Sri Lanka v England, 1st Test, Galle, 14-18 January, 2021

Will this one go ahead this time?

England squad: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes (wk), Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Reserves: James Bracey (wk), Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.

Stokes and Archer rested, Bairstow and Moeen return to red-ball action. Burns also misses out due to his wife giving birth, and Pope still recovering from injury. Looks pretty light on specialist batsmen, though Lawrence will get a chance to impress.

Likely XI:
Sibley
Crawley
Root
Bairstow
Lawrence
Buttler
Moeen
Woakes
Bess
Broad/Curran
Anderson/Wood

Not sure why Jimmy and Sturat are being taken to be honest. I guess they’ll probably play one Test each...

If Mo plays, I would go with Leach as the other spinner for the sake of variety, and I think there must be a chance that Bairstow will bat at 3.

Talking of Mo, I'm pleased to see him back, but he really is drinking in the last chance saloon as far as his test career goes, which is a pity as he should be at the peak of his powers at this stage of his career.

Yeah, he was originally picked as an all-rounder and the fact he’s batted like shite in Test cricket for years doesn’t help his cause.

I think the Aussies got inside his head on the last tour and he hasn't properly got his act together since.

beamer wrote:Will this one go ahead this time?

Not looking good. Moeen tests positive on arrival... and the hosts still have to get back home without importing the Yarpie strain.

beamer wrote:

beamer wrote:Will this one go ahead this time?

Not looking good. Moeen tests positive on arrival... and the hosts still have to get back home without importing the Yarpie strain.

wow... last thing the Lankans need

Travellers from high risk countries like England really need to quarantine before and after the flight.

This could be over in 2 days! Bess apparently bowled absolute crap and ended up with 5 wickets. England following their hosts’ example with the bat so far.

An Audi for Kusal Mendis, he will be on an Olympic in the second innings...

Well, after a shaky start in our reply, a century stand between Captain COARIAB and Jonny B takes us close to parity at close of play. A chance to bat them out of sight tomorrow.

Anyway, Joe Root has recently turned 30, and is set to play his 100th Test next series. How did that happen?

beamer wrote:Anyway, Joe Root has recently turned 30, and is set to play his 100th Test next series. How did that happen?

Time flies. Feels like yesterday that Mudge was boosting his prospects to stratospheric levels.

Michelle for Dom Bess. So much for the Lankans ability to play spin.

skully wrote:Michelle for Dom Bess. So much for the Lankans ability to play spin.

or straight breaks and full bungers.

How one tweet summed it up:

”Two reverse sweeps, long hop smacked to backward point, caught off short leg's ankle and bowled trying to hit it into the sea. An wonderfully village five-fer.”

More like a typical England batting effort in the subcontinent than one from a hosting side.

Bugger, it’s

Root closing in on a double ton, and Lawrence with an assured 73 on debut. Real competition for the middle-order places.

Stoopid Root - one run short of 229 which is the lowest Test score never made.

I was even hoping those two LBWs against Broad would be overturned so Root could get there. I feel dirty and all for nothing.

JGK wrote:Stoopid Root - one run short of 229 which is the lowest Test score never made.

I was even hoping those two LBWs against Broad would be overturned so Root could get there.   I feel dirty and all for nothing.

bwahahaha... You are such a nerd, but we love you for this.

I blame Skully as a bad influence.

40.1
1
Leach to Mendis, 1 run

So he’s failed to get the Olympic...

A frustrating day for England so far, the SL batsmen not as generous as in the first innings. We’ll have to bowl better to close this out. Good to see the captain turn his first Test century of the ‘20s into a double though, even if the lower order fizzled somewhat.

Root also passed 8000 Test runs today, the 31st batsman to do so.

He also overtook Sobers and Mark Waugh on aggregate runs. The next four in his sights are all English* (Boycott, Pietersen, Gower and Stewart) - after that, only Gooch and Cook among Englishmen will be above him.

*yeah, one of them’s South African by birth and another’s the President of the Independent Republic of Yorkshire, but you know what I mean...

'Ello ello ello. 14/2 chasing 74 and the ball turning. If only SL had a 100 more. But what the hey, ...it's 3 down now!

They were favourites there for a brief moment after the Root run-out... we’ve edged half way to the target but with a long tail it’s still not in the bag yet.

Jonny and Dan got England home to the small chase total.

Well done England on their victory.