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

[Howe_zat]

Welshman?

Ehhh, close enough, right?

 

[Woodster]

I agree it'd have been nice if Morgan had played in the early season CC, but to exclude him for not doing so smacks a little of the old-fashioned "jobs for the boys" attitude that used to infect English cricket. If Eoin is the best man for the gig, not picking him for reasons other than cricketing ones would be cutting off nose to spite face stuff.

Anyway 15/1 and Ravi strolls to the crease; can he make mugs of the selectors yet?

Wouldn't suggest it's entirely non-cricketing reasons that he may have been overlooked, he has played a single first-class game, hardly preparation for a Test series imo. My reassons do go beyond that, but the fact remains he could have been massively under-prepared for Test match cricket. The fact is he made 193 and spent a long time at the crease which will no doubt have helped hugely.

 

[Woodster]

Is it inconceivable that the selectors have had a change of heart after Morgan's innings in the first dig ? Maybe they were going with Bopara unless something incredible happened, ie Morgan demonstrated he has quickly found his feet back in the longer form. I appreciate it's unlikely and most people are generally under the impression that the selectors already knew who would be playing at Cardiff, but could there possibly be a late change of mind ?

 

[GIMH]

Agreed. Maybe the England set up under Flower doesn't brief off the record in comparison to previous regimes. Exposing all the journalists as the unknowledgeable hacks they really are.

Or maybe someone in the camp feeds incorrect info to the hacks.

Makes the media look like tools and maybe throws the oppo off a bit as well.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ehhh, close enough, right?

Morgan is a Welsh name, tbf.

Anyway, 54/1 off 16 overs. Taylor 13 off 42 & Ravi 27 from 32. Safe to say the man of Essex more intent on the win.

 

[Jacknife]

Looks like the Lions are trying their best to screw this up, 69/4, Morgan came and went cheaply, Bopara and Taylor too. Time for Hildreth to stand up and get noticed.

 

[Furball]

Picking the guy who toured Australia as the reserve batsman and filled in last summer when Collingwood was rested and Bell was injured isn't exactly a "suprise" move.

The thing that baffles me all of a sudden is how Bopara suddenly became the media's golden boy. I have reservations over Morgan's selection but Bopara simply isn't a better alternative.

 

[BoyBrumby]

One of these goes cheaply and yer Loins could lose this. Have a tail like a rat; Shahzad's recent form with the willow notwithstanding.

 

[Spark]

Picking the guy who toured Australia as the reserve batsman and filled in last summer when Collingwood was rested and Bell was injured isn't exactly a "suprise" move.

The thing that baffles me all of a sudden is how Bopara suddenly became the media's golden boy. I have reservations over Morgan's selection but Bopara simply isn't a better alternative.

Indeed. Occasionally wondered if he was a fisherman who had put on whites and pads and wandered onto the field by mistake, some of the shots he played...

 

[Howe_zat]

50 partnership seemed to have things back on track but now Samit's gone just before tea. 98 runs to get with 5 wickets left in the final session, this is going to be tight.

 

[keeper]

Will be mightily impressed with Hildreth if he can see it home from here.

Anyone know why Bairstow was selected ahead of Kieswetter (not that I mind, Bairstow jnr looks like a fair old talent)?

 

[Prince EWS]

Will be mightily impressed with Hildreth if he can see it home from here.

Anyone know why Bairstow was selected ahead of Kieswetter (not that I mind, Bairstow jnr looks like a fair old talent)?

Kieswetter just isn't that good in proper four-day cricket; Bairstow's the far better prospect in this format.

 

[Howe_zat]

That and CK being injured. Keiswetter's still ahead in the selector's minds even though Bairstow is almost certainly the more promising long-term prospect.

 

[keeper]

Thanks chaps.

Have you seen anything of Bairstow's keeping? Converted batsman or the real deal..?

 

[Jacknife]

86 needed in the last session, it will be good if Bairstow can see them through to the end,

 

[Prince EWS]

Thanks chaps.

Have you seen anything of Bairstow's keeping? Converted batsman or the real deal..?

Have wondered the same thing. Brophy's pretty highly regarded as a gloveman and they tend to share the duties a bit at Yorkshire as the other plays as a bat - whether that's purely for workload management reasons or because they're similar in quality is anyone's guess though.

 

[Howe_zat]

Bairstow has impressed as a keeper. Perhaps not as good as the likes of Foster but much better than Keiswetter at any rate. Apparantly took a fantastic leg side catch to dismiss Sangakkara yesterday.

 

[Jacknife]

As far as I know, he's been a keeper all way through the age groups and is pretty good for such a young guy, not a surprise really with his dad being a former England keeper.

 

[keeper]

Any England debut would, I guess, be an emotional and difficult period for him and his family given the undoubted media discussion around his Father were it to happen.

Good luck to the lad, he's certainly making a splash this season.

 

[keeper]

Oh well, he's gone now. Hildreth running out of partners... could be in for a thriller here.