the hosts' 500 for five with 315 runs on the board.

The batting line-up in Kandy on Saturday week should take care of itself, apart from choosing between Shah and Bopara at No6. On today's limited evidence, Bopara - who also offers a medium-pace bowling option - may just have his nose ahead.

But whether England play their intended Test team this weekend against another invitation XI remains to be seen.

Vaughan declined today to confirm whether or not fast bowler Steve Harmison will be on duty on Sunday, but he believes plenty of information has already been stored away for future use.

"We learned a lot about ourselves in this first three-day game and about the conditions we are going to play in,” said the captain while speaking at a ceremony to launch the Test series.

"It was just a warm-up game but you could gauge quite a bit from the last three days. The next one is a first-class match and we have to make sure we learn from these conditions and try to come up with a few new plans and ideas.

This was a flat pitch and one which all the batsmen enjoyed playing on. But we've got a little bit closer to finalising the eleven we feel will be best for us in the First Test. But there is still another opportunity for people to impress."

Sorting out the right combination in the pace department is what will continue to exercise English minds over the next week or so before the real action begins in Kandy.

There are five contenders, probably for three slots, and whether or not to gamble on Harmison is a far from straightforward call. Yesterday, the Durham fast bowler sent down six wicket-less overs for 48 runs. "There were signs of promise," said Vaughan.

"He's had two weeks in South Africa which have been very productive and he will be looking forward to getting into the eleven for the next three-day game."

So, is Harmison playing on Sunday? "He'll be hoping to play," was captain Vaughan's answer.

At the other end of the order, Vaughan looked particularly comfortable today as he slotted back into an opening position created on this tour by England's decision to drop Andrew Strauss.

Although the Yorkshire player began his Test career at No4, eight years ago, and has most recently looked well suited to first wicket down, 10 of his 17 centuries have been scored while opening. And he would probably have stayed there had Strauss not appeared on the scene in 2004.

Vaughan soon found his driving touch in this innings, off both front and back foot, and put together a stand of 77 with Cook, who feasted on anything short from three pace bowlers.

Afterwards, Vaughan admitted feeling in "decent touch." He certainly looked it, with one straight driven four off Dhammika Prasad belying his long lay-off. Another four, this time pulled off Bandara, will also have pleased him, the shot being completed with a full swivel of his right leg, something his troublesome knee would not have withstood until recently.

Only Pietersen's dismissal really spoiled England's day, though.  A big occasion player, Pietersen looked as if his mind was elsewhere when a short ball from medium pacer Nuwan Kulasekera caught him by surprise and he fended it to gully.  But happily for those following Pietersen, it proved a one-off.