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A battling England earns a draw

By Ted Corbett

GALLE Dec 6. A wonderful battling performance by England earned a draw in the first Test against Sri Lanka and set up the prospect of a memorable series. When bad light and rain stopped play 20 minutes early, the last pair of Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard was at the wicket with only four of the final 15 overs remaining.

We knew before the start of the final day that Sri Lanka was the favourite and, as England finished 110 runs short of its victory target, it is easy to suggest that Sri Lanka was robbed by its own rain.

But in true sporting terms England was the hero. Led by Mark Butcher and Paul Collingwood, pushed into his Test debut at a hour's notice when Nasser Hussain called off with a viral illness, it battled for 107 overs to recall great fights from the past.

The effort was as heroic as the victory in the dark in Karachi two years ago and the draw against South Africa at Old Trafford in 1998. They can fight, these England cricketers, right down to the last man.

The fifth day pitch was dry and difficult for any batsman but the side held out against Muttiah Muralitharan and his pals in a way that suggested they have the steel for a place at the top of the world rankings even if they have not yet found sufficient talent. Murali finished with 11 wickets and took his Galle tally to 71 in nine Tests.

The day began with a ringing appeal against Michael Vaughan, the England captain, and from that moment his side was under pressure. Vaughan was out in the fourth over, giving Dinusha Fernando his first Test wicket.

In the next five overs Marcus Trescothick and Butcher seemed to gain control and Trescothick hit five fours in 24. At that point he decided that a big swing at Sanath Jayasuriya was one of the solutions to England's problem. Instead he hit all round the ball and was bowled.

At 16 Trescothick had had a catch referred to the third umpire who saw that the ball had hit the ground straight from the bat. A second referral, for a catch off Collingwood, seemed more controversial until it was explained that the view of the Australian umpire Darryl Harper had been obscured.

From the moment Trescothick was out England never again looked likely to save the match without the aid of the rain that hovered to the north-west in great banks of cloud yet never produced enough moisture to stop this grinding day's play until the last 15 minutes.

It was a fitting background against which Butcher fought for nearly three hours for his second fifty of the match at a perfectly judged tempo and without a chance. In this form he is the dour batsman England need at No. 3.

Graham Thorpe played a strange innings as if he had been upset by the chattering around him, although that sounds unlikely from such an experienced player. He scored ten and then took a heave at Murali and was caught by Chaminda Vaas running from mid-off.

Now it was the turn of Collingwood to support Butcher. The young tyro, plunged into the big time at the last minute, learnt from the old hand and showed that the verdict of the shrewd Jack Birkenshaw — Ray Illingworth's right hand man in the glory days at Leicester 30 years ago — that "he's tough this young man and I liked that in a batsman" was right.

Like Butcher he held out for three hours but when Butcher was caught behind off a ball from Vaas that shaped away and Andrew Flintoff out for nought seven balls later England was five for 125.

Chris Read played boldly, with a six off Murali, but he should have been given out lbw next ball and was brilliantly caught at short leg to give Murali revenge and a second wicket.

As the darkness gathered after tea, Hashan Tillekeratne had to rely on his spinners and at 204, in the 93rd over, Murali bowled Gareth Batty and after 41 minutes of defiance Richard Johnson allowed the ball to trickle on to his stumps.

Four overs later the umpires called off the match. It was a sad way to end a fine Test.

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