Cricket: NAUGHTY NASS HAS LEG PULLED.

Byline: MIKE WALTERS

IT was a bit rich to be accused of "dumbness" by the TV presenter of desert island drivel, but England blundered in their dabble with bodyline tactics yesterday.

As Sri Lanka battled to save the Old Trafford Test, star batsman Mahela Jayawardene was afforded an amazing escape when he was caught off a no-ball - because England had three fielders on the leg side.

The tourists had reached 145-2 following-on when, 10 minutes before lunch, Jayawardene holed out to Matthew Hoggard at deep backward square leg off Andrew Flintoff's bowling.

But South African umpire Dave Orchard had spotted England captain Nasser Hussain's field placings included substitute Simon Jones at fine leg, Hoggard at deep backward square...and Michael Vaughan under the lid at backward short leg. At first, the sparse crowd appeared nonplussed when Orchard called no-ball, but Channel Four's analysis unravelled the mystery for TV viewers.

The ball before Jayawardene's let-off, square leg official Orchard seemed to 'twig' Vaughan's addition to Hussain's assortment of leg-side traps was a breach of Law 41.5 governing field placings and moved to the off-side for a clearer view of England's unorthodox setting.

From his new vantage point, Orchard could see that Jones, Vaughan and Hoggard were behind square - and that Hussain had dropped a clanger.

Jayawardene was later out for 28 and Channel Four anchorman Mark Nicholas, the former Hampshire and England A captain who also recently presented 'Survivor', said: "As dumbness goes, it's right up there - it's elementary schoolboy stuff."