Put it away

England were skittled for 264 chasing 340 for an improbable win in Galle today, a ground where the highest successful fourth innings chase is still just 96. A trademark obdurate century from Jonathan Trott apart, it was a pretty miserable effort with all ten wickets falling to spin, six for Rangana Herath and four to Suraj Randiv, as England brought their form from the UAE with them to Sri Lanka.

Whereas in the Emirates they were undone by the unerringly accurate Abdur Rehman and the talent and mind-trickery of Saeed Ajmal, here there was no talk even of doosras, let alone teesras and carom balls. For all they are skilful bowlers, Herath and Randiv are not mystery spinners in the way Ajantha Mendis is. Neither are they prodigious spinners of the ball in the manner of a Muralitharan. At this particular moment, Sunil Narine looks - outwardly at least - fuller of tricks than this pair. Where they have flourished, however, is with a peculiarly English obsession with the sweep shot.

The curiosity arises because of the coach. Andy Flower was brilliant against spin and also a fine player of the sweep. However he succeeded there as he played the ball on it's merits and brought the sweep out where appropriate. The current England line-up use it in pre-meditated fashion and invariably end up getting out to it. It's a low percentage shot and perhaps indicative of the pressure England's batsmen are putting themselves under against the spinners. Tying themselves in knots playing straight the sweep is used to relieve pressure, the irony being that by playing it badly to balls that aren't there to sweep, it keeps getting them out and piles more pressure on the next man who then resorts to the sweep. It's a never-ending cycle, a self-fulfilling prophecy with an air of the inevitable that Sisyphus would think was a bit much.

England's loss here was down to many things - Mahela's brilliance, dropped catches, not polishing the tail off, one crucial no-ball, the continued absence of Tim "ten for ten" Bresnan - but taking the sweep shot outside and leaving it by the bins would be a good way to start putting things right.