Sri Lanka v England
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Topic: Sri Lanka v England
Posted By: Clobber
Subject: Sri Lanka v England
Date Posted: 15 March 2012 at 8:26am
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England's first warm up match has started today Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Steven Davies, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, James Tredwell, Monty Panesar
Jimmy Anderson has taken 4 wickets so far, against a pretty young opposition. Both Swann and Panesar are playing, as is Bopara, and given England's recent preference to use their Test side in the warm ups, that should be a reasonable indication of the side for the 1st Test (with the exception of Finn only being in the side as Broad had an injury). |
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Replies:
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 15 March 2012 at 3:19pm
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This should be a good test for England esp after doing well in the ODI's against PAK. SLN have become a very unpredictable team, they played some very good cricket in Australia but have been on a losing streak in the sub continent. I'd expect a 1-1 result. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 15 March 2012 at 4:19pm
| Monty outbowled Swann yet again |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 16 March 2012 at 5:33am
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Panesar's return to form can only be good for the side and again shows the advantage of turning the ball away from the right handers. Swann's gone a tad flat in recent months , is it me or isn't he ripping it like he did about a year ago? Lovely start to the tour by Jimmy Anderson , he's matured so much , in days gone by he just couldn't find the right length on slow Asian pitches - he's a gem now. Should be good practice for the batsmen today against a useful SL XI attack. The Asian Cup could be a real fill up for the tourists in that if SL make the final they'll only be getting home 4 days before the 1st test and have played no 4 day cricket for an age ! England's 2 warm up matches in this series and the 3 they played in Australia shows how keen they are to come out of the blocks quickly , come day 1 of the 1st test. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 16 March 2012 at 9:42am
| This series will be totally different to the PAK one. I can see some massive scores being piled on (both sides have very good batting line-ups). At least one draw and then the other match will be down to whether England can cope with the spin and the heat. If they can, they should take it. SL's spin resources are pretty terrible tbh. I don't even know who their main two are, Herath and Mendis? I doubt Mendis will be effective and Herath is very ordinary. Maybe they'll give the leggie Prasanna a go. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 17 March 2012 at 3:23pm
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Great start for ENG, they win the warm up game by an innings! This series should be a really interesting one, such a shame it's only 2 games. SLN have an unusually long home season this year, ENG, PAK and IND all tour the country. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 19 March 2012 at 7:23am
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Yes Sam , a good result with Cook and Panesar in terrific form. I suppose it could be said that only Cook and Strauss contributed decent runs but the others will get another chance tomorrow.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 21 March 2012 at 8:33am
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The second match is half way through. The England bowlers got a thorough workout, with Broad head and shoulders above the rest. I am sure they won't be overly concerned at toiling so long in the field as it is good conditioning, but they will be concerned at the rate runs came off Swann in particular. Strauss and Trott have put on 116 so far for the 1st wicket, easily enough it would seem, and England will be desperately keen that Bell gets a few runs too. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 21 March 2012 at 2:23pm
| Stumps on day 2 and Bell has another low score of 14. They'll stick with him, of course, but wouldn't it be interesting if they played Bopara at 5 and Patel at 6, giving them 3 spinners. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 22 March 2012 at 8:11am
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I agree Clobs , it's a good workout for the lads but they'd have liked Bell to get some time in the middle. I just can't see Patel making it BP , his bowling is distinctly average, I think KP's a better 3rd option !
