Umpire Jayaprakash did not have a good match

Their interpretation of the lbw law was bewildering, and their weaknesses were the cause of much of the bad behaviour and displays of dissent.

Publicly, the England team was magnanimous in defeat. Privately, the players are seething at what they consider was an uneven contest.

This will be self-destructive if it is not nipped in the bud immediately and, again, I question the wisdom of playing just one day of cricket between now and the second Test in nine days time.

I believe that the quickest way of overcoming an experience such as this is to get out in the field again and 'bond' as a team.

Killing time in Colombo and brooding in the nets there could well exacerbate the problem.

It would also be wrong to blame the umpires entirely for England�s defeat.

Hussain and his men must not dwell on the umpiring

There is the small matter of Atapattu�s brilliant double century, and the lovely innings by de Silva that gave the innings some pace when it needed it.

Vaas impressed me enormously. Unlike Caddick, the left arm seamer tries to adapt to conditions that do not suit him one bit. His accuracy was unerring and he was always fiddling about with cutters and reverse swing.

Muralitharan was not at his best. His groin injury clearly hampered him and he was also rather rusty.

This is not good news for England because he can now rest up, and we all know that his best is still to come. Jayasuriya proved that he is more than simply a 'fill in' as a left arm spinner.

England have a lot of thinking to do and they must start by drawing a line under this match.

It was always going to be the toughest Test of the winter, but sulking and allowing themselves to believe that the world is against them will not do Hussain's men any good at all.