That’s all from us and me. Tune in next week for the second Test at Durham.
BYE!
Jonny Bairstow – not James Anderson – is the man of the match. “We were going to give it to Jimmy, but we thought we might get lynched outside,” says Michael Atherton.
“It’s no way the finished article,” says Bairstow on his batting. “It was a soft way to get out - oh, so soft! I was livid. It’s been absolutely fantastic, though. The crowd has been brilliant. To score my first hundred in England at my home ground is really special for me and my family.” Here’s how he went to that hundred...
Your first 💯 in England via two overthrows. He doesn't care one bit. Go on @jbairstow21 #dreams https://t.co/OzP1PT7kDb
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 20, 2016
Updated
“It was a pleasure to stand their at first slip and captain that attack,” says Ali Cook. “I thought Jonny Bairstow was batting on a different wicket to the other 21 guys out there. The way Alex Hales applied himself was really, really disciplined.”
Odds on Jimmy Anderson saying "the main thing is, we got the four points" in his press conference? #ENGvSL https://t.co/HmGD5ggdLB
— Christian Drury (@cj_drury) May 21, 2016
“It was a tough game for us. We batted poorly throughout the first and second innings,” says Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews. Shrewd. “There is a bit of worry [for the rest of the Test series], but we have to bounce back. Hard.”
Worst performance by a visiting side on these shores since this from India https://t.co/2fU3kmSWWN
— Peter Miller (@TheCricketGeek) May 21, 2016
“It’s nice to put that to bed,” says James Anderson, who was weeping at the end of this fixture back in 2014. “We were relentless with the ball. I think you can see how valuable Hales and Bairstow’s runs were.” Botwell’s stat in the previous entry summed it up.
So does this...
Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets in each innings for a combined total of 40 runs. Pretty pisspoor effort, that.
— Dave Tickner (@tickerscricket) May 21, 2016
“Just saw that Hales and Bairstow on their own (140 + 86) would have won the game by an innings and 16 runs.” A great spot from Tom Botwell (email). The general consensus – on Twitter and in my inbox – seems to be one of dismay. Peter McGivney sums it up well:
“Such a shame as Sri Lanka can offer a good challenge for England and as shown last time they were a good side. Never good to see such a one sided game, but many of us grew up with this and at least now we could blame the prevalence of T20 for rash shots.” I don’t think T20 can be blamed for Sri Lanka’s effort. They’re a touch undercooked, having only played five days of cricket in English conditions as a lead-up to this tour (no excuse, really, given none of the players were at the IPL). It’s a young, inexperienced and – let’s be honest – shoddy batting unit.
ENGLAND WIN THE FIRST TEST BY AN INNINGS AND 88 RUNS
WICKET! Pradeep b Anderson 0 (Sri Lanka 119 all out)
Nuwan Pradeep, a proper number 12 batsman, hangs back and allows an 81mph outswinger to knock off the bails. It gives Anderson 10-wickets in the match – five for 29 here after five for 16 in the first. There will be a lot of introspection back in Sri Lanka: expect to see a lot empty quotes from Sanath Jayasuriya and various others in the next few days. England, however, were ruthless.
Updated
35th over: Sri Lanka 118-9 (Eranga 1, Pradeep 0) – trail by 89 runs following on
Just as Mahela Jayawardene – a welcome addition to Sky’s cartel – talks about Lahiru Thirimanne stepping up as the remaining senior batsman and marshalling the tail, he takes a single and exposes Dushmantha Chameera. Inside edge, caught, gone. Shaminda Eranga flicks off his legs to return the strike to Thirimanne who continues his excellent judgement to push tamely at a ball that could easily have been left alone. Piss poor from Sri Lanka.
WICKET! Thirimanne c Root b Finn 16 (Sri Lanka 118-9)
Started the over with an error and ends with one, too: Finn hangs the ball outside off stump, Thirimanne drives and gives Root an easy grab in the breadbasket.
Updated
WICKET! Chameera c Compton b Finn 0 (Sri Lanka 117-8)
Second ball after tea, Chameera edges onto his thigh pad and into the hands of Nick Compton at short leg.
Updated
Vish here – hello everyone. This should be pretty short work, you’d think. Just three to get to win the Test and give everyone some difficult choices to make on Sunday.
