CRICKET: Wickets, 13 of them, fell like the Dow Jones index at Edgbaston yesterday. By the close it was England, thanks to half-century partnerships from openers Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick and later from Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook, who at 138 for three had all but reached parity.
Both openers, together with Cook, lost their wickets having made solid starts from which they would have hoped to progress, with Muttiah Muralitharan having a direct hand in two of the dismissals and an indirect one in another.
Pietersen was still there, though, batting his way exuberantly to an unbeaten 30, his bottom hand thumping out its tattoo of drives, clips and, once, with a deft step down the pitch to Murali, a lofted six into the chattering pavilion.
Earlier, helped by a bit of zip in the pitch and some new-ball swing, England's pace men collectively had worked their way steadily through the Sri Lankan order, to leave them reeling at 82 for eight. A ninth-wicket stand of 50 between Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga brought a touch of respectability, helping them towards their eventual 141 all out.
That this stand was terminated by Monty Panesar in his first over contained just a touch of irony for it was Panesar, a man who would struggle to catch a cold in the bleakest winter, who had missed Malinga at mid-off, a chance shoulder high and as gentle as they come, before he had scored and with just two runs added.
Panesar was not alone, however, for if a brace each of smart catches were taken by Paul Collingwood at fourth slip and Marcus Trescothick at first, then there were additional chances missed by Strauss at third slip, to reprieve Farveez Maharoof, and by Collingwood, a searing chance through his hands at fourth again when Tillakaratne Dilshan had just seven of his eventual 27.
Better players than the Sri Lankans will make them pay heavily for such lapses.
The captaincy of Andrew Flintoff, however, under scrutiny in the first Test, along with parts of his business and social life since, was much more sparky yesterday, the sort of day when bowling changes and the odd instinctive field placement seem to pay dividends.
Three times - when he introduced the excellent Liam Plunkett into the attack having bowled three fruitless new-ball overs himself, when he brought himself back into the attack, and when Panesar was called up to get rid of Malinga - the first-over magic that embraced Simon Jones last summer appeared to rub off. Only Strauss's fumble in the slips prevented Sajid Mahmood from joining the club.
Until some of the life went out of the pitch and the hardness left the ball, the England bowlers were on top of their game. Matthew Hoggard struck in his first over by pegging back the off stump of Upul Tharanga with a perfect inswinger and Plunkett, prancing in from the pavilion end, claimed the important wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in his first over.
By contrast, Sri Lanka's opening attack looked mundane, with Vaas a shadow of the bowler he is on the subcontinent and Malinga, hair in corn-rows, firing his slingshot but looking convinced he might find more life on the moon than in this pitch.
Trescothick and Strauss made their way untroubled to an opening stand of 56. It was the appearance of Muralitharan that placed a brake on England's progress. His third ball, more topspin than doosra, had Trescothick chopping at something too close to his body and edging to Sangakkara.
Four overs later, as Strauss flipped him off his hips, Cook came haring though for a single. Strauss's late response and desperate scamper would not have beaten the fielder's throw to the bowler's end had it been gathered, but with a direct hit he was not in the frame.
Cook and Pietersen added 56 for the third wicket.
Second Test Scoreboard
SRI LANKA FIRST INNINGS
M Vandort c Collingwood b Plunkett 9
W Tharanga b Hoggard 0
K Sangakkara c G O Jones b Plunkett 25
D Jayawardene c G O Jones b Plunkett 0
T Samaraweera c Collingwood b Hoggard 3
T Dilshan c Trescothick b Flintoff 27
M Maharoof c G O Jones b Mahmood 5
W Vaas not out 30
K Kulasekara c Trescothick b Mahmood 3
S Malinga lbw b Panesar 26
M Muralitharan c Plunkett b Flintoff 1
Extras lb6 nb6 pens 0 12
Total (51.2 overs) 141
Fall: 1-3 2-16 3-16 4-25 5-46 6-65 7-79 8-82 9-132. Bowling: Hoggard 15 4 32 2; Flintoff 13.2 4 28 2; Plunkett 12 1 43 3; Mahmood 9 1 25 2; Panesar 2 0 7 1
ENGLAND FIRST INNINGS CLOSE
M Trescothick c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 27
A Strauss run out 30
A Cook lbw b Muralitharan 23
K Pietersen not out 30
M Hoggard not out 2
Extras b2 lb8 nb11 pens 5 26
Total 3 wkts (34 overs) 138
Fall: 1-56 2-69 3-125. Bowling: Vaas 6 2 12 0; Malinga 8 1 56 0; Maharoof 8 3 22 0; Muralitharan 9 1 24 2; Kulasekara 3 0 9 0
