England can have a minor celebration tonight – they've won the series against Sri Lanka. And pencil in a major night out tomorrow – they ought to win this match, to make it a convincing 2-0. Sven would approve. Nasser Hussain had a great day. England bowled in a more focussed manner than on Saturday, and he had one of those hunches that captains dream about and remember to include in their retirement memoirs.

The big moment arrived when Aravinda de Silva came in. He was the one batsman left who might have collared the Caddickless attack and conjured up the big hundred that could have staved off the follow-on. So Hussain hatched a cunning plan: he asked Andy Flintoff to slant a few lifters in to tickle the diminutive de Silva's ribs, and parked himself improbably close in at backward short leg. And an over of this worked: Hussain had had less than ten minutes to get used to this new fielding spot when de Silva flicked one to his left, and Nasser nabbed it. Mind you, he nearly dropped it because he was laughing so much.

It was the champagne moment of a good-wine day for England. Buoyed by that, they worked their way through the imposing Sri Lankan batting order in a very professional fashion. Jayasuriya was tied down, Tillekeratne was frustrated out, the tail was chopped off without much fuss. Sri Lanka looked like France at the World Cup: impressive credentials going in to the series, firing blanks once they arrived.

Suddenly Nasser Hussain is full of ideas – and he even wins the toss now. In comparison Sanath Jayasuriya has been reduced to a one-trick pony: stick Murali on to bowl. And if that doesn't work, er, maybe it'll rain ...

Steven Lynch is database director of Wisden.com.

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