England v Sri Lanka, 2006
England v Sri Lanka, 2006
Jim Holden
15-Apr-2007
At Birmingham, May 25, 26, 27, 28. England won by six wickets. Toss: Sri Lanka.
One moment of genius lifted this otherwise moderate Test above the norm. One
bravura batting stroke gave the game its own little place in history. One individual
contest - the heart of cricket - made everyone who watched smile with joy and gasp
in astonishment.
All along, the personal battle between Kevin Pietersen and Muttiah Muralitharan
was a sheer delight. Pietersen relied on his unique combination of power, panache, instinct and thoughtful unorthodoxy. Muralitharan countered with all his wit and guile,
persistence and unique double-jointed blend of variations. And there was no doubting
that Pietersen was the victor, even though Murali twice had the final word.
But the real triumph came in England's first innings. Pietersen had already scored
136 from 154 balls, while no other batsman topped 30. As Muralitharan danced towards
the wicket, Pietersen did his own pirouette at the crease, changing his feet and his
grip to turn himself into a left-hander. He then unleashed the ball into the crowd for
six. It was more than just a reverse sweep, and the word "sweep" hardly conveys the
lethal power of the stroke, still less its awesome inventiveness. Murali could no more
believe it than anyone else. He said afterwards that Pietersen was now "on top of the
world" as a batsman. The official ICC rankings merely lifted him to No. 10.
Pietersen called it "a naughty shot", an admission that it was reckless as well as
revolutionary. Some said it was too naughty. He fell attempting an orthodox sweep
two balls later, and perhaps he had become over-confident. But most spectators revelled
in the moment: to see one of the world's most baffling bowlers looking so baffled
himself was a treat. In the endless duel between batsman and bowler, Pietersen had
given us an entirely new variation, and few cricketers can say that. He was rightly
named man of a match that England - unchanged from Lord's, despite all the criticism
- again dominated. But this time they pressed home their superiority.
Sri Lanka chose to bat in reasonably bright sunshine. However, the conditions again
suited England's combination of swing and seam, and they were 65 for six at lunch.
Hoggard, reliable as ever, bowled Tharanga with an inswinger in the very first over.
Plunkett went one better, claiming two in his opening over, and Mahmood nearly
followed suit - he had a chance dropped in his first over, and got Maharoof to edge
behind in his second. Flintoff removed Dilshan with his first ball after lunch, and his
captaincy, after criticism at Lord's, was more forceful here. Catches were still dropped, however, none more easy than the one spilled by Panesar at mid-off that allowed
Malinga to add 50 with Vaas for the ninth wicket. Then Panesar - in his first over -
ended Malinga's stay by trapping him leg-before. It illustrated the dilemma England
faced over Panesar. The home crowd not merely tolerated his flaws but revelled in
them. Coach Duncan Fletcher and a legion of old pros were less indulgent.
England's first innings was a mixed bag. The first five on the original scorecard all
made starts but were ultimately defeated by Muralitharan, apart from Strauss, needlessly
run out dallying on a call from Cook. Only Pietersen found an answer, and it was a
thrilling one. At one point, he struck Murali for three consecutive fours through the
off side, and then came that left-handed six. There was also his "flamingo shot" -
pulled from wide of off stump through mid-on while standing on one leg. But there
was plenty of finesse too, and solid forward defence when required. Pietersen became
the first England batsman to hit three centuries in successive home Tests since Graham
Gooch in 1990, and he celebrated with gusto. At 290 for five, England looked on
course for a big score and an innings victory. Once Pietersen departed, though, the
rest floundered. Flintoff played down the wrong line to a yorker from Malinga, whose
round-arm style provoked conversation rather than controversy, and in five overs
England had collapsed to 295 all out, a lead of 154.
It hardly seemed to matter as Sri Lanka struggled once more. Again, Hoggard
dismissed Tharanga in his opening over, caught behind for a pair. Panesar also repeated
his trick of a first-over wicket, Sangakkara hitting tamely to mid-on, and then spun
one sharply past Samaraweera for a stumping. That was 56 for four, but the Sri Lankans
finally rallied round the obstinacy of Vandort, who batted calmly to the close on Friday
and throughout the 34 overs possible on a rain-affected Saturday, when a century
partnership with Dilshan averted an innings defeat. Vandort claimed a defiant and
deserved hundred on Sunday morning, and for an hour or two Sri Lanka threatened
to present England with a difficult target, but two wickets in two balls from the
impressive Plunkett broke their resistance. When Plunkett added Vandort, last out after
six and a half hours, England needed only 78 to win.
Briefly, Murali v Pietersen provided more entertainment. Pietersen tried a more
orthodox reverse sweep (an unlikely concept for anyone else) and was nearly bowled
before being leg-before in the same over. Muralitharan took four wickets to finish with
ten in the match, for the 15th time in Test cricket, but Cook's admirable calm saw
England to a four-day victory, completed by a powerful straight drive by Flintoff.
Man of the Match: K. P. Pietersen.