A look back at an auction week at James and Sons and a photo gallery.
This week James and Sons had auctions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This post looks back at those days.
MONDAY – TOYS
The Monday auction was the smallest of three, just 150 lots going under the hammer. It was very successful. The fun started as early as lot 4, some Scalextric stuff which was expected to fetch 50-60 and ended up going £170!
Lot 9 went very cheaply to me.
Lot 43 might also have been of interest to me, being four model London Underground 1959 tube stock carriages, had it not been going way beyond my means. It was estimated at 25-35, but actually went for an eye popping £130!
These trains were still in service into the 1990s by the way.
There were other notable successes, but I will settle for highlighting just one further lot, number 96, which had a modest estimate of 15-20 and ended up going for £48!
TUESDAY
Tuesday was a work day for me, so I did not get to see what happened in that day’s auction, though there was some interesting stuff going under the hammer. Lot 667 went to me (I placed a bid online, and it was knocked down to me). While the auction was going on I was one floor up, using the scanner rather than my usual camera to image football programmes and team sheets which will be going under the hammer near the end of September.
WEDNESDAY – STAMPS
The stamp sale featured more lots than either Monday or Tuesday had, but was also quieter than either day. A Tanzanian railway stamp went to me cheaply, while the only notable success was lot 1430, which I did not image. Here is my stamp:
In its new display location, alongside a Djibouti banknoteTwo close ups of the locomotiveFocus on the text
A look back at the first of the T20 Blast quarterfinals, between Surrey and Durham last night, and a photo gallery.
Yesterday evening saw the first of the T20 Vitality Blast quarter-finals, with Surrey playing against Durham at The Oval. This post looks at how the match unfolded.
THE DURHAM INNINGS
Surrey won the toss and decided to bowl. Graham Clark, whose brother Jordan was playing for Surrey, was out in the first over, without scoring. Durham continued to fare poorly in the early stages, and when their fourth wicket fell with the score at 36 an early finish looked likely. However a combination of some good batting and some very poor death bowling revived Durham’s fortunes to the extent that they had 162 to defend. What should have been the last ball of the innings was called no-ball, and then the extra delivery was smashed for four. This was still a poorish score for The Oval, where 180 is about par.
THE SURREY CHASE
Surrey did not have things all their own way in the chase. However, the fourth wicket pair of Dominic Sibley and Sam Curran shared an excellent partnership. Sibley was eventually out for an excellent 67, which included bringing up his 50 with a reverse scoop for six. That brought Tom Curran in to join brother Sam for the closing stages. By this point the question was how much time would Surrey have to spare, and in the end it proved to be precisely two overs.
A look at the closing stages of the test match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s, and a photo gallery.
Just after 5PM on a sunny Sunday (the first day of meteorological autumn) Lahiru Kumara hit a catch to Olly Stone off the bowling of Chris Woakes and the second test match between England and Sri Lanka was over, with England comprehensive winners. This post looks the final stages of the match (see here and here for previous posts about the development of this match).
BAD LIGHT AND CUNNING PLANS
Sri Lanka lost the first wicket of their second innings just as I was preparing yesterday’s post for publication. Karunaratne and Nissanka resisted for a time, but Stone had Nissanka caught by Root to make it 43-2. The light was dodgy by then, and although there was potential an hour and 41 minutes before the final cut off time Sri Lanka sent in Prabath Jayasuriya, hoping that the light would close in quickly. This strategy had the disadvantage that it would mean that Kamindu Mendis, Sri Lanka’s best batter of the series to date would be coming in at number eight, and it could have backfired far worse than it actually did, though it cannot honestly be accounted a success. The light did close in as Sri Lanka were hoping, and they went in to today needing precisely 430 more with eight second innings wickets standing.
