Pope out cheaply again as Sri Lanka rattle England at Lord'sRead More

 

It all went so wrong for England at Lord's as Sri Lanka's bowlers shocked everybody and the hosts. The day play underlined the Sri Lankan bowler's bowling performance and also exacerbated England's plight especially that of Ollie Pope who was dismissed cheaply yet again

A Tumultuous Day for England

When England, at the choice of Joe Root- occasionally when you put someone in there to bat first on a pitch that screams bowl anyway - eventually emerged into pretty plausible sunlight and grounded conditions it was met with initial optimism. And while the openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley started positively, there was not long before Sri Lanka's bowlers began making their mark. The match has been dominated until now by some tight, disciplined bowling in the morning session to make run-scoring difficult for England as well as build pressure on their batsmen.

Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and young fast bowler Matheesa Pathirana were the chief destroyers as they crushed England. Whilst Jayasuriya's sublime flight also was matched with a heavier turn, Pathirana quickly extracted good pace and bounced out of the wicket as English runs were hard to come by. Between them, they hardly gave the batsmen any freebies to put away; naturally, wickets followed soon after.

Pope’s Persistent Struggles

One of those England batters is Ollie Pope, who has been a man under the microscope for some time. The narrative has been splashed with claims that he cannot score big runs and anchor an innings, and today's play did not help change any perception. Pope, who was tasked with rebuilding the innings in testing conditions after England were rocking at 10-2 first thing on day two here, stood tall and faced up to a fiery examination from Sri Lankan bowlers.

That inning was short though, unfortunately for Pope and the England camp. Pope looked comfortable initially with two boundaries but he was cleaned up by a delivery from Jayasuriya. It seamed back quite sharply, defeated Pope's play outside the line, and took a small tickle on its way through to end his stay at the modest score. And that Pope's dismissal will have hurt England — his inability to push on after making a start remains an issue.

The extent to which Pope has struggled with his mechanics and approach is no secret, so today was hardly the way he wanted things to go. The hosts were still licking their wounds from the early departure of Talismanic Stokes, likely only making evident to themselves how much they currently rely on him as an allrounder/general/everything said needlessly so.

Sri Lanka bowling masterclass

Sri Lanka, meanwhile was spot on with the ball all day. This is a masterclass on spin bowling from Jayasuriya. The turn and bounce that he could generate off the pitch made him very dangerous. Jayasuriya was beginning to put English batsmen under pressure, every ball challenging an area of their fragility making it difficult for the cracks not to show as he stared down talent.

For his age, and novices at this level he showed a lot of noise. He could get enough pace and sprinkle his fast deliveries with the minimum amount of extra wide balls to make England worry. Working in tandem with Jayasuriya, Pathirana ensured that England's batsmen were made to labor for runs which resulted in a flurry of wickets and soon an implosion took place within the English ranks.

The fielding of Sri Lanka was also praiseworthy. They have been alert in the field, taking some crucial catches and involving multiple run-outs to add pressure on England. The bowlers were well supported by the fielders which made it even worse for the English batsmen who found building partnerships and stabilizing their innings tough.

The Implications for England

As the day ended, England's position in the match seemed more precarious. Both Pope and Labuschagne disagreed with their respective losses while relentless pressure from Sri Lanka's bowlers has put England in a difficult position. The English batting all lineup will need to go back on the drawing board and should come up with a solid plan if they want to recover from this dent.

Pope also has to iron out a few kinks in his form if he is to realize that potential. Ongoing difficulties could see that level of scrutiny back on him, meaning he must now seize this one-off chance to make a meaningful score and have an influence with the bat.

Looking Ahead

So, with Sri Lanka well in control, the next sessions will be of huge magnitude for England. They will show spirit and flexibility to bounce back into the game. The form of the English bowlers will also be crucial to the result as they have to respond against the Sri Lankan batting.

Sri Lanka on the other hand will need to make sure that they hang in there just like they did during powerplays. The team's bowlers have laid a solid foundation, and the burden will be on them to ensure that they remain disciplined. The batsmen will have to give them something to bowl at, and considering Australia's lead is now 196, they must also pay attention down the order. Australia has a sniff of victory Getty ImagesIt all sounds highly unlikely as England creeps further out the back door but who knows what possibilities lie in this little gem (or non-diamond) from Gen Mark Waugh III on Facebook:"Well it should make for an interesting day tomorrow," wrote Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore under his post lamenting another horror Test loss by Sri Lanka."I would play two batters next game!".