Get your report on the opening day right here:
Stumps: SL 229-4
87th over: Sri Lanka 229-4 (Mathews 107, Dickwella 19) Warming to the task, Dickwella glances Anderson for four. Whisper it, but Sir Jimmy has bowled a bad ball. And that’s stumps, with Sri Lanka inching back on top. They’ve done seriously well to recover from 7-2, and Angelo Mathews fully deserves a hundred to go with his 71 the other day.
For England, Anderson has done a Broad with three for 24 off 19 overs of expert elder-statesmanship. Wood kept smiling magnificently through the longest spell he has bowled since his Test debut. But the spinners, who were flattered by their big hauls in the first Test, have found the going tougher, taking none for 120 from their 40 overs. “Control the rate, control the game,” is this England’s mantra. They’ve controlled the rate, largely thanks to Anderson, but they’re not in control of the game, which remains in the balance. It’s been a slow day, though not a dull one. Thanks for your company and we’ll be back at 4.30am UK time tomorrow.
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86th over: Sri Lanka 225-4 (Mathews 107, Dickwella 15) Curran’s ability to make things happen hasn’t shown up in this spell, and after Wood’s marathon, Root has no other seamer to turn to.
85th over: Sri Lanka 223-4 (Mathews 105, Dickwella 15) Anderson, who is sweating profusely, persuades Dickwella to mis-time a drive. It would be a catch at silly mid-off if there was one, but no way is it carrying to sensible mid-off. The ground is a picture now – the sun out, the shadows long, big dark clouds gathering over the sea.
“Woke up from my afternoon nap back here in India,” says Abhijato Sensarma. “And lo and behold, a competent batting display from the Sri Lankans! Can’t fault their performance today, and it’s certainly made England realise the toil they’ll need to go through while bowling in the subcontinent. Patience is the key here – wickets fall in clumps even when you’re down in the dumps.” Today’s clump came very early on.
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84th over: Sri Lanka 223-4 (Mathews 105, Dickwella 15) Just the single off Sam Curran’s over, when he would surely rather give away a flurry of fours in exchange for a wicket.
83rd over: Sri Lanka 222-4 (Mathews 105, Dickwella 14) Mathews, seeing it like a beach ball, clips Anderson’s inswinger for four and simply ruins his figures, which are now 17-9-20-3.
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82nd over: Sri Lanka 217-4 (Mathews 101, Dickwella 14) Curran swings his first ball too, but it’s a floaty one outside off and Dickwella can ease it through the covers. Giving chase, and saving two with a flick back, is... Anderson, 38 years young.
“Just tuned in after teaching in Naples,” says Colum Fordham, “to see Sri Lanka in a fairly dominant position. Anderson is clearly a cut above the rest but we have cause for concern on the spin front. Having watched them in the first Test and a had a quick glimpse this morning, Bess and Leach do not look like they have the subtlety and variation that are going to pose problems for India’s top batters.
“As an off-spinner myself, it’s not just a question of landing the ball on the right spot although Bess might benefit from more consistency. Given Adil Rashid’s unavailability, England surely have to look to Moeen for the India tour or, if they want to be bolder, consider Amar Virdi. Just had a quick look at him bowling on Youtube and he strikes me as a really promising, talented spinner and probably better than Bess. Not sure about his batting though.”
81st over: Sri Lanka 214-4 (Mathews 101, Dickwella 11) So it’s Jimmy Anderson, and first ball he’s not only on the spot but swinging it away. Mathews is equal to it, with a dead bat, and when Anderson repeats the trick he lets it go. Set up for the nip-backer, then, and here it comes, swinging back sharply – but Mathews is expecting it and there’s that dead bat again. Good over, good contest.
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The new ball is being taken, naturally, but there’s a delay while Mathews is treated for cramp.
80th over: Sri Lanka 214-4 (Mathews 101, Dickwella 11) Root finally makes a change – Bess for Leach. Dickwella plays his first good shot, a cute lap-sweep for two.
79th over: Sri Lanka 210-4 (Mathews 100, Dickwella 8) Everyone assumed Wood was going off, but here he is for an eighth over. Mere italics are not enough. And he’s still smiling: you couldn’t find a more admirable character. He tries a yorker to Dickwella, makes it a slower ball too, but still can’t get that second breakthrough. Is it safe to assume that’s him done now? The new ball is one over away.
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78th over: Sri Lanka 209-4 (Mathews 100, Dickwella 7) After reaching his 11th Test century, and his first at home for five years, Mathews plays a textbook forward-defence to Leach. Is he settling in for another one?
A hundred for Mathews
Angelo Mathews has never made a Test hundred in Galle – until now! Leach drops short again, Mathews doesn’t time his cut but still gets the quick single he’s looking for. It’s been about as effortless as a Test hundred can be on a boiling hot day.
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77th over: Sri Lanka 207-4 (Mathews 99, Dickwella 6) A seventh over for Wood, still running in, red-faced. He may have thought he was taking Jofra Archer’s place here, but at the moment he’s having to be Ben Stokes. Mathews doesn’t mind who it is: he just waits for something on his legs and tucks it away for a single to go to 99, which may well be what Wood would like to eat right now, if only Mr Whippy was in town. Wood still has enough in the tank to beat Dickwella outside off. “Unbelievable Woody, well done,” says someone on the stump mike.
