CHESTER-LE-STREET: Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said the weather can be a factor but it can’t be an excuse as his side looked to draw level in their Test series against England.
Sri Lanka were thrashed by an innings and 88 runs in the first Test as they went 1-0 down in the three-match series at a cold and grey and Headingley ground in Leeds, northern England last week.
Similarly miserable conditions have greeted the islanders in Chester-le-Street, with rain preventing any meaningful outdoor practice on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the start of Friday’s second Test at north-east county Durham’s Riverside ground.
It’s all a far cry from the searing heat of Colombo and Mathews, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said: “It’s the coldest weather I’ve known playing cricket. It was extremely cold yesterday [Wednesday].”
The Sri Lankan players ran round the outfield with players clad in bobble hats and several sweaters.
“Today it’s a bit better, and I’m hearing it will stay that way for the next three days,” Mathews said.
More than the actual temperature, it was the overcast conditions which aided swing movement and were superbly exploited by England spearhead James Anderson, who had match figures of 10-45, that proved Sri Lanka’s undoing in Leeds.
A pitch with a tinge of green also helped Stuart Broad, Anderson’s new-ball partner in crime, to seam the ball off the surface at Headingley, where all-rounder Mathews’ Test-best 160 set up Sri Lanka’s series-clinching win two years ago.
Similar conditions could well lie in wait at the Riverside, but Mathews is determined there won’t be a similar outcome.
“The weather can be a factor, but it can’t be an excuse ... you have to compete, regardless of the conditions,” Mathews said. “When they [England] come out to Sri Lanka it’s going to be hot and yes they struggle, but you have to compete regardless of the conditions.
“You can’t control the weather, but we can try to control our performances. We have to forget Headingley. That’s simple, the first thing we have to do.”
The Sri Lanka captain took some heart from 21-year-old top-order batsman Kusal Mendis’s battling fifty in the second innings at Headingley.
“It’s his first time in a Test in England, and he showed a lot of character when the ball was seaming and swinging around,” said Mathews. “It says a lot about the player. He can take a lot of encouragement out of that, and so can the rest of the batters.”
But Mathews admitted that facing Anderson and Broad, who have taken a combined 646 wickets in 84 Tests as a pairing, in helpful conditions was no easy task.
“They are world-class bowlers, especially in these conditions.”
Despite their ultimately heavy defeat, Sri Lanka did reduce England to 83 for five at Headingley.
Mathews was adamant they could win at the Riverside and end England’s perfect run of five wins in as many Tests at the ground.
“It’s definitely possible,” said Mathews. “If we play to our potential, and don’t think about the weather too much...We have the skill and the talent.”
England, meanwhile, made one change after all-rounder Ben Stokes was ruled out of playing on his home ground with a knee injury suffered at Headingley with Chris Woakes taking his place in the XI. Woakes, a similar player in that he is a pace-bowling all-rounder, comes into the side after seeing off a challenge from uncapped seamer Jake Ball, who once again was kept waiting for a Test debut.
Cook, speaking to reporters, said England’s batting order would be adjusted slightly with Jonny Bairstow, who made 140 batting at seven at Headingley, moving up to number six and Moeen Ali promoted to number seven with Woakes in at No 8.
Woakes marked his inclusion in the squad on Monday by taking a first-class best nine for 36 for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston and earlier this month he scored a hundred in the County Championship.
Asked why Woakes had been chosen ahead of Ball, Cook said: “We enjoyed playing with the balance of this side.”
Cook himself still 20 runs shy of becoming the first Englishman to score 10,000 runs in Tests.
Sri Lanka too will have to make an enforced change, with Suranga Lakmal set to replace injured fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera.
Teams:
ENGLAND: Alastair Cook (captain), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson.
SRI LANKA (probable): Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dasun Shanaka, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep. Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Sundaram Ravi (India).
TV umpire: Rod Tucker (Australia).
Match referee: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe).
Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2016
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.