Need a bottle opener? Graeme Swann can help

England Cricketer, Graeme Swann, is challenged to knock the bottle top off a Kingfisher Beer

Finn pickings as England miss absent friends

Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?

Well, no. Not always. Until burglars ‘liberated’ them a few weeks ago, I knew full well that I had lots of CDs, DVDs and a TV. But you know how it is with artists: you have to give them some license and, had Joni Mitchell sung, ‘Don’t it quite often seem to be the case, that you’ve not made an inventory of everything for insurance purposes just when you need it’ she’d probably never have had a hit.

Besides, it does say much about England’s bowling on the second day of the second Test that the man who enhanced their reputation most was James Anderson.

It wasn’t just his swing that was missed. It was his fuller length and control. While Broad’s first spell was excellent, Tremlett and Finn struggled for line and length and allowed Sri Lanka’s openers to play themselves in much more easily than should have been the case. As @Ginerrob tweeted: “England’s attack looks Finn without Anderson.”

The pitch is flat, for sure. But, when the ball was new, there was enough assistance to encourage the seamers for a few overs. But, Broad aside, England squandered their narrow window of opportunity.

Paul Collingwood was missed, too. Not for his batting, of course. But his excellent fielding has certainly yet to be replaced in this England side. It’s hard to believe that Collingwood would have dropped Paranavitana – as Cook, at third slip did off Finn – when the batsman had just 13. Cook, for all his excellence with the bat, is yet to look comfortable ‘in the cordon.’ He was far from impressive in the field in Cardiff and, by the standards of Test cricket, this was a pretty easy effort.

Prior also missed Dilshan, off Swann, when the batsman had 80. Prior has enjoyed an excellent game with the bat and, standing back at least, is now a world-class keeper. But this was a straightforward chance and suggested, once again, that he has some work to do in standing-up to the stumps.

Still, Prior could be forgiven for the odd error. It was, partially anyway, his batting that earned England a solid platform in this match. From the depths of 22 for three, England could be well pleased with a total approaching 500 and Prior’s fifth Test century was a typically selfless, positive contribution.

He has some fortune, too. At one stage, in the 80s, he might have been dismissed three balls in succession. Instead two edges off the luckless Lakmal flew through the slips – or past the keeper – for four, while Mahela Jayawardene, at second slip, then put down a relatively simple chance of Welegedara. “I knew it was my day then,” Prior said ruefully afterwards. “He’s just about the best slip fielder I’ve ever seen.”

The manner in which England’s tail thrashed Sri Lanka’s bowling all over Lord’s was enjoyable but should also have served as a warning. If Tremlett and Finn can bat with freedom, it suggested that Sri Lanka’s top-order might also enjoy themselves.

Had Trott batted for much of the afternoon – as Sri Lanka’s openers did in establishing a record opening stand for the country – some buffoon in the media box would have accused him of being boring.

But there’s no danger of that with Dilshan. The start of his innings bordered on the reckless as he attempted a series of foot-less swipes but, as he settled down, he demonstrated his class. This was the 12th Test century of his career and, though he lost his partner, Paranavitana, when he lost patience and flashed at a wide one, he had long-buried any demons from Cardiff by the time England trooped off the pitch after their hardest day’s cricket since Perth. The only cloud on Sri Lanka’s horizon was the news that he’d gone to hospital for a scan at the close of play following a horrid blow on the thumb from a lifting delivery from Tremlett.

There was good news, too, for a fellow in the crowd who was unfortunate to be on the receiving end of one of Dilshan’s two sixes. The man took a fearful blow to the head after the batsman skipped down the wicket and drove Swann over long-on but, after treatment, the spectator was left with nothing more than a large bruise and an amusing anecdote.

“We didn’t bowl or field as well as we could have done,” Prior admitted afterwards. “Why? Because we’re human. We can’t bowl a side out in 25 overs every time. This is a very good wicket [for batting] at the moment. But we’ll come back tomorrow even harder and better prepared.”