I’ll leave you with this, from Tom Bowtell: “I’m pretty excited to note that we’re just a few runs and wickets away from Anderson, Broad and Finn all having the same Test bowling average. As I type it’s:
- Anderson: 28.69
- Broad: 28.46
- Finn: 28.47
This is huge. So huge in fact that only one man can take us forwards - it’s Vish, who’ll take you through to the end of the day and probably the end of the Test. Email him on Vithushan.Ehantharajah.casual@theGuardian.com, or tweet @Vitu_E
Tea: Sri Lanka 116-7, trail by 91 runs following on
So a combination of fine bowling and brainless shots have put England within sight of victory inside three days. Assuming the rain holds off, they’ll presumably have this all wrapped up tonight, although they might have to get a wriggle on because the light might be a problem at some point soon.
Brief update on Ben Stokes, who has been off since the early stages with a knee problem: they’re checking his knee out, won’t play any further part today. Look, I didn’t say it would be an interesting update...
34th over: Sri Lanka 116-7 (Thirimane 15, Herath 4) - trail by 91 runs, following on Broad’s round the wicket to Thirimane and tries some short stuff, which is greeted with a flashy upper cut, going just over the slips. Then he leaves a fuller one that nearly took a coat of paint from off stump. Another single from the over, and that’s tea.
33rd over: Sri Lanka 111-7 (Thirimane 10, Chameera) - trail by 96 runs, following on Last rites, now, you’d wager.
WICKET! Herath c Broad b Finn 4 - Sri Lanka 111-7, trail by 96 runs following on
A breather for Anderson, as Finn comes back from the Football Stand End. Thirimane gets a single, then it’s back to the Herath variety show. He plays and misses at one, shovels another into the ground just in front of short leg, misses an attempted pull and gets a nasty blow to his unprotected back elbow. Ooof, that’ll sting. And he seems to decide that’s it for him, chipping the next ball to give short cover some gentle catching practice.
32nd over: Sri Lanka 110-6 (Thirimane 9, Herath 4) - trail by 97 runs, following on Herath, it’s fair to say, doesn’t look too comfortable out there and is probably questioning a good few of his life choices. He gets four though, squeezing out a yorker that zoots between fourth slip and gully to the boundary.
31st over: Sri Lanka 106-6 (Thirimane 9, Herath 0) - trail by 101 runs, following on Thirimane gropes at one outside off, the edge goes along the ground and Hales dives full length to make a smashing diving stop and save four runs.
There have been four instances of wicketkeepers taking 10+ catches in a Test. De Villiers was one, Jack Russell another in the Atherton match at the Wanderers, in which he also scored 29 off 235 balls. Bob Taylor v India in 1980 and Adam Gilchrist v New Zealand in 2000 were the others.
30th over: Sri Lanka 106-6 (Thirimane 9, Herath 0) - trail by 101 runs, following on Broad sends down some short stuff to Thirimane, the first of which he hooks around the corner to fine leg, for a boundary, then one’s pitched up and flicked for a single. Herath takes a hearty swing at one that it was probably for the best he didn’t connect with.
Lee Johnson is the first one with the correct answer to the quiz question: “De Villiers has the ton + 10 catches record. Do I win a (chunky-onioned) spag bol..?”
Yes you do Lee! And you also win the opportunity to cook it yourself! I recommend some pancetta and as much red wine as you like. Here’s the match in question.
29th over: Sri Lanka 101-6 (Thirimane 4, Herath 0) - trail by 106 runs, following on Herath jabs at a full one and nearly sends a return catch to Anderson, but it drops a tad short. It didn’t look like an especially fierce effort, but it was enough to break his bat, and everything stops briefly while a replacement is sourced.
WICKET! Shanaka c Bairstow b Anderson 4 - Sri Lanka 101-6, trail by 106 following on
Anderson sends one down that goes off the seam like a leg break. Then he gets one that moves a little less and gets the edge. Nine catches for Bairstow - ten and a century in a Test has only been done once before...so quiz time: who was it? No cheating now...
