Foakes ton will stump selectors
ANOTHER special day for Ben Foakes will have England selectors scrambling around for the ECB’s official paracetamol supplier ahead of a mammoth headache in Kandy.
The idea that the man parachuted into the side as emergency injury cover for Jonny Bairstow should make way once England’s regular wicketkeeper is fit has surely been torched by his performance with bat and gloves that has put his team on course for a maiden Test win in Galle.
Foakes’ brilliant century was almost to be expected as he returned to the middle on day two with just 13 needed to join Matt Prior as the only English wicketkeepers to score a hundred from his first Test innings, and be out on his own as the only keeper to score a ton in Asia.
But with Bairstow almost certain to return to the side in Kandy, how England fit him back in while improving their top order and maintaining a bowling attack to take 20 wickets will take some head scratching.
One idea is to move Ben Stokes up to No3 and play Moeen Ali as a frontline bowler with Bairstow slotting in at No5, which will weaken the bowling but could solve a problem Prior claims is their most pressing.
“What we don’t want to do is create an issue where there actually isn’t one, just because Ben Foakes has now come in and done really well,” said Prior on TalkSport.
“There are other areas in this England cricket team that really need work and now we’re having a discussion over the one area that was actually solid in Jos Buttler and Bairstow. Our focus should be on our top four and making sure they start performing and getting some runs on the board.”
Foakes’ 107 helped England to 342 all out and means their bottom five have now scored three hundreds in 2018 – as many as their top six. But it was his work behind the stumps in keeping to the spinners that caught the eye.
None more so than the stumping chance he took off Adil Rashid to remove Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal that paved the way for an under-par total of 203 all out and an England lead by the close of 177. Foakes said: “It is something that I didn’t think I’d achieve, because England have got so many good keepers. I didn’t think I’d get a game. “Over the past couple of years I didn’t think this would come and obviously a freak injury means it has happened and I’m so glad to have taken the chance. “When that ball got over the boundary, it was just a feeling of relief and a lot of joy. My brother had got here the night before so could see it too.” Here in Galle, the spinners have played their roles to perfection on a pitch that offered some turn with more to come.
Moeen was outstanding in taking 4-66, including the big wicket of Angelo Mathews for 52 from the first ball after tea, with Keaton Jennings deputising for Rory Burns at short leg to take the catch.
Burns had been struck on the top of his back by a sweep and stayed off the field while he received treatment, but he was able to return and then bat before the close.
Jack Leach was just as accurate and probing with his left-arm spin and it took 83 balls before the first boundary came off his bowling.
But for the Somerset man, the moment of the day came when his old Under-11 team-mate Buttler took the catch for his second wicket.
“I ran to him shouting, ‘Caught Buttler, bowled Leach!’ That was a nice moment for me and him,” said Leach.
“To be out there with him is very special because when he left Somerset the aim was always to play again together, hopefully for England.”
There are other areas in team that need work
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