The late developer

One of the main reasons why England were made to work hard for their win at Edgbaston was the battling effort of Michael Vandort, who ground out his second Test century. It was his first Test against anyone other than Bangladesh and was a significant milestone for the opener. In The Guardian, David Hopps charts his development.

Vandort was a late developer, chosen once for his school 1st XI - and St Joseph's is by no means the foremost Colombo cricketing college. He has needed every ounce of Burgher phlegm to get this far. He used 46 balls to navigate the 90s. At 95 the new ball was taken. At 97 he hooked uncomfortably at Matthew Hoggard. A drinks interval delayed him on 98.