Updated
28th over: Sri Lanka 101-5 (Thirimane 4, Shanaka 4) - trail by 106 runs, following on Broad cuts Shanaka in two with a shortish one that somehow avoids an inside edge, and he then gets off strike with a tuck off his hip. Word comes through that it’s raining in Kirkstall, but only a little bit. It’s dark, but the floodlights are on and they’re carrying on, like the troopers they are.
27th over: Sri Lanka 100-5 (Thirimane 4, Shanaka 3) - trail by 107 runs, following on Shanaka gets off a pair with a push to around point, then grabs another off the shoulder of the bat. Sri Lanka do at least avoid the indignity of being bowled out twice for under 100.
26th over: Sri Lanka 97-5 (Thirimane 4, Shanaka 0) - trail by 110 runs, following on Bit of rain around again, but they’re staying on for the moment. Thirimane celebrates this by spanking a cut from a short, wide one from Broad in the air, but safely to the cover fence.
Updated
25th over: Sri Lanka 93-5 (Thirimane 0, Shanaka 0) - trail by 114 runs, following on Well this probably isn’t going to last much longer.
WICKET! Mendis b Anderson 53 - Sri Lanka 93-5, trail by 114 runs following on
Ach, that’s a shame. A splendid innings comes to an end in rather deflating fashion as Mendis survives an absolute snorter, then plays on while trying to leave a shorter delivery he should’ve been nowhere near.
Updated
24th over: Sri Lanka 93-4 (Thirimane 0, Mendis 53) - trail by 114 runs, following on If you’ve tickets for tomorrow - and I may or may not have - start making alternative plans. Thirimane lets one go past his off stump that you can only puff your cheeks out at and say ‘There only two types of leave...’
WICKET! Mathews c Bairstow b Broad 5 - Sri Lanka 93-4, trail by 114 following on
Another one goes down, it’s a regulation nick through to Bairstow who takes his eighth catch of the Test.
Updated
23rd over: Sri Lanka 92-3 (Mathews 5, Mendis 52) - trail by 115 runs, following on Anderson strays onto the pads, and despite Mathews almost getting a smidge of bat onto the ball, it flicks his leg and goes down for four leg-byes. Then a shout for lbw, which the slips are keen on but Anderson recognises that was heading a fair way down leg.
22nd over: Sri Lanka 88-3 (Mathews 5, Mendis 52) - trail by 119 runs, following on Only one over for Mo, the wicket notwithstanding. Stuart Broad is in from the Kirkstall Lane End, and Mathews gets a boundary from an unconvincing prod to a full one, that squirts down to third man and to the boundary, despite a similarly unconvincing dive from Ali.
Updated
21st over: Sri Lanka 83-3 (Mathews 0, Mendis 52) - trail by 124 runs, following on Anderson comes in from the Football Stand End, and immediately gets one to rear up at Mendis like a frightened horse, and he’s slightly lucky that the ball balloons in the air but away from any fielders. Another zoots past his outside edge, but then Mendis gets a straighter, fuller one that he spanks wide of mid-on for four, and that’s his maiden Test 50.
20th over: Sri Lanka 79-3 (Mathews 0, Mendis 48) - trail by 128 runs, following on Moeen might only have been on to allow the quicks to change ends, but he has success straight away. There’s enough turn there to justify a leg slip, as well.
WICKET! Chandimal b Ali - Sri Lanka 79-3, trail by 128 runs following on
And there we go. Ali gets some decent rip on the ball, giving a half-half-chance to Bairstow off Mendis, but then Chandimal takes the not entirely bright decision to cut against the spin, and chops on.
Updated
Moeen Ali will get his first bowl of the Test...
The teams are out. Cricket!
It’s sunny at Headingley. Sunny! Scenes.
Revised playing times:
- Play to start again at 3.30pm
- Tea at 4.40pm
- Evening session 5.00pm until everyone falls over tired.
Incidentally, the batsman on strike for that required six off one ball was MS Dhoni. You can probably imagine how it went.
Meanwhile, in the IPL...
Six to win off the last ball and there's a dog on the field. IPL > Test cricket.
— Ashley Connick (@AshleyConnick) May 21, 2016
Play will restart at 3.30pm BST
Piping hot news from Leeds - we’ll be back on in about half an hour. Splendid.
More from Ali - we could be getting some white smoke from the umps shortly.
