19th over: Sri Lanka 39-3 (Jayawardene 21, Samaraweera 1) Swann replaces Broad. Jayawardene shows his intent with a magnificent six from the third delivery. He simply ran down the wicket and clouted Swann over wide long on. That's brilliant batting, the kind of calculated risk that can put a bowler on the back foot early in a series.
18th over: Sri Lanka 31-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 1) Samaraweera gives Panesar the charge and almost yorks himself when the ball dips at the last minute. In the end he jams it into the ground and gets back into his crease before Prior can pick up the loose ball. This is splendid from Panesar, who has figures of 5-4-1-0. "My mate Keith Maher has texted to say he's sat on the bank, having paid nothing to enter the ground," says Mark Carrington. "If true, he'll be unbearable as he still goes on about only paying 50p/day at Kandy, on last tour." Apparently loads of people have just walked in. Maybe karma will give him shinburn or something.
17th over: Sri Lanka 31-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 1) Geoff Allott's record is safe. Samaraweera flicks Broad off the pads to get off the mark from his 31st delivery. Jayawardene almost falls to the next delivery, edging a lifter a fraction short of Swann at second slip. England have been really good this morning; I can remember maybe three bad balls at most. "Having seen the draw for the forthcoming T20 World Cup I have to say that I have concerns for England's match with Afghanistan," says Phil Withall. "If political and historical history is any guide then what starts out as a 20-over match could well end up becoming a timeless Test, with no discernible winner. Sorry it's been a long day in the Queensland heat." Oh I didn't realise they would be playing each other. That will be an interesting build-up.
16th over: Sri Lanka 30-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 0) Another maiden from Panesar, who is bowling very straight. This is the modern line for a spinner I suppose, certainly a left-arm spinner to the right-hander. Beefy is moaning about England's "ridiculous" review earlier in the day, and the need to keep two reviews for the spinners. He has a point I guess; it wasn't a great decision. "As Atherton & Botham were talking about Botham's socks, the camera showed an English Rose in the crowd in a strapless top," says Adam Hirst. "Atherton was rattling on about 'a right pair on 'em'."
15th over: Sri Lanka 30-3 (Jayawardene 13, Samaraweera 0) England are bowling dry, something they do extremely well. Broad slips in a yorker that Jayawardene, who looks in good touch, clips for a single. On Sky, Beefy is talking about sunburn. Ooof. The worst I ever had was in Jamiaca in 2004. After three weeks and six days of religiously applying suncream to my miserably pasty body, I thought I'd be safe for an hour by the pool before the flight. Oh, me. I have known pain like it in my life. I didn't sleep a wink on the flight home, and kept having to limp to the toilet to get some feeling in my legs. For the next week, every time I went to the boys' room in the night I had to hop on one foot while doing so, as my right leg was so painful. Just thinking about it is making the skin on my shinbones weep.
14th over: Sri Lanka 29-3 (Jayawardene 12, Samaraweera 0) Panesar almost sneaks one on the inside of Samaraweera, who is prodding a touch unconvincingly at times. It's another maiden. "I was actually stunned at the stats about reaching 250 Test wickets you linked to – Jimmy is the first English bowler to do it since Botham, with only Hoggy getting close to that," says Duncan Bonnett. "Says quite a bit about the state of England's bowling over the last 20 years, and to be fair to the bowlers, some of the selection policies I would think. By contrast, since readmission, Pollock (418), Ntini (390), Donald (330), Kallis (275) and Steyn (270) have all managed more than that for South Africa. And if Vernon Philander keeps it up, he's going to get there in about his 30th Test! I would expect Jimmy Anderson in particular to get comfortably more than 300 in his career, though. Broad too, probably – assuming he stays injury free." And Finn, if he can ever find a way into the team.
13th over: Sri Lanka 29-3 (Jayawardene 12, Samaraweera 0) Stuart Broad has switched ends to replace Anderson. Jayawardene defends solidly, and Broad bowls his third no-ball of the day. That's unlike this England attack. "I can't be the only OBO follower who will always remember the first Ashes Test in 2009 as the 'Moobs' Test?" says Jonathan Siu. Oh crikey, I'd forgotten all about that. Never meet your heroes, especially not if you're of not insignificant girth, it's at the sharp end of an Ashes Test and you're the key player in a comically hamfisted timewasting policy.
12th over: Sri Lanka 28-3 (Jayawardene 12, Samaraweera 0) This is a good start from Panesar, with a nice length and a very straight, DRS line. Samaraweera now has nought from 21 balls. Watch out Geoff Allott.
"Follow @hackneyhaz on Twitter for entry details," says Keith Flett. "One of the [in my view] few socialist members of the Barmy Army and official BLF representative at the Test."
11th over: Sri Lanka 27-3 (Jayawardene 11, Samaraweera 0) Jimmy Anderson is going to bowl a sixth over. He must be even fitter than we realised. Jayawardene punches him wide of mid off for a single, and Samaraweera inside-edges a drive back onto his pads. He has nought from 18 balls. "How prescient that the cricket starts the day after summer time – British summer time – begins," says Simon Brereton. "Still, you're probably still feeling a little groggy and jooked out of an hour's sleep. Poor lamb." 'Jooked'? Is that a new word? I do wish people would make up more words. Shitegeist, that kind of thing, eh? Ah.
