Caribbean summer for England!

A series win under their belts after a 9-wicket victory, England have just one Test remaining, to secure a 3-0 success over their West Indian counterparts. It was great to see England wrap up another Test late on day 4, in doing so cementing their title as the World Number One Test side. Trent Bridge witnessed some great performances yet again, and it is fair to say that both sides saw varying levels of success… but England reigned supreme as they became dominant late on day 3 to reduce the West Indies to 61-6, certainly the turning point in the match. But, who do I feel were the stand out performers this time around… let me know if you agree!

• Andrew Strauss – Excelled once again with another superb century, his 22^nd in fact, showing once again that he definitely is not ready to put an end to his cricketing career. Along with KP (80), Strauss’ 141 steadied England’s 1^st innings, and despite a batting collapse, took England past the West Indies 370. With some perfectly timed cover drives, Strauss highlighted how he has had such a prolific career, and in tandem with his captaincy, he surely was one of the keys to England’s success.
• Tim Bresnan – For Bresnan the stats speak for themselves, 4 wickets apiece in each innings, along with a much-needed 39 runs in the first innings. Bresnan secured his 13^th Test win for England in the same number of games, also taking the Man of the Match; he has continued to excel in every Test. It was in the 2^nd innings where Bresnan shined and put England in prime position over the West Indies, as they were taken from 31-3 to 61-6, as Bres showed off his impressive reverse swing skills.
• Darren Sammy – Just a seriously nice guy, the West Indies’ captain takes the result in his stride. Although disappointed overall, he undoubtedly should not be dissatisfied with his own personal milestone. After 26 Tests, Sammy finally recorded his maiden Test century, notching up 106 in a 204-run partnership with Samuels (117), enabling his side to put 370 on the board. Despite not capitalising on England’s collapse from 267-3 to 363-7, Sammy would be confident in knowing he put up a good fight to give his side a respectable 1^st innings score.

So, it’s onwards and upwards for England, and as aforementioned, the final test to be played commences on 7^thJune at the mighty Edgbaston. I am sure the West Indies will try to make the series 2-1, but hopefully the England boys will increase their series win, before taking them on in the following limited overs series. England will also be now starting to focus on the big challenge that faces them this summer, as they will face their competition in the World Test rankings, South Africa. With Steyn and Morkel, the batting line-up will for sure have to improve if they are not to collapse yet again; however, I’m sure England will have this covered!

Photo Credit: Getty Images (espncricinfo.com)

Done and dusted.

So there we have it, the first Test of the summer completed adding yet another victory to England’s tally. Beating the West Indies by a decent margin of 5 wickets, the fans were treated to an array of fantastic performances over the five days, including centuries, wickets galore and Lord’s honours board glory! Not resting on their laurels, Strauss confirmed that they would push hard for victory in order to cement their position in the World Test Rankings, and that is certainly what we witnessed. As always, I have selected a small group of players who I felt over-excelled themselves:

• Andrew Strauss – Now I could not compile my thoughts on this Test without mentioning the England captain, who after waiting since December 2010 to record another Test century, battled through criticism to reach that ever-important milestone. A composed and steady hundred erased doubts over Strauss’ ability, notching up 121 runs before the close of day 2, ensuring England were well on their way to a 1^st innings lead, surpassing the West Indies 243. With a “roar of satisfaction” after completing his feat, Strauss can start relax, in hope that form has returned, something we will only know come Trent Bridge on Friday.
• Stuart Broad – Definitely the star at Lord’s as his match haul of an astonishing 11 wickets saw Stuart claim the MOTM and with just cause too!  Obtaining career-best figures of 7-72 in the 1^st innings, each was caught by a fellow team member, bar one, when he took a beauty of a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Roach for 6. Replicating this feat would have been difficult, Broad did not let this faze him however, taking another 4 wickets for 93 runs, including the crucial wicket of Samuels on 86. In doing so Stuart became the 1^st England bowler to take 10 wickets in a Lord’s Test since Ian Botham (1978). Also Broad has now become only the 4^th player to complete the hat trick at Lord’s, featuring on each honours board… one huge achievement or what?
• Shivnarine Chanderpaul – Despite being on the losing team, Shiv certainly gave a winning performance, as he lived up to his status as the current world number one batsman, battling hard to produce 178 runs. Remaining not out on 87 in the 1^st innings, he definitely was the West Indies saviour, without his consistent performance, England’s charge to victory would have been far easier. Proving to be the great batsman he is once again in the 2^nd innings, England bowlers became frustrated as his persistence wore on with just a 36.40 strike rate! Only to be defeated by the sweep shot just before tea on Day 4, Swann claimed his prized wicket, but Chanderpaul was greeted with rapturous applaud from the crowd, defining his glorious achievements for the West Indies.

