***Official*** England in Sri Lanka 2012

[NasserFan207]

Unsurprising. This is what England get for dropping an ATG like Eoin out of the blue. He would've done a Mahela, 100+ partnership with Anderson.

 

[Howe_zat]

Yeah, great film which I've watched a few times. Big fan of Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore, Supporting cast is superb too.

Cool, then you'll get my analogy for you

 

[BoyBrumby]

Coupla three free assocation-esque thoughts after wading through today's efforts in the thread:

1) This Galle pitch is nothing like the one the Aussies had to contend with. This one is offering a bit to the spinners; on the previous deck balls were going right through the surface on day one. This is a good test pitch; that wasn't and was rightly reported.

2) Kudos to Herath. Good to see a good bloke getting on. I personally think he's a better bowler than his career figures suggest, but what he is is a wily old campaigner with great control and variation. His ball to get Bell was a jaffa too.

3) Swann to cack handers is an entirely different magnitude of problem to negotiate than Swann to righties. Most pronounced difference of any currrent bowler?

 

[Howe_zat]

Chris Martin a challenger to point #3. Though his problems are exaggerated by the fact that NZ have often been unable to dismiss right-handers at all during his career.

Steyn, perhaps?

 

[Prince EWS]

3) Swann to cack handers is an entirely different magnitude of problem to negotiate than Swann to righties. Most pronounced difference of any currrent bowler?

Chris Martin and Brian Vitori would be up there but I do think Swanneh takes the cake, yes.

 

[CWB304]

Cool, then you'll get my analogy for you

I prefer thinking up my own witticisms to borrowing lines from Hollywood films, but each to his own I guess.

 

[smash84]

I prefer thinking up my own witticisms to borrowing lines from Hollywood films, but each to his own I guess.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Didn't the A team go on a SC tour this year?

I'm not worried about KP he got out to a seamer playing a silly shot when he probably shouldn't have. But I think he'll adjust to the conditions.

Bell made a good 50 and got out to a good ball. He might have found some form and he might do well in the next 3 innings. His record in SL is pretty good too.

Going to wait until the end of the tour until I give a final judgement on whether or not they should play the India series.

 

[NasserFan207]

Btw, you'd think the England batsmen had learnt not to sweep in the subcontinent by now. Its a deathtrap here, unless you are Andy Flower and a master of the shot. You play spin by using your feet and playing straight. Until they realise this, they will continue to fail.

 

[Fusion]

Right, that's enough with all the pollyanna stuff. Can we please keep on topic from now on, which is the SriLanka - England match and teams etc... without anyone insulting each other.

Ahem.

 

[Furball]

Btw, you'd think the England batsmen had learnt not to sweep in the subcontinent by now. Its a deathtrap here, unless you are Andy Flower and a master of the shot. You play spin by using your feet and playing straight. Until they realise this, they will continue to fail.

I would fine them every time they swept. Such a bad shot.

 

[Cabinet96]

To be fair, didn't Flower use the sweep a lot in his career? If so, I doubt he'd be fining people every time they played the shot.

 

[Viscount Tom]

I don't mind batsmen sweeping so long as they sweep properly and with less force than they do currently.

At the moment they should swing the bat like they're trying to slow sweep it into the ground, all they need to do is guide it down the legside.

Still think that if we get these Sri Lankan wickets early and bat properly we're in with a chance.

 

[Cabinet96]

Definetly got a chance, but if they add another 50 runs I wouldn't give us much a hope.

 

[Neil Pickup]

It's always the hope that gets you.

Must back ourselves to chase anything < 300. Must also learn how to play spin.

 

[Prince EWS]

Greg Chappell would be very happy with the way this CWB guy thinks. When Ganguly failed he was adamant to believe that Ganguly was the best possible no. 6 in India at the time. So he replaced Ganguly with Yuvraj. Then Yuvraj failed. He replaced Yuvraj by Raina. Raina failed. He replaced Raina by Venugopal Rao (?). So the spiral kept on going downwards.

Modern motivational books and lectures will never tell you to accept defeat. They will never tell you that your best team mightn't be good enough to win.They'll never teach you to accept that your best isn't good enough. It'll tell you to 'change' something when you are failing, regardless of anything. Greg Chappell comes from that school of thought.

Similarly when KP and Bell fail, CWB won't accept that they're the best no. 4 and 5 England has. He'll want them replaced by 2 other guys. What if those 2 fail more miserably? Replace them with 2 more new guys...Keep on doing it...until you reach to Venugopal Rao...

 

[Burgey]

I don't mind batsmen sweeping so long as they sweep properly and with less force than they do currently.

At the moment they should swing the bat like they're trying to slow sweep it into the ground, all they need to do is guide it down the legside.

Still think that if we get these Sri Lankan wickets early and bat properly we're in with a chance.

If it's full enough to sweep, it's full enough to drive.

 

[Ruckus]

Who actually speaks like CWB? I'm sorry but he just comes off as the biggest pompous wanker, especially considering this is a cricket forum. It's like he has been transported from A Bit of Fry and Laurie or something...

 

[Jacknife]

Greg Chappell would be very happy with the way this CWB guy thinks. When Ganguly failed he was adamant to believe that Ganguly was the best possible no. 6 in India at the time. So he replaced Ganguly with Yuvraj. Then Yuvraj failed. He replaced Yuvraj by Raina. Raina failed. He replaced Raina by Venugopal Rao (?). So the spiral kept on going downwards.

Modern motivational books and lectures will never tell you to accept defeat. They will never tell you that your best team mightn't be good enough to win.They'll never teach you to accept that your best isn't good enough. It'll tell you to 'change' something when you are failing, regardless of anything. Greg Chappell comes from that school of thought.

Similarly when KP and Bell fail, CWB won't accept that they're the best no. 4 and 5 England has. He'll want them replaced by 2 other guys. What if those 2 fail more miserably? Replace them with 2 more new guys...Keep on doing it...until you reach to Venugopal Rao...

Top post and of all the fans it's the England ones who should know this.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I would fine them every time they swept. Such a bad shot.

What interests me is that Duncan Fletcher used to say that every player needed to sweep, and would teach every English player to do it. Now they seem to be playing it more often than ever when he's not in charge. Whether Flower is promoting it, or it's just a case of the English seeing it as the easiest way to counter the subcontinent spinners due to a lack of confidence in their defence and natural strokemaking (which I think is a lot to do with it, ITBT), it's hard to say.