Looking back at the first Test at Lord's, England captain Nasser Hussain was realistic enough to know that the rearguard action his team had carried off with such effect to save the match did not hide the inadequacies of the first three days. He also knows there will need to be an improvement at Edgbaston, especially with the prospect of Sri Lanka's Murali Muralitharan being fit to take his place in the tourists' line up.

"There was talk of pride and the only ones who could put the wrongs right were the 11 that had been picked," said Hussain. "We needed to do it for two days, not just one day or one session, and we showed a bit of character and fight to get a big score.

"To be 275 all out on a flat one against Sri Lanka without Murali was not good enough. For three days we were poor, at stages we looked like never getting a wicket, then we got the edge and dropped it."

Hussain did not subscribe to the theory that his bowlers lacked match fitness because of the way contracted players are rested from county cricket.

"These bowlers have been all around the world bowling their hearts out, and they played in the last county games and each bowled 30 overs or so. They had bowled more overs than the Sri Lankans who out-bowled them here.

"Our bowlers lacked discipline and on this wicket against these batsmen you have to put the ball in the right areas all the time," he said. "A similar attack showed a lot of discipline for six balls an over in India, they have done it before and I know they can do it, they just have to do it more often."

Asked whether he would have preferred to have had a spinner in the side with hindsight, Hussain said: "If I picked a side again right now I still wouldn't have picked Ashley Giles; not a ball turned."

One of the centurions of the second innings, Mark Butcher, clearly appreciated the need to produce the goods after the debacle of the first innings. "After the first innings we realised we didn't have to take any risks, or do anything too flashy. You could let the bowlers come to you on this wicket and that is what I tried to do. Now we can carry this confidence into the next Test."

Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya appeared undismayed by the fact that one of his left-arm pace bowlers, Ruchira Perera, had been reported for having a suspect action.

"Anyone can comment on their own personal view, that's not a problem. It doesn't hurt at all," he said. "The two umpires are out there and if the umpires report it to the match referee it would go through the proper procedures. We have no problems. He bowled well here and deserves to be in the team if he is fit."

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