It was just past the day’s first half hour when the feeling hit, the recognition that a straightforward England victory was no longer in the piece. The early morning wickets had not come, no damage done with the Dukes replacement Chris Woakes had giddily swung the previous evening. The seventh-wicket Sri Lanka stand was no longer consolatory but instead imposing, the two batters striking with party-pooping intent.
The over was bowled by Gus Atkinson. The ball leapt from the Brian Statham End, the intention to cut Kamindu Mendis in half. Instead came the leaping late dab behind point, both feet off the ground – one for the cameras – for three. Then came the fuller delivery, not overpitched, but driven through cover for four. The bouncer followed, pulled behind square for another boundary, two men perfectly bisected. This was Mendis’s fourth Test and Atkinson’s too, the England seamer having made this whole thing look so easy against the West Indies, 22 wickets quickly devoured. For once, someone else was finding it even easier.
