Mahela Jayawardene has a reputation as one of the nicest guys in world cricket so, when he made a rare appearance on the media rounds at the close of a wonderful day for Sri Lanka, he was given the opportunity to express a little sympathy for Alastair Cook. Instead he put the boot in.  It was very politely and with a smile but the message was clear. Sri Lanka have been seriously unimpressed by England’s conduct during this brief tour, most obviously with Cook’s angry reaction to their captain, Angelo Mathews, after the Mankading controversy during the one-day series at Edgbaston. They are going to savour every moment of England’s discomfort and what looks like being a historic triumph for themselves.  Jayawardene had already stuck one knife in England’s ribs by highlighting the contrast between the successful tactics employed by Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers, mostly by pitching the ball up and letting the Headingley pitch play the odd trick, and the home obsession with roughing up the tourists.  “We were telling a couple of their batsmen, their idea of hitting us on the head probably doesn’t work,” he said. “We got a few hits on our bodies but I’m sure tomorrow afternoon we will have a good laugh about it.”  Then he was asked whether, as a former international captain himself, he had any sympathy for Cook. “I feel for him but it doesn’t help when you have arguments with commentators and past cricketers,” he responded, referring to Cook’s unwise pre-match bridling at Shane Warne.  “That’s something you can’t control. Try to control what is out there for you. Forget about things you can’t control and control things you can.” Ouch.  “It was always going to be a challenging tour,” he added. “Things happened, we’re quite comfortable the way we handled them. We played right spirit, fairly. We were braced for some of the backlash, held ourselves together.”  Jayawardene and his fellow master, Kumar Sangakkara, stand on the threshold of a historic Test series triumph in England, on what will almost certainly be their farewell tour. “It’s been a long season for us,” the 37-year-old reflected. “We haven’t stopped since last December.” They have won the Asia Cup and World Twenty20. “If we can get an away Test series win as well, that would cap it off.”  He praised the innings of Mathews, a captain 10 years his junior, as “one of the best I’ve ever seen. He is a natural leader. We’ve noticed that and made a conscious decision to give him the reins. He knows how to handle pressure, he’s quite calm.”  But he had one last smiling shot at Cook’s new young England. “They were quite chirpy but quieter after the first hour or so. That’s part of the game. We know who’s on top and who’s not – they probably got quite a few when they came out to bat and they’ll definitely get some more in the morning as well. Under pressure they’re not quite up to it so we will definitely be looking forward to tomorrow morning. They will get some.”  At least there was a scintilla of good news for England from the county circuit, with the second series of the summer against India in mind. Ben Stokes, who was not seriously considered for selection for the two Tests against Sri Lanka having only recently returned after a hand injury, took career-best figures of seven for 67 in Durham’s County Championship match against Sussex in Chester-le-Street. It is no longer a question of whether he plays in the first Test at Trent Bridge, merely who makes way. On Monday’s evidence, there are plenty of contenders.
Sri Lanka’s mild-mannered nice guy has made it clear that he has been seriously unimpressed by the England captain’s argumentative mindset