Finn gets nod for first Test

Cook’s fortunes have improved remarkably since Sri Lanka’s last visit to Yorkshire two years ago, when Angelo Mathews’ tourists claimed a thrilling series win after bowling out England with the penultimate ball of the Test series.

Alastair Cook recognizes that becoming the first Englishman to reach 10,000 test runs would be a “big milestone”.

Under the system, England’s most recent tour of South Africa would have been a 16-14 victory for the hosts, with Alastair Cook’s Test team winning their series 2-1 before the limited-overs teams, under Eoin Morgan, lost 3-2 in the one-dayers and 2-0 in the Twenty20 matches.

On the eve of the first Investec Test against Sri Lanka, starting at Headingley on Thursday, England and Wales Cricket Board director Andrew Strauss confirmed the new points system is to be adopted.

Cook’s tactics were widely criticised and he pondered resigning from the England captaincy at the time.

“We still have a few senior players, and you can always fall back on them, discuss with them before you make a decision”, he said.

It was then that Cook’s famous resolve kicked in.

“I’ve never really quit on anything”. That’s a fair point and I hope I can carry on a bit. I don’t really want to be known as a quitter. “That fourth night against Sri Lanka in 2014 was a tough moment for me as captain but I’m glad I hung around for what has happened since then”.

It was not just defeat to Sri Lanka that left him on the edge, of course. In the bloodletting that followed England’s Ashes whitewash in Australia the previous January, Kevin Pietersen was sacked, with Cook forced to pull the lever on the guillotine. “People have spoken about it over the last couple of weeks and I don’t think there’s any harm in that if it inspires us to do it. But actually achieving that will be hard work”.

It’s turned around pretty well.

“The guys have really responded to where we were there”.

As for those 10,000 runs, true to type, he is not about to get sidetracked.

“We are so sad to hear about all the casualties and those who are affected”, said Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, speaking at Headingley in Leeds, northern England, on Wednesday. It’s a big milestone in terms of the people who have done it previously so it would be great to try and score these 36 runs.

“I’ve just got to put that to bed…” He can certainly play at this level. That’s his challenge and it’s the same for Nick as well.

An indication of Cook’s confidence is the fact he took the unprecedented step of naming his team on the eve of this first Test. As expected, James Vince will come in at No 5 for his Test debut and Steven Finn will take his place in the attack ahead of Jake Ball, the Nottinghamshire bowler who will have to wait for his first England appearance unless there are any late injuries.

Cook can no doubt relate to Compton’s situation – that of being a more traditional top-order batsman who excels in blunting the new ball and accumulating, rather than accelerating, in a world where aggressive batting has become far more fashionable.

Sangakkara, now playing in English county cricket, said Sri Lanka’s team was over the loss of the pair, but other batsmen need to step up.

“They’re always a combative side”.