**Official** Sri Lanka in England / Scotland - 2011

[Migara]

Maharoof and mendis have not turned up for Lancs and Somerset respectively in the matches. So would be playing in the first warm up game.

Dilshan, Paranavithana, Samaraweera, Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, PJ, Welagedara, Maharoof, Mendis and Herath can be expected to play it.

 

[four_or_six]

Not long to go now! My Dad can't make the match at Lords, so I'm going with my Mum instead, awesome stuff.

Go Swanny Go Jimmy Go Cooky

 

[hang on]

The Island

interesting read.

 

[zishanmohd]

So, what are people opinion regarding the series? Personally I feel Sri Lanka is much better than the English side, even at the english team's backyard

 

[Migara]

I like your view zishanmohd, but I sincerely feel that you are drunk or sleepy.

 

[Howe_zat]

To be fair to the Sri Lankans, I think it'd be a mistake to count them out. Firstly, their middle order batting looks pretty solid. Their major problem is the bowling, but it'd be unfair to write it off as terrible on scant evidence.

Earlier I semi-jokingly posted some of the away Test records of the Sri Lankan seamers - terrible as you'd expect - but that's to be taken with a pinch of salt as it's based on a few horror wickets in India and nothing else.

I'm not saying Lakmal, Welegedera and Pradeep are all potential world-beaters but I think we should at least give them the benefit of the doubt before we dismiss them.

 

[Woodster]

Have looked at the SL quick bowlers selected for this tour and a bowler that I've been quite impressed with in the past is not there - Dammika Prasad. Had a look at his domestic season and he picked up only 10 wickets at an average of just over 40, so his form is not too hot. The obvious problem appears to be the number of no-balls he's bowled in his last few first-class appearances. He's clearly got problems with his run-up so it's probably no great surprise his focus is not solely on where he's delivering the ball to if his mind is on keeping his front foot behind the line.

Unless I'm mistaken this is a persistent problem with Prasad, is anyone aware of how much work he is putting in to eradicate these problems ? Or if indeed he is getting the appropriate assistance from coaches of his team or the national side ?

While he may not be a world beater, I admire his efforts to bowl quickly on dead pitches and looks capable of making things happen. He may concede runs, but he can take wickets. Just hope he can get his run-up sorted so he can concentrate on bowling quickly and taking wickets.

 

[Manee]

Have looked at the SL quick bowlers selected for this tour and a bowler that I've been quite impressed with in the past is not there - Dammika Prasad. Had a look at his domestic season and he picked up only 10 wickets at an average of just over 40, so his form is not too hot. The obvious problem appears to be the number of no-balls he's bowled in his last few first-class appearances. He's clearly got problems with his run-up so it's probably no great surprise his focus is not solely on where he's delivering the ball to if his mind is on keeping his front foot behind the line.

Unless I'm mistaken this is a persistent problem with Prasad, is anyone aware of how much work he is putting in to eradicate these problems ? Or if indeed he is getting the appropriate assistance from coaches of his team or the national side ?

While he may not be a world beater, I admire his efforts to bowl quickly on dead pitches and looks capable of making things happen. He may concede runs, but he can take wickets. Just hope he can get his run-up sorted so he can concentrate on bowling quickly and taking wickets.

Yeah, I was very impressed when I saw him bowl against India, a few years back. A lot of deliveries above 140kph and he definitely extracted pace from the pitches too.

 

[GIMH]

Not long to go now! My Dad can't make the match at Lords, so I'm going with my Mum instead, awesome stuff.

Go Swanny Go Jimmy Go Cooky

What day you going?

 

[Migara]

Have looked at the SL quick bowlers selected for this tour and a bowler that I've been quite impressed with in the past is not there - Dammika Prasad. Had a look at his domestic season and he picked up only 10 wickets at an average of just over 40, so his form is not too hot. The obvious problem appears to be the number of no-balls he's bowled in his last few first-class appearances. He's clearly got problems with his run-up so it's probably no great surprise his focus is not solely on where he's delivering the ball to if his mind is on keeping his front foot behind the line.

Unless I'm mistaken this is a persistent problem with Prasad, is anyone aware of how much work he is putting in to eradicate these problems ? Or if indeed he is getting the appropriate assistance from coaches of his team or the national side ?

While he may not be a world beater, I admire his efforts to bowl quickly on dead pitches and looks capable of making things happen. He may concede runs, but he can take wickets. Just hope he can get his run-up sorted so he can concentrate on bowling quickly and taking wickets.

