England secured victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.
Chasing 205, England eventually reached their target with five wickets in hand thanks in no small part to Joe Root.
Root defied Bazball with a gritty unbeaten knock of 62 off 128 balls, with the winning runs coming after 7pm.
Among the spectators was Mail Sport columnist DAVID ‘BUMBLE’ LLOYD.
Read on for Bumble’s opinions on the Test match and well as musings from his Manchester diary.
Joe Root (right) hit an unbeaten 62 as England beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the first Test
Groovy tunes
It’s Manchester Pride this weekend and my goodness, the place is rocking.
I started my night in the Rat and Pigeon pub (a lovely drop and some groovy tunes) and, as I was waiting for my taxi to go home after a delicious curry in the Sangam, a very nice chap came up and gave me a big peck on the cheek!
Bashir not at his best
Young Shoaib Bashir wasn’t at his best.
On a fourth-day pitch, we hoped he’d have a big impact. But Sri Lanka took care of him. He didn’t bowl a single maiden in the second innings.
Shane Warne used to preach: ‘Bowl maidens, control the game.’ Bashir will only get better for these experiences.
England bowler Shoaib Bashir failed to bowl a single maiden during Sri Lanka’s second innings
Pointless little quirks
I spotted Ben Duckett swapping the bails, as England do when they need a bit of luck with the ball.
It’s all new to me. When I was a player, some would always put their left pad on first.
By the way, reader: little quirks don’t make the slightest bit of difference!
Pope did a decent job
What did we make of Ollie Pope’s first Test as England captain?
I think he did a very good job. He hasn’t captained much previously and it wasn’t easy to juggle his bowlers on Saturday after losing Mark Wood to injury.
The other seamers stuck to their task manfully. Based on that, Pope’s done a decent job in my book.
Ollie Pope got off to a winning start in Manchester in his first Test match as England captain
You have to make something happen
They’re lovely folk in the Bumble’s Legends’ Lounge, but some groaned when England switched to their short-ball tactic.
I explained that when the game goes quiet, you have to make something happen.
You can induce a miscued shot with a few overs of banging it in.
Mendis impressive
The forecast for Sunday doesn’t look great, so I’m glad the worst of Storm Lillian stayed away on Saturday.
Old Trafford deserved a final day of drama, and got it thanks to a gutsy performance by Sri Lanka, in particular Kamindu Mendis.
The crowds have been healthy and the Barmy Army were in terrific voice, as ever.
Kamindu Mendis made a century in Sri Lanka’s second innings, hitting 15 fours along the way
Beware an unorthodox action
Dan Lawrence’s bowling action always catches the eye. He looks like a contortionist!
Always beware a bowler with an unorthodox action. Think of Paul Adams or Lasith Malinga.
They proved you don’t need to worry about a pure action – they’ll get it down to the other end somehow!