It wasn’t just these three either. Just take a look at the scorecard, especially Cook and Bell with 79 and 63 respectively to take us over the line on Day 5, it was fantastic to see Bell replicate his form with Warwickshire for England, and certainly not forgetting debutant Jonny Bairstow. Nerves would have been settled when Jonny executed a superb run out of Edwards for 0, leaving the West Indies on 36-3 in their 2^ndinnings run chase. Only making 16 with the bat, I’m sure many like me, are looking forward to see what he has to offer if he makes selection on Friday. It was amazing to see what the West Indies had to offer at Lord’s and I’m sure Trent Bridge will be the same, so roll on Friday!

Photo Credit: Tom Shaw/Getty Images (zimbio.com)

County Championship catch-up!

Well, what a long time since my last post! Sorry about that, but at this time of year revision, and revision alone becomes your life, well okay that may be a slight exaggeration. Finding time to fit in a blog post has been hard, but today I have dedicated my time to give you a quick review of how the Championship is looking so far in 2012.

Both the Division 1 and Division 2 tables are shaping up nicely, what has been witnessed though, is that nearly every county game to date this season has been thwarted by rain, leaving many drawn games appearing in the table. This is the reason I want to allocate to Durham for so far residing at the bottom of Division 1, I can’t help but feel this is not the case however, take Somerset for example, in the same position as Durham (in terms of drawn games) but they remain in 4^th, having taken 9 more bowling points. If I am honest, I did not expect Durham to have fared so badly this season, a crop of younger players, namely Borthwick and Stokes along with the experience of Benkenstein, Collingwood and Di Venuto highlights the strength of their side. Although, it is only early days with 11 games still left to play, I am sure they can pull something out of the bag, the Championship title I fear will not be one of them though.

Nonetheless, those who are in contention for the title are clearly making their mark in the Championship, as Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire have a clear lead at the top. Although Notts currently have 78 points, Warwickshire are proving to be the ones to beat, just 7 points behind the 2010 Champions the Bears have played 2 less games and look set to continue their great form. Both bowling and batting units have impressed for the Bears this season, and after narrowly missing out on the title last year to Lancashire, I am going to say that Warwickshire look like they could come home with the silverware in 2012… and no it isn’t just because I am a huge Bears fan, well okay, maybe to some extent!

Also, looking towards who is in with a chance of promotion this season, we have the Division 2 teams. Well, one of last year’s relegation sides, Yorkshire, are proving why fans were extremely disappointed with moving down into Division 2 after last season’s disappointing performance. Currently joint at the top of the table with Derbyshire, both sides have won 2 of their 5 games, leaving them in a comfortable position with a lead of 9 points. It is surprising to see Yorkshire’s transformation in just a short space of time, but with the likes of Sayers, Gale and Balance in the batting line up, Yorkshire have been impressive. Along with England Lions players, Root and Bairstow, the latter today selected for the senior side for the West Indies Test at Lord’s, Yorkshire look to have a promising season. Promotion is certainly their main goal, as it is for Hampshire, but as of yet Derby, Yorkshire and Kent are all in contention as they near the halfway stage.