A full house at Lord’s seemed a bit frustrated by England’s lack of success in the field. But England supporters have become spoiled in recent times. This is what Test cricket used to be like: played on flat wickets and against world-class batsmen. And, whatever the evidence of Cardiff, Sri Lanka didn’t become the second ranked Test team in the world by collapsing often. That was the aberration; this is the real thing.

Haider provides hope for Pakistan

By Gemma Wright

It’s not often that a guy given out first ball in both innings goes on to make a half-century. Zulqarnain Haider, on debut, did just that, however, ensuring that England could face a tricky few hours on the fourth day at Edgbaston. On this pitch, against Pakistan’s attack, victory is far from assured.

If Pakistan do win, they will owe a large debt to Haider. After his first ball dismissal in the first innings, his heart must have sunk when he saw the umpire raise his finger to his first ball in the second.

Wisely, however, Haider asked for a review and subsequently won a reprieve. Had the decision not been overturned, Pakistan would have been six down and still 97 runs behind. The game would surely have been over before tea.

As it was, however, Haider seized his opportunity. First with Amir, who resisted 117 balls for his 16 runs, and then Ajmal, who counter-attacked in his 79-ball half-century, Haider showed the patience, application and skill that Pakistan have so sorely missed this series. His 88 is Pakistan’s highest score of the series so far, while his 115-run partnership for the eighth-wicket with Ajmal is their highest of the series. Their fortitude should be an example to their top-order colleagues.

Barring miracles, England will still win this Test. But their performance on the third day was not entirely convincing. It suggested that, on flatter pitches and against more resilient opponents, their attack may still struggle for penetration. They have been flattered by playing against opponents as brittle as Bangladesh and Pakistan and must remember that tougher challenges lie ahead. Had Pakistan held all their chances, England would surely be struggling.

Stuart Broad was particularly disappointing. While he bowled respectably, his petulance is becoming unattractive. At one stage he hurled the ball, quite unnecessarily, into Haider’s chest, while he also moaned excessively after a referral decision went against him. In the age of TV replays, there can be no excuse for such behaviour. Broad really needs to curb such tendencies. He’s too good a cricketer to taint his reputation with such antics. He has already been charged by the match referee and will be very, very lucky if he escapes censure. No Englishman has ever faced suspension by the ICC; Broad may well be the first.

At least Graeme Swann was impressive. Utilising a dry pitch expertly, he found a prodigious amount of turn and finished with his best figures in Tests. He struck, once again, in his first over, with a delivery that he later rated “the best ball I’ve ever bowled.” Pitching outside Farhat’s leg-stump, it turned sharply to hit the top of off. The delivery that bowled Ali, pitching outside off and turning sharply through the gate, lost little by comparison. At one stage, Swann delivered 67 consecutive dot balls and only Haider’s long reach and utter devotion to survival above run-scoring helped Pakistan resist.

Gradually, however, Haider became more expansive. Somehow putting the plight of his father, who has been in a coma in Pakistan suffering from hepatitis, to one side, he produced some sparkling drives off front and back foot and looked on course for a maiden century until he mis-timed a drive to mid-off. His obvious delight upon reaching 50 was charming.

Afterwards, Pakistan captain Salman Butt expressed his disappointment at Broad’s behaviour. “It’s just frustration,” he said. “It’s not good to see people throwing balls intentionally at others and not even apologising properly.”

England should still win. Steve Rouse, the Edgbaston groundsman, felt the use of the heavy roller before the Pakistan innings had deadened the pitch and that batting would probably be more straightforward as a result. But the turn will remain and Pakistan’s seam attack – shorn of the injured Umar Gul – will remain a handful.

Either way, at least the series has become a little competitive. For Pakistan, the spectators and an England team that need to be tested more ahead of the Ashes, that can only be a good thing.

*Tickets for the fourth day will be priced at £20 for adults but will be free for Under 16s. Anyone who has purchased a full priced ticket will be offered either a free ticket for day 1 of the npower Test match next summer against India or the chance to bring 2 guests free on the fourth day of this game. Book online at www.edgbaston.com and use the ‘Ticket Fast’ option to print your ticket at home to save queuing.