England named their squad for the third and final test with Sri Lanka yesterday morning, and it contained no surprises with Jimmy Anderson for Jade Dernbach being the only change from the drawn test at Lord’s. It seems fairly clear that Steve Finn will be the one to miss out, despite having been top wicket taker last week.
Anyone who’s watched any England matches on Sky since Adelaide in December will have almost certainly heard a Michael Holding rant about how bowlers are picked to take wickets. Finn has done that and should therefore still be in the team. His point becomes more persuasive with every passing game. The Middlesex paceman became the youngest ever England bowler to 50 test wickets during the Lord's test, and seems to have the happy knack of taking wickets without bowling particularly well. If the team were picked purely on a bowler’s contribution to the wickets tally, it’s difficult to argue that Finn should be the man to go.
Equally, it’s just as tough to make a case for Chris Tremlett to fall victim to the selector’s axe. Since his re-introduction to the side in Australia, Tremlett has provided an excellent foil to Anderson and seems to have mastered the balance between back of a length bowling, forcing the batsman back into his crease, and fuller yet still bat-jarring deliveries that create uncertainty about playing forwards.
So that leaves one man in the firing line, assuming the management team isn’t going to go back to the four seamer, five man attack they tried with such disastrous consequences at Headingley two years ago.
That man is Stuart Broad. It's been a long time since Broad bowled a genuinely match changing spell – tearing through the South African middle order in Durban was probably the last such occurence - and he's appeared rusty so far this season. He has the look of a bowler who would benefit from some time back on the County circuit.
Since it’s (in theory at least) a straight fight between Finn and Broad, let’s have a look at their respective records since Finn first broke into the team:
Finn – 50 wickets in 12 matches at 27 apiece (strike rate 41)
Broad – 28 wickets in 10 matches at 36 apeice (strike rate 73)
No contest.
As our player reviews of the second test pointed out, Broad’s batting will probably save him for now but do England really need runs from number eight? Of course it’s a bonus, but is it worth weakening the bowling to strengthen a batting line up which doesn’t really need strengthening?
The answer is no. At present, England’s strongest bowling attack does not include Stuart Broad. That is not to say he should be ditched forever, but his situation is quite similar to that of Jimmy Anderson a few years ago. Both were picked very young, and Anderson only became the bowler he is today after he was able to develop away from the international spotlight. Maybe Broad requires the same break if he is to fulfil his potential.
Right now it isn’t clear what type of bowler he wants to be or what type he is most suited to. Clearly he is not a swing bowler in the Anderson mould, but he also doesn’t have the powerful action to be a genuinely fearsome pace bowler a-la Tremlett. On top of that, for a tall man his pitched-up deliveries seem remarkably ‘floaty’ and unthreatening. There have been signs of him becoming a line and length merchant, only for those spells to be followed by him completely losing his radar and banging in a whole load of half-track pies, the likes of which Australia cunningly fed Kevin Pietersen during his double hundred in Adelaide. Until he himself has worked out where his true strength lies it’s difficult to see him becoming a consistent wicket taking threat.
It’s understandable for England’s selectors to want to give Broad time, their patience with Alastair Cook whilst most of the cricket world was calling for his head has been rewarded quite spectacularly, but this time there is a genuine alternative banging on their door. Steve Finn’s figures do not warrant him being left out of the side. It’s time for the new T20 captain to take a break.
Comment and analysis by cricket numpties, for cricket numpties.
Showing posts with label Sri Lanka in England 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sri Lanka in England 2011. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Return of the Old Guard
It's a comeback as ill-advised as when Sylvester Stallone made Rocky V. Yes, Sri Lanka have recalled Sanath Jayasuriya for the upcoming ODI series against England at the ripe old age of 41, despite him being omitted from the World Cup squad mere months earlier. Their hand has been slightly forced by the unavailability of Upal Tharanga due to a failed drugs test at said World Cup, but still, this is a selection that must be worrying for their fans.
Firstly, it's been quite some time since Jayasuriya was anything like the commanding, devastating batsman that he was throughout the mid 1990s and the 2000s. He hasn't played a single ODI for almost eighteen months and it's almost two and a half years since he made a century. In his last ten innings, he averaged 23.20. His wily left arm spin was still useful, taking 10 wickets in the final ten games that he was asked to bowl at the cost of 34.90 each, but perhaps most pertinently, his last two outings with the ball against India produced the combined eye watering figures of 14-0-118-0. With Rangana Herath bowling competently in Test cricket, surely Sri Lanka's need for a further spinner is not especially great.
Secondly, Jayasuriya has today announced that he will play the first ODI and the first Twenty20 fixture, and then retire from international cricket. At a time when the country is looking to rebuild a team, what does this say for continuity? Why have they chosen a man with no intention of playing anything more than a cameo role for a farewell appearance, so long after his last one, when the games aren't being played in his home country? And on what cricketing basis was Jayasuriya chosen, seeing as he's played just a single first class game and a handful of List A games in the last six months?
Finally, to expand on that point, it says little for the foresight of the selectors. Rumours abound that they have already on this tour, to no avail, sought the return of Chaminda Vaas to Test cricket at the age of 37. Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillekaratne Dilshan are all in their mid 30s. Lasith Malinga, now retired from Test cricket, has already stated that he is highly unlikely to still be playing ODIs by the time of the next World Cup. What must a young Sri Lankan batsman, or even all-rounder, be thinking when he's overlooked for men who surely have little place in the longer term plans for the national side?
