CRICKET:IT WILL take something quite extraordinary to see anything but a draw from the first Test. Another wet morning ensured yet again a late start – 2.30 this time – and it was six o'clock, with the floodlights blazing beneath a pewter sky, by the time England reached parity with Sri Lanka's first-innings total, something, at 491 for five, they had extended to a lead of 91 by the close.
A quick burst in the morning and then who might know on a pitch that may show some inconsistent fifth-day bounce for England’s brace of tall seamers and some turn for Graeme Swann.
But the forecast is for heavy rain. We have a dead duck here, it appears, and the teams will reconvene at Lord’s on Friday as equals.
If ever there was a situation that was tailor-made for Jonathan Trott, it was this, a further opportunity to fill his boots. He needs no second bidding: 125 not out overnight, he batted on and on, the minutes and hours ticking by more relentlessly than the runs.
Occasionally he allowed himself the luxury of leaning into a pleasant drive or flicked away to leg on the rare occasions that the diligent Sri Lanka bowlers strayed from their line down the corridor of extreme width. But mostly the ball just plonked from the middle of a bat as dead as Dickens’s doornail.
Trott in this mood is a human metronome, set not to lento exactly and perhaps andante would be unkind, yet certainly not allegro either; more moderato, something he will have to address if he (and Alastair Cook, for that matter) are to make a go of being two of the first three batsmen in England’s one-day batting order.
His hundred had taken 239 minutes and 196 deliveries, his second hundred 27 minutes and six deliveries longer. Finally, seven minutes later, in making room to cut Dilshan, he was bowled for 203.
Trott is not to be decried for he does the job asked of him by England, and the Sri Lankans were generous in their recognition of him, a number making a point of shaking his hand as he walked off. However, there will come a time where it will not be enough to remain in a permanent batting bubble and let others set the pace around him.
Yesterday it might have been Kevin Pietersen who shouldered the responsibility, but, after another interminable wait – if he gets ready to bat as the openers go out, he will have sat through 260 overs since the start of the Ashes before getting to the crease and only 179 actually batting – he was given out for three, on referral, lbw, and to a left-arm spinner. It is almost surreal now.
Instead it was Ian Bell who came in, immediately struck Rangana Herath back over his head for six to set the tone and batted beautifully for 202 minutes thereafter to finish the day on 98, with 10 fours and a six, tantalisingly close to his 13th Test hundred.
There had been early and unexpected success for Sri Lanka, however, when play did get going, a shortish delivery from Farveez Maharoof bouncing a little more than Cook expected and cramping him too, the edge flying high to Prasanna Jayawardene who held a good catch.
Cook had added only four to his overnight 129 and it brought to an end a record partnership for England against Sri Lanka of 251.
It brought to the crease Pietersen. The delivery that did for him was cleverly bowled, a quicker arm ball from round the wicket that hurried on and left in disarray his idea of attempting to chop the ball away square. It struck him low on the back pad but with the distinct possibility that an inside edge first had saved him. The Sri Lankans differed and, after two minutes of review, he had to go.
FOURTH DAY
SRI LANKA: First innings 400
ENGLAND: First innings (overnight 287-2):
A Strauss c M Jayawardene b Lakmal 20
A Cook c P Jayawardene b Maharoof 133
J Anderson c M Jayawardene b Mendis 1
J Trott b Dilshan 203
K Pietersen lbw b Herath 3
I Bell not out 98
E Morgan not out 14
Extras: (b 10 lb 4 nb 5) 19
––––
Total (for five wickets; 153 overs) 491
Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-47, 3-298, 4-305, 5-465.
Still to bat: M Prior, S Broad, G Swann, C Tremlett.
Bowling: Lakmal 22-4-68-1 (1nb), Perera 23-5-77-0, Dilshan 16-1-60-1, Maharoof 27-3-91-1 (3nb), Mendis 21-4-66-1 (1nb), Herath 44-7-115-1.
