| Scorecard: | England v Sri Lanka |
| Event: | Sri Lanka in Ireland and England 2014 |
DateLine: 12th June 2014
By Andy Jalil In association with INVESTEC
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London Joe Root, with an excellent unbeaten innings of 102 from 190 balls, had taken England to close of play on a glorious, sunny first day of the summers opening Test match to 344 for five. His unbroken sixth wicket stand with Matt Prior had added 135 and brought about a complete recovery with Prior 76 not out.
This is a series in which Alastair Cook has a bit to prove about his captaincy. Any team leader who suffers a Test series whitewash, as happened to Cook in the Ashes earlier this year, would normally come under some scrutiny. The one thing that Cook needed to do was lead from the front, scoring heavily, which he failed to do. Following his poor form in the last series in which he had 262 runs from ten innings, he managed just 17. In fact, his last century for England was over a year ago.
But it wasn't the sort of start that Sam Robson would have hoped for on his England Test debut, particularly playing on his county home ground. It was a ball that should have been left alone so early in his innings but Robson reached for it as it swung away outside off stump and edged behind.
Eight runs later England were 22 for two with Cook attempting to cut a ball from Nuwan Kulasekera which was too close for the shot and he bottom edged it on to his stumps. A stand between Gary Ballance, playing in just his second Test match and Ian Bell, in his 99th, only partly revived the innings with 52 added before Sri Lanka struck again with Ballance edging his push off Nuwan Pradeep. Just as another promising partnership was developing between Bell and Root, the tourists claimed the wicket they most wanted, that of the experienced Bell.
Bell had played some fine strokes which brought him seven fours and his only six off Rangana Herath over long off had taken him to 47. But on 56, his 40th Test half century, Shaminda Eranga trapped him in front of the stumps shortly after lunch which had been taken on 98 for three. The umpire had turned down the appeal but Sri Lanka's review of the decision was successful.
The recovery of the England innings began late in the second session in a left and right-handed partnership between Root and the debutant Moeen Ali who showed no sign of nerves as he carefully built his innings and grew in confidence stepping out to hit Herath for six over wide mid-wicket. While Root kept taking his singles and twos at every opportunity, Moeen played the bigger shots. By tea, they had taken England to 195 for four and each had 43. Moeens score included four fours and a six while his partner had two fours.
Twenty minutes into the final session Sri Lanka ended the stand of 89 when Moeen on 48 from 98 balls, edged his drive off Herath to slip. It had been a fine innings considering he had come in at a difficult time when England were struggling and he had the task of reviving the innings. Two overs earlier Root had brought up his fifth Test fifty from 106 balls.
Root then began to form another useful stand with Prior who was brought back into the team after six months having been dropped for poor form during the Ashes. For Prior the feeling would have been a little similar to his debut on this ground when he hit the first of his seven Test centuries. Together they brought up the third fifty stand of the innings and took control of the play. Root progressed into the eighties and drove Mathews beautifully to long-on for four.
Meanwhile Prior picked up runs to get to his 28th Test fifty with a beautiful drive to the extra cover boundary and then hit the next ball for four at point. At the other end a perfect straight drive for four by Root saw him to 96 and his third Test century followed when he ran three off the left arm spinner Herath to long-on for his hundred. The runs were flowing by this stage with the two batsmen dominating the closing stages of the day.
(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2014 Andy Jalil)
