So the second of England’s three tests against Sri Lanka is
now also over, with another win for the home side. The Sri Lankan team is young, inexperienced
and unfamiliar with English conditions; the retirements of Sangakkara and
Jayawardene were two huge losses. But at
least the second test saw the Sri Lankans put up a bit of fight in the second
innings, and they could be competitive at Lord’s if the conditions aren’t so
friendly to swing bowlers. Speaking of swing
bowlers, Jimmy Anderson has made the perfect response to his poor series in
South Africa, taking 18 wickets in two tests.
This doesn’t prove he can still be competitive in less favourable
environments, but you can only work with the chances you have, and he’s scarcely
bowled a bad ball so far this summer.
So the latest rankings show a further small adjustment:
Australia 166
India 116
England 95 +11
Pakistan 93
South Africa 76
New Zealand 43
Sri Lanka -28 -11
West Indies -75
Bangladesh -172
Zimbabwe -315
But England’s progress would be more-or-less undone if Sri
Lanka manage a consolation victory to end the series. Equally, three out of three is worthy of
credit against any opponents. In any
case, Pakistan (who England have just now overtaken) will surely provide a
sterner test.
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