***Official*** England in Sri Lanka

[wpdavid]

6 wickets for Fernando!

Decent bowing, but he won't come across more spineless opposition he he plays until he's 100.

 

[grecian]

Decent bowing, but he won't come across more spineless opposition he he plays until he's 100.

First you defamed the Bangas, now your doing a diservice to invertebrates everywhere

I can't believe I'm still watching this, but it's got a horrid fascination, all of it's own.

 

[wpdavid]

Looks like SL are saving Fernando's last couple of overs for the death.

Poor sod, he's just taken 6 for 27, and he's only 5th in the all-time SL rankings for a oneday performance. Extraordinary.

 

[wpdavid]

First you defamed the Bangas, now your doing a diservice to invertebrates everywhere

I can't believe I'm still watching this, but it's got a horrid fascination, all of it's own.

My apologies to any jellyfish reading this.

I know what you mean. The football's so boring I'm sticking with this lot whilst I can.

 

[pasag]

One of the worst ODI batting performances I've ever seen, I think.

 

[chaminda_00]

The coming of age of Dilhara Fernando, something good had to come from this series.

 

[grecian]

YAY, 100 up

 

[pasag]

All out for 104, will be interested to see the English players faces at the trophy celebrations.

 

[Jono]

Weirdest series I can remember.

 

[Pratters]

Weirdest series I can remember.

Australia in Sri Lanka (tests) a few years back gets that title for me.

 

[wpdavid]

Weirdest series I can remember.

Since the Aus triangular one in Jan/Feb?

 

[sideshowtim]

Yeah, it's one thing to just get outdone by a good bowlign performance, but Sri Lanka haven't even bowled that well. Most of the England batsmen just gifted their wickets away. Collingwood and Pietersen - supposedly England's two best ODI batsmen - have been the worst of the lot.

Seems like they care more about getting home and watching the Rugby to be honest.

Terrible stuff from England.

Also, don't see why Jayawardene just didn't give Fernando those last two overs....Really struggle to see the logic there.

 

[pup11]

Pathetic batting display by England it was as if they came out there to bat thinking that we have already won the series so who cares whether we chase this target down or not anyways superb stuff from Fernando, his bowling is one positive Sri Lanka positive to carry from this series.
Since experience with Mustard has flopped so now who's next??

 

[Jono]

Since the Aus triangular one in Jan/Feb?

Yeah fair point, good way to shut me down. England winning without any bowlers and Pietersen after being creamed all summer was even more weird.

But still, SL came out of the blocks and dominated, then England won the next 3, and then that happens. Plus when you talk about the way the matches have gone about (as in runs being scored, collapses on decks not that tough to bat on etc.) it has been nuts.

Just randomly, after SL and Eng were 1-1 after 2 matches, SL were paying $1.33 for the series compared to England paying almost $4.

 

[wpdavid]

Yeah fair point, good way to shut me down. England winning without any bowlers and Pietersen after being creamed all summer was even more weird.

But still, SL came out of the blocks and dominated, then England won the next 3, and then that happens. Plus when you talk about the way the matches have gone about (as in runs being scored, collapses on decks not that tough to bat on etc.) it has been nuts.

Just randomly, after SL and Eng were 1-1 after 2 matches, SL were paying $1.33 for the series compared to England paying almost $4.

And you are right about how wierd this series was. tbf I was forecasting 5-0 SL before it started, given England's track record out there, the weakness in their batting, and the 0-5 in England 18 months ago (OK we weren't going to be hampered by Harmison, Mahmood, Kabir, Plunkett & Bresnan, but even so ..). Beyond the result, for England to win a couple of games batting 2nd under the lights was just bizarre.

 

[Richard]

Weirdest series I can remember.

Since the Aus triangular one in Jan/Feb?

TBH, I'd place those two as equals at the top of the pile. For once I thought Ian Chappell hit the nail perfectly when he described England's victory: "two weeks ago if you'd predicted this they'd have put you in a straitjacket". Equally, I'd imagine if you told someone after the First ODI that "England's performance in the Fifth game will be a virtual carbon copy of this, but they'll win the series" I'd imagine the result would have been the same as predicting England would win the CBS before that SCG game where Tait dropped Joyce and Ponting sat out.

I've now got to report this game (having not watched the second-innings - which might have been even worse than Shah getting 2 ODI wickets but still sounds fascinating I'm afraid) and I honestly don't have a clue what I'm going to say TBH. Sounds like you had to watch it to appreciate it.

 

[Richard]

Y'know, if Prior and Mustard really are England's best ODI options for the wicket keeping spot and they really do insist on having the keeper open, I'd almost rather Solanki do it. And given how little I rate Solanki as a batsman, and given how he's a part-time wicket keeper, that's a sad, sad state of affairs.

Same, TBH.

They say Solanki's actually not the worst wicketkeeper around, in fact. I still don't see him doing anything of note as a batsman, though, and would prefer Read easily.

 

[Richard]

I've now got to report this game (having not watched the second-innings - which might have been even worse than Shah getting 2 ODI wickets but still sounds fascinating I'm afraid) and I honestly don't have a clue what I'm going to say TBH. Sounds like you had to watch it to appreciate it.

A match-report-***-brief-series-review. Mistakes may still be present... (I edited out about 6 when proof-reading it )

So please speak-up if you spot.

A series-review, I should add, mostly from an English POV.

 

[Richard]

Beyond the result, for England to win a couple of games batting 2nd under the lights was just bizarre.

The one at Dambulla, yeah; the one at RPS didn't really encounter much increase in bowler-friendliness as the sun went down.

Winning batting second in that 3rd Dambulla game was really quite some achievement, though.

 

[Prince EWS]

Same, TBH.

They say Solanki's actually not the worst wicketkeeper around, in fact. I still don't see him doing anything of note as a batsman, though, and would prefer Read easily.

Yeah, it really goes against all logic I try to maintain, but if I got told I had to select a wicket keeper/opener to play for England, I would pick Solanki. I have virtually no faith in his batting at all and he's not a regular keeper, but I'd still do it. I'm sure he'd score more runs than Prior/Mustard and I don't imagine his keeping would cost any more than Prior's would, especially after what I saw in the Twenty20 World Cup where he impressed me as a keeper. In saying that, if I had the chance to pick the entire XI, I'd pick Read and make him bat at seven or eight.