***Official*** England vs Sri Lanka 21st August-10th September 2024

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

England Lions have a combined FC record of 252 games so probably more to do with their inexperience.

Shaikh(18) and Ahmed(16) both making their debuts, McKinney(19) only his 4th game. Hull(19) in his 9th.

Not an ideal start for Sri Lankas tour and their chances. Albeit a lot more experience in the Sri Lankan side than the Windies.

England being makeshift and being allergic to batting 90 overs will probably make it closer too.

And how much would they have seen quality spin in England? Shaikh brought up his maiden 50 not long before lunch, good for him!

 

[mackembhoy]

And how much would they have seen quality spin in England? Shaikh brought up his maiden 50 not long before lunch, good for him!

Yep Yates, Rew, James and Aldridge the only ones that have played Division One cricket in the XI.

Then Harmer/Dawson are the only spinners any of them will have faced of any real quality.

 

[mackembhoy]

As much as it's great Shaikh is scoring runs against a test attack on his FC debut.

He's got no chance of playing for England if he scores a 44SR. A sad state of affairs.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

The pesky English weather has got in the way again, Sri Lanka will kick off their 2nd innings tomorrow 185 runs behind after a brilliant 91 from Hamza Shaikh and a punchy 78 from Kasey Aldridge

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

As much as it's great Shaikh is scoring runs against a test attack on his FC debut.

He's got no chance of playing for England if he scores a 44SR. A sad state of affairs.

He did score at a quicker rate in the tour match against the Windies the other day FWIW

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

The pesky English weather has got in the way again, Sri Lanka will kick off their 2nd innings tomorrow 185 runs behind after a brilliant 91 from Hamza Shaikh and a punchy 78 from Kasey Aldridge

Bit of cloud, but for now at least it looks nicer than yesterday

 

[mackembhoy]

Bit of cloud, but for now at least it looks nicer than yesterday

Looks like they've had a much better hour.

Interesting that despite going at just under 5 an over, a bunch of young county cricketers against a test team can manage 15 overs in an hour of purely seam.

Yet in a weeks time we'll be lucky to get 13

 

[wpdavid]

Farhan Ahmed may be even more precocious than his older brother Rehan.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Good comeback from the Lions to restrict Sri Lanka to 306 after a fine start from the tourists, Farhan Ahmed, 16 years of age and making his FC debut the pick of the bowlers

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Lions looking to knock off the target quickly, but early spin from de Silva does for McKinney as he is stumped attempting a big shot

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

De Silva on a hat trick…

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

No hat trick, but the Lions still looking to play shots with the close of play just a few overs away

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Shaikh and Yates safely see it through to the end of the day on 47/2. Should knock the runs off fairly easily tomorrow, but Sri Lanka might be encouraged by the success of Ahmed and de Silva

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Shaikh out LBW for 16 on day 4, but Yates hits an unbeaten half century to see the game through with Rew

 

[chris.hinton]

England Lions (Really the 3-4th choice side) beat Sri Lanka.

The Test Series is going to go one way and not many people are going to give a toss now the Premier League has started and Football has kicked in

 

[mackembhoy]

England Lions (Really the 3-4th choice side) beat Sri Lanka.

The Test Series is going to go one way and not many people are going to give a toss now the Premier League has started and Football has kicked in

The 1st test starts on a Wednesday as well. Weather has started to turn too, so may be harder to bat.

England makeshift side could be a leveler though. Doesn't sound like we're calling up a Stokes replacement so Woakes at 7 with an extra bowler seems the likely scenario.

 

[Chin Music]

The 1st test starts on a Wednesday as well. Weather has started to turn too, so may be harder to bat.

England makeshift side could be a leveler though. Doesn't sound like we're calling up a Stokes replacement so Woakes at 7 with an extra bowler seems the likely scenario.

I hardly call it a 'makeshift' side. There are only 2 real absences. Sure missing Stokes affects the balance, but there should still be 6 proper batters in there. Potentially a bit more of a tail with Atkinson, Bashir and presumably Wood though.

 

[chris.hinton]

The 1st test starts on a Wednesday as well. Weather has started to turn too, so may be harder to bat.

England makeshift side could be a leveler though. Doesn't sound like we're calling up a Stokes replacement so Woakes at 7 with an extra bowler seems the likely scenario.

Should still be too strong even if there's a issue with the sides balance

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

England Lions (Really the 3-4th choice side) beat Sri Lanka.

The Test Series is going to go one way and not many people are going to give a toss now the Premier League has started and Football has kicked in

It’s not a good look for Sri Lanka (the second innings arguably more concerning as the conditions were better for batting), but it is their first game here and their first long-format game for a while. Expect England to win the first Test pretty easily even without Stokes and Crawley, but equally I think Sri Lanka will grow into the series

 

[mackembhoy]

I hardly call it a 'makeshift' side. There are only 2 real absences. Sure missing Stokes affects the balance, but there should still be 6 proper batters in there. Potentially a bit more of a tail with Atkinson, Bashir and presumably Wood though.

I mean using a number 6 to open is the very definition of makeshift.

But yes it's not a makeshift team, but we are definitely weaker by the 2 absentees.

We saw that Stokes being used solely as batsman was a big issue for us in the previous 12 months.

Throw in a makeshift opener and gives Sri Lanka more of a chance if it was the same XI we finished the WI series with, which is more my point.