Sri Lanka became known as innovators for the way they approached the 1996 World Cup under Arjuna Ranatunga and the men mentioned above have been great servants to the national team. However, they need to learn to let go of the past and come up with a serious four year plan for the next World Cup, as that would seem to be their greatest chance of any tangible success in the short-to-medium future.
Firstly, it's been quite some time since Jayasuriya was anything like the commanding, devastating batsman that he was throughout the mid 1990s and the 2000s. He hasn't played a single ODI for almost eighteen months and it's almost two and a half years since he made a century. In his last ten innings, he averaged 23.20. His wily left arm spin was still useful, taking 10 wickets in the final ten games that he was asked to bowl at the cost of 34.90 each, but perhaps most pertinently, his last two outings with the ball against India produced the combined eye watering figures of 14-0-118-0. With Rangana Herath bowling competently in Test cricket, surely Sri Lanka's need for a further spinner is not especially great.
Secondly, Jayasuriya has today announced that he will play the first ODI and the first Twenty20 fixture, and then retire from international cricket. At a time when the country is looking to rebuild a team, what does this say for continuity? Why have they chosen a man with no intention of playing anything more than a cameo role for a farewell appearance, so long after his last one, when the games aren't being played in his home country? And on what cricketing basis was Jayasuriya chosen, seeing as he's played just a single first class game and a handful of List A games in the last six months?
Finally, to expand on that point, it says little for the foresight of the selectors. Rumours abound that they have already on this tour, to no avail, sought the return of Chaminda Vaas to Test cricket at the age of 37. Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillekaratne Dilshan are all in their mid 30s. Lasith Malinga, now retired from Test cricket, has already stated that he is highly unlikely to still be playing ODIs by the time of the next World Cup. What must a young Sri Lankan batsman, or even all-rounder, be thinking when he's overlooked for men who surely have little place in the longer term plans for the national side?
Sri Lanka became known as innovators for the way they approached the 1996 World Cup under Arjuna Ranatunga and the men mentioned above have been great servants to the national team. However, they need to learn to let go of the past and come up with a serious four year plan for the next World Cup, as that would seem to be their greatest chance of any tangible success in the short-to-medium future.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Second Test, England vs Sri Lanka, Lord's, 3-7 June 2011: Player reviews
England
Andrew Strauss: Just four runs in the match for Strauss whose middling form is starting to attract attention. He was undone both times by the left-arm seam of Welegedara, which will not have gone unnoticed by a certain Mr D Fletcher, with Zaheer Khan set to arrive in England in the coming weeks. Too early for this to be called a crisis but an average of just over 30 since last summer tells its own story. Captaincy wise, he must have been frustrated by his bowlers' tendency to bowl on both sides of the wicket in Sri Lanka's first innings, and he also attracted criticism for allowing the tenth wicket pair of Tremlett and Finn to bat on for half an hour on Saturday when a declaration would have left the tourists' openers with an awkward 20 minutes to face before lunch.
Alastair Cook: Relentlessly marches on towards his seemingly inexorable fate of becoming England's record holder for all things batting. Played an uncharacteristically loose pull shot to be dismissed for 96 first time around (one can only wonder what the reaction would have been had Kevin Pietersen done the same) but simply got on with the task again in the second innings and after Strauss' second ball dismissal, played with great authority. His scoring rate before lunch on the final day was criticised, but you simply can't tell a man like Cook to totally change his style; he'll never be a dasher any more than Katy Perry will ever learn to sing in key. Dropped a simple chance at third slip which cost England 52 runs; he still doesn't exude confidence there. Work to be done in that area if not at the crease.
Jonathan Trott: The reaction to his first innings dismissal of 2 was sheer disbelief; it simply couldn't be true that the run automaton had fallen cheaply. In the second innings he once more teamed up with Cook to form a formidable partnership and showed with his strike rate of over 70 that he's not a one-dimensional stodgy player. Even managed to pick up a late wicket although the game was all but dead by then.
Kevin Pietersen: Welcome back, KP. Eventually. He played yet another poorly executed stroke to be caught at gully on the opening day to leave England 22/3, a veritable crisis compared with the general scheme of things over the last 18 months. However, he appeared with steely determination on Monday evening and after a circumspect start, played a classic KP drive down the ground off Herath to just re-assert some of that familair authority. He batted nicely - and quickly - on the final day and though yet again it was the left arm spinner to dismiss him, it was a ball which would have beaten any batsman on any day. He'll hope to build on this and make a really big score at Southampton.
Ian Bell: The feats of Messrs Cook and Trott have overshadowed what a superb international cricketer Bell has become. He played two distinct innings; the first, all about consolidation after a poor start had England severely wobbling, and though not his most fluent, he put the foundations in place for the revival. The second was Bell at his most inventive. A truly magnificent unbeaten half-century which pushed the pace of the game as England built towards a declaration. He still feels wasted at five in this form.
Eoin Morgan: Had little chance to shine at Cardiff but emphatically did so on his home ground. Showed good awareness of his off stump to the seamers and dominated against the spinners. If his place wasn't secure for the India series before, it clearly is now. He will face more testing bowling attacks but the signs were good. Runs against Dilhara Fernando count the same as those against Dale Steyn, after all.