At the other end of the scale, we have Glamorgan who are yet to win a game this season. With just 17 points secured from 5 games, it’s the batting that is letting this Welsh side down. There is no disputing that their bowlers are making the breakthroughs, but having not yet surpassed the 200 mark in any match, it is the lack of runs, which is causing Glamorgan a serious problem. Any chances of promotion look unlikely this year unless a serious turn of events occur, all Glamorgan can really do is improve their position in the table, as Leicestershire who remained at the bottom of the table in 2011 are already a clear 18 points ahead.

With the CB40 competition also underway, it won’t be long until the cricket season is in full flow without any weather-affected games, fingers crossed! The Championship gets back underway on Wednesday, only to be followed on Thursday for what we have been waiting for since April, the return of English Test cricket. Taking on the West Indies at Lord’s kick-starts England’s 2012 summer, let’s hope for some fantastic performances and results… until then that’s me done :)

Photo Credit: Getty Images (espncricinfo.com)

Subcontinent conditions finally fall in England’s favour!

Rest assured everyone, as you may know by now England have secured their position at the top of the table after finally winning a Test match this winter. A thrilling 8-wicket victory saw many twist and turns, as England fought hard for their title, with wonderful results. As both Strauss and Jayawardene made their way to the middle, every expectant fan held their hopes high, and as Sri Lanka chose to bat, they soon looked to trouble England.

It wasn’t a very easy-ride for the Lankans initially though, losing Thirimanne and the experienced Dilshan and Sangakkara for a collective 22 runs, showcased Anderson’s sheer talent with the new ball. Three down for 30 would have worried any captain, Mahela however, is not your ordinary captain. Along with Samaraweera and Mathews, in two fantastic partnerships of 124 and 62 respectively, Jayawardene struck his way to his third century of the series and propelled Sri Lanka to 216 before his dismissal. His wicket was a timely one although reviewing the decision, Jayawardene was unable to reverse the LBW appeal, which saw Swann straightening one to hit smack on the knee roll. The turning point had been made, and no longer could Sri Lanka depend upon their captain for stability, as they slipped from 216-5 to 275 all out, an addition of just 59 runs, Swann walking away with figures of 4-75.

Switch-hit causes controversy as KP ton outshines Jayawardene’s

England’s innings was not without its glitches either. A better start could not have been made, with the captain and vice-captain leading the way with a 122-run partnership, 61 and 94 respectively, Cook narrowly missing out on a century of his own.  With the foundations already set, it paved the way for Trott and Pietersen to edge England closer to Sri Lanka’s first innings total with England on only 62 runs behind.  A steady 64 from Trott enabled fans to witness KP at his best, playing his natural game. A blistering 151 runs were scored in just 165 balls nearly a run a ball (in a Test match), along with an astonishing 100 runs accomplished in boundaries. I honestly don’t think I could say I have seen Pietersen play a better innings than we saw on Day 2 of this Test match, he himself not letting up on the celebrations after breaking that 100 mark.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Pietersen though, as the infamous switch-hit made a return – in glorious style I must add – but not to Dilshan’s approval. Pulling up mid run-up in two successive balls, Dilshan wanted to prevent this notorious shot from recurring, annoyance from the England crowd spread quickly as KP’s innings was momentarily halted. Landing himself with a warning from the umpires you could see Pietersen was clearly unimpressed. Yet this only seemed to spur him on as he raced to the 150 mark before being dismissed one run later after an unsuccessful appeal to reverse a Herath LBW. At 411-6 at the time of KP’s dismissal, England managed 460 all out, with a comprehensive lead of 185.

