Friday, May 17, 2002
Friday, May 17, 2002 |
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Cricket
By Ted Corbett
The small crowd sat back anticipating easy wickets on a spongy pitch, forgetting that there are brains beyond the ordinary in this confident Sri Lankan team. Gus Fraser, Middlesex captain turned journalist, admitted he would have thought of putting in the opposition and so would many others. Instead of collapsing the batsmen prospered, so that 110 had been scored — off just 27 overs — by lunch and both the wickets were down to errors of judgement rather than good bowling. The sun shone, the pitch lacked pace and all the England bowlers — including Dominic Cork, the leading wicket-taker of the moment — looked as if another 50 overs were needed to bring them to match fitness. It needed an unnecessary run-out to end the bright opening partnership between Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu in the eighth over with 36 already on the board and Sanath clearly about to launch even more of his exciting shots in the manner of his grand innings at the Oval in 1998. Atapattu, even so early in the innings buckling down to the sort of marathon that brought him a century at Northampton early in the tour, was keen on a second run after Sanath turned the ball to the deep square leg boundary. But Michael Vaughan's long, flat throw was right to the top of the stumps and Alec Stewart needed only to stretch out an arm to beat the despairing dive. One television replay settled any doubts at the first showing. The crowd had been deprived of another glimpse of the most exotic shot selection in world cricket but not of exquisite strokeplay. Kumar Sangakkara too had just begun settle when he flung his bat at a wide ball from Matthew Hoggard, in the middle of his spell of eight successive overs — on the hottest day of the year — to be comfortably caught by Andrew Flintoff at second slip. At 55 for two there was reason to think that Sri Lankan wickets might suddenly tumble. But by lunch all those beliefs had been cast aside. Atapattu had barely made a mistake, Mahela Jayawardene was batting fluently and the runs were coming at four an over; a rate inspired by the new Millennium strokeplay of Nathan Astle and Adam Gilchrist, even though Jayasuriya's departure might have invited caution. Immediately after lunch England might have had Atapattu's wicket when another quick throw from Vaughan was a fraction too late but from that moment there was a feeling that the pitch had lost all venom and that it would take another lapse of concentration to unseat a batsman. Atapattu seemed set for another long double century, scoring at a run and a half an over, while Jayawardene gradually caught him up with sparkling drives and delicate deflections. Sri Lanka reached 200 in only 52 overs and 217 for two off 54 overs at tea with both batsmen near 100; England had been forced to resort to Mark Butcher's part-time medium pace and the pair had put on 150 in 175 minutes. Not exactly express pace but astonishingly quick for the first day of a series and a decisive blow for those English minds who looked for victory in three days when the toss was made.
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