Uncomfortable statistic faces England fans

LONDON, May 24: English cricket lovers still revelling in post-Ashes euphoria face an uncomfortable statistic in the run-up to the second test against Sri Lanka starting at Edgbaston tomorrow.

Since their spine-tingling three-wicket win over Australia at Trent Bridge last August, England have won only one of their last eight tests.

Nine dropped catches allowed Sri Lanka to escape with a draw in the first test of the season at Lord's and two former England openers found common cause in their post-game analyses.

''They were very committed and focused against the Aussies last summer but against Sri Lanka they thought they were going to win easily and took their eye off the ball,'' Geoff Boycott wrote in his BBC online column.

''Whenever you play top sport and get complacent it gives you a kick up the backside and that's what they got.

''Of course if they had held their catches they would have won but if their attitude had been better they would have caught them.'' Michael Atherton in the Sunday Telegraph also detected a lack of drive.

''It is difficult to believe a team that had won only one test match in seven could be suffering from complacency but that is how it looked at Lord's,'' he said.

''They have now won just one test match in eight. This week would be a good time to snap out it.'' Individually there was plenty to praise in an England team bereft of captain Michael Vaughan, fast bowlers Steve Harmison and Simon Jones and left-arm spinner Ashley Giles.

HARMISON OMITTED

Each of the batsmen got runs while Sajid Mahmood, Liam Plunkett and Monty Panesar bowled well without a great deal of luck in their first home tests.

Harmison has been given more time to get match fit after recovering from sore right shins while reserve batsman Ian Bell is the only player in the 13-strong Lord's squad to miss out.

Weather and pitch conditions may determine whether Gloucestershire paceman Jon Lewis finally gets a start after being named in a test squad for the fifth time.

Lewis took nine wickets against the Sri Lankans for England A and, while not as fast or bouncy as Mahmood and Plunkett, he moves the ball more than either. If he does play it will most likely be at the expense of Mahmood as Plunkett has been slotted in at number eight in the batting order.

Sri Lanka have some interesting dilemmas.
Left-handed opener Sananth Jayasuriya, his country's most prolific test batsman, has rescinded a decision to retire and is available for selection at Edgbaston although he did not play in the pre-test match at Sussex. His chances of taking the field at Edgbaston were boosted when Jehan Mubarak and Michael Vandort failed to take their opportunity in the Sussex match to press their cases to partner Upal Tharanga.

Jayasuriya also gives Sri Lanka another bowling option with his slow left-arm spin.

''Sanath has been having net sessions since he arrived here,'' captain Mahela Jayawardene told the Cricinfo website. ''With his experience I am sure if he is called upon to do a job he is capable enough to do it.'' Lasith Malinga, who generates genuine pace from a round-arm action developed while playing beach softball, took five wickets against Sussex and would give the Sri Lanka attack the penetration it so badly lacked at Lord's.

''At the end of the Lord's test I said we needed to figure out a way of getting 20 wickets,'' Jayawardene added.

''If Malinga is going to be the answer, so be it. If the wicket is going to be turning then we can go with three quicks and two spinners.

''If it is flat, Malinga probably has a better chance of getting wickets. He actually does not need any assistance from the pitch to get wickets.

''The only problem we have with him is if it is a seaming wicket he does not hit the seam so there is no movement for him while Nuwan Zoysa and Nuwan Kulasekera can be effective.'' Teams (from): England - Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff (captain), Geraint Jones, Liam Plunkett, Matthew Hoggard, Sajid Mahmood, Jon Lewis, Monty Panesar.

Sri Lanka - Upal Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Zoysa, Lasith Malinga.

REUTERS