Matt Prior: A real shame that his excellent century has been overshadowed by WindowGate, though this tells you more about our media (and indeed the ICC, for officially reprimanding him, as if they have nothing better to do) than the seriousness of the "offence". This was a classic Prior innings, fast scoring, taking the game away from the opposition, brutal through the offside, though it must be said that Sri Lanka were more than obliging in feeding his strengths. Rode his luck through the 90s, but he won't worry about that. Plenty of byes conceded, but that was down to wayward bowling and the unique Lord's conditions rather than any fundamental keeping errors.
Stuart Broad: Unflattering figures once more for Broad who still doesn't totally convince with the ball. He was full of effort and purpose, but ultimately looked fairly innocuous and match figures of 2-154 are testament to the ease with which he was often played. Batted splendidly for his 54 in the first innings; just as well, or England's latest captain could have found himself on the outside looking in when Bresnan and Anderson return.
Graeme Swann: A rare quiet match for Swann who struggled to find much assistance from the pitch, though he did manage to burgle a few wickets towards the end of the Sri Lankan first innings. Even the best can't do it all the time.
Chris Tremlett: Bowled too short too often, so for the most part was economical rather than threatening. It's easy to forget that he's still a work in progress (this was only his eighth Test) and you would hope he would learn from this. Slightly disconcerting though that he seems to need to be told to vary his length rather than working it out for himself, though he's not alone here. Batted nicely for his unbeaten 24; he's no mug batting at ten.
Steven Finn: Reports that Tina Turner is considering a working of 1995's "Goldenye" to "Goldenarm" in honour of the young Middlesex man are unconfirmed, but he seems to have the uncanny knack of picking up wickets when not bowling well. He was far too erratic in virtually all of his spells, regularly spraying the ball down the legside and failing to build pressure. Yet he became the youngest Englishman in history to reach 50 Test wickets; no mean feat. However, should Anderson prove his fitness, one would imagine that he will be the one to miss out at The Rose Bowl.
Sri Lanka
Tharanga Paranavitana: At times, evokes memories of the Bangladeshi opener Javed Omar; dogged, but strokeless. He was fortunate not to be out early on in the first innings on various occasions as ball regularly beat bat and he was put down by Cook, but he battled through to build a solid opening partnership with his captain. Played similarly well in the second innings and helped push the spectre of Cardiff (Sri Lanka's Adelaide?) to one side. He'll never be fun to watch, but he's the yin to Dilshan's yang.
Tillekeratne Dilshan: A stunning innings, utterly unconventional, at times downright reckless, but ultimately a huge success. His 193 deflated the England attack and had he not received yet another blow to the thumb from a rising Tremlett delivery, there's every chance he'd have gone on to a double century and beyond. However, that injury will keep him out of the remainder of the series and Sri Lanka's loss is also cricket's loss. Question marks remain over his captaincy; an oft-used phrase in cricketing parlance is "keeping the foot on the throat" - Dilshan failed here, it's not good enough to insert a team, have them 22/3 in the first hour and allow them to score nigh on 500.
Kumar Sangakkara: His poor record in England inexplicably continues. Never looked at ease, especially when pressed into service as an emergency opener in Dilshan's absence and to be caught at cover is quite the sin for a top order batsman. Intriguingly, was much more inventive and indeed showed much better body language when captaining the team, and one would think that he'll be asked to reprise the role in the final Test.
Mahela Jayawardene: A middling match for another former skipper who missed out on the chance to make a third appearance on the Lord's honours board. Dare we suggest that at 34, we've seen his best days? The sense of permanence you often get from him hasn't seemed to be there so far on this tour.
Thilan Samaraweera: Just 26 runs in the match (albeit unbeaten in the second innings) and his record in non-subcontinental conditions remains decidedly mediocre. We've speculated that he's the worst batsman to ever average 50+ in Test cricket; we've seen nothing yet to dispel that statement.
Prassanna Jayawardene: Tidy with the bat, tidy with the gloves. None of the ultimately futile Cardiff heroics and it still could be that he's a place too high in the order, but he's a proper cricketer.
Farveez Maharoof: Two runs and no wickets. Not really what you're looking for from your all-rounder. He's only in the side because Angelo Mathews is absent, but he's so demonstrably inadequate for Test cricket that you wonder why Sri Lanka recalled him.
Rangana Herath: In what is an anodyne attack, Herath did at least produce the ball of the match to dismiss Pietersen. His bowling is comparable to that of Ashley Giles, primarily defensive but capable of the odd bit of magic. His batting is comparable to a young Darren Gough, full of wild swishes and ludicrous follow-throughs, but fun. Taking over the reins from Muttiah Muralitharan is an unenviable task, but he's approaching it manfully enough.
Dilhara Fernando: On both occasions used as second change, odd for the man who is easily the quickest of the Sri Lankan seamers. He does hit the gloves hard, but he was erratic and fed Morgan and Prior with too many cheap runs. Could certainly do with hitting the treadmill between now and next Thursday; he's carrying more timber than a lumberjack.
Suranga Lakmal: Expensive and bowled far too wide on the first morning; one can only imagine that the lbw dismissals of Trott and Morgan were purely due to their surprise that he'd bowled one straight - the Mitchell Johnson principle, if you will. He's a young man learning his game, but he has a lot of learning to do.
