And with that, and the presentation to Herath of a load more stuff, and a lengthy speech by the retiring spinner in a language I don’t understand, it’s over. The second Test starts on Wednesday in Kandy - can a Herath-free Sri Lanka recover from this emphatic defeat for that one? Do join us again to find out, but till then ... farewell!
Joe Root collects the winners’ cheque. This is what he’s got to say:
I’m very proud. The way we played throughout the four days was excellent. From just after lunchtime [on day one] we were pretty much in control of the game. That partnership between Jos Buttler and Ben Foakes was outstanding, and from there we built towards a total which we felt would win the game.
We were very attacking at the start of the day. We wanted to go out there and score at a decent rate, and not just sit in a bunker and let Sri Lanka bowl at us. At least we were 100-5 not 50-5. Then the pitch changed. It dried out slightly, it got a lot easier rotating and more comfortable to bat on, and the guys adapted extremely well to that. For a guy to come in on his debut and deliver an innings of that standard is exactly what you’re after. So I’m really proud of him and really proud of the rest of the guys. The lower order played some really good knocks and got us up to a good score.
We’ve done our homework. We made suree that we came here knowing how we were going to approach things and more than anything letting our guys bowl their best balls as often as possible. I thought that as a group we managed to do that for long periods of time and build a lot of good pressure. Not just the spinners, the seamers as well. As a bowling unit we were excellent.
We need to take everything we’ve done in this game and as much as we can transfer it to the rest of the tour. It’s been a fantastic start and we’ve got to build on it, and hopefully back up a really good performance.
[On Herath] Having got out twice to him I’m glad he’s not going to be there next week. What a fantastic player he’s been. A brilliant servant to Sri Lankan cricket, he can be extremely proud of what he’s achieved. I’m really glad to see so many people celebrating what’s been a wonderful career.
Summary
Dinesh Chandimal speaks:
Our batting was below par during the game. If you display that kind of batting you can’t stay in the game. Credit to the England game, they played some outstanding cricket. We got a really good start in the first session but we couldn’t capitalise on that start. We fought hard as a bowling unit, but we couldn’t get that wicket at the end. We need to regroup as a team and are looking forward to the next game.
Batting is the main concern. We need to sit together and discuss where it went wrong. It’s a really hard day for us. We all know how much Rangana has done for the team and for Sri Lankan cricket, so it’s a very emotional day. We wish him a really good future.
[Herath’s retirement] didn’t affect us at all. It gave him a really good boost. I have to say sorry to him, we couldn’t give him a really good farewell in his last game.
He says his groin strain is progressing. And he gives Herath something in a frame, and a signed shirt.
Rangana was a really big part, he has done so much for the team and for Sri Lankan cricket, especially off the field. If we have a problem definitely we will go to him. He has given very good advice, he’s a tremendous man and a great human being.
The post-match presentations are in full swing, and Ben Foakes is named man of the match on debut.
It’s been a pretty surreal few days. It’s been a dream. I was just a bit nervous in my head, I didn’t really know what the scoreboard was, so to be able to contribute was amazing. It’s very tough out here, mentally as well trying to stay switched on, especially against the class of spinners that they’ve got. So it was good fun.
It’s a dream come true. It’s just been one of the best weeks of my career, if not the best.
“As the left arm artist walks off the field one last time, I will call him ageful!” writes Abhijato Sensarma. “He has never been an ageless player - always looked to be old, to be honest, but old like wine, if you would allow me to use that overused expression. He was mindful of the fact. He was not the most athletic of people, yet he could perform the greatest catches of all time, as one search on the Internet will show. He was never in the limelight, even when he was. If not for Murali, he would have been Sri Lanka’s greatest player. But he doesn’t mind the lack of opportunities. What a humble anti-rockstar he is. Always conscious of his limitation, yet composing canvasses of beautiful spells of spin bowling for us to adore as long as cricket lives. Ageful he was, yes, and how.”
Rangana Herath speaks to Sky:
I have been in an emotional situation, but everybody has to take a decision at the right time. I am thankful that all those I have played with, all those people who are behind, all those people I must thank. It’s been a privilege and an honour to play for my country. In Sri Lanka we have 22 million people. Very few people get the opportunity to play for Sri Lanka. That’s a remarkable achievement and honour for any player.
I wish to play some first-class cricket but we’ll see how it goes in the coming months. I need to go back to where I work, I need to have a bit of a chat, but I want to play a bit of first-class cricket, not full-time cricket.
