England arrived in Sri Lanka expecting to launch a new dawn in their ODI history, in which they would once more become competitive on the world stage.
It has taken two defeats to a side that came into the series off of a 5-0 whitewash in India, to dispel that hope, and for the tour to be seen as yet another false dawn.
There is even greater debate about Alastair Cook’s place in the side, and therefore also his position as captain, while Ian Bell’s place must also be open to question following two failures in two internationals so far.
England travel to the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota for the third game of the series, looking like a side that is unable to change its approach to suit the playing conditions, and is therefore fallible to any unexpected situation, not allowed for in their pre-match preparation.
In the second game, played in Colombo, when the batsmen should have been playing with soft hands on a sticky, spin assisting wicket, the top order went at the ball hard, and only started to adjust when they were already four wickets down, and the innings in disarray.
Their approach was clouded by the idea, following the first game in Colombo, of the importance of cashing in on the first 10 overs of the innings, when the ball was coming on to the bat, and the field had to be set much closer to the wicket.
Sri Lanka appreciating that two days of thunderstorms before the game, followed by blazing sunshine, would make the pitch something of a “pudding” opened with spin, against a batting line up that was geared to play seam bowling. The consequence was that England ended with a woefully inadequate total of 185.
England still didn’t learn their lesson, and predictably opened with pace, and it was only when they introduced spin, that the Sri Lankans became more cautious, but by then the game was over as a contest.
With England in such disarray, the World Cup in Australasia in February is looking awfully close.