Swann sends Sri Lanka into a spin

So, with Sri Lanka needing something special to enable them a match-winning total, they somehow did not predict the damage England’s number one spinner would induce. Decent scores from Jayawardene (64), Samaraweera (47) and Mathews (46) yet again, the Sri Lankan batsmen were unable to conjure up that much-needed contribution. Swann tore through the Lankans’ line up snaring the prized wickets of the experienced Dilshan, Sangakkara and captain Jayawardene all caught, at slip, behind to the ‘keeper, and short leg respectively. Whilst Samaraweera, Randiv and Prasanna Jayawardene were all superbly bowled, as Swann beat the bat on all three occasions, his raw bowling talent truly highlighted. Along with Finn, Anderson and Patel, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 278, which meant for England they only had a mere 94 runs to chase in order to secure a test match win. As Swann reaped match figures of 10-181, he was the key bowler who helped England to edge closer to victory.

All that was needed now was 94 runs, and we could all delight in finally seeing England defeat the subcontinent conditions. With Jayawardene opening with 2 spinners, Strauss and Trott fell early for 0 and 5 respectively, leaving it up to Cook and KP to take their team over the line. For Cook, he struck his way to 49 setting the foundations up for KP to once again supremely strike the ball over the boundary rope for 2 magnificent sixes, powering England to a sweet and long awaited victory. In a thrilling show of pure cricketing talent, either side showed off their particular talents, but as England came out on top, they didn’t just level the series, but also saved themselves from humiliation. Luckily, England managed to stay at the top of the International Test rankings, which would have seen them fall to second below South Africa; fortunately, this was not the case.

We must wait until May until the England lads are in action again, until then we can all relax and enjoy the peaceful County Championship! :D

Photo Credit: Getty Images (espncricinfo.com)

2012 County Season Preview

Three days left and counting until the 2012 County season finally gets under way! This moment has been long awaited since September last year, and we can now breathe a sigh of relief as the nights are getting lighter, welcoming six full months of cricket. With 18 counties fighting for supremacy in the LVCC Championship format in their respective division, we also welcome the delights of the CB40 and T20 competitions. Here is how the Championship divisions currently stand; with Hampshire and Yorkshire relegated last season, Division 1 makes way for newly promoted Surrey and Middlesex –

Division 1:

Durham, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Worcestershire

Division 2:

Derby, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire

 

With such a vast array of talent on show, each county game provides plenty of entertainment. Still, all eyes will undoubtedly be on last year’s competition winners:

 

LVCC Division 1 – Lancashire

LVCC Division 2 – Middlesex

CB40 – Surrey Lions

T20 – Leicestershire Foxes

 

However, here are my top 5 teams for 2012, with a preview of how their season may fair, along with the young talent to look out for…

 

• Leicestershire – Not at their best in the Championship, Leicestershire were at the bottom of the Division 2 table last year, only winning one of their sixteen games. Their luck didn’t change even in the 40-over competition, coming in 6^th out of 7^th with 6 points compared to Surrey’s 21. So why are they appearing in my top 5? Take a look at their achievements in the T20 format, champions once again; they prove they have what it takes to go all the way. Losing James Taylor and Harry Gurney to Nottinghamshire, the Foxes will be without two crucial players, but this time year they will have to prove their worth in the Championship.

Young player to watch: Nathan Buck – Selected for the England Lions and the EPP (England Performance Programme) in the winter, Buck will be vital for Leicester this year, providing them with a quality quick bowler.

• Nottinghamshire – A mediocre performance in the LVCC in 2011, after becoming champions the previous year proved to be disappointing for the Outlaws. Their limited over performances it would have to be said were their highlights, 2^nd in the table in their CB40 group, and reaching the quarterfinals of the T20. They will certainly be looking to improve across all formats in 2012, and signing Taylor, Gurney and Michael Lumb (Hampshire), they definitely have the talent to do so. A formidable batting line up for Notts, they may just be the team to beat in at least one format this year.

Young player to watch: James Taylor – Tipped to be one day the number 6 for England in the Test arena, Taylor is currently captaining the England Lions. A great young talent, I can’t wait to see what he will offer the Outlaws, after his move from the Foxes.

