England v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Chester-le-Street, Day 3 - Resolute Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan batsmen exhibited resolve on day 3 which was much needed yesterday. It was not a tricky track to bat on yesterday, but still the Lankan batters capitulated big time. The nature of the track has not changed a bit today as well, rather it became better for batting as the day progressed. The right temperament was needed to carry on throughout the day. The Lankans did it the right way.

In my opinion, Kaushal Silva set the tempo for Sri Lanka today. He was resolute and only cracked boundaries when the ball was there to be hit. Otherwise, he was quite watchful. He is a player who loves to execute his strokes more on the front foot and this might halt his progress if he doesn’t improve his backfoot stroke-play. He is also a very good timer of the ball. One particular shot caught my attention – a well-timed shot against Steven Finn through the mid off for four. That stroke was a delight for the purists.

Kaushal provided the stability on which senior players like Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal cashed in and thankfully, pathetic collapses had not been the story of the day. England are still in a dominant position, but the day belonged to a resolute Sri Lanka.  

Thank You
Faisal Caesar