ATKINSON TO THE FORE
Jayasuriya did not last massively long before Woakes had him caught by Brook to make it 60-3. Angelo Mathews joined Karunaratne and they put on 55 together, in the course of which Karunaratne become the first batter in positions 1-3 on either side to top 50 in an innings in this series. Unfortunately Karunaratne, a left hander who featured in my all time Ks XI and has moved his test average to the right side of 40 since then, did not go on much beyond 50 on this occasion. He had reached 55 when a ball from Stone took his glove on the way through to keeper Smith and it was 115-4. Chandimal now joined Mathews and proceeded to bat as though he was looking for a quick win, rather than facing a target that was still over 350 runs away. It was Mathews who was the first of the pair to go in the end, inexcusably for so experienced a player he allowed a sequence of dot balls to get to him, essayed a lofted drive against Shoaib Bashir and picked out Woakes to make it 174-5. Not long later the final instalment of the Atkinson show began, when Chandimal turned a ball from him round the corner, straight into the waiting hands of Dan Lawrence to make it 192-6. He had scored 58, but it was not the sort of innings that Sri Lanka needed in that situation. Kamindu Mendis, who should have been further up the order rather than a place down on his usual number seven, played his worst test knock to date, surviving a mere five balls and scoring four before he edged Atkinson to Duckett at third slip to make it 200-7. The effect that the promotion of Prabath Jayasuriya had on him is the main reason I rate the move a failure overall. Dhananjaya de Silva and Milan Rathnayake now shared the best Sri Lankan partnership of the match, making merry against an old ball that was doing precisely nothing on a pitch that never displayed any demons. The coming of the new ball was always likely to change things, and it did. The first ball of the fourth over with it, bowled by Atkinson found its way into the stumps by way of Dhananjaya de Silva’s bat, dismissing the Sri Lankan skipper for 50 and making it 273-8. Rathnayake hit some impressive shots, including successive boundaries off Atkinson, but the ball after thex second of those shots, the third of the 86th over found the edge and Smith did the rest to make it 288-9, and give Atkinson his fifth wicket of the innings, his seventh of the match and his 33rd in the five test matches he has played to date. It was the first time an England player had combined a century and a five-for in a test match since the last of Ian Botham’s five such games, at Wellington in 1984. Four more runs accrued before, like a ham actor stealing the last line from an Oscar winner, Woakes got the wicket of Kumara as described in the introduction and England had won by 190 runs. Atkinson was named Player of the Match, correctly in my view – he and Root both had outstanding matches, but Atkinson’s was the more impressive, and Root’s copybook was blotted by a couple of dropped catches. A shared award between Atkinson and Root would have been acceptable, but I would have been annoyed had it gone to Root on his own. Scorecard here.
A look at developments in the test match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s, including a history making innings by Joe Root.
This post is mostly concerned with goings on at Lord’s where England and Sri Lanka are engaged in a test match. It follows on from the post I put up yesterday.
YESTERDAY
Sri Lanka lost their eighth wicket as I was preparing yesterday’s post for publication. The final two wickets offered a little more resistance, but Sri Lanka were all out for 196 in the end, giving England a lead of 231. Each of the four seamers had two wickets, Bashir one and there was a run out. England could have enforced the follow on, but even though they had not spent that long in the field and the chance of two shots at Sri Lanka, overnight and this morning, offered extra reasons for going for the quick kill they followed standard 21st century practice and declined to do so. Lawrence was out in the mini-session of batting they gave themselves. To his credit Pope did not shelter behind a nightwatcher, he came in himself. England were 25-1 at the close, 256 ahead overall.