• Somerset – Also seeming to be the runners-up in each competition, Somerset once again failed to claim any silverware in the 2011 season, and came just 4^th in the Championship despite having the leading run-scorer in Trescothick, with 1673 runs. Will they ever be able to cross the line, and win a final? We will just have to wait and see, but with the power hitters and death bowlers, it is hard to pinpoint where they are going wrong. I wonder if it will be Somerset’s season this year.

Young player to watch: Jos Buttler – It had to be Jos for me, a wonderful talent and a supreme striker of the ball, Jos has already starred in the senior England side. He will surely play his part for Somerset and for England in 2012.

• Warwickshire – Narrowly missing out on the LVCC title to Lancashire, Warwickshire will want nothing more than going one-step further to claim the Championship. Another point Warwickshire will be keen to prove is that of their limited over performance, CB40 winners in 2010 the Bears came 5^th last year, whilst they were second from the bottom in the T20 table, which was more than disappointing. An all-round improvement is hopefully what we will see, and some silverware would be rather nice too.

Young player to watch: Chris Woakes – Yes, unfortunately for the Bears Woakes suffered an injury over on the Bears pre-season tour in Barbados, which means he’ll miss the start of the season. However, I believe he will definitely feature greatly for the Bears, a fantastic talent.

• Yorkshire – Relegated into the 2^nd Division after a poor season in the Championship, Yorkshire also failed to get anywhere within the limited over formats. The reason they have featured in my top 5 for 2012 is due to the fact that they had a great pre-season tour in Barbados, winning the T20 cup and beating the Bears in the process. Looking impressive over in the Caribbean I have a feeling that this Yorkshire side can achieve something this year. Their main goal will be for sure to get back into the top division of the Championship, but they may also show off their talent in the CB40 or T20 also.

Young player to watch: Joe Root – There is some great young talent over at Yorkshire, but Root I feel will play an important role, after his first full and successful season in 2011. After the experience gained from the Lions, Root I feel will be a stand out performer this year.

 

So there are my teams to look out for, and for those of you who are Lancashire fans, don’t worry I think they too will have a great season. They can’t improve on their Championship form, the shorter formats will be their priority this year, and Simon Kerrigan is the one to watch, especially after his turn with the Lions these past 12 months! It must be said that I am excited for what is to come this season, there is some great talent out there, and with some of the scheduled overseas players, it will be a fantastic year for cricket. Also, if the weather forecasts are anything to go by with snow predicted, the season may even be delayed – I sure hope it isn’t, our wait has long been enough… roll on April 5^th!

So close, yet so far.

On what would have been the last day of the Test between England and Sri Lanka, I find myself reminiscing about another England defeat, and an opportunity missed. In a struggling position, England had to pull out all the stops to be able to pull off a remarkable run chase in subcontinent conditions. They did manage to get within a small margin of victory, but once again, the batsmen failed to take advantage of a decent start.

So where did I leave it last, well Sri Lanka ended Day 2 in an uncompromising position on 84-5, but still with a lead of 209 runs. With only 5 more wickets for England, it should have been over and done with pretty early on in the day. What was not forecast though was the gritty innings of Jayawardene, this time Prasanna, not Mahela, which saw Sri Lanka climb to a great 214 all out by which time saw English bowlers flagging. Unable to restrain the tail-enders, whatever option was tried, the wickets were just not falling. Don’t get me wrong, once Chandimal’s wicket fell to Panesar caught at slip, Randiv and Herath soon followed both to Swann, with a beauty coming round the wicket to the latter to have the ball crashing into his stumps. Eight down and England were in a fantastic position to claim the last two, to reduce their deficit. However, with P. Jayawardene still at the crease, Welegedara and Lakmal, individually played a huge supporting role as Jayawardene passed the half-century mark. But it wasn’t as if we didn’t have the chances to dismiss the batsmen, a costly no-ball from Broad, and an easy run-out opportunity were missed, vital causes of Sri Lanka’s final deficit of339, meaning England had to face a mammoth task of chasing 340 to secure a Test match win. Optimism was surely needed at this point, we are currently struggling for runs, as if I haven’t mentioned this before, but I still kept the faith that we could (with very hard graft) achieve the total. And let me tell you, even though we lost both openers within the space of 19 overs for a collective total of 42 between them, finishing up on 111-2 exceeded my expectations. Trott and KP kept composure, and left England on Nelson at the end of Day 3; Trott especially with a steady 40 runs already acquired.

