Daunting challenge for Sri Lanka to repeat 2014 heist

In the heady first half of 2014, Sri Lanka floated into England in the afterglow of Asia Cup and World T20 triumphs, won the limited-overs leg, then made James Anderson weep at the end of the Tests.

In the doleful first half of 2014, nursing gashes from the tri-format flagellation in Australia, England sought to launch a “new era”. This promptly splintered and ran aground on Angelo Mathews’ rock-of-Gibraltar forward defence.

Still, even in England’s bleakest hours, they had their defenders. Not so long after they had lost to Netherlands in the World T20, a noisy ex-player was happy to announce that Sri Lanka’s bowling was merely a “glorified county attack”. This year, it was a former Sri Lankan cricketer who made the wild predictions. The team he selects has the “best attack in the world” Sanath Jayasuriya, the chief selector, said. In two years, even the delusion, it would seem, has switched feet.

Since that 2014 series, Anderson has reclaimed his snarl so completely that presently he seems more likely to produce swear words from his tear ducts, than tears. And it is England that came within a Brathwaite bat-breadth of claiming the recent World T20. England who – under the instruction of Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace, and briefly Mahela Jayawardene, all of whom have been in charge of Sri Lanka in some way – have opened with spin, batted with adventure, widened their horizons.

While they bristled with purpose, Sri Lanka have moped through some of their grimmest months this decade. The bowling has generally been heartening. The fielding and batting has not. At times, the catching has brought to mind slapstick acts at children’s birthday parties. At others the top order …

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