TODAY
Duckett was first to go this morning, caught by Mathews off Rathnayake for 24 to make it 36-2. That brought Joe Root to the crease, and he carried on where he had left of in the first innings. Pope was third to go, to a really terrible dismissal, playing a ball from Asitha Fernando straight into the hands of Prabath Jayasuriya. Brook and Smith each played well briefly, making 37 and 26 respectively. Woakes made just 5. Atkinson made 14 before suffering what was easily the most bizarre dismissal of the match, reverse swishing (the only way the shot he played can be described) Asitha Fernando straight into the hands of Lahiru Kumara. Root was approaching the century that would move him into sole possession of the record for test hundreds for England, but he lost another partner, Matt Potts for just 2 before the landmark approached. Appropriately when the historic moment came it arrived with considerable style – no snatched single for Root to reach this ton – he stroked a four through the covers to move from 98 to 102. A declaration at that moment would have attracted little criticism, but England batted on rather purposelessly (if ever the cliche ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ is justified it is for this period of play) until they were all out for 251, setting Sri Lanka 483 to win with time not a factor, since there are still two full days to play. Only once has 400 been scored in the fourth innings of a Lord’s test and that was in a losing cause, though there have been two huge run chases at this ground in the past – Cambridge University chased down 507 v MCC in 1897 and four years later in the marquee fixture of the season (no tests that summer) The Players chased down 501 to beat The Gentlemen. Sri Lanka have just lost their first wicket, with Root taking a catch off Atkinson to get Madushka for 13 and make it 19-1.
FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP
A round of county championship fixtures is in progress (except for Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire, abandoned by order of the umpires on ground of a dangerous pitch and Warwickshire v Kent, where the visitors, already pretty much nailed on for relegation, have surrendered by an innings margin), and I have been using cricinfo to keep tabs on Nottinghamshire v Surrey. Nottinghamshire are making a decent fight of it, largely thanks to 19 year old left hander Freddie McCann, who came in at number three after the loss of an early wicket, and in only his third first class innings scored 154.
A look at developments in the England v Sri Lanka test match at Lord’s to date.
Yesterday morning a test match got underway at Lord’s between the England and Sri Lanka men’s teams. This post looks at the developments so far (and there have been plenty).
DAY ONE
Yesterday being a work day I missed most of the action. Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and put England in to bat under cloudless skies and on a pitch that looked flat. At first he looked like getting away with it, assisted by England’s front line batters. Lawrence and Pope’s innings were both over before they had really begun, Duckett scored 40 before playing a loose stroke, and Brook and Smith both also played poor shots. When Smith fell it was 192-5, and 24 runs later Woakes was also out. Root however had been playing beautifully, equalling Alastair Cook’s England record of 33 test centuries. Gus Atkinson now joined him and played brilliantly. The seventh wicket stand was still in progress when I was finally able to tune in, and it kept going merrily on for a while after. Root finally gout, essaying a reverse scoop, for 143 to make it 308-7. Potts and Atkinson continued to bat well, Atkinson reaching a 50 at virtually a run a ball. By the close the stand was worth 50 and England were 358-7, Atkinson 74*, Potts 20*.
DAY TWO
Initially the question was whether Atkinson could score the 26 he needed to complete a century and claim his place on all three Lord’s honours boards (in his debut match, against the West Indies, he had accounted for both the five-wicket innings haul and the ten-wicket match haul). He was on 82 when Australian umpire Paul Reiffel upheld an LBW appeal against him. he reviewed it instantly, and the replay showed it going well down the leg side. That was the only alarm along the way. Soon he was on 95*, and two successive boundaries then saw him to three figures, his maiden FC ton (his previous best was 91 in a Surrey v Lancashire development XI game in 2022) as well as his maiden test ton. He had got there at precisely a run a ball – 103 balls* off 103 balls with 11 fours and four sixes. There was no slogging involved – this was a proper innings, and when it began England had been in some trouble. Potts was eighth out, but Olly Stone, playing his first test match in three years after a horror run of injuries kept Atkinson company and showed that he is far from being a rabbit with the bat. Atkinson was finally out caught behind off Asitha Fernando for 118 to make it 420-9. England were all out for 427, Asitha Fernando 5-102.