I am 100% confident with the talent we have [that we can compete]. If you see the real skill, if you take the recent past, against South Africa, against Australia, we have [played with] a really good, winning mindset. So we need to get back to that.Of course I’m so proud, playing for Sri Lanka and playing with this team. The game has given me a lot of who I am.
Apologies by the way for the extended pause in updates, as the OBO was cruelly hit by site-wide technical issues, fixed just in time for the denouement.
That was emphatic from England, who claim their first victory in Galle in style. They had lost two and drawn two of their four previous visits, but were very much second best in both those draws - in one they were 112 runs behind with one wicket remaining, and in the other they had followed on and were still 167 short of Sri Lanka’s massive first-innings total of 499-8dec when the match ended. So in the context of England’s inglorious 17-year history at this venue, this was quite an achievement.
WICKET! Herath run out 5 (Sri Lanka 250 all out)
A despairing dive is not enough to save him, as Herath is short by perhaps an inch, and the match and his career ends with the great man face down in the dust!
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Another review! Has Herath been run out?
It looks close!
84th over: Sri Lanka 248-9 (Lakmal 14, Herath 3) Lakmal chases a wide one from Rashid and slashes it through the covers for four, the only runs from the over.
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The players are having some drinks. While they do so, here’s some cricket news for you:
83rd over: Sri Lanka 244-9 (Lakmal 10, Herath 3) Singles from the first two Moeen deliveries, and then a four-ball batting examination that Herath just about passes. The penultimate delivery is a stonker, turning sharply, rising, and darting off towards slip..
82nd over: Sri Lanka 242-9 (Lakmal 9, Herath 2) Rashid takes off yet more pace, and locates yet more turn.
81st over: Sri Lanka 240-9 (Lakmal 8, Herath 1) Fans crowd the fences in anticipation of the coup de grace, but Moeen cannot deliver it. Maiden.
80th over: Sri Lanka 240-9 (Lakmal 8, Herath 1) Well that was dramatic.
Not out!
No, not the slightest touch. Not even close. Fairytale last-match century still theoretically possible.
WICKET! Herath's out first ball! Or is he?
He’s reviewed it immediately! Did he nick this one on its way through?
WICKET! Perera c Stokes b Rashid 30 (Sri Lanka 239-9)
Finally Rashid gets his reward! This has been a fine spell, and eventually Dilruwan nicks one straight into the hands of Stokes. And out comes Rangana Herath, to a standing ovation, for his final Test innings.
79th over: Sri Lanka 238-8 (Perera 30, Lakmal 7) Lakmal, facing his sixth ball without getting off the mark, advances to Moeen and smites him down the ground for six. “I don’t know what Internet Translator Andrew Benton is using but Biff is most definitely not Biff in German - Schlag, Hieb or Stoß I could accept but there is no biff,” insists Pete. “Unless he’s talking about the German pronunciation of “corned beef” which is always pronounced “Corn-Ed-Biff”.”
78th over: Sri Lanka 230-8 (Perera 29, Lakmal 0) Sri Lanka add injury to, well, whatever else it is that they’re feeling, with Lakmal thumping the ball straight at Dilruwan, who squirms his body out of the way but only lets it hit him on the side of his right hand. That looks sore.
WICKET! Akila c Stokes b Moeen 8 (Sri Lanka 229-8)
77th over: Sri Lanka 229-8 (Perera 28) Moeen bowls a limp full toss, and Perera thunders it down the ground for six! Then he heaves another poor ball through midwicket for four! Then he takes a single off the fifth, leaving Akila to edge the last into the hands of Stokes at slip!
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76th over: Sri Lanka 218-7 (Perera 17, Akila 8) Rashid comes in to bowl, but in his delivery stride, with his right arm wheeling, he trips over his own trousers and falls over! He gets up, tucks his trousers into his socks, and goes again.
75th over: Sri Lanka 212-7 (Perera 16, Akila 3) A Moeen maiden, enlivened by one ball that looped up off Dilruwan’s arm and Foakes, not knowing what it had come off but wanting to catch it just in case, threw himself to the ground to get his left glove underneath it. Fine, agile keeping, if unrewarded on this occasion.
74th over: Sri Lanka 212-7 (Perera 16, Akila 3) Akila tries to reverse sweep Rashid, misses the ball and it clips his glove and loops over wicketkeeper and slip before plopping limply but safely to the turf.
73rd over: Sri Lanka 208-7 (Perera 15, Akila 0) Sri Lanka, and Dilruwan in particular, is picking out the boundary with regularity. He turns the final ball of the over off his pads and to long leg for four.
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72nd over: Sri Lanka 204-7 (Perera 11, Akila 0) A lovely over from Rashid, varying his pace, finding grip and turn, making life extremely uncomfortable for any nearby bat-wielders.
