England’s Jonny Bairstow catches Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka off the bowling of James Anderson.
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“He really enjoyed that, and got a lot from it”.
James Anderson piled on the agony for Sri Lanka as England closed in on a crushing win in the first Test at Headingley on Saturday.
“You could argue he should be in all forms of our game”, Farbrace told British media. Predominantly he stood a fraction too wide and so therefore as the ball is delivered into the line of off stump and took the outside edge his first movement was on to his left foot. It takes a little while to feel comfortable [in the environment] and I think he’s starting to do that now.
Balance of another sort remains an issue for England when it comes to the question of their top-order batting.
Moeen Ali (nought) and Broad (two) were dismissed by Dushmantha Chameera in the same over but Bairstow, dropped on 70, completed his second test hundred and celebrated the achievement enthusiastically on his home ground.
“It’s a shame he didn’t get a hundred”. We couldn’t stop him scoring.
“He is someone that is passionate to score runs for England and if he gets a score in Durham he will be up and running”, said Farbrace.
Also, since March 2015, Bairstow has hit nine first-class centuries, more than any other batsman in the world and one more than the highly prolific Australian skipper Steve Smith.
In addition to the four frontline bowlers and two all-rounders who played in the Headingley Test, seamer Suranga Lakmal and off-spinner Dilruwan Perera sit in reserve.
Compton is under pressure for his place at No 3 after he followed a far-from-convincing series in South Africa with a three-ball duck in Leeds.
Captain Cook conceded Stokes’ participation for the second match at Durham – his home ground – was in doubt, and director of England cricket Andrew Strauss has suggested he could be left out anyway to ensure a full recovery.
Sri Lanka made a terrible start to their reply as experienced fast bowlers Anderson and Broad exploited the conditions superbly.
“As I’ve said numerous times before, I wouldn’t have kept wicket for Yorkshire for seven years if I didn’t want to keep wicket for England”, he insisted.
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Woakes marked his recall to the Test squad in superb style on Monday, returning career-best figures of 9-36 for Warwickshire in a County Championship fixture against Durham at Edgbaston.
