Alec Stewart

There are three things England skipper Alec Stewart has not managed to do in the recent past -- win tosses, get runs, and win games.

Perhaps the three are connected. Here, he got all three right, for once -- calling right, he got England an edge by being able to insert Lanka in conditions favourable to seam. And in his turn to bat, he played an anchoring innings that ensured that his side went through with no hiccups.

Like most batsmen on view today, Stewart's start was shaky but once he got a few runs under his belt, his feet were moving noticeably better, the backlift and address were very straight, and towards the end of his innings, he was looking in ominous touch.

What was most impressive was the way he paced himself. Granted, he was aided by two factors -- conditions were better in the second innings with the sun coming down quite nicely, and the wicket easing; and the Lanka

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