***Official*** Sri Lanka in England

[James]

He (Mahela) was given out caught behind when he wasn't out

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Poor Kasper

 

[JASON]

He (Mahela) was given out caught behind when he wasn't out

Another piece of bad luck for SL. Undeserving for a guy who has made a really decent contribution toiling hard for his Team.

There are some on this thread who have argued SL has had a fair share of luck in this thread which they have said cancelled out whatever luck England had . Tresco out at 28 , KP in his 20s do not equal Maharoof catch when he was caught and not given somewhere between 10-15. And now this Mahela decision.

SL had luck wrt dropped catches by Strauss and Collingwood (and Jones), but SL dropped a fair few as well, including Alastair Cook, Tresco, Strauss IIRC.

If SL do lose today which seems likely , I will live with that, because luck only favours some at any given time. And I know as a Sri Lankan , we are not lucky people .

 

[JASON]

Another thing about England's luck in this Test is the damned weather. When England batted thru' 2 days the weather was bright and sunny and little assistance to the seamers, but the moment SL started batting on Day 2 and thru Day 3 and most of Day 4 it has remained cloudy, overcast with considerable assistance to the seamers even from the weather Gods !!

Its as if even the weather Gods were trying to help England .

 

[Jono]

I never understand you as a poster Jason, you absolutely blast your team calling them pathetic and other denigrating words, and then at the same time you make excuses for them and say the opposition were lucky or the umpires are against them

Take a consistent line please. I'm not denying that SL have been hard done by this test with the umpiring, but you do this every series.

And when a team drops catches they aren't 'unlucky'. So England weren't unlucky with their drops, neither were SL. Only the bowler is unlucky really.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Another piece of bad luck for SL. Undeserving for a guy who has made a really decent contribution toiling hard for his Team.

There are some on this thread who have argued SL has had a fair share of luck in this thread which they have said cancelled out whatever luck England had . Tresco out at 28 , KP in his 20s do not equal Maharoof catch when he was caught and not given somewhere between 10-15. And now this Mahela decision.

SL had luck wrt dropped catches by Strauss and Collingwood (and Jones), but SL dropped a fair few as well, including Alastair Cook, Tresco, Strauss IIRC.

If SL do lose today which seems likely , I will live with that, because luck only favours some at any given time. And I know as a Sri Lankan , we are not lucky people .

I don't think it has anything to do with being "lucky people" or otherwise.

I think it's just cricket. At the end of the day, that's all it is - cricket. That's the nature of the game. You make your own luck, especially in a 5-day game. All "luck" aside, Sri Lanka were outplayed in this Test match. Great knock by Mahela Jaywardene to take it to the fifth day, but England is by leagues the better team, and it has shone through.

 

[JASON]

Atherton and Hussain

The commentary was hilarious when they started to poke fun at each other !!

But I enjoyed Bumble's period where he tried to explain reverse swing with the apple and then promptly ate the apple , and Beefy gave him a Banana to explain it again !!

 

[JASON]

I never understand you as a poster Jason, you absolutely blast your team calling them pathetic and other denigrating words, and then at the same time you make excuses for them and say the opposition were lucky or the umpires are against them

Take a consistent line please. I'm not denying that SL have been hard done by this test with the umpiring, but you do this every series.

And when a team drops catches they aren't 'unlucky'. So England weren't unlucky with their drops, neither were SL. Only the bowler is unlucky really.

My line has been pretty consistent for anyone who follows it . SL are poor - no denying that . But their ability to compete evenly is significantly affected when the Umpires and other forces work against them as well.

The point mentioned above was that if anyone says SL have had equal share of luck from the Umpires, that IMO is totally out of proportion , because its clear who has had the Lions share of luck there.

 

[JASON]

I don't think it has anything to do with being "lucky people" or otherwise.

I think it's just cricket. At the end of the day, that's all it is - cricket. That's the nature of the game. You make your own luck, especially in a 5-day game. All "luck" aside, Sri Lanka were outplayed in this Test match. Great knock by Mahela Jaywardene to take it to the fifth day, but England is by leagues the better team, and it has shone through.

