England's final test match of the winter results in a crucial win.

After three long months and four dreadful test performances, England finally registered their first test match success of the winter. In the end, a similar situation to that of the second test match in Dubai against Pakistan, where a target of 145 proved too much for England, however this time around a much more improved and confident display enabled them to chase down a target of 94 to win the match, level the series and remain at the summit of the test rankings.  

Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen kept their nerve after an initial brief wobble with a terrific partnership of 63, full of aggressive intent to see England over the line with a crucial test match victory on day five in Colombo. After dismissing Sri Lanka for 278 with Graeme Swann finishing with 6 for 106, England started the run chase in the worst possible way with captain Andrew Strauss being bowled in the first over before Jonathon Trott fell LBW shortly after. But Cook (49no) and Pietersen, with a rapid 42, wrapped up the victory which levels the two-match series and keeps England top of the world rankings.

The tourists only needed one session in the morning to take the four wickets required to set up their victory chase. However dropped catches by Cook at short leg allowed Angelo Mathews to shepherd the tail and prolong Sri Lanka’s second innings longer then it should have been. Resuming on 218 – 6, leading England by 33 runs, Mahela Jayawardene looked well set, as he has done all series and was always going to be the key wicket. However Swann produced a virtually unplayable delivery to dismiss the Sri Lankan captain for 64 with a ball that turned sharp in the rough before being gloved to Cook to take a simple catch, making up for the missed chances earlier.    

Prasanna Jayawardene soon followed his captain, bowled around his legs attempting a sweep shot off Swann, gifting the off spinner his sixth wicket in the innings and his tenth in the match, the second time he has achieved the feat. However any hopes England had of finishing off the Sri Lankan tail quickly were dashed with a quality knock by Mathews, who cashed in on his early luck. The middle order batsman, with aggressive shot selection and discipline extended his teams lead before Samit Patel had Rangana Herath caught at slip for two and Steven Finn finished the Sri Lankan innings, dismissing Mathews for 46, caught at midwicket off a slow delivery just before lunch.

England’s run chase was subject to trial by spin, with the hosts keen to prey on any bad memories from Abu Dhabi when Strauss’s side were dismissed for 72 against Pakistan. After Strauss was bowled in the first over off Tillakaratne Dilshan for a duck playing an indecisive shot, there must have been some butterflies in the tourist’s dressing room. Those apprehensions were made worse when the usually reliable Trott was removed LBW with the help of the DRS system for just five with 63 runs still needed for victory.  

However both Cook and Pietersen took the game by the scruff of the neck to lead England to their first test victory of a difficult winter. Cook produced a classy innings, full of the skill and ability, which has seen him become one the finest test and one day batsman in the world. His early positive intent set the tone with a series of boundaries and laying the platform for man of the match Pietersen to finish it off in style. The Surrey batsman smashed Herath back over his head for six and drilled the next ball for four more runs. Both batsmen continued to motor well before, with just three runs required Pietersen hit an almighty blow into the stands for a maximum to seal victory.

It means England remain the number one test team in the world heading into their summer challenges, starting with a test series against the West Indies before a mouth watering contest between the team desperate to take their number one crown, South Africa.  

Shinedown - Amaryllis. Album Review

From the ferocious opening of “Adrenaline” to the concluding ballad “Through the ghost”, Shinedown’s fourth album, “Amaryllis” is an empowering, vigorous and quite brilliant record that grabs your attention instantly and wont let go. Four years on since their last album, “The sound of madness”, the band have moved a step closer to rock legacy with this 12 track masterpiece, with their characteristic aggressive but melodic sounds, held together by singer Brent Smith’s thick, soul-soaked vocals, perfectly showcased in this album. 

Released via Roadrunner Records and produced by Rob Cavallo, the album’s lead single “Bully”, begins with a funky guitar riff before progressing into a euphonic and catchy chorus. “Amaryllis”, the title track of the album is another top quality track from the Jacksonville – based band, again a very harmonious song, full of the brilliant traits of this rock quartet, demonstrating exactly why they have become so popular amongst rock listeners in the last decade. 

“Amaryllis” features some of the most compact production seen on any Shinedown album to date and is diverse enough to entertain a wide variety of music listeners. The heavy hitting, hard rock songs are all there including, “Enemies”, “My Name (Wearing me out)” and “Adrenaline”, with the emotional and smoothing ballads reminiscent of “The sound of madness” era with songs such as “I’ll follow you”, “Unity” and “Miracle”.  

Just as apparent in previous albums, Brent Smith’s vocals are phenomenal, proving yet again that he is among the elite frontman in the rock world and his pensive and thoughtful lyrics are on another level in this release. Zach Myers really steps up a gear aswell on guitar brandishing some tasteful solos along with fist pumping, down tuned riffs. Barry Kerch on drums and Eric Bass on bass and piano form the solidity in the rhythm section, holding the album’s groove extremely well together.  

“Amaryllis” is a fantastic record and a clear illustration of a band on top form. With every album release, Shinedown manage to create a unique and distinguishing sound for themselves and “Amaryllis” is no different. At times there is some similarities to “The sound of madness” and some familiar tones to their older style, however this record has an identity of its own and is a sure contender for album of the year.  

Late wickets from Finn and Swann provide the initiative for England on day one.

Two wickets late in the day seized the initiative for England after Mahela Jayawardene had scored a second century in as many games on Day One of the Second Test. James Anderson blew the Sri Lankan top order away with three wickets in his first five overs leaving the hosts reeling on 30 – 3.  However just like in the first test, the Sri Lankan captain along with Thilan Samaraweera (54) in a patient 124 – run stand, fought back in Colombo.  But Graeme Swann dismissed the centurion for a fantastic 105 before Steven Finn had Prasanna Jayawardene caught behind for 7 leaving the hosts 236 – 6 at the close of play.

