England's Use of the Second New Ball Sets Up Victory

England won the second test by a flattering 6 wicket margin. Sri Lanka's defiance was broken by skilful bowling with the second new ball, particularly from Liam Plunkett who took two wickets in two balls to ensure that for once the Sri Lankan tail did not wag.

A lead of 78 was never going to be enough, but Muralitharan's 4 for 29 served to remind us all how close this contest really was. Had 80 runs been added to the target we could have witnessed a repeat of England's 22 run defeat against Pakistan in Multan. Another 40 runs and we could have been treated to a repeat of England's 3 wicket victory at Trent Bridge last year.

This England side have a fine record when batting in their first innings, but they need to adopt different tactics when facing the greater challenge of batting last on a wearing pitch. The best time for a coach to criticise his team is after a victory and Fletcher needs to work on this chink in the armour of the team of St George.