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 22 March 2012 at 3:39pm
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Patel's chances have increased massively though with the news that a side strain means Bopara would be unable to bowl in the Test series. Both made runs today, as did everyone else except Bell, as England made a fine run chase of 360 in 60 overs. Their approach to warm up games since Flower has been in charge has been excellent. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 23 March 2012 at 5:40am
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Yep a good win , but two sporting declarations from the Lankans gave them the chance. Bopara's injury does bring Patel to the fore , they'll be giving that wicket a thorough examination on Monday morning. Finn's likely to miss out - I think him the unluckiest player currently playing international cricket - he's top notch but in Sri Lanka two spinners are compulsory. He's a bright lad and I think he's aware that he'll be a key player against SA in the summer.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 23 March 2012 at 11:07am
| Mathews out of the first Test with an injury so a blow for SL, but softened somewhat by the replacement of Chamara Silva, who smashed 160 in the warm-up match. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 7:55am
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England go in with 5 bowlers , Samit Patel makes his debut and Prior bats at 6. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. England made a fantastic start , with Anderson removing Thirimanne and Sangakkara with successive deliveries. Broad chipped in with the wicket of Dilshan and the home side were 15-3 ! They've recovered through Jayawardene and Samaraweera to be 66-3 at lunch. So England have 3 , even four spinners , if you take KP as the fourth ! I've been watching English cricket for many a year and I cannot remember an attack with 4 tweakers - if they go on to win, the selection will be hailed as a masterstroke. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 8:04am
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And it's the two fast bowlers who take the wickets so far...! England would love to have Bresnan back, they'd have that 3rd seamer and could continue with 2 spinners! Patel is playing instead and I think it's an odd selection, considering his bowling style isn't actually going to add much variation. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 8:16am
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Good point Mikey , Bresnan's more than useful , as we saw in Australia. If the actual selection is slightly odd I believe picking 5 bowlers was the way to go. The intense heat and humidity in Sri Lanka really does drain an attack.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 8:51am
| I only make that comment about Patel because he didn't actually bowl that well in the warm up, his variety of spin isn't different than Monty's, in fact Monty is much better and in terms of the heat, Patel isn't that fit anyway. I think England should definitely play 5 bowlers, but possibly not Patel. If he does well, I'll eat my words. |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 3:38pm
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terrific innings by Mahela, real class throughout. It was England's day for most of it, but those 2 drops by Monty (that second one, dearie me) have allowed SL to get up and beyond the 260-odd I am sure England were hoping to keep them to. |
Posted By: kahmad
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 3:48pm
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SRL will be looking to score around 350 runs and that will be a very good score. Anything over 150 runs in the 4th Innings will be a big challange for England on this wicket. It is a fantastic Innings of Mahela. It is a good news for Sri Lanka that they arent relying only on Sanga in this series. I think England has selected this team with 3 spinners because of the defeat to England. There was a time where they were worried about playing 2 spinners and suddenly they have 3 spinners. |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 5:27pm
| The only reason they are playing 3 spinners is because Bopara wasn't able to bowl - had he been, he would have played ahead of Patel. |
Posted By: kahmad
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 8:04pm
| and why didnt they play Bresnan? |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 8:17pm
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Great innings by Mahela, he is a class act. Finn is one of the best bolwers around at the moment and was a major reason for success against Pakistan in ODI's and was the sole bright spot in the ODI's against India, I've seen him bowl as good as anybody in the subcontinental conditions, why should he not play ahead of Patel is surprising, because in Broad and Swann ENG have two very good lower order batsmen. I agree that No.7 is perhaps a bit too high for Broad but then Samit won't be winning test matches for you with the ball or bat so why not play Finn who is bowling brilliantly. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 8:54pm
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England should be careful here as they are chasing again. They very well know how close they came in last series in UAE... It was just those 70 runs that they could not score in 4th innings in both the Test matches. Hopefully they have done the right selection now , I still say Bopara should have been in the playing 11.Anyway hope that one little partnership does not elude them this time. By the way Samit is a good player too, but Finn's non selection is sad, so is Bresnan's case ... England are spoilt for choices. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 6:14am
I think he's not quite ready for the test arena , he's been out injured for quite some time. The Lankans all out for 318 with Anderson taking the last two wickets , Jayawardene last man out for 180 - just imagine what thats score would've been without him , 2nd highest scorer made just 27 ! The wicket is up and down already , so for England to have any chance here they have to get a lead of around a hundred - parity simply won't be good enough. I hope they've learnt their lessons from the Pakistan experience , although this spin attack is not of anything like the same calibre. Patience is the key (we're only just into day 2) , I've no doubts Cook and Trott will take their time , I'm unsure of KP and the rest. They're rated #1 in the world - let them now go on and prove it. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 7:31am