Prasad is one of those uncultured wild things. Has raw pace for a small man, very aggressive in intent and lines he bowl. But he has few problems. Front foot problems are a new one, but he sprays it around a lot. And he's not known to get movement with the new ball. It's just intimidation and pace that brings him wickets with the new ball. Old ball, how ever reverses for him. He has to cut his pace a little and concentrate on line and length and moving it around. He had a recent injury, so the form is not that hot. But if there was a place he could move the ball, it is England.

 

[Kylez]

Always enjoy reading your thoughts on the Sri Lankan players, Migara. So now tell me all about Suranga Lakmal . I quite liked the look of his bowling action in the limited footage I saw of him against the West Indies.

 

[Migara]

Lakmal is from one of the most under developed areas of the country, and due to his cycling to the school for more than 10 kilometers, considered as quite a fit and agile.

Other than for fitness, there is nothing much to write about him. Bowls in 130-135 corridor, reasonable accuracy, and swings it as well. If he gets his act together, would be the ideal stock bowler in England. Because he is fit, easily can bowl 25 overs a day, and as a true stock bowler, he is able to get that little bit out of the track.

But he is not a "charachter" as Prasad, Randiv or Dilshan. He's a typcal SL fast bowler, who smiles when batsman misses the bowl or after sending a bouncer. (On other hand , Prasad would release a volley of filth at batsman if he misses it).

 

[Woodster]

Prasad is one of those uncultured wild things. Has raw pace for a small man, very aggressive in intent and lines he bowl. But he has few problems. Front foot problems are a new one, but he sprays it around a lot. And he's not known to get movement with the new ball. It's just intimidation and pace that brings him wickets with the new ball. Old ball, how ever reverses for him. He has to cut his pace a little and concentrate on line and length and moving it around. He had a recent injury, so the form is not that hot. But if there was a place he could move the ball, it is England.

Should he cut his pace down, would that not reduce his effectiveness ? As you say, he doesn't get too much movement, his strength is his pace and aggression, and with this he offers something different to the SL side. If the side are after a more accurate line and length bowler that moves it about a bit without any great pace, than maybe Dammika Prasad is not the man. Would it not make sense for Prasad to run in and try and bowl quickly, a partnership breaker that can be dangerous with the old ball ?

I appreciate there is no point trying to bowl too quickly only to keep disappearing to the boundary, and there is a balance between pace and accuracy he has to find, but I hope he isn't encouraged to lose too much of his raw pace.

On the no-ball issue, it was certainly a problem in the last Test I saw him play in against the West Indies towards the end of 2010.

 

[Daemon]

Lakmal is from one of the most under developed areas of the country, and due to his cycling to the school for more than 10 kilometers, considered as quite a fit and agile.

Other than for fitness, there is nothing much to write about him. Bowls in 130-135 corridor, reasonable accuracy, and swings it as well. If he gets his act together, would be the ideal stock bowler in England. Because he is fit, easily can bowl 25 overs a day, and as a true stock bowler, he is able to get that little bit out of the track.

From Cricinfo, "Despite his natural ability, Lakmal had one big deficiency in that he lacked the stamina to bowl long spells and on occasions he did, he regularly fell ill"

Past tense, but still.

 

[Migara]

Should he cut his pace down, would that not reduce his effectiveness ? As you say, he doesn't get too much movement, his strength is his pace and aggression, and with this he offers something different to the SL side. If the side are after a more accurate line and length bowler that moves it about a bit without any great pace, than maybe Dammika Prasad is not the man. Would it not make sense for Prasad to run in and try and bowl quickly, a partnership breaker that can be dangerous with the old ball ?

I appreciate there is no point trying to bowl too quickly only to keep disappearing to the boundary, and there is a balance between pace and accuracy he has to find, but I hope he isn't encouraged to lose too much of his raw pace.

On the no-ball issue, it was certainly a problem in the last Test I saw him play in against the West Indies towards the end of 2010.

You certainly have a point. My way would be to bowl four 135k deliveries with two 140k+ deliveries in an over. Would serve both purposes.

 

[four_or_six]

What day you going?

Sunday. Day 3 iirc.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, me too

 

[four_or_six]

Yeah, me too

I'll look out for the man in the Freddie mask!

 

[GIMH]

 

[James]

A Fantasy Cricket comp has been created for the Test series if anyone is interested in playing