It looked like a stroll in the Sunday sunshine for England. They restricted Sri Lanka to a manageable 229, and were hurtling along at around six an over, at 76 for 1 in the middle of the 13th over. And then Nick Knight got out. And Michael Vaughan. And Nasser Hussain was needlessly run out. And Alec Stewart lofted tamely to midwicket. Suddenly the sort of middle-order collapse that seemed to be a thing of the past was upon us: suddenly the routine task looked far more difficult.

It was an imposing batting line-up, too – every one of England's XI has a first-class century to his name, and the sight of Alex Tudor at No. 10 was comforting. Maybe it was too comforting: perhaps the thought of all those batsmen led the others to think that someone else would be able to finish the job. But in the event Sri Lanka's spinners – even without Murali – claimed five wickets, and three more clattered to run-outs. A good batting line-up lined up to find new ways of getting out, and seemed addicted to the sweep-shot against the slow men.

Granted, with England and India already sure of their final places this was almost an academic match – unfortunately, the first of three this week that might well have interested John the Bookmaker and his cronies a year or two ago. But the best sides rarely let up in these situations. There's still a bit of pre-World Cup thinking to do yet for Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain.

They have an unexpected headache in the case of Vaughan. His four wickets, in a spell of intelligent offspin, were an unexpected bonus. Maybe we should start calling him Shane Vaughan. But in his more usual day-job he was out cheaply as the England slide started.

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