Foakes puts under-performing top order to shame as England stage dogged recovery
CRICKET
Ben Foakes thought he would be watching England’s first Test against Sri Lanka from the sidelines, but ended up playing a starring role on day one of his unexpected debut.
The Surrey wicketkeeper had planned for a rare winter at home after missing out on the 16-man squad, but he joined up as cover when regular glovesman Jonny Bairstow suffered an ankle injury during the recent one-day international series.
England’s initial instincts were to hand the gloves to white-ball wicketkeeper Jos Buttler but took a late swerve towards the 25-year-old, in a decision that is already paying dividends before Foakes has even had a chance to stand up to the stumps.
Coming in after a flaky toporder performance left the tourists on 103 for five in Galle yesterday, Foakes put together an assured, assiduous 87 not out to anchor an innings of 321 for eight.
Against a rotating cast of spinners and the doughty Suranga Lakmal, he gave his team a much-needed backbone and showcased both the technique and the judgement to succeed at the highest level.
All the more surprising, then, that he was caught offguard by his own selection.
“I only found out yesterday during training when Rooty [captain Joe Root] came to tell me. I was quite shocked, to be fair,” he said.
“It was a whirlwind. I didn’t think I’d be playing. I was a little surprised, but it was a proud moment. I had a lot of emotions this morning, but to get out there and get off the mark settled me down a bit.”
Until Bairstow’s untimely tumble, Foakes did not even think he would be in Sri Lanka, never mind performing in such style in front of over 8,000 fans – 6,130 inside the stadium and the remainder watching from on top of the picturesque Galle Fort.
“I’d heard about Jonny’s ankle but I still wasn’t sure if I’d be coming out,” he added. “I’d just got back from a lads’ trip to Lisbon when [national selector] Ed Smith gave me a ring – good preparation!
“I was going to have six months off, originally. I’ve had quite a few England Lions trips so it was just to kind of clear my head, get away from cricket for a little while and come back fresh. Plans change, don’t they?”
Foakes’ composed innings is not just a personal triumph, but an institutional one for the England and Wales Cricket Board. He has travelled to Sri Lanka three times with the Lions and once on a placement with Colombo-based Colts CC, learning more about the alien conditions each time.
At Colts, he played alongside Dilruwan Perera and Akila Dananjaya, two of the bowlers who failed to prise him out yesterday. “Coming out here a few times, you get good experience,” he said. “At Colts, I got to learn a little bit about Perera and Dananjaya, which was fantastic. It definitely helped. The thing you can’t really prepare for here is the heat, unless you’ve done it.”
England’s top order had imploded during a typically frantic morning on foreign soil, with several self-inflicted wounds leaving them on the verge of collapse.
However, Foakes successfully rebooted the innings, possibly the match itself and maybe even the course of the series. He batted with calm authority over 184 deliveries, blunting the hosts’ spinners and gently turning the tide with late assistance from Sam Curran (48).
Foakes, who has eight firstclass hundreds to his name, needs just 13 more for his ninth and will be relying on Somerset’s Jack Leach and, if needed, James Anderson to linger long enough to help him over the line.
Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath became only the third player in the history of Test cricket to take a century of wickets at one ground. The spinner got his 100th wicket at Galle in his farewell Test appearance when England captain Joe Root came down the wicket and was bowled by the 40-year-old.
Debutant Brandon Mavuta plundered four wickets as Zimbabwe skittled Bangladesh for just 169 to claim their first Test victory in five years.
Mavuta finished with figures of four for 21 from his ten overs as the tourists won the first Test in Sylhet by 151 runs – their first away success since 2001 – with a day to spare.
in Galle