Word from Ali Martin at Headingley - only the pitch and the run-ups remain under cover, as the mopping up operation continues. No re-start time yet, but we’ll let you know when/if there is.
It has stopped raining
Now then. We might not actually have to discuss Gayle. The rain has stopped after 90-odd minutes, and the covers are being removed. It still looks pretty damp out there, and we might be in for a while more watching Super Soppers trundle up and down the Headingley turf before we see any cricket, but this at least is promising.
Afternoon. Vish is going for a bit of a rest, so Nick Miller back to try keeping you entertained during the rain. How ‘bout that Chris Gayle, eh? Here’s an email I’ve been saving in anticipation of having some time to fill, from Robert Wilson:
“As a student of human variety, I’m keen to understand something which OBOers might help explain for me. If Six Machine, Chris Gayle, suffers the monotonous indignity of ‘thousands’ of girls throwing themselves upon him, what explains his seemingly inexhaustible bent for pursuing and creeping out the titanically reluctant women? Is it a bewildered incapacity to comprehend the deeply allergic reaction of a tiny minority? Or is he just sweetly trying to make sure that everyone is on the same page about how throbbingly fantastic he is? Also, on a technical note, is the ‘I’ve got a really big bat’* joke ever funny?”
In case you’re baffled as to what this refers, there’s an interview with Gayle in Another National Newspaper today, in which he’s...well, at it again. Some of the choice quotes are here. The full interview is a little bit more complex than the ‘highlights’, and he does say some genuinely interesting things among the unpleasantness, but his views, conduct and attitude remain firmly in the ‘not ideal’ camp.
*Pretty confident he’s talking about his penis.
If you’re in the Leeds area tomorrow and fancy some cricket – the forecast for the rest of today suggests there will be some – then pop over to Headingley and get in for £15 (£5 for kids).
Looks like there’ll be a high of 17-degrees-centigrade tomorrow. You can find an accurate forecast here.
For those who might be at the Test and wondering what the situation is on refunds...
@Vitu_E @onebillionrs 50% refund for 10.1 to 24.5 overs... pic.twitter.com/hU1g1DhagW
— Test Match Dan (@TestMatchDan) May 21, 2016
Some more disheartening news
The rain has stopped, but there's more on the way... #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/Zg0HKxLueZ
— Charlie Reynolds (@cwjreynolds) May 21, 2016
Chris, on email: “Did Nick have parmesan with the Spag Bol?” Yes he did. A little bit. “And did he have a dessert?” No, but he has some chewing gum in his bag.
Updated
Rob, I’m with you here...
@Vitu_E need to know more: what type of nuts? walnuts are more or less a victimless crime, but stealing pistachios is serious business
— bleurgh (@PossiblyRobNob) May 21, 2016
Peanuts, says Nick. And, if I may, he said it so flippantly that it speaks volumes of the quality of nut on offer.
UPDATE: Nick’s finished his spag bol.
“I’m possibly nit-picking, but the onions were a bit too big. I had to separate them from the bolognese. Seven on 10.”
Afternoon all – Vish here, taking over from Nick Miller, who is currently working his way through a hearty bowl of spaghetti bolognese. Nice bit of rustic garlic bread, too. Always good to see.
While Nick was queuing up for his lunch, he witnessed a crime (don’t worry, this isn’t one of those times when a Guardian OBO-er tells you about something mundane that happened to them, but embellishes the details to make it into a bollocks yet passable anecdote. This happened to someone else).
While Nick was queuing up for his meal, a fellow luncher who was a bit peckish, began helping himself to some nuts from jars on the paying counter. No issue, I hear you cry. But wait... these are no ordinary jars. These nuts are part of a pick-n-mix style deal, with bags – yes bags, not sacks – for your personal haul, to be weighed and paid for. Yet, here is Fingers McGhee, helping himself to the greater share, NOT GIVING A DAM! I, for one, don’t think he’s done much wrong. Nick, on the other hand, is outraged.
I really hope it stops raining.
That doesn’t look ideal.
Another load about to dump on Headingley pic.twitter.com/AfaddqXfR7
— mike selvey (@selvecricket) May 21, 2016
Rainwatch update: looks like it might be raining for a bit, but not too long: so presumably the challenge then becomes how long it takes to clear things up.