229 runs were needed over the last two days of the Test to ensure an England victory, which now was looking even more possible. Although Pietersen returned to the pavilion with a mere one run added to his overnight score, and Bell had a doubtful umpire decision go against him for 13 runs, all was not lost. I must say though that shot selection has not been our forte on these overseas tours, a chip to midwicket from KP, and Bell pulled out the deadly sweep shot… please guys just forget the sweep shot for the time being! Anyway, this left England on 152-4, Trott joined at the crease by Prior which set up a partnership that witnessed England climb ever closer to that daunting score, and Trott slave away to claim his 7^th Test century in the 86^th over. This is what England needed, a centurion like Sri Lanka had in their captain, Mahela, in the first innings. So with two batsmen settled in nicely, it was down to these pair to help England over the line, but as we are coming accustomed to, somehow England have a tendency that if they lose one wicket, they lose them all. This time, it was the turn of Prior to spring out that sweep shot, only having it caught at short leg, making way for Patel to take his second chance in Test cricket. Seven overs later, and with spin in full flow, Herath, with four wickets already to his name was not content, and happily had Patel skew one to Dilshan at cover, England 252-6. Trott still standing tall at this time didn’t stay around for long, with increasing pressure all England needed was 88 runs with four wickets remaining, Randiv managed to have the prized wicket of Trott caught at leg sip for 112. And there it was, the moment the game changed.

The lower order of Broad, Swann, Anderson and Panesar collected 11 runs between them, the former being not out at the end of the innings, as the three latter batsmen all fell to spin. Swann was Herath’s 6^th and final wicket of the Test as he collected a match haul of 12-171, fantastic figures for a spinner still not highly regarded as world-class on the International stage. England could only manage 264 losing by a margin of 75 runs, their fourth consecutive Test defeat. To make matters worse, if they lose the final game commencing on 3^rd April, then England will suffer the devastating loss of their World Number 1 status. I know that I am not alone in saying this, but I will be behind them 100 per cent, as they need to maintain that number 1 ranking as we all know they are capable of achieving.

It was unfortunate that England couldn’t capitalise on their decent start, from 111-2, England looked to have it in the bag, what a difference a day can make. I suppose it is in the makeup of Test cricket though as we should all be expecting the unexpected. There are highlights to be taken from this game though we do show signs of brilliance once again, namely Trott and Swann.

Who impressed over the last 2 days?

Jonathan Trott – The star of England’s 2^nd innings, although unable to sustain his form post his century, Trott led the way for England and gave them a glimpse of hope as to achieving victory. Without Trott’s contribution, I can say for sure that the margin England lost by would have been far greater, all he needs to now is carry his form into the last Test of the series.

Rangana Herath – As aforementioned, Herath isn’t widely accredited as one of the world’s greatest spinners. However, with a haul of 12 wickets, not only did he highlight England’s continued weakness against spin in the subcontinent, but only on 7 other occasions have bowling figures exceeded Herath’s. His performance means he is only the 5^th Sri Lankan to pick up 10+ wickets in a match.

So that concludes this first Test match, which sees Sri Lanka take a 1-0 lead, and with only one more game to play, it is all or nothing for England. With one bowler down, having announced Stuart Broad will not be fit for the last Test, another bowler will be making his way into the side; will it be Finn or Bresnan? We are yet to know, but I think that all that matters at the moment is England put in their best performance to seal a victory from Tuesday onwards!