Chanaka Welegedara: We saw little in the way of his supposed ability to swing the ball, but he was steady enough and five wickets in a high-scoring game isn't to be sniffed at. Does at least provide some variety to the attack and on this showing, it seems all the more odd that he was omitted at Cardiff. The experiment with bowling round the wicket to left-handers should be abandoned, though.
Andrew Strauss: Just four runs in the match for Strauss whose middling form is starting to attract attention. He was undone both times by the left-arm seam of Welegedara, which will not have gone unnoticed by a certain Mr D Fletcher, with Zaheer Khan set to arrive in England in the coming weeks. Too early for this to be called a crisis but an average of just over 30 since last summer tells its own story. Captaincy wise, he must have been frustrated by his bowlers' tendency to bowl on both sides of the wicket in Sri Lanka's first innings, and he also attracted criticism for allowing the tenth wicket pair of Tremlett and Finn to bat on for half an hour on Saturday when a declaration would have left the tourists' openers with an awkward 20 minutes to face before lunch.
Alastair Cook: Relentlessly marches on towards his seemingly inexorable fate of becoming England's record holder for all things batting. Played an uncharacteristically loose pull shot to be dismissed for 96 first time around (one can only wonder what the reaction would have been had Kevin Pietersen done the same) but simply got on with the task again in the second innings and after Strauss' second ball dismissal, played with great authority. His scoring rate before lunch on the final day was criticised, but you simply can't tell a man like Cook to totally change his style; he'll never be a dasher any more than Katy Perry will ever learn to sing in key. Dropped a simple chance at third slip which cost England 52 runs; he still doesn't exude confidence there. Work to be done in that area if not at the crease.
Jonathan Trott: The reaction to his first innings dismissal of 2 was sheer disbelief; it simply couldn't be true that the run automaton had fallen cheaply. In the second innings he once more teamed up with Cook to form a formidable partnership and showed with his strike rate of over 70 that he's not a one-dimensional stodgy player. Even managed to pick up a late wicket although the game was all but dead by then.
Kevin Pietersen: Welcome back, KP. Eventually. He played yet another poorly executed stroke to be caught at gully on the opening day to leave England 22/3, a veritable crisis compared with the general scheme of things over the last 18 months. However, he appeared with steely determination on Monday evening and after a circumspect start, played a classic KP drive down the ground off Herath to just re-assert some of that familair authority. He batted nicely - and quickly - on the final day and though yet again it was the left arm spinner to dismiss him, it was a ball which would have beaten any batsman on any day. He'll hope to build on this and make a really big score at Southampton.
Ian Bell: The feats of Messrs Cook and Trott have overshadowed what a superb international cricketer Bell has become. He played two distinct innings; the first, all about consolidation after a poor start had England severely wobbling, and though not his most fluent, he put the foundations in place for the revival. The second was Bell at his most inventive. A truly magnificent unbeaten half-century which pushed the pace of the game as England built towards a declaration. He still feels wasted at five in this form.
Eoin Morgan: Had little chance to shine at Cardiff but emphatically did so on his home ground. Showed good awareness of his off stump to the seamers and dominated against the spinners. If his place wasn't secure for the India series before, it clearly is now. He will face more testing bowling attacks but the signs were good. Runs against Dilhara Fernando count the same as those against Dale Steyn, after all.
Matt Prior: A real shame that his excellent century has been overshadowed by WindowGate, though this tells you more about our media (and indeed the ICC, for officially reprimanding him, as if they have nothing better to do) than the seriousness of the "offence". This was a classic Prior innings, fast scoring, taking the game away from the opposition, brutal through the offside, though it must be said that Sri Lanka were more than obliging in feeding his strengths. Rode his luck through the 90s, but he won't worry about that. Plenty of byes conceded, but that was down to wayward bowling and the unique Lord's conditions rather than any fundamental keeping errors.
Stuart Broad: Unflattering figures once more for Broad who still doesn't totally convince with the ball. He was full of effort and purpose, but ultimately looked fairly innocuous and match figures of 2-154 are testament to the ease with which he was often played. Batted splendidly for his 54 in the first innings; just as well, or England's latest captain could have found himself on the outside looking in when Bresnan and Anderson return.
Graeme Swann: A rare quiet match for Swann who struggled to find much assistance from the pitch, though he did manage to burgle a few wickets towards the end of the Sri Lankan first innings. Even the best can't do it all the time.
Chris Tremlett: Bowled too short too often, so for the most part was economical rather than threatening. It's easy to forget that he's still a work in progress (this was only his eighth Test) and you would hope he would learn from this. Slightly disconcerting though that he seems to need to be told to vary his length rather than working it out for himself, though he's not alone here. Batted nicely for his unbeaten 24; he's no mug batting at ten.
Steven Finn: Reports that Tina Turner is considering a working of 1995's "Goldenye" to "Goldenarm" in honour of the young Middlesex man are unconfirmed, but he seems to have the uncanny knack of picking up wickets when not bowling well. He was far too erratic in virtually all of his spells, regularly spraying the ball down the legside and failing to build pressure. Yet he became the youngest Englishman in history to reach 50 Test wickets; no mean feat. However, should Anderson prove his fitness, one would imagine that he will be the one to miss out at The Rose Bowl.