Lunch: Sri Lanka 77-2, trail by 130 runs following on
The full lot of covers are going on now, complete with yellow-jacketed bouncers. That’s lunch, and we might be here for a while. But let’s think positive, eh?
Rain stops play
And now they’re off, as the rain starts to get heavier and presumably they know more’s to come. The covers are on, umbrellas are up and one assumes they’ll take an early lunch.
19th over: Sri Lanka 77-2 (Chandimal 7, Mendis 47) - trail by 130 runs, following on Clouding over now, with some water in the air. Despite that radar shot from a couple of overs back it is forecast to start raining around now. Mendis shovels one off the back foot just behind point, and they come through for a couple. Then he whips a delightful shot in the air, just in front of mid-wicket and it reaches the boundary before the last sounds of ‘CCAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTCCCCCHHHHHHHHH’ can disappear into the air. He tries the same shot next ball, but gets a big top edge...and it drops safe, Finn saving another boundary down at fine leg.
And then - DROP! And a bad one too, as Mendis again aims for mid-wicket, but is squared up and edges to Vince at third slip, around thigh height, and he drops what amounts to a dolly. Not good, that.
Meanwhile, just across the Pennines...
Old Trafford again. The rain has eased from Biblical to gruesome. Sadly not apocryphal. pic.twitter.com/pxcIsjEdI3
— daniel norcross (@norcrosscricket) May 21, 2016
18th over: Sri Lanka 69-2 (Chandimal 7, Mendis 39) - trail by 138 runs, following on Finn and the slips go up for an ell-bee shout, but that looked a bit high and was drifting down leg. So not exactly a grade-A, solid case for a wicket. A couple of balls later a louder shout from a fuller ball, as Chandimal nearly falls over trying to whip it away - England consider going upstairs after the appeal is turned down, but it was heading about a stump’s width down leg, so they were right to keep their reviewing powder dry with that one.
17th over: Sri Lanka 68-2 (Chandimal 7, Mendis 38) - trail by 139 runs, following on Snakes alive, this Mendis kid can time it - he gets forwards to a full Broad ball and gently pushes a drive past mid-off, and it zoots off to the boundary. Then he flings the bat at a similar, slighty wider delivery that bursts through the hands of sub fielder Jordan Thompson, who just got fingertips to it and they take three.
16th over: Sri Lanka 61-2 (Chandimal 7, Mendis 31) - trail by 146 runs, following on Drop! Mendis gets squared up by one from Finn and edges low to Bairstow’s right, but it hits the heel of his hand and goes to the grass. He had to go for the catch, as it probably wouldn’t have reached Cook at first slip, and it was a tough chance, but a chance nonetheless. Three singles taken from the over.
Meanwhile, could that colossal bank of rain actually miss Leeds/be broken up by the Pennines...?
15th over: Sri Lanka 58-2 (Chandimal 6, Mendis 29) - trail by 149 runs, following on Broad’s back, on for Anderson, and he tempts Mendis into a meaty drive with limited footwork that he was probably grateful for missing. Mendis then goes for another full-throated effort which gets a leading edge, up in the air and just plops to the turf behind a backpedalling Hales.
“With Stokes out of action, taking into account the worst case scenario, who could replace him in the team?” asks Tom. “Would Bairstow get pushed up a place in the batting order as they bring in a player who bowls and bats a bit, like Woakes or Overton? Or a more left-field selection...”
Possibly. The other thing to do is shove Moeen up a bit further and bring in another bowler, presumably Jake Ball. In terms of a left-field choice, what about Tom Curran? He’s upsettingly talented, young and in the performance squad...
I have no real idea what the context here is, but it doesn’t really matter. Enjoy.
@guerillacricket This? pic.twitter.com/ARpZjCSsXZ
— jaynefrances63 (@jaynefrances63) May 21, 2016
14th over: Sri Lanka 57-2 (Chandimal 6, Mendis 28) - trail by 150 runs, following on Finn drifts onto Chandimal’s pads, and is flicked finely fine of fine leg for four fine runs. A no-ball and a couple of singles add three more runs, and with 14 in the last two overs, Sri Lanka are scoring at a reasonable pace now. And that’s drinks.