71st over: Sri Lanka 202-7 (Perera 10, Akila 0) Perera drives Moeen’s first delivery through cover for four. “I guess “Pok” is French for “Biff”. Learning French with OBO - magnifique!” enthuses Andrew Benton. “According to the internet translator, Biff is Tortazo in Spanish and Sterke Slag in Dutch, and Nyrkinishu in Finish, but Biff in Italian and German. Kazaaaam and Thruuuung to be determined and keeping Sock for later.”
70th over: Sri Lanka 198-7 (Perera 5, Akila 0) So of England’s three spinners Moeen has three wickets, Leach has three wickets, and Rashid is still looking for his first. He’s bowling pretty well at the moment, but as yet without reward.
69th over: Sri Lanka 197-7 (Perera 4, Akila 0) Not even non-existent rain can save Sri Lanka now. Especially not non-existent rain. Of all kinds of rain, that is the least helpful kind.
WICKET! Mathews c Buttler b Moeen 53 (Sri Lanka 197-7)
The ball holds up off the pitch and Mathews, on the back foot, pushes it straight to Buttler at midwicket! And that is curtains for Sri Lanka!
68th over: Sri Lanka 195-6 (Mathews 52, Perera 3) Rashid continues to find some good turn in the pitch, but it’s well handled.
67th over: Sri Lanka 192-6 (Mathews 51, Perera 1) And that is precisely the start to the session that England wanted, and Sri Lanka dreaded. Not that they really had a rational hope of saving the match anyway, but whatever optimism they might have managed to build among their team during tea was immediately deflated. Not great play by Dikwella, but a predictably ace catch from Stokes.
WICKET! Dikwella c Stokes b Moeen 16 (Sri Lanka 190-6)
A wicket falls from the first ball after tea! Dikwella pushed forward, the ball clips the outside edge and Stokes takes a fine one-handed catch at slip!
“You seem to have invented a new shot - the pok (60th over),” writes Geoff Wignall. “I’m rather taken with it, in a way that wouldn’t work for the driv, glanc or nudg. (I think I might have seen the occasional nurdl from the England team of the 90s; or was that a mythical sea creature?)I reckon there might be room in the ever evolving game for the swep and hok also. PS I’m not a cricket coach.”
It actually wasn’t a mistake. As I recall, in Asterix magic-potion-fuelled Gauls used to frequently send Romans flying with a thunderous uppercut accompanied by a large cartoon POK! I could be wrong, it being about 40 years since I last looked at an Asterix comic, but that’s what I was thinking of. Anyway, the players are back out, and ...
TEA: Sri Lanka 190-5 (Sri Lanka require another 272 runs with five wickets remaining)
And that is tea. Sri Lanka have a short break in which to pray for rain, which is inevitable (if you look at the forecast) or wildly unlikely (if you look at the clear blue skies above Galle). Back in a little bit.
66th over: Sri Lanka 190-5 (Mathews 50, Dickwella 16) Mathews reaches his half-century in style, moving forward to meet the ball on the half-volley and driving it sweetly through midwicket. Then he leaves one that goes straight, and the ball misses off stump by an inch!
65th over: Sri Lanka 186-5 (Mathews 46, Dickwella 16) Three runs from the over, all plundered from Moeen’s first couple of deliveries. Time for one more before tea, then.
64th over: Sri Lanka 183-5 (Mathews 43, Dickwella 16) Dickwella reverse sweeps nicely for a couple, even though the ball pitched not far from where it had for the final delivery of Rashid’s previous over. It worked out well, though in the circumstances was perhaps unnecessarily gutsy. Unabashed, he drives through the covers for four.
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63rd over: Sri Lanka 175-5 (Mathews 42, Dickwella 9) Again the final delivery is the most interesting, Mathews trying to paddle it to midwicket but the ball not doing at all what he expected, and clipping his pad instead.
62nd over: Sri Lanka 173-5 (Mathews 41, Dickwella 8) Rashid’s final delivery starts out very wide, but turns extravagantly and jags back towards the stumps, to the evident surprise of Dickwella, who manages to divert it with the handle of his bat.
61st over: Sri Lanka 171-5 (Mathews 40, Dickwella 7) Moeen Ali, the most expensive of England’s bowlers so far, returns for an eighth over. Four gentle, jogged singles follow, which tickles his economy rate up slightly to 3.87 - other than him only Rashid (3.33) is going for more than three runs an over, and he’s about to have a go himself.