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76th over: Sri Lanka 206-4 (Mathews 98, Dickwella 6) Leach gets an eighth over on the trot as Root declines to vary the menu in the last few overs before the new ball. Leach is a touch too short and the batsmen help themselves to a few singles.
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75th over: Sri Lanka 201-4 (Mathews 95, Dickwella 4) Root asks Wood for a sixth over in this spell. He’s accurate but, understandably, not hostile, and Dickwella picks up two with a deflection to long leg.
74th over: Sri Lanka 199-4 (Mathews 95, Dickwella 2) Leach to Mathews and that’s a maiden. It’s an achievement to a batsman poised for his hundred, but it’s only the fourth maiden in 37 overs today from the England spinners. Anderson, who has eight in his 15 overs, may be tut-tutting in the outfield.
73rd over: Sri Lanka 199-4 (Mathews 95, Dickwella 2) A pair of singles off Wood, an inside edge from Dickwella and a crisp pull from Mathews.
Guy Hornsby is back, answering my question from the tea interval. “I’m in my *cough* middle years,” he confesses. Aren’t we all? “So it’s Tuffers and Embers, with a smattering of Hemmings, likely a touch of Salisbury, even a soupçon of Such and Croft. The glory years.” Ha.
72nd over: Sri Lanka 197-4 (Mathews 94, Dickwella 1) Dickwella finally gets a go. He’s watchful against Leach, taking just a single – and it’s off the the last ball, so he’s not worried about Wood.
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71st over: Sri Lanka 196-4 (Mathews 94, Dickwella 0) That three came off the last ball of the over, so Mathews was protecting the new batsman, Niroshan Dickwella, from Wood. This is a maiden but not a threatening one, as Wood goes too legside.
70th over: Sri Lanka 196-4 (Mathews 94, Dickwella 0) Mathews, unperturbed, clips Leach for three. The balance of power now rests with him: if he goes big, Sri Lanka’s spinners will be able to wheel away with weight of runs on their side; if he only gets a baby hundred, England will be on top.
69th over: Sri Lanka 193-4 (Mathews 91) And that is drinks, with England’s morale about three times as high as it was two minutes ago. They’ve brought an end to a fine innings and an excellent partnership of 117.
Wicket! Chandimal LBW b Wood 52 (SL 193-4)
Got him! No nick, and no doubt – it was smacking into leg stump. Not a yorker though, just a length ball angling in, maybe reversing a touch. Wood’s first wicket of the series, and it could hardly be more deserved.
Wicket!? Chandimal given LBW
Wood gets the yorker right this time, and it looks plumb unless there’s a nick.
68th over: Sri Lanka 192-3 (Mathews 90, Chandimal 52) Where is a wicket going to come from? The best bet may be a run-out, and Anderson has a sniff of one in this over from Leach, but he fumbles the pick-up at mid-on. Fair enough: it would have blown his chance of a ten-for.
67th over: Sri Lanka 190-3 (Mathews 89, Chandimal 51) Wood has given up on the bouncer for now, perhaps feeling the ball has gone too soft. He tries to york Mathews, but gets the line wrong, allowing a tickle for four and a tuck for two. When he reverts to length, Mathews pulls for two more. With 13 overs to the new ball, Root surely needs to toss the old one to himself.
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66th over: Sri Lanka 182-3 (Mathews 81, Chandimal 51) Chandimal opens the face, glides for a couple, and that’s his fifty – just deserts for digging in after getting a couple of twenties in the first Test. If they feel like it, these two could bat till February.
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65th over: Sri Lanka 180-3 (Mathews 81, Chandimal 49) Anderson comes off, after a discussion with Root, who opts for another burst of Wood. He’s bowled really well in this series and has none for a hundred to show for it. This over goes for just a single, a nurdle from Chandimal.
64th over: Sri Lanka 179-3 (Mathews 81, Chandimal 48) Another moral victory for Leach as Mathews goes back and misses a cut. Or does he? Root wonders whether to review, but Buttler isn’t interested. Meanwhile the batsmen have brought up their hundred partnership. It’s been a story of calm accumulation, a stand-in captain and an ex-captain both playing a captain’s innings.
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63rd over: Sri Lanka 175-3 (Mathews 78, Chandimal 47) Anderson goes for a single! Mathews, tiring of all these dots, plays a gentle straight drive.
62nd over: Sri Lanka 174-3 (Mathews 77, Chandimal 47) In an unexpected development, everyone has got the giggles – Wood, Root, even Chandimal. I can’t work out why, so I feel like the sort of teacher who says “if it’s so funny, you can share it with the class”. Maybe it’s a cunning plan, because a moment later Leach, bowling to Chandimal, gets a ball past the bat. From nowhere he finds a bit of turn, a bit of bounce, and a bit of hope.
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61st over: Sri Lanka 173-3 (Mathews 76, Chandimal 47) Anderson to Chandimal: more dots than an email from Shreyas Das. There’s that hint of reverse again, but in this heat Anderson is only around 80mph, which gives the batsman time to adjust.