13th over: Sri Lanka 50-2 (Chandimal 1, Mendis 27) - trail by 157 runs, following on One to keep an eye on - the current world record for most catches in a Test is 11, jointly held by Jack Russell and AB de Villiers. Bairstow now has seven, with another eight potentials and with Anderson hooping it for yucks.
It's on Jonny pic.twitter.com/1Uu27GkZ9u
— Elizabeth Ammon (@legsidelizzy) May 21, 2016
Chandimal gets off the mark, before a solid back-foot push through the covers brings a couple for the increasingly assertive Mendis. But then he rather gets away with one, as Anderson drops one a bit short, it darts back in and catches a thick edge, flying just over a diving, flailing James Vince at third slip. Four runs, but not the most secure or deliberate ones.
Updated
12th over: Sri Lanka 43-2 (Chandimal 0, Mendis 21) - trail by 164 runs, following on Nicely timed shot from Mendis, who pushes one between the bowler and mid-on, which goes to the boundary despite a dashing effort by Broad to stop it. And then a few balls later, after a curtailed lbw shout, Mendis plays a similar shout but absolutely belts that one, giving the fielders zero chance.
11th over: Sri Lanka 35-2 (Chandimal 0, Mendis 13) - trail by 172 runs, following on Actually, looking at that one again, Silva could easily have left it. Ah well.
WICKET! Silva c Bairstow b Anderson 14 - Sri Lanka 35-2
For all their good play, there’s not a huge amount the batsmen can do when Anderson is able to control the ball with Jedi mind powers. Another pitches on around middle/off, moves away, Silva edges and Bairstow takes a fine diving catch away to his right.
Updated
10th over: Sri Lanka 35-1 (Silva 14, Mendis 13) - trail by 172 runs, following on Finn trying plenty, varying his lines to Silva, conceding a single from a stray onto his shins and a clip down to fine leg. Other than that, an over quieter than a mouse wearing thick socks.
9th over: Sri Lanka 34-1 (Silva 13, Mendis 13) - trail by 173 runs, following on Apparently Ben Stokes is ‘unlikely to bowl today’, which isn’t ideal for England. Moeen Ali can thus expect to see plenty of work at one end, assuming Anderson doesn’t run through them. It doesn’t look like he will right now, as more sensible batting and sharp running keeps the Sri Lankan strike ticking over, to the tune of three singles from that over.
8th over: Sri Lanka 31-1 (Silva 11, Mendis 12) - trail by 176 runs, following on A bowling change, and Steven Finn gets a bowl from the Kirkstall Lane End. He slightly over-pitches to Silva, who pushes one past the bowler’s dive, which isn’t quite timed perfectly (or perhaps Finn took some pace off with a fingertip) but he still picks up three. Whisper it, but Sri Lanka are actually batting reasonably well here.
7th over: Sri Lanka 28-1 (Silva 8, Mendis 12) - trail by 179 runs, following on If people like Murali and Ajantha Mendis are known as mystery spinners, could Anderson be a mystery swinger? Admittedly, that does sound a trifle rum, but he is getting the ball to hoop both ways with little way of telling which is which. Silva survives that over though, getting a single with a soft-handed nudge behind square.
6th over: Sri Lanka 27-1 (Silva 7, Mendis 12) - trail by 180 runs, following on Nice shot from Silva, who gets on the ol’ tippy-toes and guides a thickish edge with soft hands through the slips and to the boundary. Broad then throws a full tempter outside off, which Silva studiously ignores - perhaps they’re learning. More soft hands produces a single just behind square leg, from a ball that could’ve resulted in a wicket had he been a little more jabby.
“Watching Jimmy Anderson run through the opposition in ‘English’ conditions has been a pleasingly familiar sight for as long as I can remember,” writes Alex Butler in Shanghai, “but how do you think our batsmen fare against him in this fettle? Would they be likely to put up a better stand or is he just too good here?”
The way some of them batted in the first innings, they wouldn’t last particularly long, but Anderson has bowled some genuinely unplayable balls in this game, as he does in most games.
5th over: Sri Lanka 22-1 (Silva 2, Mendis 12) - trail by 185 runs, following on There’s Mendis again - after a few balls that hoop away and beat the outside edge, Anderson pitches one slightly further up and is spanked over long-on to the boundary. Anderson comes back with the jafferist of jaffas, which beats the edge by millimetres.
