mainly due to persistent rain, south africa could not topple england as number one in the world rankings with a 1-0 series win in new zealand. next up for england was a two match series in sri lanka, hoping to right the wrongs of a dreadful test series in the UAE.
the setting for the first test was the beautiful galle international stadium, full of loud and proud english supporters enjoying the perfect weather. sri lanka won the toss and as expected, elected to bat. from a sri lankan perspective, there wasn't much to write home about based on the first innings, unless you go by the name of mahela jayawardene. england finally removed him early on day two after a magnificent innings of 180: saving his side from utter humiliation, an even more impressive score from the captain with very little help from his teammates, none of which stayed long enough to build a significent partnership. sri lanka clawed their way to 318 - anderson, the star of the show taking five wickets: the leader of england's bowling attack taking the prized scalp of sangakkara first ball.
after a long day in the field, many wouldn't begrudge the england bowlers a few hours rest on day two. although within two or three of hours, they were padded up and ready to bat. it was almost déjà vu for england fans: top quality batsmen undone by spin. this time however there was no excuse about facing the best spinner in the world, herath is nowhere close to ajmal. cook, pietersen and trott all getting out cheaply. the previously out of form bell was the only batsman to pass 50, as england were bowled out for just 193. to win this game england had a mountain to climb; it's obvious we can rely on the english bowlers to perform but we almost expect a collective failure from the batsmen away from home, particularly on the subcontinent.the only real entertainment from the england first innings was the last wicket partnership between anderson & panesar, putting on nearly forty runs.
at the end of day two, england were only still in the game thanks to four wickets from graeme swann. until this point swann had had an unusually quiet winter, outbowled by panesar against pakistan and effectively playing for his place in the side for the summer, ending the sri lankan second innings with figures of 6-82. p jayawardene top scoring with 61; broad thought he had jayawardene earlier on before the umpire correctly called a no ball. these extra runs could have proved crucial, which would have tipped an already frustrated broad over the edge you feel. sri lanka were all out for 214 and set england 340 to win; england were still in with a chance but they'd have to break several records in order to win in a game they'd been outplayed from almost start to finish.
with the early dimissals of cook and strauss, the latter in a particularly disappointing fashion, the game seemed to be slipping away from the tourists but at the end of day 3; a solid partnership between trott and pietersen meant england had a lifeline. losing pietersen and then bell before lunch on day four was a massive blow to england's chances. jonathan trott however was going nowhere, his conventional trott's trench was dug and the partnership with prior dramatically swung the game back in england's favour. for the first time this winter, the batsmen looked comfortable at the crease and weren't phased by the presence of spin from both ends. the innings was going almost perfectly before the dismissal of prior turned the game on its head - jonathan trott's fantastic 112 preceded a sadly predictable collapse at the hands of herath and randiv. the hosts took the last five wickets for only twelve runs and this time, the tail could not save england like it has been forced to many times before. sri lanka had deservedly won by seventy five runs and extended england's losing streak to four matches.
before the second test starts tuesday, some series issues have to be addressed regarding the batsmen's technique and mental attitude towards facing spin; in less than nine months, this side will be flying out to india where they'll be firmly out of their comfort zone. no matter how poor india have looked away from home conditions, in india they're a match for anyone.