60th over: Sri Lanka 173-3 (Mathews 76, Chandimal 47) Again, Anderson’s parsimony persuades the batsmen to pick up runs at the other end. Chandimal gives Bess the charge and collects two, and then Mathews cuts for four, craftily, well in front of square.
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59th over: Sri Lanka 166-3 (Mathews 72, Chandimal 44) Yes, Anderson has changed ends. It makes no difference: he just resumes bowling dry to Mathews.
Shreyas Das is pondering the England spinners. “Leach and Bess’s inconsistent line and length should be really worrying Joe Root….ahead of the tough India tour…..” Bess has been a bit better today, but yes, England may need to turn back to Moeen Ali. Also, impressive number of dots there – are you, by any chance, an ageing swing bowler?
58th over: Sri Lanka 166-3 (Mathews 72, Chandimal 44) Root takes Anderson off, which is interesting unless it’s a change of ends. Back comes Dom Bess, bearing singles, three of them – one of which he’ll be grateful for, as it comes off a half-tracker. That is Bess’s Achilles heel.
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57th over: Sri Lanka 163-3 (Mathews 70, Chandimal 43) Starved by Anderson, Mathews decides to tuck into Leach, chipping over mid-on for four.
56th over: Sri Lanka 158-3 (Mathews 65, Chandimal 43) Those clouds are only there for show, not making the ball swing, so Anderson is bowling a fifth-stump line, daring the batsman to have a nibble. Mathews is not for tempting until there’s just enough width to punch a single into the covers. One seasoned pro, seeing off another.
55th over: Sri Lanka 157-3 (Mathews 64, Chandimal 43) Leach continues, immediately goes for two singles, then silently yells “Won’t get milked again!” and delivers four dots.
54th over: Sri Lanka 155-3 (Mathews 63, Chandimal 42) It’s a change of ends for the old boy, and he’s even greeted by some clouds, as Galle bends over backwards to be more like Burnley. Bowling to Mathews, he starts with a dot, another dot... and four more dots. After that unbelievable last over that cost eight runs, Jimmy Anderson is himself again.
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This session could be a long one, as England have only managed a rather dismal 53 overs. It will begin, like its two processors, with a bit of Anderson.
“Definitely into the hard yakka now,” says Guy Hornsby, “stuff of my junior years, long-wave radio in the ear at 5am as England toiled in the sun. Just as Sri Lanka are digging in, so must our bowlers. Expect no help, try and land it in the same spot. Bess and Leach can learn a lot here.” Are you sure about that, Guy? Landing it in the same spot is what you do when there’s something in the pitch, to make things happen for you. On a track like this, I would have thought the variations have to come from the bowler, as Wood has been busting a gut to show. That said, I love the long-wave radio in the ear at 5am, and I’m wondering which era you’re harking back to – who was doing the toiling, Tuffers and Embers? Gifford and Underwood?
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Tea: Sri Lanka getting on top
53rd over: Sri Lanka 155-3 (Mathews 63, Chandimal 42) Better from Leach, and that’s tea. The past hour belongs firmly to Sri Lanka, who have added 47 without loss. Only Wood, with his pace and hostility and hint of reverse, looked like breaking through, and he couldn’t quite manage it. For a seam bowler, the only way to get a wicket on this pitch is to be 38 years old. See you in a quarter of an hour.
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52nd over: Sri Lanka 154-3 (Mathews 62, Chandimal 42) Decent from Bess, but decency doesn’t look like taking wickets. Anderson has three for 14, while the rest of the bowlers have none for 139. And one of them, Wood, has bowled very well. That’s how flat this pitch is.
51st over: Sri Lanka 152-3 (Mathews 60, Chandimal 42) Leach’s turn to be milked, and the partnership has risen without trace to 75.
50th over: Sri Lanka 147-3 (Mathews 57, Chandimal 40) Better from Bess, who gives it more flight and restricts Mathews to a single. “Good over this, Bessy,” says Jos Buttler, one Somerset exile to another.
49th over: Sri Lanka 146-3 (Mathews 56, Chandimal 40) A couple of singles off Leach.
48th over: Sri Lanka 144-3 (Mathews 55, Chandimal 39) If Bess and Leach are having a Branderson-style thrift contest, Bess has been winning it today, but now he goes for five singles as the batsmen realise that, on this flat pitch, he’s there for the milking.
47th over: Sri Lanka 139-3 (Mathews 53, Chandimal 36) Root gives Leach only one close catcher, himself at slip, so there’s no pressure on Mathews. Or on Leach, who begins with a maiden.
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46th over: Sri Lanka 139-3 (Mathews 53, Chandimal 36) A single to each batsman off Bess, and sure enough, Wood is taking a breather – here comes Jack Leach.
45th over: Sri Lanka 137-3 (Mathews 52, Chandimal 35) Wood is having one last go at Chandimal. He changes his tune from chin music to rib music, and it very nearly works – Chandimal fends, the ball pops up... but short leg has gone deeper, a rare case of a funky field-placing costing a wicket. Chandimal celebrates his reprieve with a cut for two and a flick for a single. That’s probably that for this spell from Wood, which goes down in the book as none for 21, when it could easily have been two for 15.
