All turns out for the Bess
‘I DID NOT BOWL WELL’ SAYS FIVE-WICKET DOM
DOM BESS cashed in on some abject batting to spin England towards glory on the opening day of the first Test.
But after posting career-best Test figures of 5-30, the offspinner’s sheepish celebrations told the story of just how badly the home team had performed.
The sight of Niroshan Dickwella cutting a rank long hop straight to Dom Sibley at backward point summed up the quality of Sri Lanka’s innings, as well as the good fortune enjoyed by England in Galle. No non-Asian spinner has taken five wickets in the first innings of a Test on the subcontinent quicker than Bess managed in his 10.1 overs.
Even though he got plenty of assistance, he should puff out his chest at the record.
“I didn’t feel like I bowled very well,” Bess admitted. “I was pretty nervous and there was that short, rubbish one that got cut.
“That is how it turned out and there might be days I bowl exceptionally well and go 1-100.
“If a seamer bowls a wide halfvolley and it gets a wicket, then no-one says anything. It is a wicket at the end of the day so I’ll take it when it comes.
“It is an incredibly proud moment because I’ve taken five wickets for England and no-one can take that away from me.”
Bess stole what ended up being a pretty bizarre show, with wickets falling to terrible shot selections, catches ricocheting off short-leg’s ankle, and batsmen being run out at the non-striker’s end from a fingernail deflection.
All told, the luck was definitely with Joe Root’s touring team. Stuart Broad set the tone with two early wickets. He also grabbed a third after lunch as Sri Lanka were skittled out for 135 inside 47 overs, the lowestever first-innings Test score registered at the ground.
And by the close, a 50th Test half-century for Root (66) and an unbroken century partnership with Jonny Bairstow, who was on 47, meant England were just eight runs behind with oodles of time stretched out before them.
Sri Lanka are supposed to be the side who understand the conditions – and what it takes to be successful in Galle – better than anyone else.
But they performed as if they had never seen the place before.
Their batting coach Grant Flower admitted: “I’m at a loss for words. I’ve never seen us bat this badly.
“They know the conditions, this is their home ground and they should have had a big advantage over England but we batted terribly.”
In contrast, Root and the recalled Bairstow, two Yorkshiremen who could not have grown up anywhere more different to Galle, adapted to the spinning conditions beautifully.
They soaked up the pressure after openers Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley had fallen cheaply to the left-arm spin of Lasith Embuldeniya, who finished up with figures of 2-55 from his 18 overs.