10th over: Sri Lanka 26-3 (Jayawardene 10, Samaraweera 0) Here comes Monty Panesar, inside the first 10 overs. He is in splendid form and will surely be England's main spinner in this series, with five right-handers in the Sri Lanka top seven. He has a slip and short leg for Samaraweera, who defends a maiden. "Very irresponsible of Adam Hirst to offer up a juicy Withnail and I riff so early in everyone else's morning," hics Ian Copestake.
9th over: Sri Lanka 26-3 (Jayawardene 10, Samaraweera 0) Mahela Jayawardene looks very comfortable at the crease. The match situation won't affect him; he's seen this all before in his 15 years as a Test player. He plays out a maiden from Anderson, whose figures are 5-3-9-2. "The Beard Liberation Front says the England team in 1st Test against Sri Lanka may be one of the most hirsute ever," says Keith Flett. "BLF observers are in the ground this morning [free entry..] to check on the detail." Having a beard in that heat? Oof. For those who are out there, what exactly is going on with the tickets? It does sound like the sort of farce that only cricket could come up with.
8th over: Sri Lanka 26-3 (Jayawardene 10, Samaraweera 0) Asad Rauf isn't happy with Broad's follow through. That's all you're getting for that over. Nothing really happened. "If Patel and Bresnan were in contention for the all-rounder spot, first of all, how true is that term and second of all, should the balance of any side require a fat lad anyway?" says John Starbuck. "In building a team, you have to have some people to fill certain roles, and both of them could fill certain rolls pretty well, you fancy."
7th over: Sri Lanka 25-3 (Jayawardene 9, Samaraweera 0) I'd imagine five overs would be the maximum for a new-ball spell in this heat, even for these exceptionally fit young men. That's another good over from Anderson. Samaraweera has already jabbed his bat down on the ball a few times, a sign of the low bounce on this pitch. By the way, if the details of each wicket haven't appeared, just press F5. We have a slight problem with the auto-refresh. "The plan is to stay with you all through my night, working with the cricket alongside me," says Adam Hirst, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, the bast. "Then after stumps I will go for a run by the beach for an hour or two, back home, bed, miss out Monday and come up smiling on Tuesday for Day 2. I reckon I'll stick to it for at least the first half an hour."
6th over: Sri Lanka 24-3 (Jayawardene 8, Samaraweera 0) England had an equally good start to the series in 2007-08, when Matthew Hoggard reduced Sri Lanka to 40-odd for five on the first morning at Kandy. England lost that game and lost the series. (This is the bit where I'd put the #justsayin hashtag, if hashtags weren't the most evil thing on the planet.) Samarweera is hit on the pad by a wobbly inswinger from Broad, although it was going over the top and it was a no-ball anyway.
5th over: Sri Lanka 23-3 (Jayawardene 8, Samaraweera 0)
Mahela Jayawardene has a formidable record in Tests at home to England. He averages 89, and he made a 10-hour 213 not out on this ground in 2007-08. He gets off the mark by back-cutting Anderson for four, and then tucks a rare poor delivery off the pads for another boundary. "On the subject of Shakoor Rana, I am musing as to which other tests can be summed up by a non-participant," muses Ian Forth. "I can think of two Darrell Hair Tests, the George Davis Test of 1975 and the Fusarium Test of 1972." You could make a case for the BC Cooray Test (Kandy, SL v England, 2000-01), the Javed Akhtar Test (Eng v SA, Headingley 1998) and, sad to say, the Ben Hollioake Test (NZ v Eng, Wellington, 2001-02). Any others?
4th over: Sri Lanka 15-3 (Jayawardene 0, Samaraweera 0) The new batsman Thilan Samaraweera is the unsung hero of world cricket, with an average of 53 from 74 Tests. "It's St John's Wood on Sea here in Galle as the men in suits' decision keeps out the men in sarongs," says Gary Naylor. "But even the ramparts are full of Brits and so are the (very long) queues to get in."