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44th over: Sri Lanka 132-3 (Mathews 52, Chandimal 30) Chandimal needs something to cheer him up, so he dances down the track to Bess and lofts him for six.
43rd over: Sri Lanka 124-3 (Mathews 51, Chandimal 23) Another good bouncer from Wood, drawing a top edge from Mathews – but it loops over Buttler’s shoulder for four. And that’s Mathews’ fifty, his second in succession. He once made 160 against England, and he could do it again here. Wood tests Chandimal with yet another bouncer, the best of the three, super-quick, but he’s ready for it and gets a more decisive duck in this time. Wood follows up with the yorker, and there’s a vague appeal for a catch by Zak Crawley at short leg as Chandimal inside-edges. The umpires call for a review but it’s a bump ball. Or an ump ball.
42nd over: Sri Lanka 117-3 (Mathews 44, Chandimal 23) Mathews drives down the ground for a single off Bess, who gets away with a long hop to Chandimal.
41st over: Sri Lanka 116-3 (Mathews 43, Chandimal 23) Chandimal takes on Wood, driving for four and clipping for two, and then Wood hits back with a bouncer that strikes him on the grille. He ducked into it, then took his eye off it, but the blow was only glancing and after a quick check from the physio, he’s OK to continue. The stump mike sadly fails to replay the conversation. “What day is it, Chanders?” “Groundhog Day, obviously.”
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40th over: Sri Lanka 109-3 (Mathews 42, Chandimal 17) A maiden is beckoning to Bess when he drags one down and is lucky to get away with a single.
Here’s Felix Wood, picking up on Daniel’s remark in the 29th over about bowling depth. “I’m not sure that England do have such an embarrassment of bowling riches,” he argues. “Rotating Broad and Anderson to lessen chances of injury speaks to me of a lack of confidence in the other options. None of the others offer the same control, and I do worry that our bowlers will be taken to the cleaners in India and Australia. If either series is anything like as good as those two duking it out then it will be a good year, pandemic be damned.” It will! But I’m not sure the rotation is designed to avoid injury. In Sri Lanka, there’s only room for one trad right-arm fast-medium bowler, however distinguished. You need two spinners, one paceman and something a bit different.
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39th over: Sri Lanka 108-3 (Mathews 41, Chandimal 17) Wood bangs it in to Chandimal, then brings out that inswinging yorker again. Chandimal copes with both but looks ruffled, as well he may. “Good from Wood,” says Rob Key, for the second time in a few minutes. And that’s drinks, with England ahead on points. They had the better of that hour by virtue of a single delivery, the one from Anderson that moved just enough to get rid of Thirimanne.
38th over: Sri Lanka 108-3 (Mathews 41, Chandimal 17) Bess keeps it tight until the last ball, when he floats it up outside off, an invitation to Mathews to square-drive for four.
37th over: Sri Lanka 103-3 (Mathews 37, Chandimal 16) Anderson has to go after being so embarrassingly expensive. Back comes Mark Wood, who tries a yorker to Mathews and gets it to jag in late, targeting the toes. Mathews’ eye is in, so he’s able to glance it for a single, but that’s an encouraging sign for Wood, and for the rest of the day: a bit of reverse swing.
36th over: Sri Lanka 101-3 (Mathews 36, Chandimal 15) Joe Root goes back to spin, and Bess whizzes through a maiden to Chandimal. Slow bowling isn’t slow when you’re writing about it.
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35th over: Sri Lanka 101-3 (Mathews 36, Chandimal 15) You’re not going to believe this, but Anderson has conceded a four. And another! Mathews plays a good shot, a pinpoint tuck between the men at midwicket, and then a less good one, a thick outside edge that trickles to third man. Anderson’s analysis is still stupendous: 10-5-14-3.
34th over: Sri Lanka 93-3 (Mathews 28, Chandimal 15) Better from Curran, who concedes just a couple of singles.
Here’s Abhijato Sensarma. “‘... that’s the toll of genius’ (31st over) - ah, poetic!” I’ll pass on your compliments to the chef. “Anderson has been superb since the morning, akin to the economic excellence of Broad in the previous match. Both of them have been typecast as one-trick ponies by their critics – who might have held some merit in the yesteryears – but they have now turned into elderly statesmen of the best kind. Their control over their crafts is remarkable, and one suspects they’ll be vital to England’s efforts in India, which has started to offer help to those pacers who seek it.”
33rd over: Sri Lanka 91-3 (Mathews 27, Chandimal 14) Anderson continues, and so do the dot balls: six of them, to Mathews. Now that they share a place in the team, Anderson and Stuart Broad have clearly decided to hold a duel to see who can have the sillier figures. Today Anderson has 9-5-6-3.
32nd over: Sri Lanka 91-3 (Mathews 27, Chandimal 14) Thank you Harrisy. And hello everyone – do send an email, saying where you are and what the weather is up to. Here in Islington we’ve had a nice dawn, pale blue, stripy, carrying the first faint whiff of spring. Back in Galle, Chandimal tucks into Sam Curran with two fours, a cover drive and a flick to midwicket. Curran went for more runs in that over than Jimmy Anderson has all day.
