England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Lord's, 12-16 June, 2014

At the very least, we can all be ecstatic that Chris Blowkes isn't playing.

Oh dear, terrible drop.

Or maybe not a drop.

Surely Eranga should be opening. Pradeep's shite

tricycle wrote:Or maybe not a drop.

Surely Eranga should be opening. Pradeep's shite

He had to take a wicket after that. Six or seven for the innings now.

This is pretty funny. What an era!

Sack. Cook. etc etc.

Incidentally I love the image that they have up on the main BBC page. They've gone with England either dropping or letting a ball go through the slips, with 4 other slip fielders looking on in anguish.

It's a picture of fielding practice, but probably quite prescient.

ENGLAND OPENING PAIRS
Partners Inns Runs High Ave 100
AN Cook, JE Root 10 266 68 26.60 0
NRD Compton, AN Cook 17 927 231 57.93 3
AN Cook, KP Pietersen 1 21 21 21.00 0
AN Cook, IJL Trott 2 71 42 35.50 0
MA Carberry, AN Cook 12 387 85 32.25 0
AN Cook, MP Vaughan 12 528 133 44.00 2
IR Bell, AJ Strauss 2 61 52 30.50 0
AN Cook, AJ Strauss 117 4711 229 40.96 12
View full Statsguru table

So the best combination of recent times is Compton/Cook.

Compton has been in the runs again, as has Carberry. I think it's a sack of shit picking one for 7 Tests, one for 5, but I can at least see that they're trying a younger player.

2 for Pradeep. World's gone mad.

Looking lively from the snippets I've seen though. Regardless, it's a group of typically weak dismissals so far.

Yeah, been bowling far better than he usually does, which is one decent over and spraying everywhere. Whatever they've done with the seamers iin recent times seems to be working.

Despite the wickets, England going at a decent clip.

Gorgeous stuff from Bell. Really looks a cut above. No lazy wafts to innocuous dobbers please.

Were there delays in the morning session? 25 overs in the opening session of a match is a joke, even England would struggle to be that bad.

The old dreamy fifty and out from I-Ron.

Of course.

Dello wrote:The old dreamy fifty and out from I-Ron.

Of course.

  

It was lbw rather than a nick behind though. Brave new era for England etc.

MoH wrote:Were there delays in the morning session? 25 overs in the opening session of a match is a joke, even England would struggle to be that bad.

No delays at all. Sightscreen moved when the bowler went around the wicket to the LHB, but that took seconds.

SL didn't seem obviously tardy. It wasn't a tactic. Perhaps everyone just needs to readjust to the pace of Test cricket again.

Assured batting, from both Root and Ali. Moeen must be licking his lips that he's been pencilled in at #6.

Sri Lankan bowling looks pretty toothless. Ali couldn't ask for better conditions to debut in.

...And he blows it.

Stupid shot to say the least. At least he's fitting in with the new team mantra.

Winkle Spinner wrote:Sri Lankan bowling looks pretty toothless. Ali couldn't ask for better conditions to debut in.

Woofed him right up the jacksie.

Fortunately he's signed up to one of those peaceful religions, so he won't come after you to avenge his demise.