Morgan ton unlikely to help Test cause

England Lions 394 for 4 (Morgan 156*, Patel 101*) v Sri Lankans
Scorecard

Eoin Morgan is expected to pay the price for his IPL stint by missing out on a place in England's squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka, but he took his chance against the tourists with a destructive 156 for the Lions at Derby. Morgan added 232 for the fifth wicket with Samit Patel, who made a fine return to England colours with a classy 101, as the Lions closed on an imposing 394 for 4.

However, anything that happens in this match is unlikely to have a bearing on the England squad for Cardiff which will be named on Sunday. Geoff Miller, the national selector, and coach Andy Flower were both in attendance but this management group don't make last-minute decisions.

The momentum has grown behind Ravi Bopara in recent weeks as he has found form in the Championship so his scratchy 17, while a missed opportunity to impress, won't have been a deciding factor in his immediate future.

Yet, Morgan showed that he can transition from Twenty20 to first-class cricket with barely time to change his kit. He arrived back in England on Saturday, netted at Uxbridge on Sunday with Middlesex, then spent two days training with the Lions at Loughborough.

He came in at 105 for 3 when James Hildreth, the captain, lost his off stump to the slingy Nuwan Pradeep, who has been compared to Lasith Malinga by the Sri Lanka coach Stuart Law. It had been hard work batting on a green pitch but Morgan cashed in as conditions eased against an older ball and tiring bowlers.

There were the occasional alarms in what was Morgan's first first-class innings of the year and second in nine months. He began with an edge through the slips first ball and top-edged a six over the wicketkeeper against Dilhara Fernando after nearly being foxed by a slower delivery.

However, plenty of boundaries came out of the middle including a straight-driven six off Tharanga Paranavitna's gentle offspin and he motored towards the 80s by attacking the expensive Suraj Randiv. There was no hanging around in the 90s, either, as a back cut off Thisara Perera was followed by a pull to reach a hundred from 128 balls. Whatever the opinions on the decisions he has made he has again shown that temperament is not a problem.

Patel helped Morgan consolidate the innings, playing some handsome strokes to reach his ton from 131 balls. He has managed to hit the basic fitness targets laid down by the ECB and again showed them his raw talent. The bowling became increasingly ragged but Patel's batting had a touch of class about it, particularly the off-side driving.

He was offered two lives, both off Tillakaratne Dilshan, who spent part of the afternoon off the field after stepping on the ball, one of them by the normally safe Mahela Jayawardene who spilled two for the day. Jayawardene was one of five Sri Lankans recently arrived from the IPL. The chances, though, should take nothing away from Patel and time will tell whether he has turned a corner.

Having watched the runs flow, Bopara will know he missed out. He had to bat when conditions were at their toughest after Sri Lanka won the toss and he never settled. Jayawardene dropped him at second slip on 4 then the visitors were convinced he'd edged behind on 8. They didn't have to wait long, though, as Bopara flashed a cut at Fernando and edged to the wicketkeeper. Unlike Morgan, the major question marks over Bopara are regarding temperament.

The man to do the hard work in setting up the innings was James Taylor, batting out of position at the top of the order because Jimmy Adams was the one specialist opener in the side. He was struck a painful blow on the inner thigh against the new ball but battled hard during the morning session and began to reap the rewards after the break as he collected two straight sixes off Randiv.

Batting in Division Two of the Championship doesn't always do a player many favours as there are some soft runs around, but this effort followed a gusty half-century at The Oval two weeks ago against a strong Surrey attack. He was reluctant to leave when given caught behind off Fernando but had set a strong foundation for his team-mates.

Sri Lanka's bowlers started well but couldn't sustain pressure throughout the day. Pradeep was lively, Perara reasonably tight and Fernando occasionally threatening but they desperately need their spinner to offer control which Randiv couldn't do. More long days in the field beckon when the Test series starts.