Sri Lanka
Tharanga Paranavitana: At times, evokes memories of the Bangladeshi opener Javed Omar; dogged, but strokeless. He was fortunate not to be out early on in the first innings on various occasions as ball regularly beat bat and he was put down by Cook, but he battled through to build a solid opening partnership with his captain. Played similarly well in the second innings and helped push the spectre of Cardiff (Sri Lanka's Adelaide?) to one side. He'll never be fun to watch, but he's the yin to Dilshan's yang.
Tillekeratne Dilshan: A stunning innings, utterly unconventional, at times downright reckless, but ultimately a huge success. His 193 deflated the England attack and had he not received yet another blow to the thumb from a rising Tremlett delivery, there's every chance he'd have gone on to a double century and beyond. However, that injury will keep him out of the remainder of the series and Sri Lanka's loss is also cricket's loss. Question marks remain over his captaincy; an oft-used phrase in cricketing parlance is "keeping the foot on the throat" - Dilshan failed here, it's not good enough to insert a team, have them 22/3 in the first hour and allow them to score nigh on 500.
Kumar Sangakkara: His poor record in England inexplicably continues. Never looked at ease, especially when pressed into service as an emergency opener in Dilshan's absence and to be caught at cover is quite the sin for a top order batsman. Intriguingly, was much more inventive and indeed showed much better body language when captaining the team, and one would think that he'll be asked to reprise the role in the final Test.
Mahela Jayawardene: A middling match for another former skipper who missed out on the chance to make a third appearance on the Lord's honours board. Dare we suggest that at 34, we've seen his best days? The sense of permanence you often get from him hasn't seemed to be there so far on this tour.
Thilan Samaraweera: Just 26 runs in the match (albeit unbeaten in the second innings) and his record in non-subcontinental conditions remains decidedly mediocre. We've speculated that he's the worst batsman to ever average 50+ in Test cricket; we've seen nothing yet to dispel that statement.
Prassanna Jayawardene: Tidy with the bat, tidy with the gloves. None of the ultimately futile Cardiff heroics and it still could be that he's a place too high in the order, but he's a proper cricketer.
Farveez Maharoof: Two runs and no wickets. Not really what you're looking for from your all-rounder. He's only in the side because Angelo Mathews is absent, but he's so demonstrably inadequate for Test cricket that you wonder why Sri Lanka recalled him.
Rangana Herath: In what is an anodyne attack, Herath did at least produce the ball of the match to dismiss Pietersen. His bowling is comparable to that of Ashley Giles, primarily defensive but capable of the odd bit of magic. His batting is comparable to a young Darren Gough, full of wild swishes and ludicrous follow-throughs, but fun. Taking over the reins from Muttiah Muralitharan is an unenviable task, but he's approaching it manfully enough.
Dilhara Fernando: On both occasions used as second change, odd for the man who is easily the quickest of the Sri Lankan seamers. He does hit the gloves hard, but he was erratic and fed Morgan and Prior with too many cheap runs. Could certainly do with hitting the treadmill between now and next Thursday; he's carrying more timber than a lumberjack.
Suranga Lakmal: Expensive and bowled far too wide on the first morning; one can only imagine that the lbw dismissals of Trott and Morgan were purely due to their surprise that he'd bowled one straight - the Mitchell Johnson principle, if you will. He's a young man learning his game, but he has a lot of learning to do.
Chanaka Welegedara: We saw little in the way of his supposed ability to swing the ball, but he was steady enough and five wickets in a high-scoring game isn't to be sniffed at. Does at least provide some variety to the attack and on this showing, it seems all the more odd that he was omitted at Cardiff. The experiment with bowling round the wicket to left-handers should be abandoned, though.
Monday, 6 June 2011
England v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test - Day Four Review
Close of play
England 486ao (Prior 126, Cook 96, Morgan 79, Welegedara 4-122)
Sri Lanka 479ao (Dilshan 193, Paranavitana 65, M Jayawardene 49, Finn 4-108)
England 149-2 (Cook 61*, Trott 58, Pietersen 15*, Herath 1-17)
In a sentence
The hosts reduced Sri Lanka’s promising overnight position to a first innings deficit, and began to build a strong score; with one day’s play remaining, the draw looks inevitable.
Player of the day
There were some decent performances from England’s players today, but it was really a day without stars. Swann bowled well to the tail and took a fine catch, while Alastair Cook is sitting pretty and secure with yet another Test half-century to his name. Even Steven Finn, despite throwing plenty more down leg, has a claim after taking the big wickets of the Jayawardene non-brothers. For Sri Lanka, Herath batted aggresively and took the wicket of Jonathan Trott – who’d batted pretty well until then.
On balance, Player of the Day is awarded to Alastair Cook. With Strauss losing his wicket straight away, the innings needed solidity. England’s maturing master was there to provide it. Who would bet against another ton up tomorrow?
Moment of the day
A beauty from Welegedara to remove Andrew Strauss with the second ball of the innings. It angled in then straightened violently to trap England’s captain LBW. Many are now talking about a weakness in the opener’s game, but today he was simply done by a pearl. The only criticism would be of his weak decision to throw away a review. And we can all forgive him after a commendable catch taken off Swann to remove Fernando.
Outlook for tomorrow
Having batted out the day, it would be nice to see Kevin Pietersen get established and build a score tomorrow, and Cook should be expected to carry on for a while longer. With so many capable batsmen to come in, England will be confident of staying in for as long as they’d like to. Will we see a mid-afternoon declaration, followed by an attempt to recreate the final-session heroics of Cardiff? We just might. Will Sri Lanka fall like flies again? Well, while their tail is about as convincing as a kettle made of ice cubes, they just might not.