60th over: Sri Lanka 167-5 (Mathews 38, Dickwella 5) Mathews poks the ball through the covers for four, lovely shot.
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59th over: Sri Lanka 161-5 (Mathews 33, Dickwella 4) Even for a weather forecast-sceptic, the inaccuracy of this week’s predictions for Galle has been hilariously, outlandishly enormous. You’d do a better job assembling a collection of magnetic stick-on-a-map weather markings, tossing them at a magnetic map from the other side of the room and seeing which ones stick. Current forecasts show a 100% chance of rain in Galle in the next few hours, which frankly means it might snow, but you should probably pack your suncream.
58th over: Sri Lanka 159-5 (Mathews 31, Dickwella 4) Hello everyone! Simon here, taking over from Tanya for the remainder of the day. Please do email me here, or there’s always the Twitter. Good control here from Anderson, pinning the batsmen back. They get a couple of singles.
57th over: Sri Lanka 157-5 (Mathews 30, Dickwella 3) A maiden from Leach, the last ball turning past the outside edge of Mathew’s bat. Foakes whips the bails off, but Mathew’s foot is safely behind the crease. And that’s it from me. Sorry my email address didn’t work properly but please get in touch with Simon Burnton with any ideas about the future OBO dating service as he covers the death rattle of this Test. Bye!
56th over: Sri Lanka 157-5 (Mathews 30, Dickwella 3) Dickwella survives Anderson’s over. Gets a couple from a firm push through the covers. I fancy a coffee.
55th over: Sri Lanka 155-5 (Mathews 30, Dickwella 1) A third wicket for Leach. That ball really did have it all - line, length, drift, turn and a fist-full of magic. Sri Lanka on the ropes.
WICKET! Chandimal b Leach 11
What a ball! It drifts into Chandimal’s legs, turns angrily and hits middle and off stump.
Updated
54th over: Sri Lanka 153-4 (Mathews 28, Chandimal 1 ) Just one off Anderson’s over, who has the ball wobbling with intent.
53rd over: Sri Lanka 152-4 (Mathews 28, Chandimal 1 ) Leach tosses one up and Chandimal lobs him over his head. Lovely shot.
Jarrod Kimber has got some fascinating stats on Talk Sport. Apparently in 2018 Test batsmen worldwide have the lowest average in a calendar year since 1952. Put that it your pipe and smoke it OBO -readers.
52nd over: Sri Lanka 147-4 (Mathews 23, Chandimal 1 ) Root chucks the ball to Anderson and tells him to have a go. The commentators think they detect some reverse swing. I can’t pretend I did but I think you should believe them. That might be a drop from Foakes going to his left very late against Chandimal, but an incredibly difficult chance.
51st over: Sri Lanka 144-4 (Mathews 20, Chandimal 0 ) That was madness from Mendis - he’d just dispatched Leach over his head for four, he’d had his biscuit, before trying to do it again next ball.
A note from Peter Salmon:
“Hi Tanya
My friends and I have a game we play in London called ‘Spot the Guardian Soulmates Date’ – usually at a coffee place, but sometimes a gallery. Two hipster/Apple Mac types making forced conversation (there’s nothing to say to each other as they have both been through each others social media pages with fine tooth combs) and lots of texting when the other goes to the loo.
Now that OBO has a dating service, how would we spot an OBO date do you think?
Suave sophistication, clean fingernails and a Wisden in the (deep) trouser pocket?
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WICKET! Mendis c Moeen b Leach 45
Mendis loses his head and charges at Leach and Moeen makes the catch look easy jogging in a mid off. What possessed him, just before drinks?
Updated
50th over: Sri Lanka 139-3 (Mendis 41, Mathews 20) Matthews pulls a short one, straight into the hands of Anderson at short midwicket. He, inexplicably, drops it. Dropsy affecting England’s best fielders today. Matthews has no excuse now - he knows exactly what England’s tactics are, he’s been a very lucky boy. Jonny Bairstow brings out the drinks - just what must he be thinking as this Test ticks along - and Stokes wanders back to slip. One more?
Peter Norton writes: “Didn’t the diceman end with him hanging from the slowly breaking branch of a tree over a cliff, with a snake above him and a tiger below? A bit like facing Wes Hall and Lance Gibbs in the days of my youth...”
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49th over: Sri Lanka 136-3 (Mendis 40, Mathews 18) I’m not sure what happened but they’re both still in...
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48th over: Sri Lanka 130-3 (Mendis 40, Mathews 12) Stokes continue to pound into the hard Galle grass and bang the ball in. But sometimes the ball doesn’t rise high enough and Mathews pulls one without the threat or height to the boundary.
