Mathews hopes Sri Lanka warm to their task

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Two days out from the Test, with thick grey clouds overhead and the wind whistling in from the north east, Sri Lanka trained in the coldest temperatures many of the team had experienced. Gloves stayed on during fielding drills. Some bowlers wore two woollen jumpers. Batsmen only removed their hoodies to put helmets on. And after training ended, players all but sprinted back into the dressing room.

Sri Lanka had done almost everything possible to acclimatise themselves to northern springtime weather, even training in slightly cooler Kandy before travelling to Essex and Leicester in the weeks before the Test. But some will feel they should have held their training camp in an industrial freezer to really feel comfortable in the springtime north.

“This is the coldest place I’ve played cricket,” Angelo Mathews said ahead of the Test. “It was extremely cold yesterday and it was a bit better today. The weather can be a factor, but you can’t make it an excuse. When England come to Sri Lanka, it’s hot, and they struggle. You can’t control the weather. You can only control what you do.”

Often in these conditions it is fielding that poses …

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