| Lovely effort from Jayawardene, who has been in scintillating form upon taking up captaincy. Curiously, his form under Dilshan was simply awful. Match saving innings I reckon, and I think SL are a good chance at getting a positive result in this match now, with 3 early wickets already! England have a lot to prove, lots of success, but not much in Asia. Winning in Australia is not enough anymore, the Aussies aren't the same class, England have to make inroads against Asian teams in Asia. |
Posted By: kahmad
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 8:06am
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matchwinning innings from Mahela, i would say. Even against this spin attack England will show their weakness. There wasnt any time when they played spin well, so why this time? The odi series against Pakistan was different as there wasnt any turn. Still there were Cook and Pieterson who performed. Its a big challange forEngland here to play spin as well. |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 9:32am
| England being hopeless against spin again - the way it has been going this winter, I bet they can't wait to face Steyn, Morkel and Philander! |
Posted By: kahmad
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 10:48am
| good start for England to get Dilshan early but it wont help England. SRL need just 100 more on the board to win this test. A lead of around 200 must be enough |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 1:14pm
| England hopeless against spin, but Swann comes to town with a majestic 4-for and SL are reeling. Methinks though that 250 will be really difficult to chase if the 1st innings performance and the performances against Pakistan are a precedent for how England play spin. Swann hasn't looked that great lately and to perform now shows that he is a star player, so big pat on the back to him. SL will look to try and add 100 for these last 5 wickets and bat ENG out of the game. Good match this, and it's only day 2. |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 2:29pm
| the bowlers must be getting heartily sick of the efforts of their batting colleagues by now |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 4:29pm
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That pitch was never going to get easy and ENG as it is don't play spin well, I think SLN already have enough runs on the board to win the game, however, with so much time available they should try to muster another 100 runs and put the game out of ENG's reach. A very good performance by SLN after a terrible Asia Cup. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 1:46am
| Under 250 to chase and I fancy England. This pitch is not that bad and England can't bat any worse than they did first time round. |
Posted By: kahmad
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 8:23am
| i think this is out of reach now for England. Maybe thats why they are not trying to take the last 2 wickets to save some time and hoping that it might rain. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 1:19pm
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Well it's 340 to win , which before the start of the final innings I also thought was way , way too many. Tis a funny game cricket and records are meant to be broken. Whether this is another one that goes is too early to say , but England do have a chance. 111-2 at the close with Pietersen and Trott at the wicket. I'm with BP here , the pitch isn't unplayable , I've seen pitches turn more on day 1 in India ! Still , it's a big ask and these two need to start again tomorrow , take the sting out of the attack and give the others a chance. It's all about application , no rush , no rash shots (are you listening KP?) and see where you are at each drinks interval. There's plenty of batting to come , but it's really tough for a new batsman to come in against a decent spinner - the Saffers need to get through the first hour. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: kahmad
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 1:35pm
| This Partnership is very important if England want to win this. I think its 80-20 at the momet for Sri Lanka. If this pair bat for another 100 runs then it will be 50-50. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 1:50pm
| If this was against PAK's attack then I would say no chance but SL attack is really average. If Trott and KP add another 50 runs then I fancy ENG but a couple of early wickets tomorrow and it may be all over because I can't see the last 5 adding 150 runs. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 2:01pm
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Yep , it's going to be interesting ! Just why England keep digging themselves into such a deep hole by batting like clowns in the first innings is driving me crazy!
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 6:12pm
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should be an interesting day 4 which will also be the final day in all likelihood, absorbing test match, I'd back SLN to win quite simply because a couple of wickets early and it could be all over for ENG. nonetheless, spirited partnership here between KP and Trott, good fight being shown... can they continue it tomorrow is the big question though? ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 28 March 2012 at 10:31pm
| Those Dilshan strokes were completely unacceptable. Strauss is getting ripped because of some attacking strokes but look at how Dilshan was playing. Quite literally a shot a ball. Just woeful. |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 10:39am
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for a while it looked like Trott and Prior had moved England into a winning position, but you know from experience that in these conditions, when England lose a wicket, they will lose several, and sure enough that happened. Sri Lanka's last 2 wicket partnerships in their 2nd innings made all the difference. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 10:50am
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Yes Clobs , coming in against spin asks a lot of lower order batsmen. Fine effort from Trott and Prior , thelatter unlucky to be caught as he was. DRS did England no favours , but it works both ways and the best side won. England woes will continue unless they make their runs in the first dig. To have any chance next week they need to win the toss , bat first and score 350+ !
