Paul Coupar reports on the second day of the Sri Lankans’ tour match against England A at Worcester
Paul Coupar at Worcester05-May-2006 Sri Lankans 179 and 68 for 5 trail England A 259 (Key 63, Joyce 49, Kulasekara 4-83) by 12 runs
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Chamara Kapugedera appeals – in vain – for the wicket of Liam Plunkett © Getty Images
Today England A’s game at Worcester, in effect the first Test-match trialsince 1974, had an old-fashioned whiff. The Women’s Institute served uptea and cake. England’s middle order served up a collapse. And the standsbubbled with unaccustomed debate about the team for the next Test.Question: Jon Lewis or Liam Plunkett? Answer: It’s irrelevant. If SriLanka’s batsmen don’t find some gumption John Lever and Liam Botham woulddo the job. By the close they were 68 for 5 in their second innings, still12 behind.Last September, the names of the Ashes-winning XII were not so much inkedinto future team sheets as engraved. But they have not played togethersince; there is a good chance they will never do so again. Simon Jones isout for at least six weeks with a dodgy knee. Ashley Giles has recentlyadmitted that his creaking hip could end his career. Michael Vaughan has achronic knee problem. (He recently compared the frequent tidying up of hiscartilage – the shock absorber in the knee – to trips to the barber’s. Butunlike hair, cartilage doesn’t grow back.) Harmison’s shins are still toosore for cricket.Barring miracles none will play at Lord’s next week. Paul Collingwoodlooks likely to slot in at No. 5, leaving space for one new batsman, aspinner and two quicker bowlers. But the biggest winners today were twoblokes who weren’t even playing: Ian Bell and Geraint Jones.Bell was being squeezed for his No. 3 spot. But none of the pretendersshone here. Rob Key, dropped in 2004-05 after averaging 44 in his lastseven Tests, looked the pick: the tree-lined ground echoed to the boom ofhis bat before he snicked a drive on 63. By contrast that of Essex’sRavinder Bopara, whose cricket-loving parents were Indian emigrees to eastLondon, tapped as he ran hard in his 41. It was neat, but it was Mogadoncricket. Middlesex’s Ed Joyce was prettier but less assured than eitherand fell for 49. He didn’t always seem in control of his drives. Bell’smost realistic challenger, Alastair Cook, disappeared yesterday for aninelegant duck.
Ed Joyce on the attack © Getty Images
After lunch, with Key and Joyce gone, the middle order collapsed, losingfour wickets with the score between 225 and 226. Both Loudon and Boparafell trying to speed up, then the wicketkeeper Chris Read got a stinkinglbw decision before Rikki Clarke inside-edged to the keeper.Poor Read. Having spent more than two years out in the cold, the feelingwas that his rapping on the Test selectors’ door may just have beengetting loud enough – three hundreds in five first-class innings to gowith molten glovework. But yesterday at Old Trafford Geraint Jones palmeda simple chance from the rampant Stuart Law straight to slip, a miss thatmight easily have gone to grass and caused great pain. By contrast Readwas given out lbw to a ball that looked much too high by theex-Premiership referee Martin Bodenham. Read walked off with no runs,three meaningful stares at the umpire and one at the sky. (At leastBodenham was spared a chorus of “You don’t know what you’re doing”.)All would have wanted far more runs on a pitch with only a lick of sap andagainst an underpowered attack. Nuwan Kulasekara, a whippy, whippetyseamer took 4 for 83. Lasith `Slinger’ Malinga was good to watch – allflowing mane, low catapulting arm and a potent mix of bouncers and yorkers- but wicketless. Besides Murali (and it’s a big besides) England havelittle to fear next week.With Sajid Mahmood likely to play at Lord’s as the strike bowler, Plunkettand Lewis were battling for a place. Lewis took two wickets, taking him toeight in the game, Plunkett none. The captain looks certain to be AndrewFlintoff. He was here today, supposedly to practice against the Merlynbowling machine, but probably also to talk teams with the selectors. Andthe spinner – provided there is one? Selector Geoff Miller was givingnothing away – except that if he was 20 years younger he’d be in with adecent chance himself. “No. 8 batter who didn’t turn it very much. I’dhave been perfect.”