England's spin twins bounce back with resilient second innings showing

It was the fifth over of Sri Lanka’s second innings, with the fate of the Test in the balance. And yet England had no need for their highest ever wicket-taker of all time: the innings after his remarkable 6-40, Jimmy Anderson was whisked out of the attack after 12 deliveries with the new ball.

This was no comment on Anderson’s first two deliveries, merely a reflection of the rhythm of matches in Sri Lanka. By the fourth day, and often earlier, seam bowlers can come to resemble spare parts.

And so, with little need for Anderson and Sam Curran, England’s prospects in the match rested upon their spin pair of Dom Bess and Jack Leach. The pair would look back upon their first innings display - when their combined 64 overs leaked 195 runs and seldom looked like taking a wicket - with no fondness.

Both are only in their 12^th Test matches, yet their careers are both tales of striking resilience. Bess has spoken with candour and bravery about his mental health problems and his challenges with anxiety and depression. Leach has battled Crohn’s disease throughout his life, and contracted sepsis - briefly leaving him fearing for his life - during England’s tour of New Zealand in 2019.

And so, for all their disappointment at how they had fared in the first innings at Galle, resilience has been the hallmark of the careers of Bess and Leach. Here, with the stakes in the game upped and a pitch taking appreciable turn, was a Test match to win.

Leach was introduced immediately after Bess. He needed only two balls to take England’s first wicket with spin in the Test, trapping Kusal Perera lbw attempting slog sweep. It was a moment that encapsulated the entire morning, in which England’s spinners goaded Sri Lanka into impetuosity.

Bess took until his fourth over to claim his first wicket. It was a classic off spinner’s dismissal: drawing Oshada Fernando forward, beating him for turn and bounce and getting an inside edge to Zak Crawley at short leg. Crawley was again involved in the third wicket, staying down low to pre-empt Lahiru Thirimanne tucking Leach off his hip.

Now came the moment that Bess, and all involved in nurturing English spin bowling, will cherish above all else. Angelo Mathews is Sri Lanka’s most experienced batsman, their most accomplished player of spin and has a fine pedigree against England, augmented by his first innings hundred.

From sweeping his first ball, Mathews had approached this innings with far more pronounced intent than in the first innings. After three consecutive dot balls, a full delivery from Bess elicited an aggressive sweep. But the ball spun too far, eluding his bat and uprooting his stumps.

Given the state of the game, Sri Lanka’s intent was understandable. But their judgment was completely awry; Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella followed the top order in assisting into their own downfalls. Even in lieu of a prominent role with the ball, Anderson still made a crucial contribution: a fantastic catch, running from back mid-on into the fierce glare of the midday sun, to hand Leach Chandimal’s wicket.

Given the shoddiness of Sri Lanka’s shot selection, this was not quite a performance to have India’s batsmen fearing for what day one in Chennai on February 5 will bring. But it was a display in keeping with a defining trait of Bess and Leach: their resilience. From no wickets in 64 overs in the first innings, England's spin twins went to lunch having shared six in 17 overs, and with the feel of the Test utterly transformed.