In the complete 147-year historical past of Take a look at cricket, there have maybe been few cases the place a workforce has made a extra shambolic begin to a day’s play than Sri Lanka did on the third morning of the primary Take a look at towards England at Outdated Trafford.
First, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva tried to bowl Asitha Fernando for the primary over of the morning, solely to be stopped by the umpires because the seamer had bowled the ultimate over of the day prior to this. Then got here practically two minutes of delay whereas fielders put pads on as De Silva determined to bowl spinner Prabath Jayasuriya as a substitute.
If the morning session began badly for the vacationers, it went downhill from there and though they had been ultimately capable of bowl England out for 358 and even maintain a glimmer of hope alive by establishing an 82-run lead by the tip of the day, it maybe summed up the hit-and-miss nature of Sri Lanka’s efficiency on this match.
“I cannot understand for the life of me how, at the start of a day’s play, you do not know exactly what you are doing,” former England batter Mark Butcher instructed Sky Sports activities.
“Day three – an enormous day, you’re nonetheless very a lot within the Take a look at match, you have hung in for 2 days and confirmed loads of character.
“How does each single man on that discipline not know precisely what’s going to be occurring first ball, who’s bowling, what fields we’re going to have, what our plans are by way of holding [Jamie] Smith away from the bowling or placing him underneath stress when he begins once more?
“I don’t understand how a professional Test cricket team cannot be ready to do that on a day such as today. It’s unfathomable they wouldn’t have had an idea as a collective, not just the captain.”
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Watch the most effective photographs from Jamie Smith’s maiden Take a look at century for England on day three of the primary Take a look at towards Sri Lanka.
As if England, impressed by Smith’s first Take a look at century earlier than he was ultimately out for 111, establishing a 122-run lead was not unhealthy sufficient for Sri Lanka, they then discovered themselves 10-2 at lunch after Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis each departed with out troubling the scorer.
Dimuth Karunaratne (27) and skipper De Silva (16), who was unable to construct on his first-innings high rating of 74, then fell within the afternoon to depart their facet wobbling on 95-4, with Dinesh Chandimal being pressured off the sector injured after being hit on the thumb by Mark Wooden.
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England declare two early wickets towards Sri Lanka within the second innings.
“The tone was pretty bad at the start of it,” former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara instructed Sky Sports activities. “Did all of the players know what the plan was?
“Then you definately noticed the fielding, the power was probably not there and that was unhealthy.
“It’s about playing for their moment [with the bat], building the partnership…and just keep doing that for as long as they can.
“You’ll get good balls and could be delaying the inevitable however delay it for so long as potential by scoring runs and reversing stress.”
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Mark Wooden strikes on his first supply as Dimuth Karunaratne falls.
Whether or not Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis heard the phrases of one in every of their nation’s greats will maybe by no means be identified, however they definitely batted like that they had taken Sangakkara’s evaluation on board to spark one thing of a revival from Sri Lanka within the afternoon and night.
Mathews, who lasted simply 5 balls in his facet’s first innings, put collectively a composed 65 to steer his facet away from hazard and placed on an outstanding 78 partnership with Kamindu earlier than being caught by the diving Matthew Potts off Chris Woakes after the ball began swinging following a change.
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Matthew Potts’ diving catch ends the partnership of Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis.
Kamindu stood agency to finish the day unbeaten on 56, surviving after being dropped on 38 and a profitable DRS evaluate on 48, and can resume on day 4 with Chandimal again on the crease after his spell off the sector.
England will undoubtedly really feel they’re nonetheless on high and well-placed to press on for victory, but there have been glimmers for Sri Lanka – even when day three didn’t start precisely how they might have needed.
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A fan took an outrageous one-handed seize with a pint in his hand after Mark Wooden despatched a six into the gang.
“It has been a funny old day,” Atherton instructed Sky Sports activities. “Sri Lanka have found some resistance, Angelo Mathews has played excellently, Kamindu Mendis looked in rare touch.
“They simply gave England two hours’ head begin within the morning.
“They have been competitive throughout this game, and they have been competitive for long periods.”
Watch the third day of England’s first Take a look at towards Sri Lanka, from Emirates Outdated Trafford in Manchester, reside on Sky Sports activities Cricket and Sky Sports activities Principal Occasion from 10.15am on Wednesday (11am first ball)
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