England to play Sri Lanka instead of Zimbabwe next summer

Is this a good or a bad thing? Do we want a really tough and potentially mentally draining series before the Ashes or do we want a nice walk in the park vs a minnow like in 2005? Only two Tests though FFS. No idea why.

Sri Lanka have a tour match vs England Lions scheduled at Derby! Whoo! Will go to that.

This means England are playing South Africa (4 tests), India (2 tests), West Indies (4 Tests) Sri Lanka (2 Tests) and Australia (5 Tests) all in the space of a year.

Awesome stuff. Should really separate the men from the boys.

Sri Lankan board to discuss IPL clash with England tour

17 tests in a year - good stuff

you can see why some players are rested for domestic cricket, that's almost an entire championship season of international cricket - especially when you throw in the ODI/T20's

17 tests in a year - good stuff

Shit, that's a lot! Has there ever been that many tests played by one team in a calendar year before?

I think we've probably done 16 in the recent past. - 2003/4? Was that a calendar year?

Bang 2, SL 3, WI 4, NZ 3, WI 4

Um, A calender year is 1 Jan - 31 Dec

Think we did 14. WI 8, NZ 3, SA 3.

taipan wrote:Um, A calender year is 1 Jan - 31 Dec

Well spotted, have a cookie.

Henry wrote:

17 tests in a year - good stuff

Shit, that's a lot! Has there ever been that many tests played by one team in a calendar year before?

india play 18 from mar 2008-mar 2009. aus seem to play quite a bit this coming year as well. 15 between apr 08 and apr 09

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Is this a good or a bad thing? Do we want a really tough and potentially mentally draining series before the Ashes or do we want a nice walk in the park vs a minnow like in 2005? Only two Tests though FFS. No idea why.

Better to lose 2-0 to CBER than 3-0.

india play 18 from mar 2008-mar 2009. aus seem to play quite a bit this coming year as well. 15 between apr 08 and apr 09

That must certainly be a record for India. The worrying thing is that they don't seem to be playing any less ODI's and T20's as a compensation.

We've never been reluctant in playting tests. The board's just gotten greedier for more ODIs every passing year.

It's a good thing our sides for both forms are different to quite an extent.

SG wrote:Sri Lankan board to discuss IPL clash with England tour

Do I detect the hand of the BCCOARIAB in this?

FFS, surely Sri Lanka agreed on the dates for the England tour BEFORE the ECB made them public. SL cricket authorities can't be THAT inept, can they?

Article says that SLC is to discuss the IPL clash with their tour to Eng.

Surely they didn't agree on the dates of Eng tour with ECB beforehand if this article has any grain of truth.

Either SLC is inept or that ECB has spoken too early.

And its not about SL players alone. Some Eng players too will surely be bought in the next round of bidding by IPL franchisees. Won't they too crib on missing out on earning cash?

As much as one thinks about it I think ECB is bit hasty in making this tour public.

As I thought looks like its ECB who were bit hasty in announcing the dates of the series,

Tour hangs in balance after president intervenes

SL players met SL prez just to discuss a cricket tour's dates? Prez must've a lot of free time in his hands.

Naive once again of the ECB to announce a tour with complete disregard to the IPL. The fact is, the players want to play it. They will always want to play it. The Stanford games haven't and will not change that.

SG wrote:SL players met SL prez just to discuss a cricket tour's dates? Prez must've a lot of free time in his hands.

He does after LTTE almost shot his helicopter down with him in 2 weeks ago. As he can't venture out much he has a lot of free time now a days.

the first tour casualty due to the ipl? are the icc and other boards dumb enough not to open a window for it?

BREAKING NEWS


Just heard on Sky that the Sri Lankan board will allow their best players to play in the IPL instead of touring England. They have said that if England do not change the dates so that it doesn't clash with the IPL, Sri Lanka will send a weakened side.


IPL taking precedence over Test cricket. Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, day.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:
IPL taking precedence over Test cricket.

India's wet dream.

I think you should start a thread entitled "India's wet dream" about this subject. I think people are going to miss this news, hidden away on this thread, and it's pretty serious and depressing stuff.

I'd probably prefer it if England played Bangladesh rather than a weakened Sri Lanka. At least England could claim to have beaten a full 'strength' side.

13 Sri Lankan players have IPL contracts. Doesn't leave much left, considering the general lack of depth that they have.

england will have problems every year with its early summer schedule and the ipl. the english summer might have to be squeezed or shifted by a month