After a torrid tour of England's northern-most venues, Sri Lanka head south to their relative fortress at Lord's. Ever since Sidath Wettimuny and Duleep Mendis lit up their country's maiden visit in 1984 with a brace of epic hundreds, Sri Lanka have forged an unlikely fondness for the game's grandest venue. They haven't yet won in seven previous matches - but neither have they lost since 1991, and the defiance that they showed in each of their four most recent visits will augur well for the challenge that lies ahead this week.
In 2002, Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene belied the usual pre-series assumptions by securing a formidable first-innings lead of 280, before Nasser Hussain's England found the gumption to dig in for the draw. Four years later, the boot was on the other foot as Sri Lanka were forced to follow on, only to rally themselves in a whopping second innings of 537 for 9 - a vital show of resistance in the final analysis, as Muttiah Muralitharan spun them to a series-squaring victory at Trent Bridge in the third Test.
In 2014, their refusal to buckle reaped even greater rewards - England famously thought they'd won the match off the penultimate ball, only for Nuwan Pradeep to successfully overturn his lbw decision. Instead, at Headingley a week later, it was James Anderson who succumbed at the same moment of England's own rearguard to hand Sri Lanka a famous series win.
But it is perhaps the 2011 contest that has most relevance to the week ahead. Now, as then, Sri Lanka head to HQ as a chastened and somewhat demoralised outfit - back then, they'd been crushed in Cardiff after being bowled out for 82 in the second innings of a rain-plagued first Test. But just as they managed in the second innings at Chester-le-Street last week, Sri Lanka found unexpected resilience in their hour of need, and matched England blow-for-blow on a typically flat deck - 486 v 479 in the first innings.
There's no guarantee that Sri Lanka's batsmen will maintain that upward surge, of course. But with the weather finally threatening to break out into summer, and with four innings of proper England Test experience now under their belt - as opposed to the slightly flimsy county opposition that Dimuth Karunaratne was railing against earlier this week - they are as well prepared as they can possibly be for a contest that provides an early raison d'etre for Andrew Strauss's newly incorporated points system. The Test series may be lost already - England are 2-0 up with one to play - but the avoidance of defeat this week will keep the Super Series alive ahead of the one-day leg later in the month.
With Dinesh Chandimal's excellent century underpinning their resistance, Sri Lanka now know they have a means to survive the best that England can throw at them - and it really is the best, given that James Anderson has just succeeded his new-ball partner Stuart Broad as the No.1-ranked bowler in the world. Among Englishmen, only Steve Harmison (2004) and Ian Botham (1980) have ever before held that accolade, which just goes to show how mighty this current partnership is.
But, in Sri Lanka's bowling ranks, the disarray and despondency hasn't been entirely banished. Dushmantha Chameera's zippy pace will be missed on this Lord's surface perhaps more than anywhere else - he flew home earlier in the month with a back injury. And while Shaminda Eranga is available for selection after being reported for a suspect action at Chester-le-Street, the chances are that he won't be exposed to the heightened scrutiny.
The tale of the tour so far doesn't augur well for Sri Lanka's prospects over the next few days. But, as Kumar Sangakkara, their irreplaceable former captain and linchpin, said during the MCC Spirit of Cricket Lecture on Monday, this is not a team that can be judged in the here-and-now. Give their young players 18 months to absorb the lessons of a bruising tour, and let's see how they stack up when England next pay a visit to their shores. Nevertheless, as their forebears have demonstrated in the past, the hallowed turf has an uncanny ability to bring out their very best. If England aren't yet forewarned, a quick glance at their recent Lord's history ought to do the trick.
(espncricinfo)
