England's great escape, version 2.0
Looking back on England's win against Sri Lanka in the first Test, Johnathan Agnew in his column on BBC Sport writes that there were very few people in the stadium in Cardiff to see one of the most extraordinary England wins in recent years and I
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Looking back on England's win against Sri Lanka in the first Test, Johnathan Agnew in his column on BBC Sport writes that there were very few people in the stadium in Cardiff to see one of the most extraordinary England wins in recent years and I suspect that they, like the rest of us, could not believe what they saw. Sri Lanka switched off and it cost them.
Sri Lanka must be honest, put their hands up and admit that this was a disaster.
They clearly did not have their mind on the job, which is unforgivable. They may not have known when they would bat, but they knew they were going to have to at some stage.
Two years ago we had the Great Escape [when England drew against Australia in Cardiff] writes Tom Fordyce on the same website. The second Miracle of Cardiff was every bit as impossible to believe.
For all the opprobrium that will be thrown at Sri Lanka after their knock-kneed collapse, equal amounts of praise should be heaped on England.
Here, in under a session, was the encapsulation of why they are now a team to be feared and admired - in a seemingly impossible situation, shorn of their leading bowler, in a match that everyone had written off, somehow finding a way to win against any odds or expectations.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo