England vs Sri Lanka notebook: The power of Ben Stokes, Joe Root's charm and the Manchester rain

Sky Sports’ Megan Wellens looks back at some of the storylines – on and off the pitch – as England took a 1-0 lead in their three-Test series against Sri Lanka with a win at Emirates Old Trafford…

What would Stokes do?

If I had counted the amount of times the phrase “without Stokes” was expressed by fans, pundits, reporters and players it would have been in the hundreds.

England captain Ben Stokes was still a major storyline despite not being on the field due to injury, his strong presence notable with him watching on from the balcony alongside coach Brendon McCullum, but his absence felt with England’s long tail, the field set-up and stand-in skipper Ollie Pope moving out of his usual position to stand at mid-off like Stokes himself does.

The crowd were always excited when he came on the screen, and the conversation often centred around ‘WWSD’ (what would Stokes do?).

Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain often says Stokes has to already be considered one of England’s greatest captains and that message rang true.

When England’s young star Jamie Smith hit his maiden Test century on day three, it hit home that England’s current ethos of positive cricket works so brilliantly because that is the only way Stokes knows how to approach the game.

For most others it is learnt, for Stokes it is natural, and England’s future is being shaped in the Stokes way whether he is on the field or not.

‘Rooooooooot’

Whenever any player comes out to bat, plays a great shot or is given the ball, there is applause or a reaction from the crowd.

However, it always feels a little bit different when Joe Root steps up, his name ringing around the ground in a tone that almost sounds like they are booing.

There is an anticipation about what Root is going to do when he is given even the smallest of moments to change a game and this was epitomised on day three when Mark Wood went off injured two deliveries into his over.

Up stepped Root, and with his first ball he dismissed Milan Rathnayake for the crucial wicket England had been pushing for.

The Yorkshireman was then the star England needed once again on day four as he brought the victory home with the bat, allowing Smith and Harry Brook to bring the electricity while he stayed steady and right where England needed him to be.

The ultimate team player, the ultimate fan favourite, the ultimate professional.

Sweet Caroline, one-handed catches and Coronation Street

It is fair to say the tough conditions at Emirates Old Trafford made it harder for outstanding moments to occur in this match, but the crowd always found ways to entertain themselves when the action on the field was experiencing a lull.

In classic crowd fashion, a beer snake was often the activity of choice, the day-three crowd offering the longest by far across the four days of play.

Then we had the audacious moment a spectator in the crowd caught Wood’s six one-handed while holding a pint in the other. I actually got extremely lucky and recorded this moment on my phone which feels like the proudest moment of my career so far.

The Barmy Army trumpeter also chose his moments to liven up the ‘Party Stand’, opting for Sweet Caroline midway through the evening session to find the crowd in good voice and then the Coronation Street theme tune to delight the Mancunians.

I wonder if he will play the EastEnders theme tune at Lord’s?

Manchester’s microclimate

This was a Test match in Manchester – of course it rained!

My favourite pastime in the press box at Emirates Old Trafford is to become an amateur meteorologist, but the conclusion from this Test is that it is not a career I would fare well in, the weather, on every occasion, proving me wrong.

Seriously, it got me every time.

Example 1: The wet weather plagued the start of the second day and as someone who sat and watched the drizzle drown England’s hopes of winning The Ashes at this very ground, the moment felt eerily familiar.

As I predicted it to rain for the rest of the day, the clouds parted, and play could begin.

Example 2: When on my way to the tram on day three, a storm came out of nowhere.

After an attack from a storm, a cancelled tram and a dash for a taxi to the ground, I arrived looking like I had been for a quick dip in a swimming pool before heading to work.

Example 3: The rain returned once again during a pivotal moment on day four – it certainly knows how to make itself the antagonist!

This time I felt confident the clouds were quickly rolling away and there was sunshine in the distance, only to be met with the news there was a stand being evacuated due to a lightning warning.

Seriously, never underestimate Manchester’s microclimate!

Watch the second Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10am on Thursday (first ball at 11am).

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