So there was to be no final day miracle this time. The Lord's pitch was playing too firm and true for Andrew Strauss to seriously consider a competitive declaration and, even without the injured Dilshan, Sri Lanka can be a dangerous side chasing down a target against the clock. 343 to win in about four hours was too much to inspire an all-out bid to win the 2nd Test, the batsmen looked secure and so it ended with a handshake an hour early, match drawn. Without some of the weekend rain this could have been a genuine competitive game, but for all the brilliance of Dilshan's first innings 193 and the occasional turn of Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka can't expect to win a match unless they bowl out Alastair Cook twice - and that is looking a remote prospect this summer.
Forget the fuss about KP's travails against left-arm spinners, Andrew Strauss struggling against left-arm seamers, Jonathan Trott's patience, Eoin Morgan's haste and Ian Bell's supposed lack of bottle. When England have an opener like Alastair Cook, alleged foibles of the remaining batsmen suddenly become less important. Actually, the first two Tests have demonstrated that all the team can bat, and that there is a good blend of the solid and the strokemakers. While Cook, Strauss or Trott are at one end, Pietersen, Bell, Morgan, Prior and even Broad can go for their shots.
It's surprising to realise that Cook is only just 26 years old. He already has more than 5000 Test runs and 18 centuries to his name in only 67 Tests at an average of close on 50, fantastic for an established opener. His last five innings, including the last game for Essex, have been 63, 64, 133, 96 and 106. In the Ashes series last winter, he compiled an aggregate of 766 in a mere seven innings, advancing him to fifth in the ICC World rankings. His ODI record is less sparkling but class batsmen can adapt, and he has never been given the opportunity to establish himself in the limited-overs format at international level. His unfussy technique is criticised by some as boring but, while his strike rate is hardly Sehwag-like, he scores a lot of boundaries. This suggests a talent for defending the good balls and punishing the bad, which is what Test match batting is all about.
However, cast your mind back to last summer, and the Test series against Pakistan. His first five efforts yielded a meagre 47 runs and the media were demanding he be dropped. Under so much pressure he finally responded with 110 at The Oval, and the rest is history. Of course, lots of players find a rich vein of form and then slip back into, if not mediocrity, then a steadier run of scores. It happened to Michael Vaughan a few years back. But right now we should applaud an English opener with the temperament to not only open the batting and frustrate bowlers of all nationalities but also to lead the whole side in ODIs and, within a few years, the Test team, too.
If he keeps up the current run-making and stays fit, Cook could threaten some of Tendulkar's many records in ten to fifteen years' time. When he plays well, England win, so while it is of course important to have a menacing middle-order and a fine bowling attack, the nation should pay more attention to the skills of this quiet, tall, doe-eyed bloke from Gloucester, as he could be the key to England becoming the number one Test team in the world by the end of the year.