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: kahmad
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 11:02am
| A really good effort by Trott. Unfortunately he didnt get much support from the other end. It was being always tough to chase such a big target but they fought hard for it. India got number 1 in the rankings and lost the next 8 matches abroad. Now its Englands turn, they have already lost 4. Maybe 4 more to go... |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 4:08pm
No kahmad, India become No.1 in Nov 2009 ..
After they became No 1, they toured 4 times outside ... ruling out SL and BD tours ( as they are sub-continent).. They toured SA in Dec 2010 ( Drawn Series ) and followed it with WI - June 2011 (won series).
England series started on Jul 21, by the end of August rankings ... India were not Number 1.
I mean to say , India stated losing after good 20 months at the top. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 4:20pm
This is the third consecutive match they have lost by slender 70 run margin
Last three Test matches for England read
... Lost by 72 runs
... Lost by 71 runs and
... Lost by 75 runs.
England were so so close , but could not close the match.I remember Eng tour of SA in 2009/2010, it was 1-1 drawn series , while SA came close to beat on 2 ocassions while England survived by skin of their teeth to escape two draws (1 wicket draws). Looks like things aren't going England way.
They have got to fit in Bopara, he is one guy who can play spin.He will get England more than 70 in two innings for sure.
------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 6:20pm
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SL catching was magnificent and won them the match. Thirimanne's catch at short-leg was extraordinary and Dilshan's fielding was fantastic as always. Trott played well but the rest didn't have the class and composure to stick with him. I agree that ENG keep getting into positions to win and squandering (144 to win in Abu Dhabi, PAK 99 all out in Dubai, SLN reeling multiple times here in Galle) but 70 run defeats aren't slender in low-scoring Test matches. They aren't just losing, they are losing badly. |
Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 6:22pm
They won't play Bopara if he can't bowl. He has an injury preventing him from bowling and ENG always want to have a fifth bowler in these conditions. Bresnan is the only option to replace Samit Patel and Finn should play ahead of Broad if Broad is unfit. |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 6:36pm
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Good win for SLN, Herath getting 12 wickets in the match. ENG were in a good position at one stage but as Clobs said, it was a matter of one wicket and once Samit was in you knew it could all end quickly. 70 run defeats in low scoring games aren't exactly "Slender" but yes ENG have had their moments in all the 3 tests they lost by this margin. Plenty of work to do for them if they want to retain their No.1 ranking, Difficult, but I would say ENG aren't that bad and will pose a challenge against RSA and IND later in the year. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 29 March 2012 at 6:52pm
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It is still a slender margin , this are sub-continent pitches.70 run is a slender margin. One extra batsman (Infact England have had one batsman who is not suitable to spin in their line up, that too in test matches).This is nothing but selection mistake on England that has cost them 4 matches in a row. Nothing but batting inefficiencies on both the sides, make this low scoring matches.
I consider only NZ and few pitches in ENG , maybe 1 pitch in AUS/SA as low scoring pitches,other than that none are low scoring as it is made out to be. If a team/teams score less then 99% of the times it is the batsman to blame.