The run up to the match was heavily overshadowed by England’s disappointing performance in the previous test, adding to the frustrating winter they have experienced and with captain Andrew Strauss’s position under immense scrutiny. A win in this final match would see England remain at the summit of the ICC test rankings, however another defeat would present South Africa with the title of best test team in the world.

The day commenced with surprising news from the visitors with the introduction of Tim Bresnan, replacing the spin of Monty Panasar. Many thought with Stuart Broad absent because of injury, Bresnan would be a straight swap with the Nottinghamshire bowler. However young Steven Finn came in for Broad and Panasar was replaced with the Yorkshire quick.       

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat on a seemingly decent pitch, offering a little for the bowlers but nothing troublesome that would worry a batsman playing with decent technique, patience and concentration. However Sri Lanka`s top order was met by England’s spearhead, Anderson who once again produced world class swing bowling, pitching the new ball up and finding movement both ways through the air. Firstly Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had driven consecutive fours off Anderson, fell next ball, nicking behind to Matt Prior to a ball that moved away. Kumar Sangakkara was next man to go for a golden duck, edging to Strauss and continuing his miserable form in the series. Anderson’s explosive burst then accounted for Lahiru Thirimanne, lbw for eight leaving the hosts struggling.    

Once again it was left to Jayawardene to mastermind another re – building operation, accompanied with the gritty Samaraweera in support. The two experienced batsmen accumulated runs well and produced a fighting partnership, building a sizeable first innings total.  Both batsmen ploughed on until just before the tea interval when Bresnan made the important breakthrough. The quick bowler managed to get one to drag back and trapped Samaraweera lbw just after he had completed his 28^th half-century in tests.

England was agonisingly close to striking again with the ever-impressive Anderson drawing an outside edge off Jayawardene when on 79, but the catch eluded Strauss at slip. England deserved more with tight and accurate bowling but Sri Lanka`s captain continued in an imperious knock and brought up his 31^st test hundred and his 8^th against England with a quick single. It was a classic example of master class batting with the Sri Lankan captain remaining patient, calm and disciplined throughout his five-hour innings. 

However the visitor’s commitment to the task in hand finally yielded with two late strikes as Swann eventually removed Jayawardene, trapping him lbw, coming from around the wicket.  The dismissal of the in form batsman breathed greater energy amongst the England players and with the added buoyancy another wicket swiftly came. Steven Finn, full of sharp pace and accuracy forced Prasanna Jayawardene to edge behind to Prior for just seven, leaving England on top after day one.

England will now be looking to finish off the rest of the Sri Lankan batting line up early tomorrow with only Angelo Mathews, unbeaten on 41, the only recognised batsmen left. However with the frailties of England’s batting over the course of the winter still fresh after the performance in the last game, a decent first innings total by the hosts could still turn the game around in their favour. 

One Day Remains - Alter Bridge (2004)

In 2004, the demise of Creed, one of America’s most successful hard rock bands of the last decade brought both distraught feelings to fans but also positive vibes and great excitement in the form of Alter Bridge. Established through three former members of Creed, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Philips and the introduction of former Mayfield Four singer Myles Kennedy, the foursome hit the studio to create their eagerly awaited debut album, One Day Remains and they didn’t disappoint.

Released on August 10, 2004 via Wind-up Records and produced by Ben Grosse, the 11 song record opens with "Find The Real", a heavy, hard rock monster of a song with its down tuned metal guitar riffs, catchy choruses and a brilliant guitar solo, the album commences with an instant classic. Continuing the heavy theme of the album, "One Day Remains", opens with a trail of harmonics linking together immaculately before unleashing fast paced, heavy driven verses and choruses and two impressive guitar solos from the ever majestic Mark Tremonti on lead guitar.

Tremonti firmly establishes himself as one of the finest guitarists of modern times with this album, not just in his astounding playing but also in his now instantly recognisable writing style. Before the album was released the band made it perfectly clear that they didn’t want to engineer the distinguished grunge sound of Creed and with that said this album goes beyond the Creed sound entirely. Covering a huge range of sounds and styles from, "Metalingus", without doubt the finest track on the album, with its ferocious drumming and outstanding guitar riff oozes 80s metal to the gorgeous and highly emotional "In loving Memory", a highly sensitive track written about Tremonti`s late mother.

Expertly written music and melodies are accompanied by the magnificent vocals of new front man Myles Kennedy. Drawing parallels in voice with Chris Cornell and Jeff Buckley, Kennedy introduces a wonderful voice possessing a tenor vocal range that spans four octaves superbly showcased on the haunting ballad, "Burn it down", and the epic first single "Open your eyes", a true highlight of the progression of the band from the days of Creed.

Brian Marshall on bass, probably the only man who can compliment Tremonti`s unique style and Scott Philip’s on drums, creating the powerful drive of the album commend the band brilliantly and add great solidity to the four piece. Clearly emphasised on the second single, "Broken Wings" aswell as on tracks, "Down to my last", and "Watch your words", the feel of the togetherness and chemistry of the band really shine through.

One Day Remains is a soaring, emotional modern rock masterpiece and comes at a time when the rock genre really needs something new and vibrant to push it on again. This album is most defiantly the record that can do it. Tremendous songs and melodies performed by a band that have found instant chemistry and possess unbelievable talent add a much-needed new sound to modern rock. Fans of this richly entertaining and engrossing music genre should seriously take note.  note of this incredible new band.