England's Chance To Show Cause

To be the best, you have to do more that set a high standard. In sport, as in life, the best are not marked by their rise to the top. Rather, their standing as "the best" is determined by their ability to maintain the quality of performance regardless of circumstance. In the same way as couples make promises on their wedding day, the best cricket teams at Test level promise "to have the ICC No1 world ranking and hold it, from this day forward, on better wickets or worse, for richer sponsorship or poorer, through injury and health, to love and cherish #1 status till a Test us do part."

England haven't lived up to their promises in the northern winter but like a wayward spouse whose head has been turned by a pretty girl or perhaps even boy, they crave redemption at the very moment that this dream relationship with #1 looks likely to slip away.

Broad's no ball lost a wicket

On the third day at Galle, after doing most things wrong for the first two days and being frustrated in watching the chase total grow into record status, England's batsmen finally found the path back to chastity. Perhaps it was the conversion by Ian Bell in the first innings, whose haggard performances on the sub continent become even worse if the free love of runs against the Bangers is discounted. His batting has spun out of control in the last few months, yet he took charge in the first innings and has swung open the gate on the path to redemption.

For once, it was the bowlers who let the side down but to be fair, a difficult dropped chance by Matt Prior of Randiv and a poor throw by Jonathon Trott which left Prior with a backhander to run out Prasanna Jaywardene didn't help the cause. Stuart Broad blew the chance to remove Jayawardene before the damage became extreme, his badly placed front foot spoiled the moment. How many times must wickets be wasted before bowlers will get it right. Graeme Swann and Jimmy Anderson were impressive in the heat and England had reduced Sri Lanka to 7-115 after the first hour. Even at that point, England were facing an uphill task on a ground where 253 is the highest fourth innings total.

Prasanna Jayawardene

Jayawardene, resuming after a break from Test cricket, is well respected as both a keeper and batsman. Other Test players know him as a man who can hurt you because of his ability to innovate and bat with the tail. A tailend warrior, there is something Waugh-like about his approach to the impossible task. So it proved this day, as he took risks, trusted his poorly accredited batting partners and made a vital 61 as the last three wickets added 99. When Suranga Lakmal was run out in that very modern way as Anderson took the ball in front of the stumps at the bowler's end and reached back, Jayawardene and associates had seemingly batted England into a losing position.

Requiring 340 to win on a dusty road which is spinning would be no mean feat for any side but for England, even more so. Their previous best was the 328 achieved in Melbourne in 1928-29 but of course they have scored more and lost too, twice passing 400, including the celebrated 45 run loss in the Centenary Test. Cricket history rarely lies if applied to the present and for England to win, they will have to achieve what has only been achieved 11 times 2038 Test matches - for the maths majors, that's only 0.5%.

Cook out to a thin edge
on a DRS appeal 

Records, they say, are meant to be broken and so they are ... but rarely, so very, very rarely and this particular fairy tail, whilst appealing, looks Grimm despite the encouraging opening paragraphs by Strauss, Trott and Pietersen. Cook left in the 9th over, on no more than Bruce Oxenford's third umpire's eye. After the initial appeal from Jayawardene had been turned down, the wicket keeper immediately appealed and it was referred. No hot spot showed but the slightest deviation may have been evident and in the end human judgment made the call, not technology. Cook was not impressed. Half an hour later, Strauss was out with the English intent obvious. Not prepared to stay in his crease and be bamboozled by Rangara Herath, he danced with the devil aiming to smote over mid on but the turn took the ball to the inside edge and Tillakaratne Dilshan held a low, sharp catch at mid wicket.

Trott through all of this was superb. He, along with Cook, was not completely dominated by the Pakistanis and he looked more like the ruthlessly efficient No 3 that was the linchpin to England's rise. His is the most complete game of all the English batsmen, even Cook and for the impossible to happen, Trott must score 150+. Kevin Pietersen was down the track at the spinners from the off, taking Herath from his length second ball for four through the covers. Three of his four fours came from Herath and although not all of them were convincing, the clear message seems to be that the English batsmen have no intention playing from their crease. If nothing else, it will test the quality of the spinners. 

Trott looked confident

Can England score the remaining 229. Of course, all things are possible but the past - distant and recent - suggests otherwise, as do the conditions and the bowling attack. Herath, Randiv and perhaps Dilshan are not, as a group or individually, as good as the Pakistani spin trio. However Herath showed in the first innings and against Australia that he has the skills to undo this English batting line up and he is the threat. Given his ability to bowl long, unchecked spells, the English tactic of attacking him is the point at which they can change the game in their direction. Having declared their hand, its now up to Mahela Jayawardene to hold his nerve and back his bowlers. 

Why is Sri Lanka, which has been so poor in Tests cricket since Vaas and Murali retired, suddenly a competitive unit again? The cattle haven't changed but the shepherd has.