England warm up for Test Series

[Donny]

Hussain: 'Sri Lanka is the toughest challenge'

Andrew Miller in Colombo

For the first time since England arrived in Sri Lanka two weeks ago, the rains failed to materialise yesterday afternoon. The irony was not lost on the England camp, who had looked on forlornly as the one-day series died the wateriest of deaths on Sunday. Instead, as attention shifted towards the first-class leg of the tour – which begins with tomorrow's warm-up match against the Board President's XI – Colombo was being basted in the sort of ferocious heat that England encountered on their previous visit in 2001.

England's 2-1 victory on that trip is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Nasser Hussain's four-year tenure as captain, and though he is back in the ranks this time around, he was on hand yesterday to remind everyone just how tough the next month is going to be. "This is the most difficult place in the world to play cricket," he said. "It is harder even than taking on Australia in Australia. The wickets are different to anywhere else in the world. The outfields are slow and, with the heat, you have to work hard for your runs."

Hussain is keenly aware that this is not his show anymore, and he was at pains to stress than Michael Vaughan is his own man as captain. Nevertheless, it would be a surprise if England chose to deviate from their tried and trusted gameplan on the subcontinent. "My idea was always to stay in the game," explained Hussain. "To still be in there on days three and four, when the pressure then shifts to the opposition. Whether it's the crowds or the expectation that they ought to have beaten us already, they seem to feel the pressure more if you hang on to the end. All our victories came right at the death."

England's top five are all familiar with the subcontinent, while Andrew Flintoff is a more rounded player of spin than the man who scraped 26 runs in five innings in India two years ago. But Hussain, who has returned from a three-week break after missing the one-dayers, warned that no amount of preparation can make up for time in the middle against the greatest bowler in the world today, Muttiah Muralitharan.

"It's a lovely game for Murali," said Hussain. "He's got that touch of genius, and a wicket is always somewhere around the corner. The rest of us have to work at our games. With him, it is never a matter of demolishing his bowling – it's more a case of keeping him out. If he is going to take five wickets in a innings, make sure those are spread over 50 or 60 overs."

"I don't think there's any harder job in world cricket, than when you first go out to bat in Sri Lanka, when Murali's got men around the bat, with the ball spitting both ways out of the footholes. Every wicket out here is different so it's a case of learning on your feet. As far as preparation goes, all you can really do is visualise your innings – decide what shots you can and can't play – because the angles he achieves with his offspinners are unique."

If England had it tough in 2001, they were at least a team at the peak of their powers in the bowling department. This time around, however, Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick, and even that subcontinent specialist, Craig White, are all missing. "Those guys had a lot of experience," said Hussain. "They could change their gameplans in a session. In the first Test at Galle, for instance, they came out after lunch and were bowling offcutters. This time we've got a lot of inexperience in our team, and you can't win a Test unless you take 20 wickets."

It will take a repeat performance of the 2001 victory to wrench public attention away from England's rugby heroes, something of which Hussain was wistfully aware. "It was obviously a great feeling watching that final, but at the same time I couldn't help wishing we had done the same in our own World Cup. I've always felt the country are right behind us wherever we've played, and what hurts the most is thinking that you've let people down. We would do anything to have that feeling of going home as heroes.

"It is a lesson to us all," added Hussain. "If you put all your plans in place, if you get a great coach in Clive Woodward, and a superstar in Jonny Wilkinson, a good side can become a great one. Cricket, football, it can happen to all of them. From what I've read, we got plenty credit for our victory in Sri Lanka last time. But there are two things that are permanently etched in people's memories, World Cups and Australia. The rugby boys were very fortunate – they nailed them both in one afternoon!

"Those are the two things that I didn't put right as a captain. Now it's up to someone else to do so."

[piedys]

[commonwombat]

Goodness gracious me, Mr Dyso; how can you say such things. Sri Lanka produces werry fine athletes like Arjuna and Aravinda. They hear such things and they be spitting the chappattis.

[HAL]

What else do they do?

[Donny]

Thorpe and Butcher put England on top

Andrew Miller in Colombo

Graham Thorpe and Mark Butcher eased themselves back into form after their three-week break during the one-day series, but Nasser Hussain missed out, as England moved into a comfortable position on the second morning of their warm-up match in Colombo.

By lunch, England had reached 77 for 1 against Sri Lanka Cricket President's XI, with Butcher on 38 and Thorpe on 27. Both men were starting to find their touch and timing, with Thorpe's eye for the gap as astute as ever. They had added 74 for the second wicket, after Hussain had been bowled for a second-ball duck in slightly unfortunate circumstances.

In the absence of both Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, Hussain had been promoted as a makeshift opener, but survived just one legitimate delivery before Dilhara Fernando pinged one off his thighpad and onto his stumps (3 for 1).

At that stage, it was looking like being one of those mornings for England, who had struggled to wrap up the Sri Lankan innings in the first half-hour of the day. Andrew Flintoff and Gareth Batty eventually grabbed the two remaining wickets, but not before they had added 39 brisk runs.

It was a a frustrating little session for England, who missed two catches in the slip cordon, and watched a host of edges fly down to the unguarded third-man boundary. Bathiya Perera took full advantage with an unbeaten 55, although he ought to have added just five runs to his overnight 29, when Geraint Jones fingertipped a diving chance to his right off James Kirtley. Nandika Ranjith was later dropped at second slip by Thorpe – his second miss of the match.


Flintoff had earlier persuaded Chamila Gamage to fend a sharp chance to Batty in the gully, and Batty himself wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Ranjith, courtesy of Jones, who redeemed himself with another smart stumping.

[piedys]

[Donny]

England declare in Colombo

Andrew Miller in Colombo

Mark Butcher brought up his 150 by smacking a six over square-leg and out of the ground, as England declared on 314 for 9 on the final morning of their warm-up match in Colombo. Butcher, who had resumed on his overnight 105, immediately showed the touch and timing that he had worked towards on the second day, as England secured a first-innings lead of 133.


The morning did not go entirely England's way, however. The Sri Lankans took advantage of a bottom-heavy tail to chip away four wickets, and by lunch Michael Vandort and Dhammika Sudarshana had rattled along to 52 for 0 after 11 overs.


The real contest of the day, however, will be an internal one, as the spinners Ashley Giles, Gareth Batty and Robert Croft fight for the right to play in next week's first Test. Giles stole a march on his rivals with the bat at least, sweeping and driving his way to 30 from 35 balls, including five fours and a six, but the remaining batsmen contributed nine runs between them.


After an eyecatching display of wicketkeeping, Geraint Jones spoiled a good match with an ill-judged hoick through midwicket off Dilhara Fernando, which resulted in his leg-bail being sent pinging 30 yards behind the stumps (229 for 6). Butcher then survived his one chance of the day, a swirling clip, again off Fernando, that Bathiya Perera couldn't quite gather at backward square-leg.


It was the only other sniff that the Sri Lankans got in the first hour, as Giles responded to the threat posed by Robert Croft with a fine display of controlled aggression. He was eventually undone by Chamila Gamage, who bowled him off the inside edge as he pushed for the declaration, before Croft himself was unluckily adjudged lbw to Ranil Dhammika for a second-ball duck, despite appearing to get an inside edge.


Hoggard did not last long either, an angled four through third-man was followed by another lbw decision, this time to Gamage, who finished with 2 for 47 from 13 overs. But for the second time in his innings, Butcher brought up a milestone with a six, as England declared with an hour to go until lunch.