------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 6:13am
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Sri Lanka win the toss again and elect to bat first. Two changes to the visitors line up with Finn and Bresnan starting at the expense of the injured Broad and the unlucky Panesar. No doubt that Monty is a much better bowler than Patel , but those dropped catches did him no favours. Mathews returns for the home side , but won't bowl. Surprisingly Chandimal is left out and Prasad gets a start because of Welegedera's injury. The pitch has some grass on it , but it's dry and will crack - batting last won't be much fun. England haven't played a test in Columbo for 30 years , which coincided with the Lankans test debut! How things change , the Lankans are warm favourites here to make it 2-0. Is it another false dawn for the visitors ? Jimmy Anderson does the business yet again by removing Dilshan and Sangakkara with successive deliveries ! So Sanga has fallen to Jimmy , 1st ball in both tests first innings. The top man Mahela ,at the wicket now , without Monty maybe they'll catch him this time! 30-2 after 8.3 overs. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 6:17am
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30-2 becomes 30-3 as Jimmy strikes again , having Thirimanne trapped in front. The finger went up and he referred it , so that's also a referral gone for the home side. Anderson's going for a few runs but Finn is being his usual miserly self - a contrasting opening attack , but an effective one.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 8:01am
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Same old , same old. No more wickets as the Lankans get to lunch on 82-3. Jayawardene looking very threatening on 40* and Samaraweera 20*. The new ball and Anderson again doing the damage and then they hit a brick wall. The fall of wickets in the subcontient seem to follow this pattern and might go some way to explain why England are struggling. The middle order is so important when the ball loses it's hardness and the spinners come to the fore. England's soft centre has capitulated in 4 successive matches - surely they can't be so stupid as not to see just how the Lankans turn around a bad start ? England need to hit hard after the break , Strauss can't just hope they'll gift a wicket , he needs to pressurise them.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 8:11am
| Conservative move by England to keep Patel, when the returning Bresnan is a more qualified batsman than he and Panesar is a much better bowler. England are too worried about their batting, and their selection shows this. What mystifies me is that Patel didn't show any great ability in the last test and I cannot see him doing much more in this. His selection is very, very reminiscent of the selection of Steve Smith by the Aussies. Thankfully Iverarity, the new head selector, doesn't rate him and he's likely to lose his Australian contract... |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 1:34pm
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Yes Mickey , Smith and Patel could be from the same mould and I agree , the selections show more about their concerns rather than their respective cricketing abilities over their rivals. Patel's bowling was okay today , but no more than that and surprise, surprise , he failed to take a wicket. Swann got Mahela with one bowled around the wicket that turned from a shade outside off and was hitting leg , he played all around it ,a cracking delivery. Patel battled to get it off the straight and I got the impression the batsmen weren't concerned other than they didn't want to get out to a part timer! Finn did well to weedle out the other Jayawardene and I think it's pretty even at the close at 238-6. Randiv and Mathews won't give it away and Mathews has shown the kind of resolve that the English will need sometime tomorrow. Personally I'm happy that the wicketkeeper has gone - he's a class act , especially on home turf and getting him for single figures is a real fillup. I'm getting old , but forgive me for beating the same old drum - England must get a 1st innings lead to win this and if that means scoring 400 for a lead of around 100 then they'd better apply themselves better than they have this winter! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 3:15pm
| England's first innings batting is failing them, time and time again. Can't see how reinforcing the lower order is going to do too much, the top order guys need to perform. Strauss is on his last legs and the rest are struggling against the spin. You dare say that 300 here by SL could be enough for them to push on for a positive result... |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 5:52pm
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The match is interestingly poised, it all depends on how well ENG bat now because SLN won't be making more than 300, I agree that selecting Patel is a very defensive and meaningless move, Monty would have been a much better choice or for that matter if they want to strengten their batting then even Bopara as a batsmen is a better choice. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 04 April 2012 at 7:08am
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Well 275 all out , a pretty decent effort by the Englishmen and another class knock from Jayawardene. 4 wickets for Swann who is showing signs of returning to form. Now for the hard part , applying themselves , knuckling down and getting a decent score ! ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 04 April 2012 at 7:50am
| Swann finally back to his wicket taking ways, not the same venom like he had a couple of years ago, so hopefully for England he can find that spark again. 275 is a good score, but like we always reiterate, if England can take a 100 run lead then they can win... it's as simple as that. Another loss here and I think Cook will be the test captain very soon, ODI captaincy has brought the best out of him with the bat too... Strauss is starting to look like he has past his expiry date, perhaps prematurely, and not too dissimilar to Vaughan. |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 04 April 2012 at 8:15am
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Strauss maintains he's playing well , just not getting a score. Whether he's just kidding himself I'm not sure , but I don't see anyone around who can take his place in the side. I fancy he might come right , maybe a bit of luck ( being put down perhaps) and we could see him back amongst the runs. His last ton was against Australia at the Gabba , a long , long time ago. I hope he does well today , he's got the backing of the side and the management and there's no doubt that he's working his socks off - maybe he's just trying too hard.
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 04 April 2012 at 10:20am
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Blimey , England get through to tea unscathed ! Strauss had a few hairy moments but at 83-0 , they're sitting pretty. They've taken 36 overs to get to that score , so they have reined themselves in and played like test batsmen! More of the same is required for the final session - I expect Cook and Strauss's tea tastes much sweeter just now !
