Test previews 
/ Michael Vaughan / 04 April 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Strauss contratulates Swann after taking another wicket but the spinner will have to do it all over again
"A lead of over 100 could be priceless on this track because the wicket is going to get worse. But scoring 400 is only part of the job because all the hard work will be wasted if they allow Sri Lanka to post a decent total to chase."
England have started their first innings extremely well and are in a good position to level the series. But they will have to bowl extremely well the second time round because they won't want to chase many on this wicket, says Michael Vaughan.
England are in a prime position to win this match, simple as that.
I've never really had any concerns about the bowling; you'll have read me in this column saying England have the best Test bowling attack in the world. It's not often anyone scores more than 300 in a Test match against this bowling attack these days. The problem in recent months is that England have seldom come anywhere near to scoring that themselves!
This time it looks like it's going to be a very different story. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook went out with a good game-plan concerning the sort of run rate they were targeting and what they considered to be their scoring areas. Strauss will have been disappointed to not have gone on and scored 100 but him and Cook have set up a good platform and the middle-order will come in with runs already on the board which will be good for their confidence. The openers have set the tone and shown the others how to play on this pitch without taking risks. I'd be very surprised if England don't post at least 400 in the second innings, currently available at [1.65].
A lead of over 100 could be priceless on this track because the wicket is going to get worse. If they are still batting at the close of play tomorrow they'll be in control of the game.
But scoring 400 is only part of the job because all the hard work will be wasted if they allow Sri Lanka to post a decent total to chase. I'm not entirely sure how many England would want to chase because we can't be sure how the pitch will play on days four and five so England's bowling attack will have to bear that in mind and make the most of the chances that come their way.
Tim Bresnan bowled well, Graeme Swann got it to spin a lot and James Anderson was at his brilliant best once again. A repeat of that performance and they should have no excuses for winning this Test and squaring the series. Strauss will have to be mindful about not being overly cautious because this is a match they need to win, a draw is no good whatsoever. But unless there's heavy rain I can't see that we won't get a result and all things considered England are actually a big price at [1.85] given they're very much in the driving seat just now.
2 pts Back England to score more than 400 in the first innings @ [1.65]
1 pt Back England to win @ [1.85]
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