Sri Lanka v England, 2nd Test, Colombo, 9-13th Dec

We are subconsiously observing the 50 and out rule that we had in place in the warmup game.

Another draw. Should have played Swann.

Barring a complete debacle in the hour after Tea, the Pomgolians look like they have done enough to avoid going 2-down in the series.

Eric Air Emu wrote:This thread's out-numbered by Aussie rules posts FFS.

Well, as has been the case for a decade it's entirely down to Murali. That's why our batsmen haven't got a ton between them because eventually they'll all succumb to a big turning, well-flighted off-break, a doosra they can't pick, a straight one or a duff umpiring decision.

It usually takes a lot longer for batsmen to finally succumb to a Harmison long-hop.

I'm not convinced Shah would be successful but he's sure earned the chance to prove he's not up to it. All in all he's actually a similar standard of bowler to Bopara as well- he did sexually molest Vaughan's pet whippet though.

Tom thats terd.

Murali has bowled an immense amount of overs but in the last test he didn't get our boys out they got themselves out.

The dismissals this morning, Silva (part-timer) got Cook, Vaughans dismissal was soft, and Bell?????????????? Interesting to say the least!

So please stop bleating about ouyr bowlers being carp and at least realise that our batters are half @rsed shiote merchants at present!

What a great result for England, batted out the draw comfortably and can now save the series with a good performance in the last test.

Series remains alive. There isn't a big difference between the sides - the Lankans have the advantage slightly as England are missing Flintoff and have replaced him with that passenger Bopara.

It's the same as the Ind home series, farking unlucky/not ruthless in the first test and lost the initiative for the rest of the series.

I'll be shocked if the pitch for the last test is anything less than a road tbh.

JKLever wrote:It's the same as the Ind home series, farking unlucky/not ruthless in the first test and lost the initiative for the rest of the series.

I'll be shocked if the pitch for the last test is anything less than a road tbh.

Unlucky my @rse. Lacking in any sort of mental application once their percieved job is done with the bat.

Bowlers I think bowled fairly well (Monty apart). We're behind due to our batters (collectively ) failings!

holcs wrote:

JKLever wrote:It's the same as the Ind home series, farking unlucky/not ruthless in the first test and lost the initiative for the rest of the series.

I'll be shocked if the pitch for the last test is anything less than a road tbh.

Unlucky my @rse. Lacking in any sort of mental application once their percieved job is done with the bat.

Bowlers I think bowled fairly well (Monty apart). We're behind due to our batters (collectively ) failings!

That came under the 'not ruthless enough' bit of my statement.
Not sure i've been that impressed with our bowling - they just don't look like winning us test matches at the moment.

JKLever wrote:

holcs wrote:

JKLever wrote:It's the same as the Ind home series, farking unlucky/not ruthless in the first test and lost the initiative for the rest of the series.

I'll be shocked if the pitch for the last test is anything less than a road tbh.

Unlucky my @rse. Lacking in any sort of mental application once their percieved job is done with the bat.

Bowlers I think bowled fairly well (Monty apart). We're behind due to our batters (collectively ) failings!

That came under the 'not ruthless enough' bit of my statement.
Not sure i've been that impressed with our bowling - they just don't look like winning us test matches at the moment.

I don't think, bar Murali (and its not been easy for him either) , any of the bowlers have looked like winning test matches on either side. Its a batters game as is constantly being said. And the difference is 3 big scores against a couple of 80's!!!

If you look at the bowling stats. Murali and Hoggy are averaging the same. The rest have gone miles!!!!!!

Hoggy's probably been the best bowler in the series. Murali's bowled a lot of mediocre deliveries yet got wickets from them, due to our batsman handing him their wicket.

It's no surprise that our batsman have struggled to be ruthless. Pietersen's the only man who has that ruthless streak in him, and he's been unlucky thus far in the series.

It'll be interesting to see how we approach the final test. I'd be tempted to drop Bopara for Graeme Swann as opposed to Owais Shah, for we're in desperate need of wickets.

Suppose the tail would be too long.

I've got a good feeling about the next test - we saved this one comfortably in the end and would have done without the rain.

We appear to have played Murali much better - only one wicket and he only bowled 5 maidens out of 27.

Harmy bowled well enough without any scattergun tendencies. With Hoggy back, we can put their batting under real pressure.

B@z, it really is time you pushed the REALITY button !!

The only time when England were truly "on top" of SL in this series was during the first session on the first day of the first test - two weeks ago !!!!

Since then they have lost a test match, and clawed their way to a draw in the other !

So pray, where has your optimism emerged from ?

Or are you predicting an honourable draw in the final test ?

holcs wrote:
Unlucky my @rse. Lacking in any sort of mental application once their percieved job is done with the bat.

Bowlers I think bowled fairly well (Monty apart). We're behind due to our batters (collectively ) failings!

Yih.

