Sri Lanka v England, 1st Test Day 3: Jennings Forces Checkmate

 

Sri Lanka v England

1^st Test Day 3: Jennings Forces Checkmate

November 8^th 2018

 

Let’s start with a few numbers to put in context Sri Lanka’s victory target of 462.

·       Over the seventeen years that Galle has been a Test match venue, this is the twenty-fourth fourth innings chase.

·       Six of those chases have resulted in wins but, although five of the six were by a margin of ten wickets (the other was by seven wickets), the largest successful chase at Galle is just 99.

·       Three sides have hung on for draws, most memorably, England, in 2003, with 9 wickets down, surviving 108 overs in total – the longest that a side has batted out for a draw at the ground.

·       More alarming for Sri Lanka is that twice sides have failed to chase a total under 80 and three more sides have failed to chase targets under 140.

·       The best-ever effort in a losing cause at Galle is Pakistan’s 300 in 114 overs in 2012. 

England have asked Sri Lanka to score a record fourth innings chase for Tests, or to bat out a minimum (assuming that the predicted rain again holds off) of 187 overs. This match can only be a draw if plenty of time is lost to rain.

In other words, barring major intervention from Jupiter Pluvius (other gods are available), Sri Lanka have to far surpass anything ever achieved at this ground to avoid a heavy defeat. And they have to do it with two, injured batsmen. Dinesh Chandimal is still severely hampered by a groin strain and cannot bat higher than #7, while Dhananjaya De Silva, who batted at #3 in the first innings, tried to stop a drive off his own bowling from Keaton Jennings, received a heavy blow on the thumb for his pains and, even though he did try to bowl again after treatment, managed just one ball before going off.

On the plus side, some comfort comes from the fact that the pitch is not the spitting cobra that Galle has been famous for in the past but, the England spinners are getting some help and can attack without worrying about runs. The two England seamers just got a single over each with the New Ball, but Jimmy Anderson enjoyed the luxury of no fewer than five slips. With the light meters out, the spinners came straight into the attack and we had the novelty of four different bowlers delivering the first four overs of the innings and five bowlers delivering the seven overs by the Close, with the batsman almost suffocated by close fielders. In the case of Silva, suffocated was the word, as a flick caromed off the shin pads of Keaton Jennings at Short Leg, into the hands of Ben Foakes, who threw down the stumps, with Silva well out of his ground: Silva managed to ground his bat just in time, but Sri Lanka were fortunate to get away with that one.

It is amazing how the marginal choices have dominated this Test. Had Alastair Cook not retired, Keaton Jennings would, most likely, not have been on this tour. His contribution to this Test has been 192 runs for once out. Similarly, Ben Foakes would not have played had first Jonny Bairstow not hobbled himself playing football, earning Foakes a call-up as cover and then Joe Denly hobbled himself with some seriously sub-standard performances in the warm-ups. Foakes has scored 144 runs and taken two catches and a stumping so far. With play tomorrow likely to resemble a close-catchers’ convention, Foakes may yet turn out to be a match-winner with the gloves, as the spinners attempt to apply pressure and the edges fly. Catches win matches and there is no doubt that a specialist ‘keeper, accustomed to standing up to spinners at The Oval, could make all the difference.  There are so many occasions in Tests when a stubborn stand develops and is only broken by a piece of individual brilliance behind the stumps; tomorrow may be such a day if the early breakthrough does not come.

That England are in this position is mainly down to a monumental innings of 146* from Keaton Jennings. He will not have convinced the critics, who will point to a Test average under 30, despite two centuries, but he was picked on the promise that he showed in India in 2016 and he has delivered when it was needed. Against India, during the summer, he was getting starts, but not capitalising. In the first innings, he reached the 40s and fell: in fact, in his last 7 innings in all cricket, he has reached 40 six times but, before today, had only reached 50 once in those innings. Today though, he rode his luck, reined-in his aggression and showed the sort of application that Alastair Cook would have approved of.

It was a tale of contrasting fortunes. Before the series, any fan worth his salt would have told you that Rory Burns would make stacks of runs, but that Keaton Jennings was living on borrowed time. In fact, Burns has made 9 and 23, taking his total to 98 in 4 innings on the tour and, in a situation in which he was under little pressure, seemed nervous and finally, inevitably looked for a run where none was available and ran himself out. However, in the context of an innings in which Sri Lanka needed quick wickets, an opening partnership of 60 – equalling the best England have managed in the last year and the best for England since July 2017 – was just what was needed.

When England went from 60-0 to 74-3, Sri Lanka were getting back into the game, with Moeen Ali (who averages just 14.5 in his four matches batting at first drop, against 29.9 batting at #8 and 44.9 batting at #7, surely cannot continue to be offered as a sacrifice in this position) falling cheaply again and Joe Root following him. Another quick wicket would have seen England in some trouble, but the bowlers simply could not keep up the pressure.

As Jennings sealed up one end, Ben Stokes played himself in carefully and then cut loose. From 23 from 64 balls, Stokes added 39 runs from the next 29 balls that he faced, including 3x6. Buttler did not quite get going, but still launched one straight back over Perera’s head, before Foakes came in and produced a brutal cameo, including sixes off consecutive balls as Joe Root indicated that the declaration was imminent. Even in that final slog though, England never really got away from the bowlers, with the exception of Dananjaya, who has been punished in both innings: match figures of 38.5-4-183-2 and a duck are not going to enhance his chances of playing at Kandy.

With Sri Lanka possibly needing to make four changes for the 2^nd Test – replacing the retiring Herath, quite possibly the two injured players too and, potentially, dropping Dananjaya – they could do with the morale-boost of a good fourth day here. History, though, is against it. You would expect the game to be over well before the scheduled Close. If it is not, the ever-present threat of rain at this time of year will lead to a very nervous final day of the match.