The match looks set for a draw, and on to the Third Test.
England 486ao (Prior 126, Cook 96, Morgan 79, Welegedara 4-122)
Sri Lanka 479ao (Dilshan 193, Paranavitana 65, M Jayawardene 49, Finn 4-108)
England 149-2 (Cook 61*, Trott 58, Pietersen 15*, Herath 1-17)
In a sentence
The hosts reduced Sri Lanka’s promising overnight position to a first innings deficit, and began to build a strong score; with one day’s play remaining, the draw looks inevitable.
Player of the day
There were some decent performances from England’s players today, but it was really a day without stars. Swann bowled well to the tail and took a fine catch, while Alastair Cook is sitting pretty and secure with yet another Test half-century to his name. Even Steven Finn, despite throwing plenty more down leg, has a claim after taking the big wickets of the Jayawardene non-brothers. For Sri Lanka, Herath batted aggresively and took the wicket of Jonathan Trott – who’d batted pretty well until then.
On balance, Player of the Day is awarded to Alastair Cook. With Strauss losing his wicket straight away, the innings needed solidity. England’s maturing master was there to provide it. Who would bet against another ton up tomorrow?
Moment of the day
A beauty from Welegedara to remove Andrew Strauss with the second ball of the innings. It angled in then straightened violently to trap England’s captain LBW. Many are now talking about a weakness in the opener’s game, but today he was simply done by a pearl. The only criticism would be of his weak decision to throw away a review. And we can all forgive him after a commendable catch taken off Swann to remove Fernando.
Outlook for tomorrow
Having batted out the day, it would be nice to see Kevin Pietersen get established and build a score tomorrow, and Cook should be expected to carry on for a while longer. With so many capable batsmen to come in, England will be confident of staying in for as long as they’d like to. Will we see a mid-afternoon declaration, followed by an attempt to recreate the final-session heroics of Cardiff? We just might. Will Sri Lanka fall like flies again? Well, while their tail is about as convincing as a kettle made of ice cubes, they just might not.
The match looks set for a draw, and on to the Third Test.
Sunday, 5 June 2011
All Hail The Beard
On Friday, we named Matt Prior as our Player of the Day for a typically punchy half-century that helped England to wrestle back some control following their poor start. Despite a slight stumble in the nervous nineties, his fifth Test Match century, from just 107 balls, was rightly celebrated on Saturday morning. In the post-Gilchrist era when wicketkeepers are expected to contribute regularly with the bat, Prior is fast becoming a real bonus for England. Should England opt for a five-man attack - a more likely possibility on the subcontinent - then there is little doubt that Prior could move up the order a place and fill the role of all-rounder; picked for his batting as well as for his wicket-keeping.
Matt Prior following his fifth century in Tests
England have often been cautious about wicketkeeper-batsmen. Bob Taylor and Alan Knott were consistently swapped for each other. More recently in the 1990s, every time a squad was selected there was a debate over whether Jack Russell should be selected as the authentic 'keeper or whether Alec Stewart should wear the gloves to offer the side more balance. In the years since Stewart retired, England have gone in circles with their selection policy, with Chris Read and James Foster arguably playing fewer matches than their natural ability behind the stumps deserved (and that is in Tests; in One Day Internationals some of the selections might have been made using a blindfold and a dartboard).
This particular author has always thought Mark Boucher to be one of the most under-rated players in the game. He is rarely spoken of as a great player, but his record is astonishing: 521 dismissals in 139 matches. That's 105 dismissals more than Adam Gilchrist in second place. This record is not just down to longevity either: of the 'keepers with at least 150 dismissals, only Dave Richardson, Kamran Akmal(!) and Gilchrist himself have a better rate of dismissals per innings. One theory is that Boucher is often overlooked as his batting average is 'only' 30.70, whereas the likes of MS Dhoni, Kumar Sangakkara, Andy Flower and Gilchrist all averaged significantly higher. Nonetheless, Boucher has scored five centuries for South Africa, the same number as one of the first 'wicketkeeper-batsmen' Knott and, of course, Matt Prior, though Prior has played far fewer matches.
Simply, Prior's batting record is now impressive. In less than half the number of innings, he is now one century behind Stewart (in the matches that Stewart kept wicket), with consecutive tons at the SCG and at Lord's. He has more scores over 50 than Sangakkara made in his 48 Tests with the gloves. His average of 44.58 is higher than any contemporary wicketkeepers, indeed of any regulars from history, only Flower and Gilchrist average more runs per innings. As the Sri Lankan bowlers found out at Lord's, Prior is a master at playing through the covers. Over the course of his innings, 69% of runs were scored through the off-side, compared with the team's 56%. It has been pointed out that this might be one reason why his ODI batting form is comparatively poor, as the lines bowled in the 50-over format are tighter to the stumps.
Since his recall to the side, he has worked closely with Bruce French, amongst others, and his wicket-keeping is now much more consistent. Indeed it is hardly an issue; after all, few are flawless. If as is likely Prior continues to improve, it is possible that as England aim to rise to the number one ranked side in the world, he will simultaneously become the first-choice wicketkeeper for a global XI.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Second Test preview: England vs Sri Lanka, Lord's, 3-7 June 2011
In a sentence:
After one of the great Test match victories, England will enter this game in full confidence of wrapping up a series victory at a venue where they have not lost a Test match since 2005.