Zak and Kim: the best of times, the worst of times..
Kim:“Also do tell Zak yes I know Magazine and even saw them live. But Wire were and are my heroes. And now please excuse me I must go and sit in my bath chair, my carer has arrived.”
Zaph: “I’ve consulted my wife. She says I can date Zak. In fact she’ll pay my bus fare to his venue of choice.”
Zaph, I like the cut of her jib.
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47th over: Sri Lanka 130-3 (Mendis 40, Mathews 12) Sweet as, Mendis, one knee-ed kiss-sweep soaring over mid-wicket for SIX. That’s the only runs off Leach’s over.
46th over: Sri Lanka 124-3 (Mendis 34, Mathews 12) A couple of snorters from Stokes, real throat throttlers, one falls just short of Rory Burns who is back underneath the helmet at short leg. Then more - such a tremendous effort here from Stokes. But Mathews can play this game too and pulls him round behind square for four to the last ball of the over.
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45th over: Sri Lanka 118-3 (Mendis 33, Mathews 8) A grubby looking Leach whose trousers are a darker shade of pale is swept with a waft of the brush by Mendis for four.
Oh Zaph - Kim’s a he - though maybe that won’t be a problem?
“That made me giggle. I’m a bloke. Everyone does it. Kimberley is such a girl’s name. I think my mother planned the whole thing, may she rest in peace. No need to correct it I stopped worrying decades ago :-).”
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44th over: Sri Lanka 113-3 (Mendis 29, Mathews 7) A bouncer from Stokes, Mendis swivels, but the contact is not sweet enough. Another short ball, and this time Mendis ducks and tries to upper-cut in rather a foolish fashion. A very foolish fashion. He gets away with it though. Then a cracker from Stokes that just misses the inside edge. Super over.
Ah, now the emails arrive...
Zaph is impressed by Kimberley: “Suddenly the net OBO marriage is on the cards - at least a courtship… I have never known of anyone else even knowing of one of my favourite books - The Dice Man - Thonger, do you also like/know of such music as Magazine?”
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43rd over: Sri Lanka 112-3 (Mendis 29, Mathews 6) Leach is solidly defended by Sri Lanka, then they saunter a couple of singles, then Mendis sweeps neatly, and it fizzes away to the boundary behind square.
42nd over: Sri Lanka 106-3 (Mendis 24, Mathews 5) A fine over from Stokes - tempting on the one hand, pressing on the other. Like an awkward greeting at a railway station ( I’m talking from experience.)
41st over: Sri Lanka 104-3 (Mendis 24, Mathews 3) A slog sweep by Mendis, a couple of other forgettable singles and Sri Lanka potter on.
Kimberley Thonger has been in touch: “Just woke up, after dreaming about The Dice Man, a book I first read in the 70s which tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice. Wouldn’t that be an interesting experiment, selecting your team and setting the field on the roll of a dice? I can think of several captains who might achieve better outcomes. No names, no pack drill.
Who could you be thinking of Kimberley? She also points out that the email address on the link is wrong - sorry if anyone wanted to write in. The correct address is tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com
40th over: Sri Lanka 101-3 (Mendis 23, Mathews 1) Stokes hasn’t over-eaten - bounding in, red-setter with an eye for chasing leather. A bouncer surprises Mendis who is forced to crouch down on one knee. He’s forced to crouch again when he tries to upper-cut but the ball rises too quickly on him.
39th over: Sri Lanka 101-3 (Mendis 23, Mathews 1) Nice and tidy from Jack Leach after lunch.
38th over: Sri Lanka 98-3 (Mendis 21, Mathews 0) No runs so that turns it the split over into a wicket maiden.
And another message, this time from Abhijato Sensarma:
“I read somewhere an opinion of a distinguished cricket writer that lower order batsmen, usually all-rounders and bowlers who can bat, perform well only at home. The same set of players will fall apart in alien away conditions.
However, England’s lower order has done quite well in Sri Lanka in the one complete innings they have played so far. I get the feeling this might be down to the presence of an orthodox, patient and solid batsman like Foakes (he should remain in the team for the rest of the year at the very least). The top four continues to be woefully out of form, but if they can click, and the lower order continues its form abroad, as long as the spinners keep it tidy while the current selection of pacers keep playing, England can be a very good team.”
Very true! Though England’s lower order has rescued their top order for a year or so now ...
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Welcome back - John, Brian, and anyone else dropping in. Stokes to finish off the over truncated with that wicket before lunch.
