**Official** Sri Lanka in England and Ireland 2016

[Compton]

What was the deal with Hales?

Not seen any of today's play so sorry if I'm missing something obvious

Sounds like Howe was right about Roy playing a serious innings. Good shizzle.

Back spasm.

Apparently he'd have batted 7 if they needed him.

 

[wpdavid]

Was just thinking that when they showed the all-time list on Sky there. That's an incredible innings now, but to do it in 1983 is just ridiculous.

It was. Gower was actually in the middle of a wonderful run of one-day scores in, if I remember rightly, a tri-series with Aus and NZ. Interestingly, Gower was no lover of the one-day game, feeling that many of his best shots earned nothing more than a single. Even more surprising to me was seeing Strauss in 4th, 5th and 6th place in our list of highest one-day scores.

As for tonight, that was ridiculously comfortable, and must have been tremendous to watch.

 

[YorksLanka]

Congrats England on a deserved victory...disappointed we couldn't defend such a decent score and more than a little annoyed at it too..

 

[zaremba]

Roy fast moving into the highest ever England ODI innings Batting records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

Gower's 158 (113) in 1983 seems ludicrously ahead of its time. Have never heard of it before but it must have been a memorable knock.

Robin Smith's 167no was the most amazing innings I'd ever seen. I suppose you see more of that sort of stuff these days. He absolutely annihilated a good Crim attack in a display of awesome and sustained brutality. Quite pleased his record still stands.

 

[MW1304]

It was. Gower was actually in the middle of a wonderful run of one-day scores in, if I remember rightly, a tri-series with Aus and NZ. Interestingly, Gower was no lover of the one-day game, feeling that many of his best shots earned nothing more than a single. Even more surprising to me was seeing Strauss in 4th, 5th and 6th place in our list of highest one-day scores.

As for tonight, that was ridiculously comfortable, and must have been tremendous to watch.

I seem to remember Strauss being comfortably our best one day batsman, with only Morgan anywhere close, during 2010 and 2011. Basically retired at his peak after the World Cup, though it was probably the right time to go.

 

[Jono]

This Lankan team is so frustrating. ****ing hell.

 

[Adders]

Don't think I've ever seen a batsmen so pissed at himself for getting out for a big hundred and the game all but won........Roy was dead set fuming. Wonder if it was because he was aware the record was so close or he was just mad to have miss read the slow straight one??

 

[91Jmay]

Probably because it was one of the worst shots in cricket history as far as I can tell.

 

[Adders]

Yeah, it looked horrendous but that was just because he didn't pick the slower ball. That delivery's 15-20 klms faster and they're fishing that ball out of the Thames.

 

[Howe_zat]

He said he was annoyed because it was only 20 more to win and he wanted to get it done.

 

[vcs]

Robin Smith's 167no was the most amazing innings I'd ever seen. I suppose you see more of that sort of stuff these days. He absolutely annihilated a good Crim attack in a display of awesome and sustained brutality. Quite pleased his record still stands.

Agreed. That game is a big nostalgia trip for me. One of the first ODIs I watched that didn't involve India... I remember being quite astonished at that knock, though Mark Waugh and Border chased that score down effortlessly. You didn't see that sort of thing too often those days.

 

[harsh.ag]

Who would have thunk Morgan would be the least good specialist batsman in the English ODI line-up already?

 

[zaremba]

Agreed. That game is a big nostalgia trip for me. One of the first ODIs I watched that didn't involve India... I remember being quite astonished at that knock, though Mark Waugh and Border chased that score down effortlessly. You didn't see that sort of thing too often those days.

Say what you like about England in the 1990s, you can't deny that (a) they had occasional good individual moments and (b) they had an uncanny knack of losing cricket matches.

 

[Furball]

I seem to remember Strauss being comfortably our best one day batsman, with only Morgan anywhere close, during 2010 and 2011. Basically retired at his peak after the World Cup, though it was probably the right time to go.

Strauss' 158 against India in the 2011 World Cup is the best I've seen from an Englishman in ODIs.

 

[Compton]

Interesting changes to the England side.

Roy
Vince
Root
Morgan
Bairstow
Buttler
Woakes
Willey
Plunkett
Jordan
Rashid

The proper batsmen probably one short, but with the quality of the 'tail' that shouldn't matter. Probably a bowling option short with no all-rounder in the top 6, Root to bowl a bit?

 

[YorksLanka]

Pleased we made a change to bring bandara in as maharoof was a pointless addition to the squad tbh..we are never going to gain anything from his addition..hopefully rubbish weather can clear away and we get back on..

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Who would have thunk Morgan would be the least good specialist batsman in the English ODI line-up already?

If he wasn't captain he would probably have been dropped by now.

 

[Howe_zat]

England are pilfering 5 runs off even the good overs right now. Good stuff, but suggests they should be aiming for a big score. Setting a target hasn't been a strength

 

[Howe_zat]

Listening to Vic Marks and Dan Norcross on TMS. It's great

 

[Howe_zat]

SL just had a seam up bowler getting swept for four. Swept! That was straight out of a Burgey rant.