Bowlers could benefit from more preparation

Nasser Hussain and the England coach, Duncan Fletcher, leave as little to chance as they can. It was impressive to see the captain watching a warm-up session on the outfield with his three remaining fast bowlers before play began on the fifth morning yesterday. On an excellent pitch which has lasted the course well, it was important that England made an early breakthrough.

After Matthew Hoggard, Alex Tudor and Andrew Flintoff had loosened up for 20 minutes, they began to walk off towards the pavilion, but Hussain sent them back for another 20 minutes, this time bowling into the wind. This should have sent the message to the Sri Lankan dressing-room that England were going to be on their toes from the very first ball.

However, the reality was sadly different. Tudor bowled the first over to enable Hoggard to change ends, while Flintoff bowled into the wind. But far from being ready from the word go, they all needed some loosening-up overs. As it turned out, England won the match in dramatic style, but it could have been over much sooner had the Sri Lankan batsmen not been given time to reacclimatise to the conditions and to get a sight of the ball before the bowlers found their rhythm.

The New Zealander Richard Hadlee, who took the small matter of 431 Test wickets, never made this mistake. He always completed all his warm-up exercises before he left the pavilion and made sure that every ball of his first over counted.

These three England bowlers must have realised the need to put Sri Lanka on the back foot as soon as possible. All preparations and exercises should have been completed in their pre-session practice and in the dressing-room.

Net practice is important so that the bowlers have got their radar settings right before they take the field. It is indefensible to bowl wide of the wicket and allow the batsman to get a comfortable sight of the ball, just as it is to set off for an over or two at three-quarter pace.

This failure to prepare was just as culpable as the extraordinary situation later when England were caught with three men behind square on the legside, the umpire calling no ball as Hoggard caught Mahela Jayawardene off Flintoff at deep backward square leg. Hoggard was probably the guilty one for he could not have been paying attention when Hussain moved himself to backward short-leg.

It was dreadfully clumsy but I doubt it made much difference because Jayawardene had clearly spotted the three fielders behind square and realised he had been presented with a free hit. For all that, it was unforgivable and Hussain will realise that he needs eyes in the back of his head.