Sri Lanka started better than in either innings at Manchester, but when the wickets started to fall they fell in clumps. Both openers played balls into their own stumps, Pathum Nissanka at number three played a really poor shot, straight to Matthew Potts who had been placed there for it, off the bowling of Stone. Mathews and Chandimal each got into the 20s, but then came another clatter of wickets, Mathews being absolutely done by Potts to be clean bowled for 22, Dhanjanaya de Silva going a few balls later for a duck, edging Potts to Brook, and then Chandimal suffered the worst dismissal of the match to date (even in a field as well contested as this it was a definite winner) when he hit a ball from Atkinson straight to Dan Lawrence moments after Pope had placed him there precisely for that shot and that was 87-6. Sri Lanka have recovered somewhat from that nadir. Kamindu Mendis and Milan Rathnayake took the score to 118 before Rathnayake was caught behind off Woakes, and Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya are still in residence together having taken the score on to 152-7, but they are still in absolutely dire straights, being 275 adrift. Woakes, Stone and Potts each have two wickets, and Atkinson received that gift wicket from Chandimal. While I have been preparing this for publication Bashir has produced an absolute jaffa to bowl his fellow spinner Prabath Jayasuriya to make it 153-8.
Some thoughts on the England XI for the test match that starts at Lord’s tomorrow and a photo gallery.
Tomorrow the second of three test matches between the England and Sri Lanka men’s teams gets underway at Lord’s. England announced their playing XI yesterday and this post looks at that announcement
The only change is the injury enforced one of Olly Stone for Mark Wood.
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE XI
Ben Duckett failed twice in the first test but has done enough to prove himself as a test opener. Dan Lawrence is not really an opener at all, but a) he didn’t do too badly in Manchester and far more significantly in my view, b) to change your mind about something like this after one match would smack of panic. Ollie Pope has a magnificent FC record but an ordinary test one to date, though his average at number three in test cricket is respectable. As skipper he was going to keep his place barring injury, but there remains a Hick like chasm between his FC and test returns. Root, Brook and Smith are the engine room of the batting, and to have left any of them out would have been rank stupidity. The question arises over number seven. England, sticking to the policy with which they won the first test, went for the genuine all rounder Chris Woakes, leaving Smith with the gauntlets and enabling the selection of five front line bowlers. I wholeheartedly approve of this policy. The alternatives were either to deepen the batting at the cost of leaving the bowling light or to select a keeper at seven and relieve Smith of the gloves. I would have preferred to see Smith elevated as a pure batter rather than as batter/ keeper, but he barely put a foot wrong since his promotion to international status, and I much prefer a full range of bowling options (have a look at some of my All Time XIs, especially the one of players whose surnames begin with V for more on my thoughts in this regard). Atkinson fared well with the bat at number eight last time out, and has done brilliantly with the ball all through his test career to date. Potts had a poor game at Old Trafford, but I think it right to persist with him rather than give up straight away. Stone is a fine bowler who would have played many more times at the highest level but for the injury problems that have dogged him all through his career. Bashir has not any tremendously helpful conditions this home season but he has been adequate as a spinner. Thus over these selections I am broadly supportive of the ECB (it would be frankly laughable for anyone to make out that I of all people am blindly loyal to the ECB).
PHOTOGRAPHS
Before I present the full gallery (remember to view images at a larger size than shown here just click on the image) a brief note about the featured image which appears last of all. It is a composite of two images taken approximately 26 hours and about a quarter of a mile apart – the first was something I spotted on a leaf in my back garden when setting off for work yesterday, the second something I saw on the way home from a walk that took in among many other places both the library and a supermarket (the first of three walks today – the pictures from the other two are still on my camera). We are now ready for my usual sign off…
This picture of the remarkable Gayton village sign (a 3d construction) came with the assistance of me having got the best seat on a closed-top double decker bus – the non-drivers side front window seat on the top deck.
