Anderson admits dropped catches let Sri Lanka off hook

JAMES Anderson admitted England let Sri Lanka off the hook but does not expect the team to dwell on their dropped catches.

Anderson put down a caught and bowled attempt when Mahela Jayawardene was ten short of his hundred. Worse was to follow as Monty Panesar dropped two catches in successive overs in the closing stages.

But Anderson does not expect it to cast a shadow over an impressive effort with the ball. “Catches are crucial to taking 20 wickets in a Test match and a few of them maybe weren’t the most difficult, so it’s frustrating,” he said. “But we have to put it behind us. The more we dwell on it the more we will get frustrated. I think if you gave us 289 for eight at the start of the day we’d have taken it. We had the momentum but we just didn’t finish them off.”

Panesar looked visibly troubled by his gaffes in the field but Anderson had words of encouragement. “Obviously everyone is upset if they drop a catch and, to be honest, I thought it took the shine off what was a brilliant day for Monty,” he said. “I thought he was fantastic with the ball and stuck to his job well. I’m sure he’ll put it behind him.”

But Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said that Jayawardene had already made the tourists pay by going on to a big hundred and questioned the effect it would have on their mental state. “I hope it can affect the side massively,” he said.