The home team:
James Anderson will miss out with a side strain and will almost certainly be replaced by Steve Finn on his home ground. Otherwise, the team will remain unchanged. England's last five Test match wins have been by an innings - an impressive feat.
The away team:
The Sri Lankan camp have massive issues. Their attack looked popgun in the extreme at Cardiff and Dilhara Fernando will return, perhaps at the expense of Farveez Maharoof. Ajantha Mendis was disappointing in South Wales and he could be replaced by the left arm seamer Chanaka Welegadara. The batting, which collapsed like a poorly made crème brulée on Monday, is likely to be unchanged.
Weather forecast:
Chances of rain are low, which is good news after we watched more of groundsmen doing their job than cricketers last week.
Key player: England
Chris Tremlett. With Anderson absent, it will be left to the Surrey paceman to lead the attack and dominate as he did in the Sri Lankan second innings in the First Test. His steepling bounce is sure to cause problems on a Lord's track which has livened up in the last couple of years.
Key player: Sri Lanka
Kumar Sangakkara. With inexperienced players all around him, it is critical that their most experienced player sets an example and makes a big score.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
England v Sri Lanka, First Test - Player Reviews
England
Andrew Strauss A quiet match with the bat for the skipper as he was undone by a rare threatening ball from Lakmal. Barring one sharp drop off Swann, his slip fielding was as exemplary as ever and his captaincy equally so; allowing Bell to make his century avoided any loss of morale and a sustained attack helped gain the most unlikely of victories.
Alastair Cook Gone is the player of twelve months ago who relentlessly fiddled outside off-stump. His century was as good as chanceless and the presence he now offers at the top of the order is more reassuring than the price of Stella Artois. Took the catch that sealed the match.
Jonathan Trott Quite simply a run-scoring machine. Attracted some ridiculous criticism for his scoring rate on day four but asking Trott to change his style is like asking Status Quo if they wouldn't mind adding in a couple of extra chords to their repertoire. His average is now approaching freakish proportions. Ran out Maharoof fortuitously off his own bowling.
Kevin Pietersen Well well. KP dismissed by unheralded left-arm spinner. It isn't all that simple; even with the benefit of technology, it took five full minutes for him to be given out and the ball did keep horribly low. However, his body position and approach to this most filthy style of bowling are well out of kilter. There's no question of him losing his place - yet - but it's an issue he has to deal with quickly. In 19 out of his last 61 Test innings, it's the cursed left arm tweakers who've removed him. We're being generous here and including Xavier Doherty in that.
Ian Bell The form of his career continues with another excellently compiled century, and how nice that he was allowed to complete the job before England's declaration. If we were saying he was wasted at six in Australia - is he wasted at five now? Also cemented his reputation as one of the world's best fielders at short leg.
Eoin Morgan We learned nothing about him. He isn't great in the field, he doesn't bowl and his innings of 14 off 19 tells us little. His time to shine, or otherwise, will come.
Matt Prior Tidy behind the stumps including a sharp catch off Swann in the second innings. Didn't bat.
Stuart Broad Looked as ring-rusty as you would expect of a man who has played precious little cricket over the last six months. Improved steadily and wrapped up the tail in convincing and hostile fashion. Question marks still remain over a man who takes his wickets at around 35 apiece, but they're really for another day.
Graeme Swann The world's best spinner showed once again that even on unresponsive tracks, he offers control and a genuine wicket taking threat. At one stage he had the incredible figures of 4-0-4-4. A world class performer who will be licking his lips at the further prospect of bowling at this brittle Sri Lankan line-up.
Chris Tremlett Beginning to secure his place as a bona fide England regular. Bowled well with little luck in the first innings, but was truly devastating when Sri Lanka came out to bat what they surely would have felt would be a routine net through 51 overs. They were wrong. Is also beginning to show that he isn't just a bang it in short merchant - his fuller length, as shown with Paranavitana's second innings dismissal, is equally dangerous.
James Anderson Bowled beautifully early on but was cruelly sidelined by a minor side strain. He'll miss Lord's and most likely the Rose Bowl, not necessarily a bad thing as the important thing is to have him fit and raring to go against the Indian top order.
Sri Lanka
Tharanga Paranavitana Played a methodical innings first up against some challenging bowling from Anderson and Tremlett which indicates that he has the right temperament for Test cricket. Like so many, looked ill at ease from the off on the final day and was out for a duck, which set the tone for the eventual collapse.
Tillekeratne Dilshan A poor game for the new skipper. Threw away his wicket in the first innings when well set, then his captaincy was a litany of confusion. Mendis was barely used, he brought himself on as first change, and wasted the second new ball by bowling Herath over the wicket to the right handers. Then wasted a referral by reviewing his own dismissal in the second innings when he'd manifestly hit the ball. Big improvements required all round.
Kumar Sangakkara A modern great had a very disappointing game. Possibly unfortunate to be ruled out under the UDRS in the first innings - he almost certainly *did* hit the ball, but the supporting evidence available was flimsy. His body language in the field wasn't the best and was comprehensively undone by Swann as all around him was falling. Sri Lanka need him to return to form, quickly.
