England prepares early for test tour

England’s main body of Test players flew to Sri Lanka on Saturday to join the advance guard already practicing in Colombo’s humidity. The second leg of England’s Asia campaign has to be more successful than their first, when they lost 3-0 to Pakistan, if only because they have a two-Test series in Sri Lanka.

Indeed it should be a lot more successful, thanks to the incompetence of Sri Lanka’s administrators, who come and go at their government’s whim.

The previous administration failed to book the only large hotel in Galle before announcing it as the first Test venue, so both teams will have almost an hour’s drive each way, and paid the players only half their salaries for most of last year.

But what about this for scheduling: while England play two three-day warm-ups, the Sri Lankans are condemned to globe-trot and play in the four-nation Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

The first Test starts on March 26, yet Sri Lanka have to play in Dhaka on March 20, and again on March 22 if they reach the final.

So the Sri Lankans will not only be knackered after spending their autumn in the Gulf, and their winter in South Africa and Australia. They will also be stuck in 50-over mode, as they have played nothing but limited-overs cricket for the last two months. A couple of nets are not long enough to adjust to Test match techniques like leaving the ball.

Over-cooked yet horribly underprepared thanks to their own administrators, but much better marshalled under Mahela Jayawardene than the mercurial Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka can play it two ways: aim for bore-draws on tedious pitches, or go for a raging turner in Galle, confident in their own spin and England’s inability to play it.

The nearest Sri Lanka have to a Saeed Ajmal is Ajantha Mendis, who flicks legbreaks, offbreaks and a carom ball out of the front of his right hand.

When England faced him in their World Cup quarter-final in Colombo a year again, they had no idea where to turn, let alone which way he would.

However, Mendis does not have the bounce which enabled Ajmal to have England batsmen caught at short-leg; and he left the winter tour of South Africa early, with back trouble, and has not played competitively since.

But partnered with Rangana Herath, a steady left-armer who also has a carom ball, Mendis could be a match-winner until he loses his novelty.

As England’s coach Andy Flower said before catching yesterday’s flight, “We’re going to have to make big first innings scores out there”. He also hinted that England would continue with four bowlers, probably two of them spinners.

But England also have the controversial figure of Samit Patel in their Test squad for the first time, vying for Eoin Morgan’s place, and a reserve left-arm spinner. “If we wanted to play three quicks and Graeme Swann, he could bat at number six and give us that angle of attack.”

It is Patel’s reward for batting assertively well in one-day internationals in Asia in the last year, the only England batsman to have done so apart from Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen; and for getting his weight down, a bit.

“I think he’s still got significant work to do on that front, but I think he’s inching in the right direction,” Flower said.

Patel has the talent all right. He was spotted by Nottinghamshire at 11 and played for their second XI at 14. He bats right-handed, brilliantly at times, and in a rare combination bowls with his left arm and throws with his right. However, as they say in Nottingham, he also eats with both hands.

Thus far, full British Asians have found it hard to bridge the gap into the England team (Nasser Hussain, the former captain, is half-English).

So often has Ravi Bopara been shunted in and out of the Test and limited-over teams, and up and down the order, it would be surprising if he has any confidence left; and Monty Panesar was loudly criticised for bringing the Asian characteristic of deference towards elders into his relationships with his captain and coaches.

Patel has straddled the two worlds, if not completely bridged them. Nottingham has produced more British Asian county cricketers than any other city.

Paul Johnson, the Nottinghamshire club coach, said: “Usman Afzaal [who played three Tests in 2001] was pretty well a role-model for the Asian community here.”

He was followed by Bilal Shafayat, who captained England Under-19s. Patel was taken out of Eastwood Comprehensive and sent to Worksop College on a cricket scholarship.

“We have a link with the college and Samit was one of the first to take up that deal,” Johnson explained.

It was a fateful move. Bopara is the only batsman anywhere near the England set-up who has been to an English state school, apart from Alex Hales, also of Nottinghamshire.

The advantages of fine facilities, good coaching, self-assurance, and established links with counties, all offered by private schools, would seem to have become indispensable.

But while Patel overtly has the self-confidence, his manner does not endear him to team-mates, while his eating difficulties suggest his self-esteem might not be the highest (Afzaal had the same fitness issue).

It will be interesting to see if England can feel completely at home in Asia before British Asians feel completely at home in the team. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)