31st over: Sri Lanka 83-3 (Mathews 27, Chandimal 7) Another testing one from the absolute freak of nature and another maiden. Mathews has to play at the first five balls then waves at the sixth when he needn’t – that’s the toll of genius – and when the ball kicks off the seam, he’s relieved to get nowt on it.
Right, that’s me done. Tim de Lisle will caress you through the remainder of the day, and you can email him on tim.delisle.casual@theguardian.com.
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30th over: Sri Lanka 83-3 (Mathews 27, Chandimal 7) I’m beginning to wonder if Anderson was born with an aura of swing, or if he’s not actually a person but a visual, corporeal manifestation of movement through the air, a swing-spirit or similar. Or maybe it eases out of his fingertips like a superhero shoots lasers, I’m not sure. But in the meantime, Curran replaces Bess and rushes through another maiden. After a difficult second hour this morning, England are back on top now.
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29th over: Sri Lanka 83-3 (Mathews 27, Chandimal 7) How on earth do you find an attack for India when you’ve got Stokes, Woakes and Archer back, never mind Stone? Verily the mind it doth boggle. Anderson is finding some movement through the air here – you can take the boy outta Burnleh – and Mathews has to play at five of the six balls that comprise another maiden.
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28th over: Sri Lanka 83-3 (Mathews 27, Chandimal 7) Bessy, who I thought bowled better than Leachy in the morning session, takes the meteor at the other end, and if he can find his groove he’ll be in for a busy afternoon. Mathews takes his loosener for one to long on, then Chandimal goes down the ground and Anderson bends to fling back in search of a run out ... only to allow the ball to burst through his fingers at cost of four. That’s sure to improve his mood.
“I remember being slightly embarrassed about my two middle names,” emails Pete Salmon, “until the first time I played in a slightly classier cricket grade of Under 16s, with proper scorebooks and proper scorers. Seeing myself written down as PWP Salmon immediately made me feel I was ready to join the echelons of some of the greatest names in Test cricket. I now work as a copy-editor.”
I still do a double-take every time I see Dan Lawrence on the scorecard, those being my first two names.
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27th over: Sri Lanka 78-3 (Mathews 26, Chandimal 2) The skipper gets underway immediately, poking two to cover, then angling one in to the left-handed Chandimal, he incites a fumble outside off and an inside edge narrowly avoids the stumps. Anderson duly dispenses words, unhappy with his three for six off six and rightly so. He’s a joke.
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WICKET! Thirimanne c Buttler b Anderson 43 (Sri Lanka 76-3)
Shut up! Jimmy Anderson is so, so good. He flows one down outside off that does just enough off the seam, persuading Thirimanne to fence, and he feathers a thin outside edge behind. “Anderson gets his bunny again,” says Nasser, missing a “one of”. That’s nine times in 10 Tests for yerman, who looked in such control this morning.
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27th over: Sri Lanka 75-2 (Thirimanne 42, Mathews 26) Anderson starts at Thirimanne from around...
Anderson has the ball...
Back come the batsmen; they’ll be fancying a nice, long saunter.
In the studio, Athers has been discussing England’s new rotation policy, which makes a lot of sense. I’d love to see a first-choice XI play every Test – though I’m not sure such a thing exists - but even without corona, the schedule is barbaric, ad the players’ mental as well as physical wellbeing needs protecting.
I have never changed a tyre, what with being extremely useless and clumsy. I’m told one’s ability to do this is in direct inverse proportion to one’s ability to leyn.
Lunchtime email! “You mention of a hard afternoon’s aggravation certainly rings true for me, says Phil Withall. “Got in from work looking forward to a rest and some OBO. In the last 90 minutes I’ve had to change two tyres on the car only to find out the bloody thing won’t start. I’m tired, too hot and not in the best of moods so some wickets would be nice.”
Too hot, eh? A truly tragic state of affairs. Why do bad things happen to good people?! I sure hope your ice lolly doesn’t melt quicker than you’d like.
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It’s going to be a hard afternoon’s aggravation for England – the pitch is flat as Stanley and both batsmen are set. We’ll be back in 30 or so for more unfathomable joy.
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26th over: Sri Lanka 75-2 (Thirimanne 42, Mathews 26) Here’s Bess for what’ll be the final over before lunch, as it occurs to me how much this side needs a Manc; Besseh, Leacheh, Sammeh, Woodeh, Jimmeh and so on. Thirimanne cuts a single through backward point, the only run from the over, and that is lunch.
25th over: Sri Lanka 76-2 (Thirimanne 43, Mathews 26) This looks suss I know, but we didn’t see him stretching, I promise; Sammy is back. Yeah, and Mathews flamingos his second ball for four to deep square, breaking his bottom wrist late to guide finer than you’d expect. He then shoves one that bounces to leg and they amble one more, Thirimanne responding with another to midwicket. For anyone worried, Sky are getting more than their money’s worth out of the drone they’ve got going on, handing us more gratuitous ocean shots as we stare into the abyss of this country.