A look at the action from Southern Vipers and the Blaze in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy and a photo gallery,
This August bank holiday the only professional cricket action is in the women’s game, with four Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy matches (the RHFT is the women’s 50 overs per side domestic competition in England – the longest format most of them get to play on any sort of regular basis). There is live radio coverage of the match at Arundel (in West Sussex but for centuries owned by the dukes of Norfolk) between Southern Vipers and The Blaze (the latter are midlands based) and I have thus been following that game.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
For some unfathomable reason radio coverage of the match was due to start at 10:38AM, eight minutes after play itself started. Technical issues then intervened meaning that it was a further ten minutes, and thus 18 minutes (and five overs – the women are not slow getting through the overs) after the scheduled start that coverage was actually available.
BLAZE STRUGGLE WITH THE BAT
Vipers had won the toss and chosen to bowl first. With the notable exception of Marie Kelly (40 off 37 balls) Blaze struggled with the bat all the way through their innings. Lucy Higham tried to marshal the lower order, scoring 29. Vipers’ two off spinners, Ava Lee (4-51 on her 19th birthday) and Georgia Adams (2-32 from 8.5 overs) were the best of the bowlers, a fact that Higham, whose bowling stock in trade is off spin will surely have noted.
THE VIPERS REPLY SO FAR
Ella McCaughan and Rhianna Southby opened for the Vipers, McCaughan being their regular opener, while Southby is the sixth opening partner they have tried alongside her (shades of finding a partner for Alastair Cook in the England’s men’s side after the retirement of Strauss).
Vipers made it to 33 before Irish star (recent player of the series for them against Sri Lanka) Orla Prendergast, who had fared badly with the bat, trapped McCaughan LBW for 9. Vipers have just past 50, in the 13th over, but significantly Prendergast has also just struck for a second time, removing Adams with the aid of a catch by Josie Groves. This is looking like a decent contest. While I have been preparing this for publication Vipers have moved on to 72-2 after 16 overs. Southby is 30*.
PHOTOGRAPHS
I have a splendid gallery for you…
Until I saw this (four pics) I was wondering which dragon/ damselfly would be the feature image.
A look back at England’s win over Sri Lanka at Old Trafford and a large photo gallery.
At just after 7pm yesterday evening Joe Root straight drove a four off Prabath Jaysuriya to seal an England win the opening test match of the series against Sri Lanka. This post looks back at the match and gives England player ratings.
THE FINAL STAGES OF DAY THREE
I put up a post on Friday and this section picks up the action from there. Mendis and Mathews fought well, and although Milan Rathnayake, promoted after his first innings efforts, did not fare well he did last long enough that Chandimal was able to resume his interrupted innings. He and Kamindu Mendis carried Sri Lanka to the close at 204-6, a lead of 82 overall. The biggest news of this period of the day was that Mark Wood suffered a thigh injury, which we now know has ruled him out of the rest of the series. Olly Stone will probably take his place in the XI for the next test, while 20 year old Leicestershire bowler Josh Hull has been added to the squad.
DAY FOUR
Sri Lanka initially responded superbly to their adversity, and Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal took Sri Lanka past the 300 mark while still together. The breakthrough finally came when Atkinson had Mendis caught by Root for 113, a superb century that rightly earned him a standing ovation from the Manchester crowd. The tail then imploded and from the high water mark of 307-6 Sri Lanka were all out for 326, an advantage of 204.
Chandimal’s thumb injury meant that he could not keep wicket, and Kusal Mendis took his place behind the stumps, with yet another Mendis, Ramesh of that ilk, on as substitute fielder. Asitha Fernando had Duckett caught by the second choice keeper with the score at 34, Duckett 11. Pope never looked remotely comfortable, and his dismissal caught by skipper de Silva off Jayasuriya for 6 to make it 56-2 was no surprise in the circumstances. Lawrence after making a respectable start for the second time in two innings as opener also failed to convert that start into a really big score for the second time out of two, falling LBW to Rathnayake for 34 to make it 70-3. Brook was starting to look impressive when he hit a return catch to Jaysuriya to make it 119-4. Jamie Smith injected some vital momentum when England were threatening to atrophy, scoring 39 off 48 balls before Asitha Fernando bowled him to make it 183-5. That made it 150 runs in the match for Smith. Woakes joined Root, and the pair never looked in any difficulty as they knocked off the remaining 22 to win. On the face of it this was comfortable for England, but that run chase was definitely hard work for them, and had Sri Lanka’s top order functioned adequately in either innings (they were 6-3 at low water mark in the first innings and 1-2 in the second – five top order wickets across the two innings for a mere seven runs) they might well have embarrassed England. Jamie Smith whose 150 runs across the two innings, both contributions being crucial, and a wicket keeping performance marred by only one definite error, his role in the no-ball as per law 27.3.1, was deservedly named Player of the Match. Scorecard here.