------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 04 April 2012 at 4:34pm
| Finally a bit of bite and fight from England, just what the doctor ordered. The best two batsmen are in now, if either of these two goes it's almost like the Lankans have broken into the tail! Some good lower order resistance will certainly bat SL out of this match... |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 04 April 2012 at 6:38pm
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Another interesting game in prospect, ENG did well and I'm very happy for Andrew Strauss, he is too good a player to be left out and at the moment a very good captain. SLN can fight back though, they would need a couple of early wickets tomorrow and ENG will not get more than 300. A good stand tomorrow by these two and SLN are in trouble. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: Sledger
Date Posted: 05 April 2012 at 8:51am
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287-3 with Pietersen taking Randiv apart ! He's hit a quickfire 55* off just 64 balls - a strikerate alien to everyone else on this slow , slow track. The position is right up KP's street and he and Ian Bell (badly in need of a decent score) could well put this game beyond the Lankans in no time at all. Surely they'll get a sizeable lead now , 150-200 isn't unlikely unless we see another batting collapse. Cook fell 6 short of another hundred , nicely supported by Trott with 64. The pitch is a little up and down , but I think we're now seeing that Herath and Randiv are no more than decent spinners and not the worldbeaters the English made them look in the first test. ------------- Mental disintegration works for me !! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 05 April 2012 at 10:13am
| During that session it was like a totally different game to what we have seen from England all winter long. Absolutely extraordinary knock from Pietersen on a track that is very obviously difficult to score quickly on - as Ian Bell painfully demonstrated. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 05 April 2012 at 11:39am
Bell hasn't grown as much as I thought he would after a successful Ashes series last year, some good Asian performances would have really set his name in stone as one of England's best this generation. KP on the other hand played an awesome knock, like the old KP in some ways, and made Herath and co. look like the ordinary spinners they really are. No real reason why England should struggle against SL in SL, Aussies had no problems last year and they're a far less competent side (unfortunately... ).
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Posted By: BackwardPoint
Date Posted: 05 April 2012 at 11:05pm
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When KP plays innings like that, it makes me wish he was coming in at 6 for RSA. Quality knock from a very good player. Not being critical of his innings but the attack is very mediocre. He is going to struggle to do that against the likes of Pakistan and South Africa. Not taking anything away from Pietersen though, he has completely taken the game away from SL and kept ENG at number 1. |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 06 April 2012 at 12:33pm
| Jayawardene is in superb nick. Captaincy has done him wonders, he looked so deflated during Dilshan's tenure and was starting to become a bit of a liability. Now he's emerging as SL's most valuable batsmen and one of the most in-form at the minute in world cricket. SL have bounced back here, and with their two best batsmen at the crease and a slender lead, England could miss out here. England are dying for a victory and it'd be a shame if they don't get over the line, certainly SA would be putting their hand up for the no.1 ranking. If England don't win you can only blame the selectors, who have picked a 'Steven Smith', in Samit Patel... at least Smith is a superb fielder, Patel can barely move... I do think Panesar, in his great form, would have made a difference! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 06 April 2012 at 12:51pm
| Just as I write the above, Swann takes 2 wickets and England are right on top. England would be kicking themselves if they didn't finish this match off with a win! But seriously, having Panesar would have given England a greater edge... |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 06 April 2012 at 6:18pm
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ENG are on top but SLN will try to grind it out tomorrow, remember two of their wickets are nightwatchmen, so Mathews and Prasanna are still there with Mahela and these three will have to be at the crease for long time, SLN need to ensure they bat 2 sessions if they are to draw this. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 06 April 2012 at 7:47pm
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Those two wickets at the end of day ... don't know if that is a good thing for England ? This means SL now have 33 runs lead , that means if Jaywerdene,Mathews and Prasanna manage somewhere around another 120/150(in about 50 overs) ... you never know ENG to could implode on 5th day pitch at closing stages.
Currently ENG are clearly in driver seat , but as I said I do not count their ability chasing last on sub continent pitches.Target of 180/200 could well put ENG in a spot of bother. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 06 April 2012 at 10:12pm
| why wouldn't the 2 late wickets be a good thing? |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 4:29am
With the late two wickets , there is more chance of result in the match (otherwise it would have been a draw)...SL have 33 runs in bag , 0if the remaining batsman can muster another 150/180 runs and get out.It will leave ENG in a tricky situration to bat out 40/45 overs on last day or go for victory.
