Another Glass Half Full Day

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

The Test Veers Off Course Again

 

June 22^nd 2014

 

Just as on Day 1 it had seemed that Sri Lanka were in control for a large part of the afternoon before things suddenly took on a whole different complexion with a massive collapse, on Day 2 England’s two colonial lions were squeezing the life out of the Sri Lankan bowling until a late collapse evened things up. Make no mistake, with England 63 ahead after two days and four wickets still left, Sri Lanka are still on the ropes, but they are not facing a standing count with the referee checking the eyes with a look of concern.

At Tea you would have put good money on England having a 300 lead some time on Day 3 and Sri Lanka having to bat six or seven sessions to save the Test. Now, the first priority is to push the lead past 100 and, if possible, towards 150: it is not obvious that even the former is going to happen.

In the  morning, Cook and Robson bettered their effort at Lords, but were still not able to register a fifty partnership. Cook registered another failure. In the last year he has had 34 international innings. In 24 of them he has reached double figures, but has only gone past 30 on 12 occasions. He is getting in, but then getting out, showing that the mind-set is not right. Geoff Boycott feels that his foot movement has gone, making him vulnerable. In plain language, what it means is that at the moment Alistair Cook is no more set when he has reached 50 than when he has just got into double figures. He has 7x50 in the last year but, four of those fifties ended immediately on reaching the landmark (50, 51, 51, 56) as if any tiny relaxation on crossing the landmark led to his immediate downfall.

Alistair Cook is going through the same slump that in recent years we have seen hit Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss and, in the past, has paralysed even batsmen such as Graeme Gooch and Geoff Boycott. You just do not know where your next run is coming from. All came back as good, or better than ever. He will crack it too, but it may yet cost him the captaincy.

The better news was that after looking strokeless and paralysed with nerves at Lords, Sam Robson kept up his scoring sequence by following two failures with a century. Every time this season that he has failed twice in a match he has come back in the next and made the bowlers pay. This innings was not a classic, but was still pretty good and should keep his place safe for a couple of Tests (Nick Compton scored centuries in consecutive Tests in New Zealand and was dropped three Tests later). He solid. When he is in he is very hard to dislodge. And if he can conquer those problems around off stump the way Chris Rogers has, he will enjoy a very productive career [those around Middlesex who know Rogers well, thought that his early vulnerability around off stump could end up being meat and drink to new ball bowlers in Tests, especially if there was some movement to exploit – however, he has sorted it out and bowlers are regretting it]. England have had one-innings wonders before, but one hopes that Sam Robson will go on to make runs against India and then consolidate himself next summer against Australia.

Gary Ballance has shown again that the loss of Jonathon Trott has been repaired – he is still young and inexperienced and will take time to learn all that Trott learnt, but the runs will still come as he does it. England’s #3 problem is fixed. Ian Bell managed another classy 50. Sadly, neither could accompany Robson past the century. Root and Moeen fell quickly, leaving Prior and Jordan to effectuate recovery this morning.

England are still in the box seat, but a lot less than they should be. They need at least one fifty from the remaining batsmen to hammer home the advantage. At Lords, the tail scored runs in both innings. Here they are needed to perform again, first with the bat and then with the ball.