Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BESS YET TO COME
Dom bags 5-30 in just 10 over but insists: ‘I didn’t bowl very well’
BY Dean Wilson
DOM BESS cashed in on some abject batting to spin England towards glory on the first day of their Sri Lanka tour.
But after posting career-best figures of 5-30, the off-spinner’s sheepish celebration told the story of just how badly the hosts 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.
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 and even though he got plenty of assistance with it, 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.
“I didn’t feel I bowled as well as I know I can, but that is cricket isn’t it? That’s how it turned out and there might be days I bowl exceptionally well and go 1-100.
“If a seamer bowls a wide half volley and it gets a wicket then no one says anything. It’s 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 England. Stuart Broad set the tone with two early wickets and a third after lunch to leave the scorebook recording Sri Lanka were dismissed for just 135 inside 47 overs, the lowest ever first innings score at Galle.
And by the close of day one, a 50th Test 50 for Joe Root and an unbroken century partnership with Jonny Bairstow meant England were just eight runs behind with oodles of time stretched out before them. Sri Lanka understand the conditions and what it takes to be successful at this ground better than anyone else.
But they batted as if they had never seen the place before, and 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 Bairstow, Yorkshiremen who could not have grown up anywhere more different from Galle, played the conditions beautifully.
They adapted and soaked up the pressure after Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley fell cheaply to the left-arm spin of Lasith Embuldeniya.