Augustus wrote:Hoggy's probably been the best bowler in the series. Murali's bowled a lot of mediocre deliveries yet got wickets from them, due to our batsman handing him their wicket.

It's no surprise that our batsman have struggled to be ruthless. Pietersen's the only man who has that ruthless streak in him, and he's been unlucky thus far in the series.

It'll be interesting to see how we approach the final test. I'd be tempted to drop Bopara for Graeme Swann as opposed to Owais Shah, for we're in desperate need of wickets.

Suppose the tail would be too long.

Yih.

Basil wrote:I've got a good feeling about the next test - we saved this one comfortably in the end and would have done without the rain.

We appear to have played Murali much better - only one wicket and he only bowled 5 maidens out of 27.

Harmy bowled well enough without any scattergun tendencies. With Hoggy back, we can put their batting under real pressure.

I agree actually baz. Merlin will soon tell you to take some pills though. It's his fave. I think that Sri Lanka haven't been particularly good IMO. Murali hasn't looked particularly good. Their gun batsmen have broken us and the rest have feasted off the pickings IMO. What has been the problem is England have been abjectly shithouse. If they change that, they may well be able to pull off a blinder.

My brain is saying shirtfront and bore draw however.

Generally though it's not about Batsmen getting out to Murali's good balls it's the uncertainty about which way and how much the ball's spinning which eventually leads to the batsmen inexplicably missing/padding up to straight ones or...umm..lofting the ball to long-on.

Dismissals were a bit average today but 250-3 is job done by the batsmen all in all. By the sound of things though England or Sri Lanka would have done very badly to get bowled out twice on that pitch. One of many tests where you wonder if the 5 days of toil was really worth it in the first place.

Merlin wrote:B@z, it really is time you pushed the REALITY button !!

The only time when England were truly "on top" of SL in this series was during the first session on the first day of the first test - two weeks ago !!!!

Since then they have lost a test match, and clawed their way to a draw in the other !

So pray, where has your optimism emerged from ?

Or are you predicting an honourable draw in the final test ?

Merlin - at the risk of repeating myself:

- We played Murali better: all the frontline batsmen with the exception of Bopara have had a good long look at him.

- Harmy's form was encouraging on the most lifeless of wickets.

- Monty's bowling improved yesterday, helped by some less than inspiring batting.

- Hoggy should be available.

All we have to do now is pick Shah instead of Bopara.

Well the rain may have made absolutely sure but in reality they were set to bat out the draw with few alarms really. Only disappointment is that none of the batsmen took the opportunity to make a confidence-boosting unbeaten century.

It's all to play for in the final Test then. Expecting a pitch that is probably a nailed-on draw unless Murali finds something in it bowling on the last day, but at least we're still in there and it's not a whitewash. Did anyone really think England could win this series before it started anyway?

I just can't see how England are going to win out there.

The batting can't put big scores on the board and the bowling doesn't look capable of taking 20 wickets.

Not a good combination.

Sad thing is, Sri Lanka are nothing special. Their batting has just cashed in a bit better and their bowling has a genuine world class performer (though a chucker) on board.

England lost 1-0 out here last time around having never been in anything like a winning position in all three Tests, and I think it's a fair bet that history will repeat itself.

Still, a draw's better than loss, so Michael Vaughan's probably beside himself with all the "positives" he's wallowing in after that result...

Dello wrote:England lost 1-0 out here last time around having never been in anything like a winning position in all three Tests, and I think it's a fair bet that history will repeat itself.

Well, if history repeats itself in terms of the two years that followed I won't be complaining! Wouldn't like to put money on it though...

beamer wrote:

Dello wrote:England lost 1-0 out here last time around having never been in anything like a winning position in all three Tests, and I think it's a fair bet that history will repeat itself.

Well, if history repeats itself in terms of the two years that followed I won't be complaining! Wouldn't like to put money on it though...

Quite.

Although England had a few silver linings back then as they had some firepower in the shape of Harmison, Jones and a recalled Hoggard to come back into the side after the series.

What's waiting in the wings this time around?

Don't know, but I remember at the start of the Caribbean series that followed, people were predicting a dull series of high-scoring draws as neither side apparently had much in the way of bowlers.

We finally got one such match in the last game of the series, but that was after the now famous four of Harmison, Hoggard, Flintoff and Jones had blown them away completely in the first three... the point being nobody expected that line-up to click as it did and generate the momentum that eventually carried us to the Ashes win.

Of course I'm not suggesting that will be repeated but cricket is full of surprises, there will no doubt be a couple of fixtures in the England side by this time next year that virtually nobody is even mentioning right now.

Jason Lewry.

Good god.

Well, when Jon Trott is coming on first change and out-bowling everyone else, you know the future's looking a tad bleak.

http://www.ecb.co.uk/england/national-cricket-performance-centre-and-england-performance-programme/trott-takes-three,15797,EN.html