4th over: Sri Lanka 18-1 (Silva 2, Mendis 8) - trail by 189 runs, following on Mendis seems to have decided there’s not a huge amount of point in just prodding and defending, and plays a rather needless attacking shot to a wider one from Broad he could/should have left well alone - that time he gets a thick outside edge between the slips and gully, but you’d think that won’t last too much longer. A single brings Silva back to strike, and Broad sends down one of those balls that a batsman just has to close his eyes and hope, pray he doesn’t nick. From slightly wide on the crease, angling in, pitching around off and moving away. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes has limped off the field, the knee injury he suffered yesterday presumably catching up with him.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 13-1 (Silva 2, Mendis 3) - trail by 194 runs, following on Mendis isn’t cowed by the swing, or being on a pair - second ball he drives with purpose through the covers, but doesn’t quite time it quite right and Hales chases it successfully, and they get three. As he picks up the ball Hales slips over, doing so in the worst possible place - the Western Terrace, or the ‘vocal party section’ as Yorkshire have taken to calling it.
“If Alastair Cook is wearing sunglasses it must be down to a black eye,” writes a conspiratorial Dominic O’Reilly. “It certainly can’t be for the Leeds weather. So who punched him and why?”
WICKET! Kurunaratne c Bairstow b Anderson 7 - Sri Lanka 10-1
And there’s the first. A snorter of a delivery that lifts and moves away, but Karunaratne nonetheless fences at vaguely needlessly, and gets a nick through to Bairstow.
Updated
2nd over: Sri Lanka 9-0 (Karunaratne 7, Silva 1) - trail by 198 runs, following on Stuart Broad is the man from the other end, and instructs Joe Root to fill in a foothole with some sawdust. Karunaratne takes advantage of a rubbish long hop and despatches it to the cover fence with a pleasing crack of the willow, then another couple come from a similar, if not as well-timed effort.
1st over: Sri Lanka 3-0 (Karunaratne 1, Silva 1) - trail by 204 runs, following on The remaining four balls of the first over, not completed last night, are sent down by Jimmy Anderson. There’s a bit of in-shape there, but both batsmen nudge singles and survive without much incident.
Alastair Cook is wearing sunglasses. Sunglasses! Crikey. Looks like we’re on for a solid morning of cricket ahead.
Some excellent England cricket fan terror here, from Samuel Honywill: “Reckon if England had known they’d have been whipped off so quickly last night they wouldn’t have enforced the follow-on personally. I have The Fear. Dasun Shanaka as Ian Botham as Sri Lanka conjure up their very own Headingley.”
The sun seems to be out. Look at that! The sun! What a time to be alive.
Delayed start
Word through now: we’ll start at 11.15am BST. So in about 25 minutes.
More importantly, covers appear to be in the process of being removed from the bowlers’ run-ups, but whether that means we will start on time is currently unclear.
Ian Botham sits with his legs spread very far apart. He must be a nightmare to sit next to on trains.
It actually looks like it’s cleared up a bit at Headingley. A bit of blue sky, no umbrellas up, but the covers are still on and the umpires are having a look at conditions.
And here’s Vic Marks on the excellence of England’s wicketkeeper and No.7.
There were two games going on out there. When Jonny Bairstow was on strike batting was a breeze; the boundaries flowed; the electronic scoreboard buzzed. And the crowd roared their approval. When anyone else, English or Sri Lankan, was at the crease batting was a trial. The ball was jagging left and right. The bats only had edges. Seldom have so many top-order batsmen been on a pair in Test cricket.
Even Alex Hales, who finished with 86, struggled to time the ball. His was a virtuous innings that undoubtedly enhances his standing as a Test cricketer but he faced a further 52 balls in the morning and was unable to hit any to the boundary.
Bairstow would finish with 140, batting at seven, out of 298. While he was at the crease only 66 runs came from another source. This was reminiscent of Taunton many years ago when Viv Richards seemed to be playing a different game to everyone else.
So how to explain the gulf between Bairstow’s batting and that of the rest? He came into the match in princely form; he now feels an integral part of the England team and he has been galvanised by the energy and love of his home crowd. He looks as if he is enjoying himself.
