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Former England batter Mark Butcher did not mince words as he had a go at the Sri Lankan side for a lack of game awareness at the start of Day 3 of the first Test against England in Manchester on August 23. With England on 259/6 in response to Sri Lanka's first innings total of 236 at stumps on Day 2, the Test match was hanging by a thread.
However, Sri Lanka tried to start Day 3 with Asitha Fernando bowling the first over without realizing he had bowled the final over on Day 2. Finally, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya opened the bowling after a slight delay to bring the protective gears for the close-in fielders.
It had Butcher fuming while speaking to Sky Sports and he said:
"I don't understand how a professional Test cricket team cannot be ready to do that on a day such as today. And that's pretty much my rant over because it's just, it's unfathomable that they wouldn't have had an idea as an absolute collective, not just the captain, you know, there are coaches that have millions of backroom staff for every cricket team at the moment. How they've gone out there unprepared and ready to go and go hard at England this morning, I will never know."
He continued:
"I cannot understand for the life of me, I really can't, how at the start of a day's play you do not know exactly what you're doing. Day three, huge day, you're still very much in the Test match, you've hung in there for two days and showed a lot of character. How do you not know, every single man on that field know, exactly what is going to be happening first ball."
"Who's bowling, what fields we are going to have, what our plan is in terms of keeping Smith perhaps away from the bowling or putting him under pressure when he starts again, and that just completely blows my mind," added Butcher.
Finally, Asitha Fernando bowled the third over of the day from the end Sri Lanka desired.
England ahead on Day 3 of opening Test against Sri Lanka
Coming to the action in the first Test, England have taken the upper hand at the halfway mark of a rivetting contest. After restricting Sri Lanka to 236 in their first innings, the hosts amassed 358 in their first essay.
Rookie wicketkeeper Jamie Smith continued his impressive start to Test cricket by scoring a brilliant 111 off 148 deliveries.
Faced with a deficit of 122 runs, the visitors got off to a horrific start of 1/2 at the stroke of lunch.
However, veterans Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews led a fightback with a half-century partnership before the former fell for 27. Sri Lanka also watched wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Chandimal retire hurt on 10, followed by the dismissal of skipper Dhananjaya de Silva to find themselves 95/4 in their second innings.
Sri Lanka still trail by 27 runs as Mathews continues to battle on 42* with another 44 overs left in the day's play.