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24th over: Sri Lanka 69-2 (Thirimanne 41, Mathews 21) Yessssss! “Come on Bessy!” hollers Jossy, who is packed off for three singles. I’d be thinking about bringing back Anderson and Curran, because there’s no pressure at the moment so England need either some genius or some golden arm.
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23rd over: Sri Lanka 66-2 (Thirimanne 40, Mathews 19) He goes on to say that the spinners need to give the ball some air because the pitch isn’t biting, and to bowl a tight line and length to enable the setting of attacking fields; Bess and Leach, though, are both looking to go a bit faster. And Leach is milked for three singles before Thirimanne clobbers a slog-sweep for four; these two are making Perera and Fernando look a little silly.
22nd over: Sri Lanka 59-2 (Thirimanne 35, Mathews 17) Mathews is warm now and he bangs a single down the ground to give Bess five at Thirimanne. He’s actually looking more dangerous than Leach, finding better and faster turn, but five dots disappear without undue alarm. Sanga says the pitch looks a typical Galle one, so he expects it to crumble gradually then rag on day five. In other words, a decent toss to win.
21st over: Sri Lanka 58-2 (Thirimanne 35, Mathews 16) A single to midwicket hands the capped Mathews the strike and he eases down the track to wrist four in the same direction, on one leg; that’s extremely competent. and raises the fifty partnership. This is looking like a long slog for England now, because nothing’s doing anything, and looks to be a lesson in pitch preparation for India: one that only the best spinners can get anything out of. I’d expect to see Anderson back presently.
20th over: Sri Lanka 52-2 (Thirimanne 34, Mathews 11) Mathews knocks Bess away to fine leg and sends Leach on a long chase; he does well to haul the ball back just before it hits the rope and while they run three. A single to Thirimanne follows.
“A joy to wake up in the darkness to watch drone footage of a train from many miles away,” says James Walsh. “Anderson and Broad both seem pretty good. I wonder if England have ever considered playing them in tandem?”
There’ve been a lot of gratuitous ocean shots too – I wonder how Chappelli might describe them. And for those seeking a different mental vista, I’ve just imagined Branderson looking sweet upon the seat of a bicycle made for two.
19th over: Sri Lanka 48-2 (Thirimanne 33, Mathews 8) Yup, Leach returns, so we’ll have spin from both ends. Thirmanne takes his first ball for one to midwicket, then Mathews dabs his last to point for one more. England have gone a little quiet here; it’s a while since either batsman was seriously imperilled.
18th over: Sri Lanka 46-2 (Thirimanne 32, Mathews 7) There are nee demons in this track; if the batsmen don’t give it away, wickets will be hard to excavate. Bess comes on for Leach to enable the latter to bowl with the wind from the other end – I assume – and his fifth ball is a good one, forcing Thirimanne forward to get on top of the turn; a single follows, the only run from the other.
17th over: Sri Lanka 45-2 (Thirimanne 31, Mathews 7) The first 10 overs yielded 22, likewise the next seven. It’s been a while since anything unduly troubled anyone, so Wood stamps on the gas and directs a 90mph lift-ah towards Thirimanne’s teeth; he gets up and behind it well, knocking into the ground, then turns a single to square leg.
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16th over: Sri Lanka 44-2 (Thirimanne 30, Mathews 7) Runs are coming more easily now that Anderson is off – funny that – with Thirimanne, who between overs had the physio out looking at his hand, easing a brace to cover. He then stretches to drive four through that same area, and looks really easy out there.
“The Spin’s piece on names is cute, I suppose,” patronises Max Bonnell, “but it seems to have overlooked the old Yorkshire and Northants wicket keeper Kenneth Fiddling, whose name had the result that between 1938 and 1953, 226 batsmen were ‘caught Fiddling’.”
15th over: Sri Lanka 37-2 (Thirimanne 23, Mathews 7) The left-handed Thirimanne clips two down to the square leg fence, chucked back left-handed by the right-arm bowling Wood; just this week I realised I brush my daughter’s teeth left-handed but my own teeth right-handed so what I’m saying is that yes, I should be playing for England. Anyway, yerman turns away one more into the leg side and the partnership is now 30.
14th over: Sri Lanka 34-2 (Thirimanne 20, Mathews 7) There’s not been much turn for Leach and Mathews has had enough of waiting for it, taking one big stamp down the ground to muscle over mid off for a one-bounce four. Two singles follow.
Elsewhere:
@ScottMorrisonMP read the room Mr Prime Minister. @CricketAus are leading the way because your government won’t. There’ll be millions of kids watching our @BBL games on the 26th January, and they’ll see us taking a knee against racism, and promoting inclusion for all. Take note.
— Dan Christian (@danchristian54) January 22, 2021
WI continue to stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter in the fight against Racism!✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 #MenInMaroon #BLM #BANvWI pic.twitter.com/AJxQdbTzrv
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) January 22, 2021
Yes, cricket!
