Day Four
A decent effort from England in the end. The bowling and fielding was substandard in the first session, but couldn't really be faulted afterwards.
Sri Lanka played pretty well in response I thought, starting with the nightwatchman, who was plucky and fearless, an inspiration for those to come. Mahela, next up, was absolutely brilliant again, a first-rate batsman indeed. The absolute prize wicket. England don't seem to know how to get him out.
On the negative side, Thirimanne is clearly a bit of a hack so I won't go after him, but oddly enough one of my favourite players, Sangakkara, was a real letdown. He was out of form, granted - but after getting a start, his was truly an abysmal effort. The former captain could have been out numerous times, before his 90-ball 20 was brought to an end by Swann.
Then, the Mahela-Samara partnership seemed to have the match on a knife-edge for a while (it may yet prove crucial if England are chasing a problematic total). The partnership was technically accomplished and brutally effective, boring the bowlers into near-submission and, I suspect, those watching too. Swann plugged away, though, and finally broke the stand. Then he ripped out Randiv two balls later. England will sleep much better now.
You know, Swann is truly a world-class bowler, and England's most valuable player. I hope now everyone can see why England fans rate him so highly. It is not the usual case of tinted spectacles; Swann is genuinely special. He now has 27 wickets this winter, at an average of 24 with a strike rate of 49. All in conditions alien to him. And he always does it at crucial junctures in games. This reaffirms his status as England's best bowler.
So, apart from when the seamers and spinners take the new ball, there is pretty much nothing for the bowlers in this pitch. It is a flat pitch. Which is why England need to make further inroads quickly tomorrow, or this could turn into a dangerous lead. Mahela and Mathews might put up a partnership, and there is still the keepie to come. The tail-enders are clumsy but they too will be fighting hard.
If England end up chasing 160 against the clock, things could get *****ly once again. Ideally, England should open with Anderson and Swann tomorrow and try to limit the chase to 100. But as ever in test cricket, there are no easy sessions.
This season, England have already snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Abu Dhabi and Galle. Winning even one of these tests would have made a noticeable difference to their season - alas. If England make it a hat-trick of bottle-jobs, they will deserve to lose the number one ranking, which is already hanging by a thread.
They simply have to hold their nerve this time.