A soggy, on-off day of only 28 overs at Old Trafford proved as frustrating for the press boys as it did for the players. In The Guardian, Mike Selvey described it as "a desperately unsatisfactory day". But despite the weather, Selvey warned that England should not count their chickens just yet. They should "be mindful of the rate at which Sri Lanka can score runs." Selvey reserved greatest praise for Alec Stewart's innings, one that "will give him a degree of personal satisfaction in that it contained a series of jaunty pedigree strokes against Muttiah Muralitharan."

In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins agreed, praising Stewart for an innings that was "typical of his courage and resilience under pressure." He also bemoaned the bitty nature of the day, saying that "the umpires and groundstaff went on and off like a flickering lightbulb".

While CMJ did not afford blame for the paucity of play, Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph was not so charitable. He said that "the shilly-shallying that went on at Old Trafford yesterday became so absurd as to test old Job himself ... the endless dithering by the umpires in this Test does cricket a disservice. The chance to play two 20-minute snatches before lunch and tea was ignored until both those rituals had been observed. When that happens cricket becomes farce."

Pringle, one of the first to be burdened by the new Ian Botham tag, sympathised with the current incumbent, Andrew Flintoff, who was unluckily run out backing up. "It was a wretched and freakish way to fall," said Pringle, "a Goliath felled by the tiniest of pebbles."

Another former England man, Angus Fraser, in The Independent, found "the apathy shown by the Sri Lankans ... difficult to comprehend." But he was full of praise for Mark Butcher, who extended his purple patch with his fifth Test century. Butcher, said Fraser, "continued to look as though he could play the bowlers with a tooth-pick."

A year ago, Butcher was miles away from the England team. Injuries gave him his chance, and David Lloyd in The Evening Standard praised "a remarkable example of making the most of an unexpected opportunity."

The Sri Lankan view echoed Pringle's. In the Daily News, Sa'adi Thawfeeq felt the umpires had not done enough: "It was just typical Manchester weather at this time of the year and no one could do anything about it, although the two gentlemen in the white coats made a mess of things with their absurd judgments that deprived the spectators of more than their share of cricket."

Mike Walters in the Daily Mirror agreed – he referred to "the black comedy of umpires Steve Bucknor and Dave Orchard faffing about instead of restarting the match" – but preferred to concentrate on Stewart's "exquisite" performance: "We should not be surprised by Stewart's response to the threat of losing his place. Every time it's happened in his 12-year international career, he comes up with an irresistible answer."

With time on their hands, some of the correspondents turned their thoughts to the England squad for the upcoming NatWest Series. Selvey felt that James Kirtley and Craig White were ripe for recalls, while CMJ plumped for Ronnie Irani, whose form, he said, "has been so good with the bat that it would seem almost unjust not to include him." Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd