*Official* England in Sri Lanka 2021

[trundler]

Root with a daddy hundred.

SL cricket is dead.

 

[Heboric]

Root is such an attractive batsman when he gets going. It's going to take something mammoth for SL to get back into this.

Nah, put a fork in it, this one is done

 

[Starfighter]

I'm totally baffled by these tactics. New ball is offered and you don't bowl your seamer who's bowled all of 8 overs? Eh?

SL cricket is blinded by spin bowling, more or less.

 

[Bahseph]

Another tactic I don't understand is including Shanaka and not giving him the new ball. I'm not advocating for his skill but with three spinners if he doesn't bowl with the new ball then when will he be effective? SL used to give Mathews the new ball!

Edit: Or he gave himself the new ball...

 

[Starfighter]

With he exception that the pitch has some tricks in it (can't be sure from the cricinfo description) this is as good a chance as ever for Root to get a really enormous score.

 

[cnerd123]

Dilruwan dismisses a right hander, PEWS stats database in tatters

 

[91Jmay]

Reckon Leach could take a few 2nd dig. Pitch is doing a bit

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'm guessing Lawro would have taken 73 on debut if you'd offered it to him before play began, but at the same time I bet he's kicking himself slightly.

Zaltzman on the Beeb's site has just said this is Root's 8th 150+ score. His 50/100 ratio is gash for a player of his undoubted quality, but 8 150s in 18 tons sounds ok for a 100/150 ratio.

 

[trundler]

I'm guessing Lawro would have taken 73 on debut if you'd offered it to him before play began, but at the same time I bet he's kicking himself slightly.

Zaltzman on the Beeb's site has just said this is Root's 8th 150+ score. His 50/100 ratio is gash for a player of his undoubted quality, but 8 150s in 18 tons sounds ok for a 100/150 ratio.

Back when it was still the Fab 4, Cricinfo ran some stats and they indicated Smith is most likely to get a ton generally, Kohli is most likely to get to 100 after crossing 50 and Root has the highest average score after getting to 100 but he usually gets out around 80.

 

[wpdavid]

I'm guessing Lawro would have taken 73 on debut if you'd offered it to him before play began, but at the same time I bet he's kicking himself slightly.

I think he'll be absolutely gutted not to have reached thee figures, having made it to 73 with barely a tremor.

 

[trundler]

Root attempting to murder Mendis with these sweeps.

Some vigilante justice perhaps?

 

[Pup Clarke]

I'm just shaking my head at these tactics. Ridiculously naive of SL to think their spinners are just going to run through England, while completely ignoring seam/swing options

 

[Starfighter]

I'm just shaking my head at these tactics. Ridiculously naive of SL to think their spinners are just going to run through England, while completely ignoring seam/swing options

And then when the pacers fail with a 36 over old ball against set batsmen that's seen as proof of their ineffectiveness and reason to not pick them.

 

[trundler]

They've had some pitches which have completely neutralised pacers recently but Broad just took 3 yesterday. A couple of outside edges in there, not just gifts. They've done a bad job of assessing conditions.

 

[andruid]

This thread is kinda dead. Should I kick things off with a spurious but inflammatory claim that Sri Lanka are throwing the match, or will things pick up when the India tour to Australia winds up?

 

[Groundking]

This thread is kinda dead. Should I kick things off with a spurious but inflammatory claim that Sri Lanka are throwing the match, or will things pick up when the India tour to Australia winds up?

It's dead because SL threw the game away in the first innings.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Root attempting to murder Mendis with these sweeps.

Some vigilante justice perhaps?

Let's be honest, a DNB would represent a huge upturn in form for Mendis just now.

 

[Adders]

Why does no one ever say "Get a ****ing climate Sri Lanka"?? I get like 5 mins a day to watch cricket and this is my window ffs. (Probably only Dan understands this dilemma.)

Who wants a wager that there is more cricket lost to rain in Sri Lanka than in England?

 

[Starfighter]

Cos no one cares about SL. Not even the SL posters, assuming there's any left.

 

[Flem274*]

england are a sneaky good chance of gatecrashing the wtc final. the sri lankans are playing terribly, and by the time they arrive in india they'll be playing against the chennai under 12s.