Sunday in Kandy was all about Muttiah Muralitharan, as Sundays in Kandy usually are when there is a Test match on. One is tempted to quote a former Test batsman turned television commentator, who said on air: “You just run out of expletives to describe this man.” If you are a batsman, that might indeed have had some literal truth yesterday, even on a Sunday.

Not for the first time, however, superlatives were not enough. Mixing his angles from over and round the wicket, his quicker ball with slower ones, his off break and his doosra, and always dropping the ball precisely where he wanted, Muralitharan spun his web and waited for his victims. Four of them for only 30 runs in 23 overs had brought him level with Shane Warne’s record of 708, and Sri Lanka at least level in the first Test, when rain intervened 40 minutes before tea on the second day.

From the moment that Muralitharan came back on at the Hunnasgiriya End for the eighth over yesterday, with the scoreboard showing 78 for one, England’s batting wore an anxious frown, at one end at least. Despite Ian Bell’s best innings for England so far, a determined but all too brief attempt by Kevin Pietersen to take command and a staunch exercise in survival by Paul Collingwood, the most famous Sri Lankan in history was a single wicket away from becoming the world’s most successful Test bowler.

Rain spoilt the fun, assuming that you enjoy tension and suspense. Collingwood’s innings, which could yet be the key to the outcome of the match, demonstrated how hard batting became from the moment that Muralitharan claimed Michael Vaughan’s wicket through an understandable but important umpiring error. During his hour and a half at the crease, Collingwood faced 53 balls during which he never really looked in trouble yet never found a way to get on top. It was eerily reminiscent of his plight in England’s second innings against Australia in Adelaide last year when he battled for 3¾ hours for 22 not out off 119 balls.

England infamously went on to lose that game. Yesterday, faced by irresistible genius, they let a position of control slip to the extent that, having been 107 for one, they were still two runs behind with only Collingwood and the tail remaining when the umpires decided that a steady drizzle should be ignored no longer. The umpires timed the intervention right because soon it was raining heavily and steadily. Tarpaulins were swiftly and efficiently dragged on to cover almost all the playing area but there was no prospect of any further play.

Whether this was a temporary depression or, as some said, the delayed arrival of the northeast monsoon, time would tell, but the game could hardly be better balanced as it stood. Several balls kept low yesterday, at both ends, so batting fourth against Muralitharan – not to mention third against Monty Panesar - will be tough. It is not impossible that, with only a single tarpaulin covering the pitch itself, prolonged rain could alter the character of a pitch that, from the outset, has been slower and less helpful to the fast bowlers than the majority of Test pitches here have been.

All the more credit, therefore, to Matthew Hoggard for his four for 29 on the first day. He exploited the minimum of bounce and movement that it offered with the first new ball to set up England’s strong position. Getting the slightest swing, he hit the seam on a length to take three wickets in 12 balls. But each of the England bowlers supported him with accurate line and length, Vaughan’s field placings were shrewd and Pietersen and Collingwood took brilliant diving catches at cover and backward point. Kumar Sangakkara’s expert, simple batting kept Sri Lanka in the game, with enterprising support from his successor as wicketkeeper, Prasanna Jayawardena.

Since relinquishing the wicketkeeper’s gloves after the tour to England last year, Sangakkara has scored 1,377 Test runs at an average of 153 and he would no doubt have scored his sixth hundred in nine innings had he not felt obliged to press the accelerator when left with tailenders who had no answer to Panesar. Neither tail is likely to last long against spinners as good as Muralitharan and Panesar on a pitch turning as much as this one has but, if England are to win the first Test, a profitable alliance between Collingwood and the four bowlers who remain seemed essential.

Vaughan was unlucky to be given out caught at silly point off his pad by Alim Dar, missing a hit to leg, but he had looked more or less plumb leg-before when reprieved by Asad Rauf on Saturday soon after Chaminda Vaas had celebrated the first over of his 100th Test by claiming Alastair Cook on the front foot.

Bell, who had batted superbly against the quicker bowlers – as well, for sure, as even Mark Ramprakash could have done – managed to land only one blow in anger off Muralitharan yesterday, a loft over mid-wicket. He had made 56 from 72 balls before he even faced Muralitharan but he was fretting to knock him off his length when he miscued a drive to short mid-wicket and was caught by a leaping Chamara Silva.

Pietersen eventually succumbed, too, when he and Collingwood had worked England to within 18 runs of parity. One reverse sweep and some positive defence had kept Muralitharan at bay while he fed off some leg-stump rubbish by Lasith Malinga before, taking a firm forward stride to a ball that pitched straight and half-volleyed his front pad, he was given out leg-before. Goodness knows how many spinners of old – Sonny Rama-dhin, Lance Gibbs and hundreds of others at all levels of cricket – were denied equally legitimate appeals in days before clear television replays, when a batsman had only to get well forward to be almost certain that he would be safe.

With the three prime wickets in his bag, Muralitharan gave Ravi Bopara the toughest of baptisms. He played calmly for six overs before tickling an off break into Jayawardena’s gloves outside the leg stump. This was vindication, perhaps, for those who would have preferred the greater experience of Owais Shah, but there is a second innings yet to come.

Mahela Jayawardena, the Sri Lanka captain, finally found a bowler to apply pressure at the other end, too, when Dilhara Fernando started to bowl reverse inswingers to a full length. Matt Prior played an instinctive stroke off his toes to one of them and hit it into the hands of Jehan Mubarak at mid-wicket.

Sri Lanka’s bowling has been less consistent than England’s overall but they have the most potent bowler and his spell has to be broken somehow or he will be a match-winner again.

The next best?

Will Muttiah Muralitharan’s record ever be broken? If it is, it will not be by any of the obvious candidates. Anil Kumble is his nearest rival still playing, but the India captain is 37 and was 133 wickets behind going into the fourth day of the second Test against Pakistan in Calcutta. Shaun Pollock, 34, is the only other member of the top ten still playing Test cricket –- but can be safely discounted at almost 300 wickets adrift.

Explore Cricket

• Counties