No doubt as to which is the better team. But I would prefer it if the better Team makes its own luck without being aided by others .

You don't need other assistance to help the second best Team in the World thrash the 7th ranked Team. The contest becomes even more lopsided when luck goes one way more than the other , when the gap between Teams is significant !!

 

[luckyeddie]

No doubt as to which is the better team. But I would prefer it if the better Team makes its own luck without being aided by others .

You don't need other assistance to help the second best Team in the World thrash the 7th ranked Team. The contest becomes even more lopsided when luck goes one way more than the other , when the gap between Teams is significant !!

It might well even out today - 'orrible misty murky weather today (although I live 120 miles North of London - thank God)

 

[JASON]

It might well even out today - 'orrible misty murky weather today (although I live 120 miles North of London - thank God)

To be honest LE , England deserve to win this Test, they are far and away the Superior Team and the quality in the team is unbelievable . (Except when they dropped a few catches yesterday)

It will be cruelty in itself if SL drew this one from no where.

I can see how this Brilliant new England Team is going to give the Aussies a real run for their money come the Ashes in December . And I can't wait for the real challenge and the champaigne cricket between the undoubtedly best 2 teams in the World .

And IMO England has gone a few steps ahead of the Aussies already . And this is without the Ashes heroes of Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, Michael Vaughan etc out of the Team.

I see the Ashes being retained by England unless the recent Po*n Star debutant does something extra ordinary or the pitches are made flat and unhelpful to seamers to help the Po*n Star .

 

[dinu23]

Oh Raiden! God of thunder and lightning I implore you to hit a thunder bolt on Flintoff's head.
I thank thee!

 

[JASON]

Oh Raiden! God of thunder and lightning I implore you to hit a thunder bolt on Flintoff's head.
I thank thee!

It will be unfair Mate, If SL even drew this one.

We have done well to bring it into Day 5. We have done well for a bloody limited low ranked Team with no one with extraordinary flair a la Freddie, Pietersen etc.

Well played England.

 

[dinu23]

It's quite unlikely we'll draw this one. For that to happen we have to bat atleast till tea time. with the help of the wheather who knows, we just might be able to save his match.

 

[marc71178]

Another thing about England's luck in this Test is the damned weather.

Oh yes, the rain that is rapidly heading towards London is really lucky...

 

[marc71178]

And when a team drops catches they aren't 'unlucky'. So England weren't unlucky with their drops, neither were SL. Only the bowler is unlucky really.

Unless of course it's a wide long hop

 

[a massive zebra]

Except Johnson, Kirtley and Saggers have all looked to be substandard in Tests and Lewis in ODs...

As shown by their abysmal Test/ODI averages of 17, 29, 35 and 31 respectively. And we all known that given a little experience and time to settle in most people tend to improve.

They only looked substandard the large majority of people that rate their bowlers on speed rather than effectiveness.

 

[JBH001]

To be honest LE , England deserve to win this Test, they are far and away the Superior Team and the quality in the team is unbelievable . (Except when they dropped a few catches yesterday)

It will be cruelty in itself if SL drew this one from no where.

Jeez mate, give some credit where its due.

That Sri Lanka, invited to tour England early in the season, against a far stronger team and widely rubbished (mainly by Sri Lankans and their own idiot chairman of selectors) before the series, have found some backbone and made a game of it. Everyone expected this team to fold on the third day - but here SL are still in it on the 5th day and with the chance of pulling off a great escape, albeit with some help from the weather but that is part of the game. Why not give some praise where its due, to the SL players and team as opposed to the Umpires and the England Team, who if they were all that flash ought to have wrapped this up on the 4th day at the latest.

No need to bag your team all the time.
Its been a great fightback from the Sri Lankan Team.

 

[TT Boy]

I live about 20 minutes (by bus) from Lords and the weather here is fine bit cloudy but Canary Wharf is clearly visible though according to the G/F it is going to **** down this afternoon, just remembered have to take the washing out of the garden.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Rain on its way this morning but sunny throughout the afternoon is the forcast I've heard.