17th Match - England v Sri Lanka (26th March)

[Howe_zat]

Cracking game.

A big advert for why quality of bowling (and captaincy) matter in this format.

 

[vcs]

Got to feel sorry for Mathews when he gets marooned in these kind of situations. Remember last year it looked at one stage like he was single-handedly going to win SL the Test series against India. Then Ishant got him out and the rest collapsed.

 

[fredfertang]

I am glad I persevered with this T20 crap - really enjoy it these days

 

[Groundking]

The spin should be ashamed of having almost lost us the game then, fantastic death bowling from our seamers.

4 for 28 is fantastic return really.

 

[Gob]

Should've bowled Ali

 

[Viscount Tom]

I think Howe jinxed Rashid.

Also, I swear the music on sky sports is just a remixed version of the Battlefield 2 loading music.

 

[LightningStrike]

Another Amazing game involving Englandddddd!

 

[LightningStrike]

Have to give credit where it's due. These quicker bowlers can be a bit hit and miss and I've read lots of comments questioning Stokes and Jordan's places in the side.

But they showed a lot of skill and bottle out there to win it! Also Stoke's 600% strike rate. LOL!

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Never in doubt.

Nice appetiser for the huge game tomorrow.

 

[91Jmay]

Joe Root as well. Poor with the bat but can't keep him out of the game, such a big time player. Reckon we have more players who step up in big moments than any England side I can remember.

 

[Watson33]

Genuinely worried in those middle parts. As we'll likely finish runners up and face New Zealand in the semi-finals, I am very worried about what Guptill et all are gonna do to some very average spin bowling....

 

[Stace]

Genuinely worried in those middle parts. As we'll likely finish runners up and face New Zealand in the semi-finals, I am very worried about what Guptill et all are gonna do to some very average spin bowling....

Don't worry Guptill wont get past Willey.

 

[91Jmay]

Spinners bowled well against SA and saved us from 250+ score + bowled well against Afgan. Were really, really poor today but I still have faith.

 

[wpdavid]

Joe Root as well. Poor with the bat but can't keep him out of the game, such a big time player. Reckon we have more players who step up in big moments than any England side I can remember.

They've certainly shown some bottle to win the last three games.

What a final over from Stokes; you'd have had to fancy Matthews to see them home there, even on one leg.
And it spares us the need to rant about the dire performance from our spinners, which is probably a good thing.

 

[MW1304]

Genuinely worried in those middle parts. As we'll likely finish runners up and face New Zealand in the semi-finals, I am very worried about what Guptill et all are gonna do to some very average spin bowling....

They're fine bowlers tbh, have performed largely better than the seamers this tournament. Sri Lanka had a couple of fine players of spin, who had no choice but to selectively go at them hard, and it came off incredibly well. Mainly because Mathews is a god.

Also hopefully this is a lesson to Morgan not to rely on the spinners as a tandem middle-overs suffocation tactic. They need overs in early so as not to lead to situations like this.

 

[Howe_zat]

Interviewer to Ben Stokes:

'What were you feeling going into that last over? How were the nerves?'

'It was one of those situations where you'd rather be doing it than watching it.'

Ben Stokes and I are very different people.

 

[YorksLanka]

Congrats and well done England on a deserved victory. Glad that we made a fight of it and really glad that Angie has remembered how to power hit but eventually,the better team on the day won.well done again..

 

[LightningStrike]

Rashid is ****

He's certainly no T20 fielder. There's no excuse these days with all the fitness and agility drills they do.

The times of fat boys watching as the ball rolls past them 10cm away are long gone.

 

[vcs]

Interviewer to Ben Stokes:

'What were you feeling going into that last over? How were the nerves?'

'It was one of those situations where you'd rather be doing it than watching it.'

Ben Stokes and I are very different people.

 

[LightningStrike]

Never in doubt.

Nice appetiser for the huge game tomorrow.

I've got to find a way of fitting Easter Dinner around that.