ENGLAND PLAYER RATINGS
Ben Duckett – 3. Two failures with the bat. Dan Lawrence – 6. He is not an opener in spite of which he fared respectably in both innings, but loses points for not managing a major score either time. Ollie Pope – 3. Failed even worse with the bat than Duckett, but gets some credit for winning his first match as captain. Joe Root – 8. 104 runs for once out in the match, and his cool head in the final innings steered England through what could have become very choppy waters. Harry Brook – 7. Two good counter attacking innings when England needed them, a combined 88 runs in the match. Jamie Smith – 9. His first innings century turned a potentially sticky situation into one where England were in command, his 39 in the second innings injected some extra momentum at a crucial stage of the chase and his keeping was sound overall. The law 27.3.1 incident and the fact that he did not quite manage to see the chase through were the only negatives. Chris Woakes – 7. Three wickets in each Sri Lankan innings, a crucial supporting innings first time round for England and there at the death second time round. Gus Atkinson – 6. Wickets in both Sri Lankan innings and a crucial supporting knock first time round for England. Matthew Potts – 5. The least impressive of England’s regular bowlers, he shipped runs at five an over in the first Sri Lanka innings, and his three wickets in the second looked a flattering return as well. Mark Wood – 6.5. His searing pace, unmatched by anyone on either side, had more impact than his mere two wickets in the match might suggest. Sri Lanka’s best batting period in the match came, not coincidentally, after injury had removed him from proceedings. Shoaib Bashir – 6. Three wickets in the first innings, wicketless second time round.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
I put in an appearance at a Beer Festival at the Rathskeller today – it is an event raising money for charities, among them the West Norfolk Autism Group.
A look at developments in the England v Sri Lanka test match at Old Trafford and a photo gallery.
The test match between England and Sri Lanka is into the final session of the third day. England have fared very well. I covered events of the first day here, so what follows will look at days two and three.
DAY TWO
Yesterday was a work day, so I missed most of the play. Almost all of the England front line batters (Pope being the exception) got some sort of start, but they also got out without going on to really big scores, with the exception of Jamie Smith who batted superbly and ensured that England were well placed. England were 259-6, 23 runs ahead on first innings when rain and bad light halted the action, with Smith 72 not out.
DAY THREE
The morning session gave the lie to those who had worried that England’s decision to play five front line bowlers with Woakes at number seven had left them with too long a tail. It was over an hour before England lost a wicket, Atkinson being the one to go for 20. By then Smith had completed his maiden test century, and England had moved past 300. At 315 Smith himself fell, for 111. However Potts, Wood (22 off 13 balls) and Bashir added a further 43 entertaining runs for the last two wickets before England were all out. In the run up to lunch things got better still for England as Woakes and Atkinson bagged a wicket a piece in the mini-session Sri Lanka had to negotiate before the interval. The second session of the day was better for Sri Lanka, although they lost the wickets of Karunaratne and their captain Dhananjaya de Silva, and also saw Chandimal suffer an injury when a ball from Wood struck his thumb, which was serious enough to at least temporarily remove him from the action. Angelo Mathews and Kamindu Mendis got Sri Lanka to the tea interval, though they were still in arrears at that point. That pair are still together as I type, with Sri Lanka now 146-4, 24 runs ahead overall. There was a bizarre outcome to a review of an LBW appeal by England when TV replay Umpire Joel Wilson requested a split screen showing bowler and wicket keeper at the time the ball was delivered to check whether the wicket keepers gloves were wholly behind the stumps, as required by law 27.3.1 – and they were not, leading to a call of no-ball and an extra run to the SL total, but fortunately for Smith the replay showed that even had this offence not happened the not out verdict wouldn’t have been overturned – it was umpire’s call on whether it was hitting the stumps.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
This green shieldbug was resident in my garden for a couple of days. I took several images, getting far closer than is usually possible.