WICKET! Sri Lanka 15-3 (Dilshan c Strauss b Broad 11) We're not even half an hour into the series and Sri Lanka are three down. These two new-ball bowlers are simply world class, and Stuart Broad has picked up Dilshan now. It was a good delivery, a perfect length and on a perfect fourth-stump line; Dilshan, squared up a touch, fenced at it and edged straight to Strauss at third slip. "This is the most potent England attack for decades," says Bob Willis. Amen to that.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 11-2 (Dilshan 7, Jayawardene 0) Mahela Jayawardene survives the hat-trick ball. But what a start from Anderson, who has figures of 2-2-0-2. He is only the sixth England bowler to take 250 Test wickets. The two wicket-taking deliveries are almost making out on the Hawkeye pitch map. They were pretty much identical: full, slightly wide, swinging away and too much for the batsmen to resist.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 11-2 (Sangakkara c Prior b Anderson 0) Sangakkara has gone first ball! What a start from Jimmy Anderson! Sangakkara drove absent-mindedly at a tempting full-length outswinger and got the thinnest of edges to Matt Prior. One of the world's best players – the best player according to the ICC rankings – has gone for a golden duck. That is a mighty wicket for England.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 11-1 (Thirimanne c Swann b Anderson 3) James Anderson has his 250th Test wicket! He really is a master with the new ball, and he was just too good for Thirimanne there. After teasing him in the first over, he drew Thirimanne into a nothing push with a fullish outswinger, and Swann took a smart catch at second slip. Splendid bowling.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 11-0 (Thirimanne 3, Dilshan 7) There has been a bit of doubt as to whether Broad has fully recovered from his ankle injury; apparently he didn't look entirely comfortable in the build up. Dilshan times his first ball through midwicket for three and then almost falls later in the over, edging a kitchen-sink drive over the vacant third-slip area for four. "So, while the clever money is clearly on Ravi for the No6 spot (next cab, four bowlers, etc), aren't you just a little bit excited about the prospect of Samit waddling up to turn his arm over/whack one square?" says Matt Hart. "It's been a while since England gave a cap to anyone with a BMI over 25 (is that right?) and I, for one, feel it's about time for the fat lad to get a go. Also, lest you think I'm just chubby chasing, I think we'll need that 3rd spinner/5th bowler. I also like the prospect of counter-attacking runs from a batsman who, for all his foibles, most likely won't suffer from stage fright." He plays spin well, too. We don't know for certain whether he was preferred to Bopara, or whether Bopara's inability to bowl due to a side strain was the decisive factor. I suspect, though I'm not certain/have no idea really.
1st over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne 0, Dilshan 0) A decent start from Anderson. There's no pace in the pitch, but the new ball is swinging. "After those soulless desert Test matches it will be a shock for England's players to play in front of an actual crowd," says Ian Copestake. "I hope it inspires them."
REVIEW! Sri Lanka 0-0 (Thirimanne not out 0) An early shout for England. The young left-hander Thirimanne, set up by a few outswingers from Anderson, pads up to a straighter delivery off the last ball of the over. Rod Tucker says not out, and England decide to go for the review. It pitched fractionally outside leg and was probably missing off stump as well. So a poor review from England, and an even worse shot from Thirimanne.
Here come the England players, led out by Andrew Strauss. This is his first Test in Sri Lanka. He was on the fringes in 2003-04 (he made his one-day debut on that tour) and was omitted in 2007-08.
The last time England played three spinners in a Test – if you count Big Samit as a proper spinner – was in the Shakoor Rana Test, 25 years ago. John Emburey, Eddie Hemmings and Nick Cook were the three.
Sri Lanka have won the toss and will – duh – bat first. Mahela Jayawardene, who begins a new spell as Test captain, says it looks a very good wicket. It's a really decent toss to win, as Galle often deteriorates in the last couple of days.
Sri Lanka Thirimanne, Dilshan, Sangakkara, M Jayawardene (c), Samaraweera, Chandimal, P Jayawardene (wk), Randiv, Herath, Lakmal, Welegedara.
England Strauss (c), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Prior (wk), Patel, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Panesar.
Team news Samit Patel has been handed his cap out in the middle, which can only mean one thing: he has a new cap for his special hat wardrobe back in Nottingham. He has all sorts in there. A Pearl Jam baseball cap, a Diesel beanie, a Primark trilby, the lot.
Oh, and he'll be making his England Test debut. Apparently he will bat at No7, with Matt Prior at No6. That's an interesting decision, not one I'd necessarily agree with. Australia hardly ever moved Adam Gilchrist up the order, and I don't see why England should do the same with Prior. And although Patel tends to bat No7 in one-day cricket for England, he is a proper top-six batsman in first-class cricket, with a decent average of 41.42.
If he's an allrounder, then fine, play him at No7, but he's not – he's a batsman who bowls. If you want an allrounder you play Bresnan, unless the pitch is a brutal turner. Anyway, enough moaning. In Andy we trust.
Preamble Hello. You may never get a second chance to make first impression, but sometimes you do get a second chance to make a decent impression while being first. The start of England's reign as world No1 was a bit of a disaster, with their batsmen struggling to get foetal twenties, never mind Daddy hundreds. But they kept their No1 ranking because of South Africa's failure to win a couple of Tests, and if they win this two-match series they will stay on top. (A draw might be enough.) More importantly, a win would show that England aren't genetically incapable of beating decent opposition in Asia.
It's a tricky series to predict. On the face of it, Sri Lanka aren't a great side. They are suffering post-Murali Tests (one win in 17 Tests since he retired; nine wins in the 17 before that). Winning in Sri Lanka is rarely easy, however, and a few things will concern England: the inhumane humidity (try saying that with a mouthful of Berocca), a heat as oppressive as Livia Soprano, and the ability of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to bat forever and ever and ever, and then for another day. Unless Sri Lanka prepare dustbowls, getting 20 wickets should be England's biggest challenge.
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