Lord’s lessons

After a winter of discontent, England’s new era began with a dramatic Sri Lankan stalemate at the Home of Cricket.

Three debutants started what they hope will be long and prosperous Test careers, while a couple of older heads also had points to prove after falling dramatically out of form.

Below I take a look at the positives and negatives from the Lord’s encounter, as well as assessing what decisions England coach Peter Moores still has to make with a five-match series against India looming on the horizon.

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What we learnt…

No spin, no win

If we didn’t know it before, we certainly do now. ‘Swanny, where are you?!’ We were all baying Delia Smith-like from our perches as England’s final day push for victory came up agonisingly short. Joe Root and Moeen Ali’s part-time spin was negated with ease by Sri Lanka’s batsmen, putting extra pressure on England’s seamers, who almost pulled off a last-gasp win. England’s over-rate also suffered for the lack of a reliable spin option, landing captain Alastair Cook a fine from the ICC as a result.

Matt’s not finished

Many believed Prior’s Test career was over when he was dropped during the winter Ashes debacle but he proved his class with a vital 86 in England’s first innings. At 209-5, Sri Lanka were just beginning to assume a semblance of control but Prior, who survived an lbw appeal first ball by the skin of his teeth, batted England into a position of dominance alongside double centurion Root. Prior’s glovework was also exemplary on a difficult pitch and he appears to have cemented his position behind the stumps for the India series, at least.

Ballance is strong

Filling the void of Jonathan Trott is no mean feat but Yorkshire left-hander Ballance showed all the hallmarks of a Test match No 3 during his memorable maiden Test hundred on day four. With England in the midst of a potentially fatal collapse in the afternoon session, Ballance held firm at one end before accelerating through the gears to reach his 100 in style. Strong off his legs and imperious on the drive, Ballance looks every bit Test match quality and will be relishing his Headingley homecoming this week.

The passion is still there

Many questioned the appetite and hunger of the England side when all was going so spectacularly wrong in Australia. But the fight and desire of the team could not be doubted at Lord’s, where the pitch looked to be the only winner for much of the five days. James Anderson, the leader of the bowling attack in every sense, epitomised the will to win with a sensational spell either side of tea and England’s energy on the final day created pressure which almost yielded a famous win.

DRS works

You can only hope the Board of Control for Cricket in India were watching the thrilling climax on Monday. England were celebrating with two balls to go after a huge lbw verdict was upheld on last man Nuwan Pradeep, only for the batsman to review, knowing full well that he’d got an inside edge on to his pad. Although the DRS review sent England from an incredible high to a deflated low, ultimately, the right decision was made.

And what we still don’t know…

Is Robson ready?

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