England vs Sri Lanka: Don't let niggles detract from England's bowling display

Chris Woakes, at this moment, is arguably a more reliable bowler than Ben Stokes, as his four wickets so far suggest

Chris Woakes celebrates one of four wickets so far (Getty)

It is always difficult to judge a performance when the opposition is poor, but England’s bowling attack at Durham has looked as strong as it has ever been in the past five years.

The dispatch might have quicker at Headingley last week, when Ben Stokes was in the team, but the pitch there offered far more than this, which has made their dominance here all the more impressive. In any case, while Chris Woakes possesses a fraction of Stokes’ talent as an all-rounder, he is, at this moment, arguably the more reliable bowler, as his four wickets so far suggest.

Some veteran onlookers reckon it to be England’s best attack since the one that helped to win the 2010/11 Ashes though that is up for discussion. That unit had both cutting edge and strength in depth, with six bowlers - James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett and Graeme Swann - used to send the Aussie batsmen packing.

Three of those bowlers remain and while Finn at present is not outperforming his 2010 self, both Anderson and Broad are better bowlers now than then.

Of those departed, only Swann has no equivalent with Moeen Ali not yet in his class as an off-spinner. But the others have more or less been successfully replaced by Stokes, Woakes and, if rumours of successful fitness tests are true, Mark Wood, with Jake Ball also ready to take his chance after being named in the squad.

It was that Ashes victory and the one against India, at home, which followed, that hoisted England to the top of the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings. They stayed there for a year but have not reached the summit since. Yet this bowling attack, and you need a good and varied one to win Test matches, could be the one to take them back.

Playing on pitches like Headingley, while good for quick victories (the match lasted 162 of the 450 overs slated), will not help them in the long run. This winter they travel to India and Bangladesh for five and three Tests respectively. Although Durham is not exactly like Delhi, it has so far shown England’s bowlers that success does not just come from turning up, and at close of play on day three, they still needed five wickets to win the match and series.

A second spinner, probably Adil Rashid, will be compulsory for those contests in Asia. Last time, Swann and Monty Panesar eclipsed India’s spinners on pitches specially prepared for the latter. That same dominance is unlikely to happen this time so England will need plenty of wickets from the men playing here, assuming they all remain fit enough to travel.

Watching Anderson in this Test it seems he already has one eye on those surfaces. A bowler whose main weapon is swing, Anderson knows he cannot always rely on its will-o-the-wisp nature to do his bidding, especially abroad.

Kaushal Silva was a thorn in England's side (Getty)

It has not really swung here at Durham, which has forced him to explore other ways to take wickets. So far, he has shortened his usual swinging length by about five to eight feet, cocked his wrist, and hit the pitch hard with an upright seam, changes that have so far brought him five wickets in the match.

Broad has more height and pace than Anderson but less than Finn, though only the first is empirically true at present, Finn lacking anything like a good rhythm all season. Broad also has much to prove that he can take wickets in Asia after returning home early last time, following some tame performances and a problem to the heel pad on his left foot.

Since then, and perhaps chastened by it, Broad has become an even more effective taker of Test wickets than Anderson. His ability to intimidate with his height, pace and bounce, but also to bowl cutters, seamers and reverse-swing, makes him almost the complete pace bowler. A successful tour of India this winter, will complete the package.

Broad and Anderson, plus the addition of Woakes here, has created a surfeit of edges for Jonny Bairstow to pouch. So far, he has snaffled 16 in two Tests, one fewer than the record for a three-match series set by Geraint Jones. A busy wicket-keeper is a sure sign that a team is functioning well.

The other thing going for England’s two senior bowlers, though they might not care to admit it, is that Test cricket is their entire focus now. Getting England back to the top will probably be their last big project in cricket. Judging from how they have started the summer, they mean it to be a successful one.