Eng v SL, 1st Test Review: Anderson's ten stumps Sri Lanka twice in two days

The 1^st England vs Sri Lanka Test concluded in slightly less than three days. Some terrible cricket from the visitors and some fantastic bowling from James Anderson and Stuart Broad ensured that the Lankans slumped to a terrible innings defeat. The margin of defeat at Headingley was an innings and 88 runs.

Having won the toss, Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews invited his counterpart Alastair Cook and his men to bat first. The decision was perhaps marred by the fact that the pitch did assist seamers as well as the overcast conditions. With the 10,000 run mark looming over the horizon, Cook had a rare episode of ‘jerky’ batting. For perhaps the first time in his entire career, Cook looked uncertain. Of course, Headingley isn’t kind to batsmen and of course Cook is after all human. Yet, the pace of the Lankan bowlers seemed to hurry the skipper.

The uncertainty was short lived as was his innings as Cook fell to a peach of a delivery from Dasun Shanaka. While the latter claimed his first Test wicket, Cook would have to wait another day to get the monkey off his back. Shanaka’s first day as a Test match player for his country was simply an unforgettable one. He wasn’t bowling at the pace of Dennis Lillee. Yet, he was seemingly unplayable. Nick Compton and Joe Root too made their way back to the dressing sheds as the Brit supporters sunk their heads into the hoodies of their jumpers. The lunch interval was also no good as James Vince and Ben Stokes too were sent back to the haven of the pavilion as the English were left reeling at 70-5.

However, some unprecedented smashing of the cricket ball from Alex Hales, who had weathered the storm, as well as Jonny Bairstow, ensured that the Brits concluded Day 1 on 171-5 as rain shortened the day’s play.

Day 2 yielded the wicket of Alex Hales in the first session. However, this did little to hamper the rapid progress of Bairstow. The latter scythed through the Lankan pace attack, going on to smash a valiant 140. He was assisted by an unlikely source in the form of Steven Finn. Although Bairstow was eventually dismissed for 140, Finn took the reins to whack the ball all over the park before he too was stumped by Dinesh Chandimal. They had managed a valiant 298.

Day 2 was a supreme failure as far as the Lankan Lions were concerned. With Cook unleashing the James Anderson and Stuart Broad combo on the Lankans, they simply didn’t stand a chance. One by one, the Lankan players did the walk of shame back into the pavilion. So monotonously regular was their return to the dressing sheds, they were hoping for a near miracle. However, this didn’t happen as Angelo Mathews top scored with a frugal 34. Lahiru Thirimanne fought the pace attack for a while before he too fell prey to the vicious pace of James Anderson. The visitors were bundled out for a paltry 91 as Cook enforced the follow-on.

Dimuth Karunaratne and Kushal Silva made their way back to the middle, for the second time in the day before bad light stopped play shortly after the second delivery of the innings was bowled. Day 3 and it was the same story. Jimmy Anderson once again had the ball on a string. He was moving it so seamlessly, putting little or no effort into his cause. Kusal Mendis weathered the storm with his aggressive approach by smashing the ball to all parts of the Leeds ground. He managed a valiant 53 before he too was snapped up by the irresistible Anderson.

Another five-wicket haul for the unbelievable James Anderson finally ensured that the Lankans were once again bundled out for 119, 88 runs behind the seemingly mammoth England total. Despite Jimmy Anderson’s 10 wickets, Jonny Bairstow’s 140 and 9 dismissals saw him leave the setting with the man of the match award.

Brief Scores:

England 1^st innings: 298 all out (J Bairstow 140; D Shanaka 3/46)

Sri Lanka 1^st innings: 91 all out (A Mathews 34; J Anderson 5/16)

Sri Lanka 2^nd innings: 119 all out (K Mendis 53; J Anderson 5/29)

Man of the match: Jonny Bairstow