England v
Sri Lanka
3rd
Test: Day 5 and Aftermath
Rain Has The
Last Word
June 17th
2016
The rain that set up a potentially wonderful finish,
finally condemned the match. Taunting and teasing, it seemed as if play could
start at any moment only for drizzle and rain to return. Even though Jimmy
Anderson added his twenty-first wicket of the series soon after the start and
England played five slips, Sri Lanka batted competently and sensibly to avoid
any hint of a scare.
On one level it was disappointing. On another it
was just reward for a Sri Lankan side that had improved out of all recognition
over the tour. In seven innings over five matches on the tour, Sri Lanka had
taken just 46 wickets, bowling the opposition out just twice in seven attempts
(once to set up an innings defeat, the other, for over 400). However, from Day
3 of the 2nd Test, the series ceased to be a procession and became a
real contest. With more luck and better ground-fielding Sri Lanka could have
pushed England much harder. Their young team will have learnt a lot from the
experience, although there are already suggestions that England may not enjoy
their next tour to Sri Lanka much as they might, because the scheduling may not
be as friendly as it has been on past tours.
England can be satisfied with several aspects of
the series, apart from the result [Sri Lanka deservedly won the series in
2013]. Highlights are:
·
Jimmy Anderson’s return to form and fitness.
·
Alex Hales tying-down the opener spot for the rest
of the summer (despite not quite getting over the line for that first century
in Tests).
·
Jonny Bairstow’s wonderful batting.
·
Alistair Cook getting the 10 000 run monkey off his
back and finishing the series with two good scores.
·
Chris Woakes’s development as a genuine
all-rounder. He was the fastest bowler on either side, took 8 wickets at 18.8
and a strike rate of 40, was more economical than any bowler on either side
save Jimmy Anderson and the lightly-bowled Angelo Matthews and had two valuable
innings in his limited opportunities, including a maiden Test 50.
·
Moeen Ali’s spectacular innings at
Chester-le-Street.
·
Stuart Broad’s generally good form with the new
ball.
However, not all was rosy. Some things definitely
did not go as hoped. In no particular order:
·
Nick Compton’s downward spiral of form.
·
Jonny Bairstow’s errors with the gloves.
·
James Vince failing to make a real case that he is
the answer at #5.
·
Moeen Ali struggling to make an impact with the
ball.
·
Steve Finn’s lack of form (although there were
signs that he was on the mend by the end of the series).
·
Joe Root’s struggles (80 of his 87 runs came in a
single innings).
·
A top order prone to collapsing like a pack of
cards.
·
A sameness to the attack when there is nothing in
the pitch or the atmosphere for the bowlers.
While Alex Hales’s star has most definitely shone –
there were some frankly ludicrous calls from fans at the end of the series that
he should be dropped because his inability to convert 80s and 90s into
centuries showed “that he was just not good enough at this level”, but a more
rational view is that England would have been in a lot of bother without his
runs: exactly 100 more than Compton, Root and Vince combined. 86, 83, 11, 18
& 94 was a pretty powerful statement. He has played five First Class
matches this season and has passed 50 in four of his eight innings, with no
single-figure scores – Nick Compton’s 51 runs at 12.8 looked like the struggles
of a man batting with Geoff Boycott’s stick of rhubarb.
Nick Compton has amazing ability, but last reached
40 eleven innings ago, in the first match of the new season. Since his
match-winning contribution in the 1st Test in South Africa, he has
produced 45, 15, 26, 0, 19, 6, 0, 44, 38, 1, 14*, 3, 0, 9, 22*, 1, & 19 and
his Test average has declined to 28.7 after 16 Tests. His last 10 Test innings
have produced a top score of just 26 and 117 runs.
Sometimes a player has a bad trot and battles
through it. Alistair Cook could not buy a run for over a year before suddenly
coming good again, albeit initially with ugly runs when it was getting to the
stage where almost no one believed that he could get it back. Nick Compton
though was always a marginal call for this series and has little credit in the
bank. He does have, potentially, two games for Middlesex before the Pakistan
series, but it is doubtful that even two good matches can save him. At 34,
England are more likely to go for a younger player than give Nick Compton a
long, slow death. With Scott Borthwick a specialist #3, the third highest
runs-scorer in Division 1 this season and a leg-spinner to boot in his spare
time (10 wickets at 37 so far this season apart from 598 runs at 74.8), it is
hard to avoid the conclusion that it is Borthwick who will line up against
Pakistan.
More worrying for England is Moeen Ali’s struggle
with the ball. He did not get many opportunities but, when he did, Sri Lanka
attacked him without mercy. After boasting figure of 5-4-1-1 after his first
two spells of the series, he ended with 2-180 at the worst economy rate of any
of England’s front-line bowlers. Sides no longer fear him and that is unbalancing
the side. Would Adil Rashid (321 runs at 40.1 and 18 wickets at 34.6 for
Yorkshire) do so much worse? It is already taken as read that Adil Rashid will
go to India. Simon Kerrigan is being mentioned again, but what about Somerset’s
Jack Leach, who is having a fine season so far and taking his wickets at 24.1, far
superior to any of his rivals?
For as long as I can remember people have been
moaning about the choice of England wicket-keeper. Superior ‘keeper, or better
batsman? Downton, French, Richards, Stewart, Read, Jones, Ambrose, Kieswetter, Buttler,
Bairstow (Sr and Jr) among others, have all felt the opprobrium of the fans at
different moments. Right now people agree that Jonny Bairstow is not the best ‘keeper
and misses important chances, but cannot agree who should replace him. Bairstow
is competent standing back but, in India, will be ‘keeping to at least two and
possibly even three spinners, standing up a lot: will his runs compensate the
chances that he misses? If not, who should take the gloves? The answer might
just be “John Simpson” (John Who???) of Middlesex: an excellent gloveman and
much improved bat (356 runs at 59.3, with a century and more sixes than any of
Middlesex’s renowned hitters, although only 13 dismissals off the somewhat
miss-firing Middlesex attack).
James Vince should expect to get the full summer to
consolidate, but his position is being exposed by being time and again a wicket
in a top-order collapse. He may need runs in the first two Tests to ensure that
he sees out the series.
Steve Finn is short on pace and rhythm. His 90mph+
days seem to be a distant memory. Better form as the series wore on, helped,
but Chris Woakes was faster and more threatening. If only one can play with the
return of Ben Stokes, Steve Finn should check the Middlesex fixture list
because he may be chasing the Middlesex squad after being released by England
on match day. Finn’s ups and downs are surprising for such a talented bowler.
His mind seems a little fragile and can be played around with too easily
(remember how the South Africans managed to neutralise him completely with the
fuss about knocking off the bails? It was pure gamesmanship and Steve Finn shrank
to nothing instead of taking it as a provocation and an incentive to bowl even
better.
Throughout the series there were moments when the
ball did little and England’s attack looked all too similar: different faces,
same bowling. Although Liam Plunkett’s bowling has been a little disappointing
this season, his extra pace can shake-up batsmen at Test level. England need
someone capable of firing the ball down consistently at 90+mph and have no one
in that role right now. A burst of wickets might well see Liam Plunkett in the
XIII for the 1st Test v Pakistan.
However, all in all, it was a satisfying series
after the win in South Africa and shows that the England side are progressing
nicely. The second summer series will though be tougher and the winter series
in India, tougher still. Win both and England will be closing in on the #1
position in the ICC Test table.
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