Mike Atherton is talking to Alex Marshall, the Head of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit. They chat about the on-going investigation and the difficulty of keeping on top of corruption with the proliferation of cricket round the world. Resources - says Athers - they need more.
Some lunchtime reading...here’s all you need to know about the Women’s T20 tournament that starts later today
LUNCH 37.2 over: Sri Lanka 98-3 (Mendis 21) Well that was a moment of madness from Dhananjaya playing away from his body just before lunch. He hadn’t looked in any trouble and had had his warning the ball before. But that’s Stokes for you - magic up his sleeve.
A good morning’s work for England. Perhaps their spinners weren’t quite as tight as they might have hoped, and there was that dropped catch, but Root chopped and changed, confidence growing in his own abilities as captain. Sri Lanka didn’t look in trouble, until they got themselves out. A school teacher of the 1980s would pull out the red pen and scrawl CARELESS all over the page. Time for some muesli, see you shortly.
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WICKET! Dhananjaya c Root b Stokes 21
A ball after Dhananjaya chases a wide one and is given not out on review, he presses forward and gets an inside edge, which is caught with aplomb by Root at slip.
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37th over: Sri Lanka 98-2 (Mendis 21, Dhananjaya 21) Root removes an out-of-sorts Rashid from the attack and replaces him with ... Joe Root. Apparently he’s been bowling a lot in the nets out here. What’s that? A leg-break! Two! One from the over.
36th over: Sri Lanka 97-2 (Mendis 21, Dhananjaya 20) Stokes has the ball. There have been mysterious comments from the England management recently about how Stokes isn’t really a bowler any more. It doesn’t look like Stokes thinks that - he’s as enthusiastic as ever. He mixes it up: goes wide, back of a length, digs one in.
35th over: Sri Lanka 96-2 (Mendis 21, Dhananjaya 19) Not Rashid’s finest over. A short dollop of a delivery first ball which Mendis hoikes over the boundary. It’s an ugly but effective shot. Rashid waves an apology. The batsmen easily knock him about for another four singles. Hmmm.
34th over: Sri Lanka 88-2 (Mendis 15, Dhananjaya 17) A couple of singles pushed into the off side then solid defence from Sri Lanka. Just thinking how much fuller England’s spin cupboard seems to be at the moment. Wasn’t long ago that when the selectors opened the door they found nothing but an odd sock and a lavender bag.
33rd over: Sri Lanka 85-2 (Mendis 13, Dhananjaya 16) Mendis sweeps Rashid for four, high, backward of square. Quick hands, lovely shot. Then a pull for a single. England releasing a bit of pressure here by letting Sri Lanka score easy runs from the odd bad ball.
32nd over: Sri Lanka 80-2 (Mendis 8, Dhananjaya 16) Two from the over as Sri Lanka’s batsmen wait for the short balls and scamper some singles.
31st over: Sri Lanka 78-2 (Mendis 7, Dhananjaya 15) Rashid, beard neatly trimmed, is on target for five balls, then sends in a short mid-morning dobbler. Mendis watches, steps awkwardly round and pans him to the boundary. Not graceful, but effective.
30th over: Sri Lanka 74-2 (Mendis 3, Dhananjaya 15) And Moeen is off, and Leach switches ends. A full-toss from Leach is followed by a beaut, that fizzes outside Mendis’s prodding bat. And on he probes. Foakes does look tidy behind the stumps. Don’t know what it is exactly but it seems effortless.
29th over: Sri Lanka 71-2 (Mendis 2, Dhananjaya 13) Root chucks the ball to Rashid, who doesn’t need a loosener. He’s bowling full and Mendis and Dhanajaya are watchful. Dust puffing off the pitch like a struggling hoover.
28th over: Sri Lanka 71-2 (Mendis 2, Dhananjaya 13) That’s the way to do it! Dhananjaya takes on Moeen and wins. A lofted drive high, high, straight over the bowler’s head for SIX! Three singles too to throw into the mix.
27th over: Sri Lanka 62-2 (Mendis 1, Dhananjaya 5) Sri Lanka need 400 to win.
26th over: Sri Lanka 60-2 (Mendis 1, Dhananjaya 3) A well-deserved wicket for Moeen who never seems to lose his head if someone drops a catch off him.
John: “There has already been at least one OBO wedding, about 5 years ago I think.” Hooray! Please drop me a line if you are part of the happy (I hope) couple.
“To Brian, the bit about motorcycles wasn’t an admonishment, but friendly advice. Everyone should try the motorised two-wheel experience, if only to appreciate riders’ problems on the road. It’s also fun.Plus, I’m happily married already, having celebrated our ruby wedding lately.”
