LEEDS, England: Stuart Broad became the first England player to take two career test hat tricks while Liam Plunkett finished with five wickets as Sri Lanka collapsed to 257 all out on the first day of the second test on Friday.
In reply, England reached 36-0 at stumps with Alastair Cook on 14 and Sam Robson on 21 after safely negotiating 15 overs to be 221 runs behind.
Broad dismissed Sri Lanka's top scorer Kumar Sangakkara for 79 on the final ball of his 12th over when he edged a delivery to Ian Bell, playing his 100th England test, at gully. With the first two balls of his 13th over, Broad took Dinesh Chandimal for 45 and Shaminda Eranga for 0. His first hat trick was against India in 2011.
Only three other bowlers have taken two test hat tricks-- Hugh Trumble and Jimmy Mathews of Australia, and Pakistan's Wasim Akram.
In the over between Broad's hat trick, Plunkett got the wicket of Dhammika Prasad for 0, meaning Sri Lanka collapsed from 228-5 to 229-9.
The 27-year-old Broad confessed he didn't realize he had taken the hat trick until it was announced over a loudspeaker to the crowd at Headingley.
"I had no idea," he said. "That Sangakkara wicket was the big one, really. I was listening to the guy over the tannoy . and it sort of clicked that it might have been a hat trick."
Plunkett ended on figures of 5-64, and was on a hat trick himself in the second session. Mahela Jaywardene edged to Chris Jordan at second slip for 22, and Lahiru Thirimanne could only fend a bouncer to Sam Robson at short leg.
But Angelo Mathews blocked a full delivery to deny Plunkett his own hat trick, and the Sri Lanka captain made 26 before edging James Anderson to Gary Ballance at third slip for his first catch at test match level.
Alastair Cook won the toss, electing to field and Anderson made the breakthrough for England in the opening session, removing Kaushal Silva for 13 with the tourists on 37. Plunkett then dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne before lunch in his first over of the day, ripping out the leg stump by bowling around the wicket.
And Plunkett thought he had taken Sangakkara for 27 after the break, when Sangakkara edged him through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior at chest height. But Prior started celebrating too early, along with his teammates, juggled the ball in his gloves and lost it. Sangakkara even started walking back to the pavilion before Prior fumbled.
The 36-year-old Sangakkara punished England and Prior for the mistake by making his 47th test half-century, before Broad and Plunkett struck after tea.
Plunkett closed the Sri Lanka innings on 257 when he dismissed Nuwan Pradeep for 13 with Prior safely taking that catch.
Sangakkara was frustrated with the batting collapse.
"We were on top at one stage," Sangakkara said. "Some good balls in the right areas and the tail not batting for too long cost us maybe 75 runs."
