As England continued to dominate the Old Trafford Test, some press-box thoughts drifted – not to the football, but to the perceived discord in the Sri Lankan dressing-room. Rumours of arguments between senior players were followed by the sacking of the manager – or his retirement, if you prefer the manager's own version. Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph notes that Steve Bucknor had a word with Nasser Hussain after the remarks directed at Dilhara Fernando became a little heated. Pringle jokes that "Judging from rumours of discontent emanating from the Sri Lankan camp, being sledged in the middle probably made a change." Meanwhile Simon Briggs tries to get to the bottom of the dressing-room rows, and reports that Chaminda Vaas "has criticised his team-mates for not keeping the pressure on at the other end".

In the Daily Mirror Mike Walters, after dwelling on Hussain's ticking-off – or his "latest flirt with disciplinary sanctions" – observes that "Sri Lanka's feckless resistance amounted to sandbags against a tidal wave where the Thames Flood Barrier was required".

It's a similar story in The Sun, where John Etheridge notes Hussain's "ticking-off by umpire Steve Bucknor", before admitting that "in truth, it was nothing more than a minor spat." Then it was back to the hapless tourists: "England continued to steamroller Sri Lanka ... it has been a depressing tour so far. They have sacked their manager, suffered injuries and continue to hate the damp and chilly weather. There is also talk of dressing-room divisions." Sadly, Etheridge doesn't elaborate on those divisions – but there probably wasn't enough room, with World Cup wallpaper like "Sol eyes samba sizzler" to accommodate.

Jon Culley in The Independent turned the spotlight back on England: "There is more to England's dominance of this match than the sorry state of their opponents. England's young bowlers, left to fend for themselves with Andrew Caddick hors de combat, worked admirably hard and were deservedly rewarded, but even their worthy efforts were perhaps outshone by the performance of the England captain."

Meanwhile in The Times Richard Hobson pays tribute to Aravinda de Silva, in advance of (probably) his last Test innings in England. Pointing out that an upcoming series against Bangladesh is a good incentive to stay in the side, Hobson rates de Silva behind only Murali and Arjuna Ranatunga in the pantheon of Sri Lanka's Test cricketers. Meanwhile Christopher Martin-Jenkins, perhaps feeling sheepish about those rather silly Times ads that punctuate the Channel 4 coverage with annoying regularity, confines himself to observing that it was a blessing that bad light ended proceedings early, as the slow over rate meant play "might have extended until shortly before the Book at Bedtime".

There's a change of tune in The Guardian, where Mike Selvey gives Mick Jagger's knighthood a guarded welcome. But he suggests there's a better candidate for a dubbing prowling the corridors of the media room: IT Botham. Selvey points out that after Botham's charity walks, "Leukaemia research has benefited by over £6million, and it seems you can buy a peerage with a sixth of that." And you have to admit, there's a ring about "Sir Beefy".

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