On a sultry Saturday the Lord’s Test accelerated into life against most expectations. For two days the batsmen had generally held sway, but now the bowlers took over – which always adds spice to the contest.
Thirteen wickets fell in the day. Sri Lanka lost nine for 126 as the England pace bowlers found a consistent line as well as a flicker of movement. Thus England gained a first-innings lead of 128, which would be extended to 237 by the close with six wickets remaining.
With Alastair Cook incapacitated – he had gone off for an X-ray after being hit on the left knee when fielding at silly point – England’s makeshift opening pair, Alex Hales and Nick Compton, the first right-handed duo since Michael Vaughan and Robert Key in 2002, set off serenely.
However, 45 for none suddenly became 50 for three with Nuwan Pradeep on a hat-trick after removing Joe Root with a scuttler and James Vince with a nip-backer down the slope, that found the Hampshire captain shouldering arms a millisecond before the ball thudded into his stumps.
Before that Shaminda Eranga had taken a wicket that is likely to have significant personal implications for Nick Compton. For almost an hour Compton had batted with some assurance – apart from a couple of harum-scarum moments when running between the wickets; then he pushed forward and a clear edge ended in the keeper’s gloves. Compton’s departure was a painful, doleful sight.
Since the Boxing Day Durban Test Compton has averaged 16 in 11 innings. It is tough to argue for his retention and no doubt Compton recognises that. One could almost sense him gloomily contemplating the consequences of his dismissal as he slowly took his leave.
Still, not many can boast 16 Test caps while participating in four series victories (against India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka) for England and one draw (in New Zealand). A couple of decades ago you would have to play almost 100 Tests to experience such success. However, Compton is unlikely to be kept on as a lucky charm.
Stepping up to the door of England’s Room 101 comes Vince, who now has 54 runs from his first four Test innings. It would be a surprise if England ditched him for the start of the Pakistan series; in this era they prefer to give their players a fair go. But the pressure mounts on Vince so that it will not just be Scott Borthwick on the county circuit who can be forgiven for dreaming of an elevation to the Test side.
There may have been a few gloomy corners in the English dressing room. However, the state of the match is not so grim for England. Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow calmly steadied the innings with a 51-run partnership, which was terminated when Pradeep was the beneficiary of a misguided leg-side hack by Bairstow.
Hales remained calm, batting with restraint after a lively start and there is still Cook to come. The good news from the X-ray was that there was no fracture but a lot of bruising around the knee. If necessary the England captain should be able to hobble some runs on Sunday.
The forecast for the last two days of the match may not be brilliant, but that does at least indicate more cloud cover. As ever this will encourage bowlers as it did on Saturday; moreover, the pitch is starting to wear, which is exactly what it should do.
The high grey clouds must have assisted England’s bowlers in the morning at Lord’s. For certain there was a significant change from Friday when Sri Lanka had breezed to 162 for one. The pace bowlers were more disciplined and purposeful with the ball and more patient. As a consequence they did not have to strive too hard for wickets; they just came along with surprising regularity in a morning session that delivered 56 runs and five wickets.
Neither of the overnight batsmen could add to his score. Cook forgot the pecking order – as good captains often do – and tossed the ball to Chris Woakes, from the Pavilion End, rather than Jimmy Anderson. Woakes’s first delivery, a straight one, thudded into the middle of Kusal Mendis’s left pad. Kaushal Silva was then caught behind off Stuart Broad and England expertly squeezed their opponents. Cook set conservative fields, which meant that the odd chance went flying through a gap, but there were no easy runs out there.
Angelo Mathews was taken at slip off Woakes, who has looked a convincing Test bowler since his recall. Often he has looked more penetrating and quicker than Steven Finn but the Middlesex bowler has not lost his knack of picking up wickets.
Dinesh Chandimal fell lbw to a full-length Finn delivery; then the exasperating (if you are a Sri Lankan) Lahiru Thirimanne was caught at second slip. Throughout this series Thirimanne has looked good; he has always reached double figures yet never advanced beyond 22.
The only stand of consequence came from the impish Kusal Perera and the ever-plucky Rangana Herath. They added 71 together with Perera attacking with relish and Herath taking more blows to his body in between the odd defiant boundary.
Eventually, Broad dispatched Herath, bowled off the inside edge and once more the Sri Lanka tail declined to wag. England’s most successful bowler was Woakes with three for 31 and on this occasion the figures do not lie.
