Hussain considered leaving out man of match

Nasser Hussain admitted he had been close to dropping the man-of-the-match here, Matthew Hoggard, after his below-par performance in the opening Test at Lord's and revealed that the young Yorkshire pace bowler had asked for a private meeting to boost his flagging confidence before taking on Sri Lanka's batsman a second time.

"Matthew asked to see me for a chat in the hotel before the game," the England captain said. "It was his first time in his career he felt he had lost his form and he was very down, as low as I had seen him for someone who is normally a bubbly character. He asked me how to get over it and I just gave him what advice I could and told him that we backed him completely. It says a lot for his character that he has performed here as he has."

However, Hussain's faith in Hoggard's ability would not have precluded leaving him out of the starting XI, apparently, with the experienced Dominic Cork and the new prospect Simon Jones offering alternatives.

"It was probably 50-50 between him and Dominic Cork who would play here," Hussain said. "We needed someone who would swing the ball and the fact that he is the younger guy won the day. He has to iron out a few technical faults but he has a big heart and will bowl through a brick wall for you."

After his 5 for 92 yesterday had given him match figures of 7 for 147, Hoggard said he felt he was "almost back to my best" by the time England completed their victory. "I had worked on one or two things in the nets before the game and I felt less nervous here than I had been at Lord's, surprisingly," he said. "Some people had criticised me for being honest about my loss of confidence but that's the way I am and I hope it says something for my character that things have worked out well here."

Muttiah Muralitharan, still recovering from a damaged shoulder, was unable to bat in Sri Lanka's second innings, although their coach, Dav Whatmore, said the off-spinner was expected to take his place in the Sri Lankan line-up for the third Test at Old Trafford on Thursday week, where the pitch is likely to be the most favourable for his bowling in the series.

"That fact that Murali bowled 60 overs and took five wickets vindicates the decision to pick him for this match," Whatmore said. "'There is no reason why he should not play in Manchester, even if he cannot bat. He is not picked for his batting or his fielding. His speciality is world-class spin bowling and conditions are generally helpful at Old Trafford."