A look at action on day one of the test match so far (there is not likely to be any more due to the light) and a photo gallery.
The first test match of the series between the England and Sri Lanka men’s teams got underway today in Manchester. The first innings of the match has now concluded, and this post looks at what we have seen so far.
THE MORNING SESSION
Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first, as was virtually mandatory given that no side have won a test match at Manchester after putting the opposition in. Ollie Pope, stand in skipper for England in place of the injured Ben Stokes said that he would have chosen to bowl had he won. England began extremely well, reducing Sri Lanka to 6-3, with two wickets for Woakes and one for Atkinson, albeit both of Woakes’ wickets, taken in the space of four balls had the assistance of the batters – Madushka played a loose shot to be caught by Root and the veteran Angelo Mathews horribly misjudged a leave when the ball was very close to the stumps and fell LBW. Wood produced a brute of a ball that Chandimal could only fend into the hands of Brook o make it 40-4. Bashir, brought on late in the morning session, produced one that kept wickedly low to pin Dinesh Chandimal LBW (he reviewed it, probably out of disbelief that a ball in the first session of a test match in England had actually behaved in that fashion) and that was 72-5. Kamindu Mendis kept skipper Dhananjaya de Silva company until lunch, by when Sri Lanka were 80-5.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION
With the score at 92 Woakes found the edge of Kamindu Mendis’ bat, Smith took the catch and SL were six down. Prabath Jayasuriya got to to 10, before Atkinson’s pace proved too much for him – he was caught off what was called a no-ball as the third bouncer of the over but was unable to make use of the reprieve, edging through to Smith two balls later and that was 113-7. Milan Rathnayake was making his test debut, but proceeded to bat with a competence that should have shamed most of those above him in the order. Tea was approaching when the previously impeccable de Silva played a poor shot at Bashir, turning the ball straight into the hands of Dan Lawrence to be out for 74. That was 176-8, and tea was taken with the score 178-8.
THE EVENING SESSION
Rathnayake and Vishwa Fernando were now in occupation, and both batted well in contrasting ways – Rathnayake assumed control of the scoring, will Vishwa Fernando blocked. During their partnership the light became an issue, and England were able to continue only be deploying Root in partnership with Bashir. Rathnayake had set a new record for a number nine on test debut (72), and the highest score for nine years for anyone debuting at nine or lower in the order (Ashton Agar scored 98, also against England, from number 11 on his test debut in 2015) when he finally fell, holing to Chris Woakes off Bashir, whose third scalp of the day brought his test bowling average below 30 per wicket (29 at 29.86. That was 226-9, and the last pair Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando added a further 10 runs before Vishwa was run out to end the innings. 236 all out was far more than Sri Lanka could have hoped for from 6-3 or indeed 113-7, but the Bashir delivery to Chandimal notwithstanding this not actually an especially tough pitch for batting, and England will probably be pleased with their day’s work, especially if they make it to the close without loss (SL have opted to open with Prabath Jayasuriya and Dhananjaya de Silva, deciding they want to bowl this evening and accepting that to do so they must use spin only). As I prepare this for publication Sri Lanka have turned to pace and the umpires have immediately suspended play with England 22-0 after four overs, Duckett 13* and stand-in opener Lawrence 9*.
aspiblog 