*Official* England in Sri Lanka

[luckyeddie]

Especially since Ferdinand got banned.

That's cheered me up, at least

 

[Tim]

And also England beat the NZ no-names along with Jurrie Muller & that Argentinian winger.

Sri Lanka declared at 628/8 and England are currently 14/1 after 6 overs needing another 349 runs to make Sri Lanka bat again.
Is Flintoff injured aswell?

 

[Legglancer]

Bye bye Vaughan !

 

[Tim]

Cricinfo's title for the match is: 'its all ending in tears for England'. Has something happened in the match that I haven't heard about?

 

[Richard]

I am getting seriously worried for Hussain's career. The speculation about Collingwood before this game seemed genuine, and if you can pick a guy who's had 2 Test-matches in which he played a couple of mildly good innings ahead of someone who's had a bad game then you can certainly pick him when it increases to 2 bad games, in spite of the fact that he's been done by some good bowling from a brilliant bowler and a poor decision (and yes, it was a poor decison; none of the close cameras suggested it had hit the bat, so Steve Bucknor certainly cannot have said certainly that it did).

 

[Richard]

But why pick somebody who the selectors know arent good enough?

Originally posted by luckyeddie
Silly statement.

A bit late I know, I haven't had the chance to keep-up with this thread, but I have to agree with eddie. AFAIC McGrath and Dawson were glaring mistakes in selection who had records that suggested quite clearly that they weren't Test class, but no-one can ever know for certain that, on anything else for that matter.

 

[Richard]

Galle really is a unique venue, Gareth Batty turns a few almost square on the 1st day even after rain had disrupted the start! Batty hasn't been as successful as Giles but he's turning it a hell of a lot more. Murali might just turn the ball so much on this pitch he will be bowling wides!!!

If you ask me Galle has to be the most spin-friendly venue in The World. For spinners what Headingley is for seamers.

 

[Richard]

Now, as for what the players in question in my opinion did to justify the call-up, the amswer can be found below:









er

I don't think I could have put it better myself.

 

[Richard]

Marc'd never do that.

Richard to come on and say he really made 121 because he was dropped in 5....4....3....

Make that 200... 199... 198...
Fleming scored 121 and then did something that would normally result in his dimsissal. He then played thoroughly well again for 153*, and I'm glad he was dropped when he was. I rate him a very, very fine player.

 

[Richard]

Not at all, Craig.
He can't bat, can't bowl, can't throw.

Or am I mixing him up with someone else?

Yes - Scott Muller, in the opinion of John The Cameraman.
He can bat, bowl and throw.
Just can't do any of them very well.
And he certainly can't catch as well as everyone seems to think.
Anyway, Batty just been given out stumped 1st ball so now we'll see him without his man to farm the strike and protect him from Murali.

 

[Richard]

Best win of the year by default has to be the West Indies against Australia (world record).

300 shouldn't really be a problem apart from

a) Murali
b) The English batsmen bat like Murali

(apart from this game, of course, where Murali has batted like a charm. I love tail-enders who bat like tail-enders should).

I love tail-enders who bat in the best way for them (ie for Matthew Hoggard blocking, for Murali swinging hard, for Caddick backing away and playing to his strength through the off-side).

 

[Tim]

lol crazy..2 consecutive stumpings, has there even been a hat-trick of stumpings?

 

[Richard]

Tip to Craig:

We know that you're just waiting for Flintoff to do badly so that you can pounce, but don't force the opportunity. Patience young glasshoppah.

I couldn't have put it better myself, if I had read it at the time.
The 77 has clouded matters, it was going really well for us Flintoff-detractors before that. A failure here would see a just-about-satisfactory series, but even if the 77 had been 0 and a failure ensued here, we all know there would have been not a single question over Flintoff's place for all 4 Tests in The Caribbean.

 

[Richard]

29 overs

4 wickets left

Collingwood 31* (136b)
Batty 0* (12b)

Anyone criticises Collingwood for having a low strike rate, I take no responsibility for my actions.

Collingwood deserved to lose his place, he batted far too slowly in the second-innings of the First Test.

 

[Tim]

Looks like its a 1-0 series win to Sri Lanka....England 84/6 & its..Butcher who is out.

 

[Tim]

It doesn't look like Murali is tiring too much Marc....17 overs 3/24 suggests he might even be getting better.

 

[Richard]

The solution against Murali is neutralisation. We've managed it in the last couple of the series.. just need some way of picking the wrong un/doosra/leg break...

Well that's the problem isn't it? - let me assure you, that way won't come. There is no perceptible difference in the actions from where the batsman is standing. You just have to make a safeish guess on the line. Only a very small area can cause dangerous doubt.
And how on Earth can you call Murali's wrong-uns, either the leg-break or the top-spinner, a "doosra"? :rolleyes: The doosra is a fingerspinners' ball, invented by Saqlain Mushtaq and copied by Harbhajan Singh and Shaftab Khalid. Murali is completely different.

 

[Richard]

Aargh... 51* for Dinusha Fernando.

Missing Harmison very badly for this kind of situation. Zondeki anyone?

Coincidence.
Harmison has hardly helped clean-up tails, has he, with the exception of Ntini at The Oval and Pollock's cut to cover.

 

[Richard]

On the radio, they pointed out that potentially SL have made problems for themselves by setting the standard of light to go off last night.

In theory England should be offered the light if it reaches that point on either of the 2 days, and no prizes for guessing whether they go off or not (on day 4)

Of course if it's 360-2 on day 5 and they're offered the light...

Whether Sri Lanka go off or not, the Umpires set the standard for the light; they offer it, and whether the batsmen take it or not it's set.
Fortunately the situation feared did not occur.

 

[Richard]

Butcher sounds very unfortunate to be given stumped (tight line call, the commentary box was split), but then Hussain was given not out to a plum LBW 2 balls later...

IMO there was no doubt whatsoever - out without a doubt.