“Last night, I told myself it was a good opportunity to go big”, he said.
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The promotion one place up the order has been significant. “‘The umpires said, ‘Don’t use any bad language”, which I obviously adhered to.
“I think that he tried to do that, and he is right in that suddenly everything else goes out the window and all you are thinking about is that batsman”. I enjoy batting at number six but batting eight has not fazed me.
England was still closing in on a series victory in the three-match contest with Sri Lanka 88 behind England’s 498-9 declared after being forced to follow on. Sri Lanka will hope it arrives sooner rather than later.
68 Sri Lanka’s previous highest sixth-wicket stand while following on in Tests, which was by Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan at Lord’s in 2006.
The total represented another dismal Sri Lankan performance to set alongside their first-test efforts of 91 and 119 – the first time since 1958 that a Test team had been bowled out for under 120 in three consecutive innings. “If we can get through that with minimal damage, we can push on to 450 – which will be a really good score on this pitch”.
Other, more aggressive personalities, would have complained and kicked up but Moeen has cricket in perspective in life.
In a cruel hour after lunch for Sri Lanka, Moeen hit 57 of the 76 runs from 13 overs – and by the time England were done, he had 17 fours and two sixes.
The growth of Twenty20 and the advent of the IPL means countries such as Sri Lanka are losing interest in Test cricket, although their chances of springing a surprise in the current series were hardly helped by the ECB’s inexplicable decision to hold the first two Tests of the summer at Northern venues where conditions were always going to make batting hard.
He was shaky here at first. Karunaratne was the first to fall when Woakes had him caught at second slip.
But that miss was as nothing compared to the reprieve given Woakes.
Kaushal Silva was nine not out and Kusal Mendis 14 not out. The eighth wicket added 98 with Moeen motoring once he moved past fifty.
But Mathews kept Silva company through the second.
James Anderson (2-31) bowled Dimuth Karunaratne in the third over to begin Sri Lanka’s collapse.
England paceman Steven Finn said: “We have a four-over-old ball, we have seen the new ball has done damage, and we have two of the best new ball bowlers”.
Moeen made Herath pay a personal cost, taking significant toll of the slow left-armer – one of four bowlers to concede more than 100 runs, before he finally took his 300th Test wicket when Finn skied one back caught-and-bowled.
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He has also borrowed from one of Sri Lanka’s own this summer – the great Kumar Sangakkara – to try to re-discover his best. The first was Mathews who was caught behind but having failed to review an lbw that would have been overturned last week, he opted to take his chance with Hotspot this time.