Congratulations Brian! Ruby is some going.
And that’s it you two for now. Someone else will wake up soon....
WICKET! Karunaratne c and b Moeen Ali
Karunaratne tries to lift Moeen over the top, doesn’t get to the pitch of the ball, and scuffs it back to Moeen who gathers the ball safely at chest height. Relief for Ben Stokes.
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25th over: Sri Lanka 58-1 (Karunaratne 26, Dhananjaya 3) Leach is a lovely bowler to watch. Varying his pace and turn. Three from the over. What’s happened to Leach’s glasses?
24th over: Sri Lanka 56-1 (Karunaratne 21, Dhananjaya 2) Moeen scampers through his over. Gets some steep bounce from nowhere which will be troubling for Sri Lanka.
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23rd over: Sri Lanka 53-1 (Karunaratne 22, Dhananjaya 1) The more you see that replay, the worse the review looks. Sri Lanka could really do with honing their technique which seems at the moment to be review everything asap without question. Super bowling by Leach. Dhananjaya de Silva off the mark with a casual punch through the covers.
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WICKET! Kaushal lbw Leach 30
Kaushal sweeps to the wrong ball. He reviews it - but though he gets quite far forward with his front leg, it pitches in line, and it hits in line. Well bowled!
22nd over: Sri Lanka 51-0 (Karunaratne 21, Kaushal 30) Sri Lanka reach fifty, as Karunaratne and Kaushal sweep and prod Moeen with no real problems. And that’s DRINKS. Round one to Sri Lanka.
A missive from Brian, to John, via OBO. Perhaps we could set up some kind of pen-pal and or dating service? The first OBO wedding would be a wonderful thing - or maybe it has already happened? Please let me know. Anyway, John, this is for you....
“As John Starbuck is clearly awake, can you let him know that I am still smarting from his recent wounding assertion of my poshness in simply recognising (and later owning) a thigh pad as a 1970s schoolboy. Please tell him I haven’t been able to sleep since, and I suggest you accept no admonishments from that quarter regarding helmet wearing and motorcycle conveyance. I feel slightly better now.”
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21st over: Sri Lanka 47-0 (Karunaratne 19, Kaushal 28) Leach switches from around to over the wicket, aiming to bowl into the footmarks around the left-hander’s off stump. And then bowls a full-toss.
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2th over: Sri Lanka 42-0 (Karunaratne 16, Kaushal 26) Oh gosh, a drop by Ben Stokes at first slip from Moeen Ali’s second ball of the morning. Karunaratne prods forward, the ball spins in a puff of dust and Stokes somehow, inexplicably, puts it down. Perhaps he thought Foakes was going for it.
Brian Withington writes: “Had planned to grab an early night having set a 4:30 alarm to resume work whilst following the cricket with one eye. In the end stayed up editing document with diminishing returns until nearly 5 (only just pressed send and turned on Sky).
“So now what? Can you guarantee continued wakefulness with a winning combination of riveting cricket and sparkling OBO banter? Bit of a catch 22 really - simply acknowledge this email and it’s pretty clear how low the OBO repartee bar has been set ...”
Not sure about my bantz credentials Brian, but pretty sure the cricket will be worth watching.
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19th over: Sri Lanka 42-0 (Karunaratne 16, Kaushal 26) And the forward defensive dance begins. Leach in - prod. Leach in - prod. Sri Lanka take a quick single to the arm of substitute fielder Ollie Pope.
18th over: Sri Lanka 40-0 (Karunaratne 15, Kaushal 25) I’m afraid this over passed me by while I was musing about motor-bikes. But Anderson is still going and four runs came from it
17th over: Sri Lanka 36-0 (Karunaratne 15, Kaushal 21) And Root turns to Leach, whose pencil moustache gives him the air of a 1920s man-about-town. It’s a fine start, probing, on target, with just one run coming from the over.
‘Morning, Tanya,” says John Starbuck. Morning John - you’re the first emailer of the morning. “Never worn a helmet? This means you’ve probably never even been on a motorbike or scooter, which in itself is missing out.”
Ah - you remind me. I have been on the back of a scooter, in Chandigarh, and I loved it, but I didn’t wear a helmet, I don’t think. But I forgot, I have been go-carting and worn a helmet. I wonder how many owners of motor-bikes follow OBO? I imagine, and I don’t know why, that it is quite a small sub-set.
16th over: Sri Lanka 29-0 (Karunaratne 15, Kaushal 20) Oooh that’s lovely from Karunaratne, a push, no more, against Anderson that rattles down the ground. Just two runs though. Some stat-fantastic from Sky - according to their swingometer, Anderson is getting 0.8 degrees swing with the new ball in this Test, compared to 1.5 degrees last summer. Ah, looks like we’re going to get some spin.
