England v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test: Day 1 - Glass Half Full Again

 

England v Sri Lanka

2^nd Test: Day 1

Glass Half Full Again

 

May 27^th  2016

 

What does one make of 310-6? The pundits were amazed that England batted in the morning rather than waiting until around Tea to bat and, for large parts of the day, the bat dominated the ball, with the Sri Lankans wondering where a wicket might come from. Yet England were again indebted to Alex Hales for anchoring the innings. He is likely to finish with the top score, unless Moeen shows the sort of form that he has shown for Worcestershire his season and the tail hangs around tomorrow.

With the exception of the struggling Nick Compton, everyone got in and then got out, but no one went on to make it count. Hales reached the 80s again, but again fell to an attacking shot when the century was there for the taking. Sri Lanka brought on a part-time spinner, desperate for a wicket. One ball sailed into the stands and then, the next, Hales tried to repeat the dose. The consolation is that four of the wickets fell to superb catches: if a fly had dared to pass through the slips, one of the Sri Lankans would have bagged it and that, despite playing in, what for them were inhumanly cold conditions. Root looked set for a century but ballooned a pull. Vince fell to the sort of stunning acrobatics that Gordon Banks used to be famous for, Jonny Bairstow demonstrated that he is human and Nick Compton really did not need to see his shot go to hand and stick. Something that has caught the attention is that Root seemed to be fooled by some uneven bounce. Various players got into a tangle trying to play outside off or to pull, strokes that demand reliable bounce (and judgement) suggesting that, although the surface looks full of runs, batting last may get interesting (a euphemism).

Poor Nick Compton. 109 runs at 15.7 this season, with a highest score of 44. He was, along with Alec Hales, a marginal pick but, while Hales has almost certainly sealed his place for the whole summer with two near-centuries, Nick Compton knows that he is depending on charity. If England win and if Compton does not get a second innings and a score, the selectors will have two choices: stick with him for the last match of the series and then (almost certainly) drop him barring a miraculous turn to form, or give his replacement a game to bed-in in a series won before the sterner test against Pakistan. With 634 runs in 8 innings at 90.6 Sam Robson is demanding a recall and you feel that one more score against Hampshire in the match starting on Sunday and he will have to be considered, although Scott Borthwick will know that he is a natural #3 in good form who has Test wickets to his name and would be a slightly left field pick: even so, runs at 51.3 with 2x100 and 1x50 in nine innings demands a second look.

As at Headingley, Sri Lanka’s bowling did not quite get it right initially, but the attack seemed to take wickets despite itself even though the hero of the first day at Headingley has been sacrificed to strengthen the batting. While many pundits took it as read that Sri Lanka would have been bowled out cheaply had England inserted them, the batting looks stronger in this Test and the batsmen have the experience of the first Test to draw on. Do not be surprised if they put up sterner resistance this time.

For England, tomorrow morning is about pushing the total up to or over 400. Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad have to sell their wickets dearly. Moeen needs a score to silence the whispers that are wondering if Lancashire's good start and 14 wickets at 29.7 means that it is time to have another look at Simon Kerrigan. He has been moved up a position to #7 to give him a chance to play a major innings. Chris Woakes needs to stay with him and go well past his Test best of 26*.

310-6 is not a disaster, but the score at the Close could, so easily, have been 330-3, with Sri Lanka batted almost out of the match.