I would love to see a 1-1 scoreline , but I don't see that happening unless ENG strike early in session 1. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 4:38am
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Not a dig at DRS , but I am getting sick of this every little controvertial decision being made into huge point of discussion (even with DRS or without DRS series).Coaches/Team manager making rounds to 3rd umpires/match refree during the match. Silly!
------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 5:53am
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SL have started the day , and taking some time to settle down.I agree with 4-5 overs in the morning , but if SL show the same attitude that they showed yesterday evening ( block everything and not score any runs ) then they are digging their own grave.SL should look to score atleast 3 runs per over rate otherwise it loss is inevitable here.
From ENG perspective , as the pitch is difficult they can do both attack and dry up the runs. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 8:13am
| England all set for victory, don't know what the hell Raj is on about here. |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 10:07am
My post were pretty clear for anyone to understand ( if you really wished to) . Look back at my posts , I have clearly told (yesterday) that they were in driver seat. All I said was those two wickets could end up to be tricky situation if SL manage a sizeable lead.
If you exextract only the half the post and draw inference, you will not get the right picture.
Sometimes I wonder why someone reads only half the post? ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 10:12am
So a great win  by England , a truly deserved one. They have shown great character in time and again fighting it out only to fall short by one little partnership.Glad they did it this time.
This also goes to show that no matter how good your bowling attack is , your batsman need to contribute, they same is true for other way round. A classic example for all those who think only batting/bowling wins you matches. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Mikey
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 12:16pm
It's an expression. You over evaluated the situation. It was simple, England to get a few lower order wickets and then chase something pretty low. There's no other analysis necessary. |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 1:09pm
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Well the same holds good at lot of places mate!
EDIT: I mean over estimation. Maybe I should say there was over reaction to what I posted , considering ENG's recent chases in 4th innings, my post was absolutely relevant to what could have happened. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: Clobber
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 1:47pm
| but they had to chase, whatever the target was, so it's odd to suggest that taking 2 wickets was to their detriment. You seem to have implied they would have been better not taking wickets and letting SL bat out a draw. |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 1:55pm
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So finally England won and they really deserved it and i hope they win the series.
------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 2:20pm
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No Clobs , I never said that they should not have taken those wickets or they should have gone for draw instead of a win ... I was just wondering (if those two late wickets turn agasint them eventually in final result ) if they don't back it up quickly and wrap the innings fast , they could end up chasing 180/200 which would be a dicey situation. It was just a thought, a possibility that could have happened. There is a reason to say that , I would not have said this had it been any other team, but recent ENG performances against spin batting last definately made me think if was really good for them ( SL always looked to play for draw). Literally I was tired of seeing them play so well throught the test matches only to sqauander chances meekly batting last ... I did not want that to happen again.
Anyway, I could not watch today's match as I had some other work , from the scorecard it looks like England pretty much easily knocked those runs.
Great thing is ENG retained their No 1 spot , which is a great sign, I hope they prevail over SA or at max draw the series so that they will retain that for some more time. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |
Posted By: sam_ahmed
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 2:21pm
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It's just a two game series Mystery and it's a tie at 1-1. Very good performance by England, full marks to them, they also hang on to their No.1 ranking, disappointing for SLN, but at least they can take heart from the fact that after losing quite a few series in a row they have been able to draw one against the best team in the world. ------------- God is a better planner... so whenever u'r plan fails, cheer up... God has a better plan for you! |
Posted By: mystery
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 3:14pm
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Oh this is just horrible why only 2 test match series atleast have 3 match i just cant understand why they waste almost 2 months on IPL but cant get another 7-8 days for one more test match.
------------- Rohit Sharma - What the world has seen is gear 1, gear speed 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 to be witnessed in IPL only. |
Posted By: MalhotraRaj84
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 6:54pm
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I must say it was pretty difficult decision to choose MOM between KP and Swann. In the end I think it was KP who really deserved the award as he was the one who made it possbile with his breath taking batting display when even the locals found it hard to score freely on that pitch. Swan had 10 wickets, and it is really a rare that someone gets 10 wickets in the match still does not get the MOM award. Just goes to show the importance of KP's innings. ------------- Race to No 1 again ... started! |