13th over: Sri Lanka 28-2 (Thirimanne 19, Mathews 2) Apparently Graeme Swann was saying he wants Leach to bowl straighter, more at middle stump, which he looks to be doing, but here comes Wood for another hurtle. He slings down two dots, then Thirimanne chucks hands, clattering four through the covers when he overpitches. Drinks.
“Ey names,” begins Johnny Starbucky. “Danny, wot, no Curry?”
Bessy called him Sammy in interview last week so I’ve gone with that one. As a seven-year-old I briefly decided I liked being called Danny; no one called me Danny and various of my mates rinse me for it to this day. We’re 41.
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12th over: Sri Lanka 24-2 (Thirimanne 15, Mathews 2) Leach is looking decent out there – that first Test will have given him confidence, because he’d had bad luck with illness and now bowled much before he got going here. Maiden.
“Following with my three day old son, Angus,” says Stuart Lumsden, “who has already got the last day of the Aus-Ind series under his nappy. My other son, Fraser, has followed with me England debacles against Scotland, NZ and Ireland – to name a few. Hope this isn’t Angus’ first. And yes, we only realised that we’d called our sons after grumpy medium fast Middlesex legend Angus Fraser on speaking to the midwife early hours Tuesday...”
Mazal tov and that is outstanding. Do you plan on a Robert? Tangentially, here’s something on cricket and middle names should anyone fancy.
11th over: Sri Lanka 24-2 (Thirimanne 15, Mathews 2) Woody replaces Jimmy, who I remember played with Cookie, Straussy, Belly, Broady, Swanny, Trotty and Finny. He’s quickly up above 88mph, using all of his 1.21 giggawatts and the batsmen take a single apiece. They’re looking fairly comfy-y out there now, and desperately need to build a telling partnership.
10th over: Sri Lanka 22-2 (Thirimanne 14, Mathews 1) Yup, Curran is did and replaced by Leach who was the better of England’s spinners last week. He’s immediately on the mark and told Sky that he was hoping to bowl a little quicker, taking inspiration from the cutters bowled by Broad and Wood. Thirimanne clips a single off the pads then Mathews gets off the mark down to point as we see footage of Leach’s first-Test wickets; “well bowled Leachy,” says Buttler, which makes me wonder if this is England’s most y-ey team ever. Creepy, Jonny, Rooty, Sammy, Leachy, Woody, Jimmy – and who’d be surprised to hear a Bessy, a Danny or a Jossy? Thirimanne works away one more.
9th over: Sri Lanka 19-2 (Thirimanne 12, Mathews 0) Anderson is making it so difficult for the batsmen, giving them nothing; Thirimanne has to defend five balls, then takes one into the on side.
Anderson has found just 0.4° of swing on average in his opening spell. There have only been 13 matches in his career in which he's found less swing on average in his opening spell - 10 in Australia, two in South Africa and one in India. #SLvEng
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) January 22, 2021
Yet he’s two for four off five. That says hilarious quantities about both Sri Lanka’s batting and his bowling.
8th over: Sri Lanka 18-2 (Thirimanne 11, Mathews 0) Thirimanne looks in nick here, lining Curran up well in what might be the final spell of his over. He defends with purpose, seeing away five dots before twizzling a single to square leg.
“In the first Test of this series Broad took three fairly quick wickets and knocked the top off the SL batting,” says John Starbuck; any chance of Jimmy imitating Stuart? If so, is the rest of this match going to be a like-for-like reproduction?”
I’m not sure about that, but it’s possible; Sri Lanka will be relying on at least one of this pair to do something decent.
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7th over: Sri Lanka 17-2 (Thirimanne 10, Mathews 0) Five dots from Anderson before Thirimanne flicks to backward square for one.
“A magnificent week for five-day test cricket,” emails Ian Foyth. “Listened with growing incredulity to the 5th day at the Gabba on a campsite with a stranger – Peter from Geelong in his Toyota Landcruiser, where we shared an early evening chardonnay (Peter supping his through gritted teeth, as it were). We all love radio commentary, but Ian Chappell certainly added a maverick je ne sais quoi to proceedings. Sample: ‘Good captaincy is like pornography. Hard to define, but you know it when you see it.’ Not a subject his fellow commentators felt impelled to enlarge upon.”
AS IT WERE! A panoply of other things he might’ve said are engorging my brain, but I’m not sure whether we’re after or before the watershed. Anyway, what a cli finish.
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6th over: Sri Lanka 16-2 (Thirimanne 9, Mathews 0) Sri Lanka were all out for 135 in the first innings of the first Test and they’ve made this easy for England again; Anderson and Curran have bowled well, but the wickets were handed not snatched. anyway, Thirimanne gets himself going with consecutive fours, one forced through fine leg and one edged through where third slip isn’t. A no ball follows, then tree dot.
5th over: Sri Lanka 7-2 (Thirimanne 1, Mathews 0) Fernando lost his balance playing that, almost on one foot by the time he played the shot; Anderson, meanwhile, has 2-2. Turns out he’s quite good at this.
WICKET! Fernando b Anderson 0 (Sri Lanka 7-2)
Is it happening again?! Anderson coaxes more bounce from the track than Fernando’s expecting and looking to work away on the off side, he slices into his stumps! Sri Lanka are in a situation, and it’s entirely of their own making.