Jimmy Anderson on his five-fer, Jonny Bairstow on his century, as related by yer man Ali Martin.
He said: “Mum was here and I knew exactly where she was. The Cape Town knock was very special for many reasons and to make one at my home ground, with all the history and heritage, not just Yorkshire and England but family-wise too, was really pleasing. I’m sure she will have had a glass of wine to celebrate.
“It’s not sunk in yet but it’s pleasing for me to back up what I did in the winter. I wanted to start strongly for England this summer and there’s no better place than at your home ground. I got a bit lucky [when dropped on 40 on the first day] but when things are going your way you have got to cash in.”
Even if there might be limited play today, you’ll want to catch up on what went on yesterday. Here’s Mike Selvey’s day two report:
Brilliant swing and seam bowling from Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad ensured England took control of the first Test during the afternoon, after Jonny Bairstow’s brilliant 140 – his second Test century – had led them from 83 for five almost 24 hours previously to 298 before Sri Lanka were able to take the final wicket.
Headingley lived up to its reputation: in the morning, while Bairstow was in full flow, the sun was often shining on the crowd. But later brooding clouds drifted in, suspending play for a short while immediately after tea: and with the change overhead so the nature of the pitch revealed itself. It had quickened up from the first day but now the bounce became challenging as well, with the Sri Lanka batsmen unable to cope with the dangers posed by England’s seamers. Even James Vince, given a solitary over immediately before tea, saw the final ball of his over fly from a good length, take the shoulder of Angelo Mathews’ bat and fly over the predatory slip cordon to the third-man boundary. The eyes of both teams would have lit up at that.
Sri Lanka were all out for 91 in 36.4 overs with Anderson taking five for 16 and Broad four for 21, a deficit of 207, and with the helpful conditions and the lack of hard overs for his bowlers, Alastair Cook had little hesitation in bucking a modern trend by asking Sri Lanka to follow on. It was not just in the Sri Lanka dressing room that it was gloomy, however. Showers were already visible in the distance and they managed to get back out for two deliveries before the umpires brought a halt to proceedings.
Meanwhile....
Yeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaah, I don’t like the look of that big green thing.
Preamble
The first thing to tell you is to brace yourself. Brace yourself for an interrupted day, at best. Rain is forecast for most of the day in Leeds...well it is in some places, anyway. It currently is rather damp, the covers are on, and the sky looks decidedly grey and filled in. So good news for people who have tickets for tomorrow and otherwise might not have seen much cricket.
And whose fault is that? Largely Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad’s, who ploughed through the inexperienced Sri Lankan line-up like a hot plough through butter. Boy oh boy they were good, Anderson hooping it round corners and Broad being Broad. But, y’know, don’t just take our word for it...
.@jimmy9's brilliant five-for today #wickets https://t.co/4HiU6IYUsK
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 20, 2016
No official word on a delayed start yet, but it seems inevitable. We’ll keep you posted.
Nick will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what Jimmy Anderson had to say after his stunning performance yesterday:
Jimmy Anderson has wanted to “turn round and go home” when reaching the gates at Headingley in the past but after his 19th five-wicket haul in Test cricket ravaged Sri Lanka, the leader of England’s attack admitted the place was starting to grow on him.
The home of Yorkshire cricket had been Anderson’s least productive ground on English soil going into the first Test, with his seven previous matches in Leeds returning 19 wickets at 41 runs apiece and ending in defeat five times. Speaking with the tourists one for no loss following on after being bowled out for 91, Anderson put his figures of five for 16 down to a change of plan from previous summers, with new-ball partner Stuart Broad himself picking up four for 21.
“Me and Stuart have just had a chat and said it has taken us nine years to realise we are bowling at the wrong ends here,” said Anderson, who bowled exclusively from the Rugby Stand End, while Broad came down the hill from the direction of Kirkstall Lane. We finally figured it out and got some rewards. We’ve hated the place for so long and our records are so poor we thought, why not? There’s nothing to lose. The pitch is very different to a normal Headingley pitch, there is more in it for the bowlers. We just thought we’d give it a go. That’s how deeply we think about things.”
Updated