15th over: Sri Lanka 33-0 (Karunaratne 13, Kaushal 20) The Sri Lankan batsmen looking a little more at home now -knocking the ball for relatively easy singles off their toes. The shadows are out on the ground and the sun is burning through mist. Sky are showing a palm tree and a shimmering ocean behind. The bastards.
14th over: Sri Lanka 29-0 (Karunaratne 12, Kaushal 17) Hmmm, Rory Burns given a helmet as he takes a couple of steps closer at third slip. Never seen that before. I’m imagining wearing a helmet on your head in the field is hot and sticky and uncomfortable, however well designed they are. But then the closest I’ve got to wearing a helmet is one of those uncomfortable plastic Alice bands.
13th over: Sri Lanka 27-0 (Karunaratne 10, Kaushal 17) Bustle, bustle, here comes Sam Curran. He’s neat and tidy and on the button. Beats the bat twice as the batsmen prod forward tentatively. A boundary! The first of the morning. Karunaratne opens the face of the bat and glides the ball over the outfield at high speed.
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12th over: Sri Lanka 22-0 (Karunaratne 9, Kaushal 13) Anderson, surely on his last tour of the sub-continent, proving as miserly as ever. Still not much sign of ageing on the old boy - slender as a lolly stick, same lovely action, and Eeyoreish demeanour.
11th over: Sri Lanka 19-0 (Karunaratne 8, Kaushal 13) And this is a tight start by England and a careful one by Sri Lanka. The only runs come when Silva pulls a shorter one from Curran behind square and they scamper a couple. JAck Leach wriggling his shoulders in anticipation.
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10th over: Sri Lanka 19-0 (Karunaratne 8, Kaushal 11) Jimmy’s first appeal of the day, an anguished cry against Karunaratne - but it looks to have pitched outside leg. Joe Root rushes forward like an eager uncle offering lemon bonbons, but Anderson shows no desire to review, so Root potters back again. Three balls later, Karunaratne pushes forward softly and the ball falls just short of Joe Root at slip. Another maiden.
9th over: Sri Lanka 19-0 (Karunaratne 8, Kaushal 11) A touch of swing for Sam Curran and some neat glovework from Foakes who takes the ball neatly down the leg-side. And, loads of school-kids sitting in the stands looking happy.
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8th over: Sri Lanka 15-0 (Karunaratne 6, Kaushal 8) And the first over falls to Jimmy Anderson, with the breeze apparently having switched direction to blowing from the sea to the peninsula. A few looseners wide outside the off stump, and that’s a maiden.
And if you bore of this, hop over to Adelaide where Australia are batting in the second ODI against South Africa.
A cup of tea drunk and suddenly even an alarm at 350 doesn’t seem so bad.
England playing football out on the outfield - ten wickets to take today - I’ve got a sort of kind of itch that tomorrow’s morning’s early shift will be tucked up in bed. In the Sky studio Marcus Trescothick, Rob Key and Ian Ward are bright-eyed and assuredly poppied.
Athers is calling last night’s storm “biblical,” Pitch has held together well though and work could be hard for the seamers because as soon as the ball goes over the boundary it is going to get soggy. Difficult then, says Athers, for them to get any reverse-swing.
It must be fit: the football is out. pic.twitter.com/jT6aok7qhw
— Jonathan Agnew (@Aggerscricket) November 9, 2018
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And despite this photograph...
A ship sails towards Colombo main harbour in Sri Lanka, as rain clouds gather above the sunset. Jo pic.twitter.com/VNwl9Fm2U9
— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) November 8, 2018
...and an absolute downpour yesterday evening, the covers are off and play will start on time.
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Preamble
Good morning bleary souls and thank you for gathering at this unreasonable hour. The game is England’s to win – with only the alleged placidness of the Galle pitch and the vagaries of the weather standing between them and a first Test victory abroad for two years. Fancy – that really is quite the wait.
Sri Lanka have defeated non-Asian opposition at home with ease over the last few years, but the best you can say about their batting so far is that they survived the seven overs Joe Root imposed on them last night without incident. The stats will not have made for a relaxing bed-time story – highest run-chase at Galle in a Test: 99. Longest any team has batted in a fourth-innings: 114 overs.
And lastly, belated applause for Keaton Jennings - who for all his difficulties against pace bowling has always come across as a decent, kind human being (and studying accountancy in his spare time). He was decent and kind to Vic in the press conference after play too.
