At last, we’ve won on tour
England cure travel sickness with complete performance
Ecstatic: Root leaps on Buttler as hero Foakes (right) enjoys a rare England away win
IT DOES not get much better than this. It was close to the perfect performance from England on a ground where they had never won to halt a truly dismal run of 13 away Tests without a single victory. Totally unexpected, too, after the most unsatisfactory preparation.
Only a modest first appearance from Rory Burns and the sad fact that Sri Lankan cricket is in turmoil and they are a shadow of the great side they once were stops this from being a 10-out-of10 display from England.
But before we underestimate the scale of their achievement we should remember that South Africa were soundly beaten by this same Sri Lanka side at this special Galle ground only four months ago.
Everywhere you looked there were success stories for England. There was a century and brilliant keeping on debut from Ben Foakes, who must be here to stay having only got his chance as cover for the injured Jonny Bairstow.
There was a potentially careersaving hundred from one of the good guys, Keaton Jennings, who proved that, against spin at least, he has the talent, technique and temperament to open the batting for England.
And there was the sight of England’s three-pronged spin attack totally out-bowling Sri Lanka’s on a ground that has been their fortress by taking 16 wickets between them to gate- crash Rangana Herath’s retirement party.
It was all over yesterday after England had methodically worked their way through the Sri Lanka line-up, with the help of some awful shot selection, when Herath was run out in his final Test, a reminder that sport rarely provides fairytales.
For once Herath was on the losing side in Galle even though that looked inconceivable when England crashed to 103 for five on the first morning after Joe Root had totally misjudged conditions and decided England must go on all- out attack before the pitch crumbled. It never did.
To recover from that perilous position and win by 211 runs within four days on this of all grounds is quite a comeback, particularly as inexperienced players like Foakes, Sam Curran and Jack Leach were at the forefront of it.
Full marks, then, to England for quickly recognising after a mere three days’ match practice that they should change their intention to throw Joe Denly in at three, a plan that could well have seen both Foakes and Leach omitted.
And good luck to Root, Trevor Bayliss and national selector Ed Smith when they get together to decide their team for Wednesday’s second Test, with Bairstow and Stuart Broad, to name but two top players, desperate to return.
It is hard to see how Broad can in Kandy, with Chris Woakes and perhaps even Olly Stone believed to be in front of him in the queue.
Bairstow is a different case as his batting will be needed as England seek the correct formula at the top of an order that repeatedly needs bailing out by the all-rounders.
It is a delicate one as Bairstow has done nothing wrong and firmly believes he is a better player when he has the gloves and bats in the lower middle order, a position that has seen him become one of England’s most important players.
But for the good of the team he will have to be persuaded by Bayliss and Root that England need him to concentrate on his batting and tell him he could be as high as three in the second Test. The gloves have to stay with Foakes.
Ticklish selection dilemmas can wait. For now England should relish a display that will go a long way towards erasing the one blip on Bayliss’s record as coach — their away Test form.
Root may have been a disappointment with the bat, but his captaincy was proactive, thoughtful, positive and authoritative. He is growing rapidly into the job.
And what a joyous sight it has been to see Leach bowl so well and take five wickets in the match and give his captain a control that not even Moeen Ali could match, even though he produced his best overseas figures with eight victims.
Leach is a proper throwback and a candidate to be considered the nicest man in cricket. He has had to overcome adversity, not least his ongoing battle with Crohn’s disease, and could have played last summer but for injury.
He should stay in the team now, with Adil Rashid missing out for Bairstow if England deem a change necessary, not least so he can again relish playing in the same England team as his great childhood friend Jos Buttler.
The sight of Leach, who produced the ball of the Test to bowl Sri Lanka’s captain Dinesh Chandimal yesterday, leaping into Buttler’s arms during the first innings screaming, ‘Caught Buttler bowled Leach’, a mode of dismissal they achieved together when they were 11, was the game’s champagne moment.
This then, has been a remarkable Test, not least because not a single ball was lost to rain despite it teeming down almost every evening. Well played the Galle groundstaff and well played England. With two Tests to play, they have every chance of emulating nasser Hussain’s side by winning in Sri Lanka.