Life without Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, NatWest Series post-mortem, run-out problems and the slew of competition England will have to play against Bangladesh next season - topics vast and varied begged coach Andy Flower's response at Thursday's press conference, but none more so than who on earth - or at least in the touring party - was going to combat Ajantha Mendis...?

While opposing number Trevor Bayliss earlier in the day insisted "television footage counts for nothing, picking Mendis' deliveries and hitting them are entirely different", Flower was adamant "our guys have had a good look at footage of him and are as prepared as they can be without having played against him yet."

After Friday's result, it's safe to say the ECB's man won the little battle of the quotes and, subsequently, has had some of his own burning questions answered.

Whereas the ongoing running-between-the-wickets woe reared it's ugly head courtesy a couple of Shah dive'n'survives, the Middlesex man and Eoin Morgan reduced the 'mystery spinner' to somewhat of a non-factor at the Wanderers, ensuring the middle overs belonged entirely to England even though Muttiah Muralitharan eventually accounted for the wicket of Owais.

Granted Mendis was faced with conditions nothing close to what he experienced against South Africa on the skiddy, near ideal Centurion track, but Bayliss' suggestion that his spinners 'can bowl on almost anything' came a cropper as former Ireland international Morgan showed just why it is he has graduated to the other side of the Irish Sea.

Confident off the front and back foot and with an air of premeditation laced into his stroke play, Morgan took to the latter half of The Murali and Mendis Show with fine aplomb, eventually forcing Kumar Sangakkara to rethink his field and axe the luxury of a first slip.

Yes, half-centurion Morgan enjoyed the odd let-off. Yes, some of his sweep shots left a bit to be desired. But ultimately he delivered exactly what was asked of him - crack the psychological barrier between batsmen and Mendis and nail to the wall a win in the process.

In an uncanny foreboding of what was to follow the next day, the lights literally went on in the wake of a brief power failure in Johannesburg on Thursday as Flower began answering the slew of Mendis-related questions. By all accounts, it may well have been Morgan who flicked the switch...