Metronomic James Anderson fired England to a stunning innings and 88-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Investec Test match at Headingley.
England’s leading wicket-taker started the match on 433 Test scalps and added 10 more – going past India legend Kapil Dev to sixth on the all-time list in the process – as the visitors were blown away in an exhibition of swing bowling.
At times it felt like the 33-year-old would take a wicket with every ball as his immaculate control produced successive five-wicket hauls, 5-16 in the first innings and 5-29 in the second.
Metronomic James Anderson fired England to a stunning innings and 88-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Investec Test match at Headingley.
England’s leading wicket-taker started the match on 433 Test scalps and added 10 more – going past India legend Kapil Dev to sixth on the all-time list in the process – as the visitors were blown away in an exhibition of swing bowling.
At times it felt like the 33-year-old would take a wicket with every ball as his immaculate control produced successive five-wicket hauls, 5-16 in the first innings and 5-29 in the second.
Opener Dimuth Karunaratne lasted nine balls before a beauty lifted and moved through the air to find an edge through to Bairstow.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, who took nine catches to back up his first ton on in England, soon pouched another off Anderson from arguably an even better ball. Kaushal Silva survived 36 deliveries for his 14 before the dead-eye bowler produced the perfect line to draw the opener into an edge.
Ben Stokes was off the field – Yorkshire academy player Jordan Thompson swelling with pride fielding in front of the Western Terrace– for treatment on a jarred knee so England were a bowler light for the job of taking eight more wickets.
Steven Finn charged in without early success and No.3 Kusal Mendis showed some application striking seven fours in a 55-ball 47 despite being dropped twice. Sri Lanka reached 77-2 before the rain arrived at 12:50pm and an early lunch was called.
After a break of two hours four minutes, England immediately made deep inroads into the visitors. Moeen Ali was unexpectedly handed the ball and duly delivered, getting one to turn sharply that wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal tried to cut and only chopped onto his stumps.
Off spin was only afforded one over though; Broad and Anderson would give Cook an earful if they were not charging in with perfect swing and seam conditions overhead.
Broad soon drew captain Angelo Mathews into a feather edge through to Bairstow with an excellent fourth-stump line and Anderson forced Mendis to play on shortly after the young batsman had brought up his maiden half century.
Debutant Dasun Shanaka was next in and on a king pair. The all-rounder got off the mark but wonderfully repetitive Anderson bowled him three perfect deliveries on a sixpence and he nicked the third for Bairstow to pocket.
The main threat to England wrapping up victory on day three was the weather but with the umpires happy to play in some light showers Finn got in on the act as Rangana Herath slapped him to Broad at short extra cover.
Tea was called 4:45pm and it only took nine balls after the resumption for the final three wickets to be wrapped up. Finn grabbed two in the first over back – Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Thirimanne – before Anderson was rightly thrown the ball.
Nuwan Pradeep’s stumps were duly shattered and the game was brought to an abrupt end, with Anderson raising the ball in the air twice in Leeds, after never doing it before, and for the 22nd time in his career.