Photo Credit: AFP (espncricinfo.com)

Batting collapses seem the norm in Galle.

As Day 2 drew to a close in this first Test match in Sri Lanka, we witnessed yet another batting collapse, that of the Sri Lankans, all in the same day that we saw England reduced to 193 all out. But what is the current state of the game itself? After Sri Lanka dominated Day 1, it saw them recover from a poor start at 15-3, to 289-8 all down to one man, Jayawardene. With a classy, well-timed century, the Sri Lankan captain ended the day on 168* virtually saving the Lankans innings, with Chandimal the second highest-scorer with a mere 27. Resuming Day 2, Jayawardene added 12 to his total, whilst Jimmy Anderson, the bowler of the innings claimed the last two wickets needed to end Sri Lanka’s run, finally prizing Mahela from the crease with an edge to Prior behind. With a 5-for to his name, Jimmy helped reduce Sri Lanka to 318, a score that daunted England, a score at least 30 runs more than desired.

Putting doubts over the subcontinent behind, England’s batters hoped for a long hard day at the crease. What was to be was, well, far from that, as their batting woes returned once England were on 65-4. Ungainly shots, and a rather bizarre dismissal from Trott, saw England struggling, whilst Prior and Test debutant Patel didn’t help the cause departing with 9 between them. So six wickets down, it was left to the out of form Bell and Number 8 Broad to “rescue” England’s innings, at this time it must be said I wasn’t overly optimistic. Nevertheless, my two favourite players at the crease did not disappoint, with Bell showing glimpses of returning back to his best, this was fantastic as when Bell is in form, you can’t find a more stylish, cleaner stroke player as him – well in my opinion anyway! A half-century was well deserved, and much needed for this Warwickshire batsman, and along with an array of tail-end runs from Broad (28), Swann (24) and even Jimmy (23*), hauled England up to a still inadequate 193, 125 runs behind.

So, it was fair to say a little magic was needed in the Lankans 2^nd innings from the England bowlers. A wicket in the second over from Broad certainly helped dismissing Dilshan for a 7-ball duck, after the early breakthrough the wickets slowly began to tumble, as the work of the spinners got under way. England were happy to see the two big threats, Jayawardene and Sangakarra return to the pavilion, the latter especially after the damage caused yesterday. Swann starred taking 4-28, the pick of the bowlers as he took two late wickets to really put Sri Lanka in a tricky position, even though they still had a comprehensive lead. Ending the day on 84-5, the latter half of Day 2 was definitely England’s time; the Test however, has certainly been Sri Lankan dominated, and England need very quick wickets early on tomorrow to have a chance of winning this Test. If the deficit continues to grow, the subcontinent conditions I feel will prove too much for England, so let’s hope the Lankans lead remains achievable!

Who has impressed so far?

Day 1 – Mahela Jayawardene- A powerful, dominant century saw Mahela steal the limelight on Day 1. Setting up the Sri Lankan innings, he was able to steer them towards a very decent score, one that was too much for England to compete against. Jayawardene saved his side from a humiliating collapse, and definitely deserved the appraisals.

Day 2 – Graeme Swann- On a disappointing day for both sides, concerning the batting collapses, Swann was the man that provided hope for England at the end of tiring day. With a 4-wicket haul already obtained, it was his last two crucial wickets before the close of play, that of Sangakarra and Samaraweera, that really placed the advantage in England’s hands. Tomorrow will certainly provide more optimism for England, if they can finish what Swann started late today.

With 3 days still left to play, no-one knows what will occur as the day unfolds, who expected to see Sri Lanka 5 down in their 2^ndinnings and only two days in. Quick wickets are key for England tomorrow morning, so let’s hope they can keep that deficit manageable, and then we have a decent chance of claiming victory… but only time will tell! 

Photo Credit: AFP (espncricinfo.com)