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5th over: Sri Lanka 7-1 (Thirimanne 1, Fernando 0) It’ll be extremely quiet in that Sri Lanka changing room, eyes down as Perera admonishes himself. And have a look!
WICKET! Perera c Root b Anderson 6 (Sri Lanka 7-1)
What on absolute earth! Perera decides that it makes perfect sense to mooch down the track at a new ball brandished by Test cricket’s leading quick, looking to lummox over long on ... but he edges to one, where Root takes an excellent catch above his head. He’s going to feel extremely embarrassed when he sees that back; it’s a revolting shot and silly, silly behaviours.
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4th over: Sri Lanka 7-0 (Thirimanne 1, Perera 6) There’s a soupçon of swing here for Cuzza, more than in the first match, and his second delivery induces a false shot from Perera, who edges into his pad. He’s got a lot of barnet going on has Cuz, a huge wad swept across his heed, which doesn’t seem like what you’d want in this weather; he’ll never feel the benefit when he gets back to England, or something. Anyhow, Perera bludgeons his fifth delivery down the ground like Bill Sykes with a hangover; that’s four, and a single into the leg side follows.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 2-0 (Thirimanne 1, Perera 1) Anderson’s fifth ball, the 17th of the innings, allows Thirimanne to bunt down into the off side and they take a run, the first of the innings, then Perera does likewise.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne 0, Perera 0) That was a good ball, swinging away then nipping back in, but did just a bit too much. Another maiden.
NOT OUT! UMPIRE'S CALL ON THE STUMPS!
About two-thirds of it was hitting off stump, about five-sixths of the way up; that was extremely close, about as close as you’re getting without seeing the finger.
Did it come back enough? It looked close, I must say, and there was no edge...
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2nd over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne 0, Perera 0) In bustles Curran, angry face on, and his first ball, swinging, rapping Perera on the pad; there’s an appeal, it’s rejected ... and England go upstairs!
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1st over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne 0, Perera 0) I wonder if England will be rotating Anderson or Broad in India, once Stokes gives them a natural fast-bowling option in their middle-order; I wonder if they’ll back their spinners against a superior batting side. Anyway, Anderson gets grooving, shaping the ball away, only his first two deliveries force Thirimanne, who made a place-saving ton in last week’s second innings, to play.
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And here we go; play!
James Anderson has the ball; of course he does.
It’s well hot in Galle, less so in north London.
Email! “Here’s the TMS link for all us vagrants and ne’er do wells that don’t live within the range of a UK radio mast,” says John Parkinson.
Thanks for that; dig in people.
That England team, then. I’m surprised Mark Wood is playing a second slog in a row, and also surprised he’ll not be supplying reverse in India. Otherwise, it’s pretty much as expected; I’m looking forward to watching Jimmy Anderson bowl because what clown wouldn’t be, especially when we need to make the most of him while we can, and I’m interested to see how Jack Leach and Dom Bess so. They were good in the second innings last week but got away with it in the first. That won’t happen for them again.
These days, I find that my eyeballs sweat pretty much every time I watch an interview with any young sportsman. Here are Nasser and Robert Key with the extremely impressive Dan Lawrence.
Right, I’m going to mix myself a hot water and lemon and hope that SkyGo on my computer rights itself; otherwise it’s a bout of phone-squinting. Action coming up in 19 minutes.
Teams
Sri Lanka 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Oshada Fernando, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (captain), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Ramesh Mendis, 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lasith Embuldeniya, 11 Asitha Fernando.
England 1 Dom Sibley, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Joe Root (captain), 5 Dan Lawrence, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dom Bess, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Jack Leach, 11 James Anderson.
We already know that England are making just the one change, Anderson coming in for Broad; that means no place for Olly Stone, who’s been bowling well in the nets, we’ve been told.
Sri Lanka leave out Kusal Mendis, Hasaranga and Shanaka; Ramesh Mendis comes in for his debut, with Suranga Lakmal coming in to lead the attack and Oshada Fernando also making the XI.
Sri Lanka win the toss and will, of course, bat!
“It’s a really good wicket,” says Dinesh Chandimal, who hopes his team do better than last time. Joe Root thinks England played well last week, but this week is a different challenge.
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Preamble
In times of misery and crisis, people take joy in the most peculiar things. OK, in times of joy and exultance, people take joy in the most peculiar things – beards, risotto and tight tracky bums, for example. But those are, when all’s said and done, consensual activities, whereas what we’re currently up to, whether baking bread, putting on clothes or looking after our children, are activities forced upon us by circumstance.
So the return of Test cricket was really something, a distraction, a balm and a friend. But even with everything we know about it and everything it’s given to us, the blessings with which it continues to shower us are staggering in both their bounty and their profundity.
The first match between these sides was a slow-burning belter and there’s every chance that the second will be as good if not better. Sri Lanka should have Suranga Lakmal back, and know that a merely sensible first-innings batting effort might have secured them the win last week. England, meanwhile, are absolutely ganserheyt with confidence and starting to look like a decent little team. I cannot wait for this.
Play: 10am local, 4.30am GMT
