If there is no cricket scheduled in Colombo the sun shines obediently. England were able to set to work at the Nondescripts ground in the heart of Colombo with their red balls. On Tuesday they begin the first of two two-day practice matches. These are not first-class games and they may prove to be an ugly spectacle as all the batsmen bat and all the bowlers bowl.
These matches will hardly be a contest; from England’s perspective they are more likely to be a series of little battles between players eager to nail down a place for the first Test in Galle on 6 November.
Joe Root, bright and breezy after missing the T20 match on Saturday – “I was rested, I think” – could hardly afford to give much away. “We have to be smart because we don’t know how much time we will have [because of the weather] and we all have to make the most of our opportunities.”
Root could do no more than offer steers: there was no guarantee Jonny Bairstow will be fit for the first Test, in which case Jos Buttler behind the stumps was “the likely scenario”, though the presence of Ben Foakes “gives us another way to balance the side up”. It remains Root’s preference to bat at four.
The simple truth is Root and Trevor Bayliss are not absolutely certain who their best team are. Hence there was much talk of the virtue of having so many options and the importance of the next four days of practice, which are likely to be painful to watch and, for several borderliners in the squad, stressful to play in.
There are tricky decisions to be made everywhere and perhaps the trickiest relates to Stuart Broad. To his credit Broad is a great survivor. Recently there has been discussion within the England hierarchy of Broad being one of the bowlers to be rotated or rested for the greater good. One media outlet assured us he would be dropped for this tour but he is here and eager to play. However the possibility of England wanting to play three spinners in Galle, where the ball is expected to turn in Rangana Herath’s last Test, enhances the chances Broad really will be rotated this time.
Root’s response to the Broad question was Delphic; it could be interpreted in various ways. “I wouldn’t say it’s a changing of the guard and I wouldn’t say he’s in a weaker position than he has been previously,” he said.
“We still haven’t finalised the team. He could still definitely play a massive part within the three-match series and definitely the first game is an option. But we have struggled away from home a number of times now, so we are trying to find a different formula with him or without him.
“I don’t think it weakens him as a player or where his game is going. I think he’s actually improving all the time and using his experience wisely. His action is as strong as it has ever been but whether we have to find a different formula we’ll just have to wait and see. We have to make a real, clear call on what’s going to be the best side on a given surface.”
Sir Humphrey would have been proud of Root’s perambulation. A guess is that Broad is likely to be left out, which probably means he will produce a four for 10 spell over the next few days.
The other debate centres on the identity of the opening batsmen. Keaton Jennings is the only one in the squad who has opened regularly for England recently, yet there remains a good argument he should give way to Rory Burns and Joe Denly with the possibility of Moeen Ali continuing at No 3. In this instance runs over the next few days for any of the three new(ish) boys will be significant.
So Root has plenty to ponder though his concerns are pinpricks compared with the recent experiences of the former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who “feared for his life” at the weekend.
Until last Friday Ranatunga was a government minister; then one person was killed by his security detail amid unrest outside his former office as Ranatunga collected some of his personal effects. He has since been arrested. The political situation is volatile with the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, sacked by the president and replaced by a former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is continuing with its preparations for the series as planned but said: “We are aware of the developments and are in constant contact with the British High Commission. We are exercising vigilance and avoiding all demonstrations or large political gatherings.”
