England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day One: Five Things We Learned

The first day of the 2016 Test summer saw a dogged Sri Lankan pace attack land some early blows on the hosts. Here’s what we learned from Headingley…

MAN OF THE DAY: DUSAN SHANAKA (3-30)

For a player who has made his name as a Twenty20 dasher – he’s best known in domestic circles for hitting a record 16 sixes in an 46-ball innings of 123 – Shanaka has made one hell of a start to his Test career. With his first 14 balls of right-arm medium fast, he returned the wickets of Alastair Cook, Nick Compton and Joe Root, for the concession of just two runs. With the make-up of Sri Lanka’s XI up in the air when they landed in the UK more than a fortnight ago, it was only a blitzed century against Leicestershire that convinced coach Graham Ford and the selectors back home to hand Shanaka his Test debut. While he only had 26 first class wickets in 31 matches, he backed up his main seamers well and managed to find enough movement off the pitch to turn England’s start of 49-0 to a precarious 51-3.

TECHNIQUE REFORMERS UNITE

There was a sinking familiarity when the first bits of rubble started falling from the top of England’s batting card. In this era, it generally means a saving act from the middle order. But with Joe Root and Ben Stokes gone, it was left to Alex Hales and Yorkshire’s other son, Jonny Bairstow, to don the hard hats. While Bairstow has been through his own period of self-reflection in the Test arena and come back a much-improved, devastating player, Hales is currently enduring the early part of that process. And it looks like he might be on the way out of it. It took him 13 balls to get off the mark – two overs worth of pushing and leaving before a ball on middle and leg was timed nicely through midwicket for four. Apart from a pre-meditated slog sweep against Rangana Herath, which he missed, Hales was patient and ensured he got full value from whatever looseness was on offer. His 71*, a new Test best, featured 12 fours. Bairstow on the other hand strode to the crease like a man whose last three innings at Headingley featured a 245 and a 198. His new defensive set-up allows him to embrace the flourishes that make him so unique. A half-century arrived off 60 balls, thanks to six boundaries (one of which was a six off Herath). In a slow-scoring day, their partnership of 88 came at more than four an over.

YOUR JAMES VINCES

It feels like James Vince’s debut has been a long time coming. Dubbed a Michael Vaughan-a-like from a young age – he is represented by Vaughan’s ISM, as it happens – Vince’s classical technique and effortless driving as long seemed suited to Test cricket. While his numbers haven’t smashed the door down, an early season century against Yorkshire gave Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace enough of a nudge to pick him (both are big fans). Vince has a bit of a reputation of starting well and nicking off, so it was no surprise to some when he cracked four through cover, another sweetly down the ground and then was caught at third slip. Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself. Either way, finally, Your James Vinces has made it to the big leagues.

ONE FOR THE TRUNDLERS

After the ECB decided to scrap the toss, sighting green seamers and , subsequently, the success of dibbly dobber, nibbly-nobber bowlers as the enemy of true long-form quality, it was nice to see Shanaka leave England floundering while bowling at an average speed of 72.5mph. Doing just enough under clouds on a pitch with a bit of a tinge, a top order of established players were found wanting. Perhaps time to scrap the toss in Test cricket, too?

WHAT NEXT

The rains washed out 37 overs today, meaning there will be 98 overs scheduled for each of the next four days. Quite whether we’ll get them all in is a combination of light and more rain is another question. But the wickets in the morning session meant the game has moved along sufficiently enough. Sri Lanka will be the happier of the two: Hales and Bairstow’s partnership was starting to motor and the break will allow the attack to regroup this evening. They may even take advantage of the pair having to start again in overcast and chilly conditions tomorrow morning. Test cricket, it’s good to have you back.