Mahela Jayawardene Still an exceptional slip fielder, but was given a real working over by first Anderson, and secondly Tremlett to be dismissed cheaply both times. Both he and Sangakkara could well be suffering from difficulties in re-adjusting to the red ball format after a prolonged IPL spell.
Thilan Samaraweera Looked composed for his 58 before falling to Anderson's first over with the second new ball, wiping out his previous dismal record in England. Clearly has talent but his attempted cut to Swann, given the match situation, was faintly ludicrous.
Prassanna Jayawardene A very well made century against testing bowling helped partially dispel the theory that he has been promoted beyond his abilities at number six. With such a long tail, Sri Lanka will need big contributions from him with the bat if they are to salvage anything from this series. Looked competent behind the stumps although little was offered in the way of chances thanks to an anodyne attack. In the second innings, suffered a similar fate to Sangakkara in the first innings - a UDRS decision that was almost certainly correct, but not necessarily arrived upon satisfactorily.
Farveez Maharoof The cult-hero of Lancashire's early season looked every inch the journeyman county pro. Little more than medium pace, poor in the field (one "slide tackle" attempt to stop a boundary was laughable) and contributed little with the bat, though he was unfortunate to be run out backing up first time around. It seemed fairly clear just why he hasn't played Test cricket for nearly four years.
Thisara Parera Willing but wicketless, Parera is the epitome of this limited and unthreatening seam attack. Could be vulnerable to the returning Dilhara Fernando at Lord's. Did at least show some resistance with the bat in both innings, which may just save him.
Rangana Herath Failed to impress in a spell at Hampshire last season and again, it was clear why. His brand of left-arm spin is most easily comparable to the phalanx of twirlers that Bangladesh habitually field, though predictably enough, he did dismiss Kevin Pietersen. Played a truly horrible shot as the second innings came towards its close.
Ajantha Mendis The "mystery spinner" is only a mystery because it's hard to work out why he was selected in the first place. Short on form in a brief spell at Somerset, he picked up the solitary wicket of injured nightwatchman Anderson and rarely turned the ball, and was used for a mere three overs on day four.
Suranga Lakmal Just a solitary wicket for the young seamer who did little to convince that he is a viable option at this level.
Monday, 30 May 2011
England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test - Day Five Review
Close of play
England 496-5d (Trott 203, Cook 133, Bell 103*)
Sri Lanka 400 and 82ao (Perera 20, Swann 4-16, Tremlett 4-40, Broad 2-21)
England win by an innings and 14 runs.
In a sentence
An unbelievable few hours saw England steal victory from the jaws of a damp squib of a draw.
Player of the day
Chris Tremlett. After yet another late start, Strauss kindly allowed Bell the two overs required in which to reach his 13th Test century. Sri Lanka were thus left with approximately 50 overs to bat through to a dull draw. Tremlett tore into the openers and had them both out before tea. After the break Swann bowled splendidly and Tremlett's bounce and movement took two further wickets to leave Sri Lanka in disarray (although the wicket of Prasanna Jayawardene caused further debate over the UDRS: he attempted to hook and the ball went through to Prior to a mass appeal; Umpire Doctrove gave him not out; England reviewed the decision and HotSpot seemed to show no evidence, but the sound and path of the ball indicated it did make contact. After a discussion between Umpires Tucker and Doctrove, the decision was overturned, however the evidence was probably not irrefutable). A late flurry of runs by Perera saw Tremlett removed from the attack, but Broad wrapped things up with some hostile fast bowling. Sri Lanka were dazed and confused, England were confident and inspired; fortune favoured the brave.
Moment of the day
The 18th over of the Sri Lankan innings. From around the wicket Swann bowled a beautifully flighted off-break that dipped and with a hint of turn took the edge of Sangakarra's bat and carried to slip. Three balls later, this time over the wicket, Swann bowled a slightly quicker ball wide of Maharoof's off stump. Despite a bold forward defence, he nicked it to the grateful Prior.
So now on to Lord's. On a day that threatened nothing but rain and a chance for batsmen to play for their averages, a monumental achievement from England and complete loss of control from Sri Lanka leaves the series looking one-sided. Nevermind five bowlers, England won this with three. Anderson will be missed at Lord's, but Finn is a capable replacement on his home turf. The tallest bowling attack ever will surely give Sri Lanka more discomfort, unless their top order knuckle down and show some focus and discipline for the duration of the match. Meanwhile England storm forward, having now won four out of their last five matches, each won by an innings.
England 496-5d (Trott 203, Cook 133, Bell 103*)
Sri Lanka 400 and 82ao (Perera 20, Swann 4-16, Tremlett 4-40, Broad 2-21)
England win by an innings and 14 runs.
In a sentence
An unbelievable few hours saw England steal victory from the jaws of a damp squib of a draw.
Player of the day
Chris Tremlett. After yet another late start, Strauss kindly allowed Bell the two overs required in which to reach his 13th Test century. Sri Lanka were thus left with approximately 50 overs to bat through to a dull draw. Tremlett tore into the openers and had them both out before tea. After the break Swann bowled splendidly and Tremlett's bounce and movement took two further wickets to leave Sri Lanka in disarray (although the wicket of Prasanna Jayawardene caused further debate over the UDRS: he attempted to hook and the ball went through to Prior to a mass appeal; Umpire Doctrove gave him not out; England reviewed the decision and HotSpot seemed to show no evidence, but the sound and path of the ball indicated it did make contact. After a discussion between Umpires Tucker and Doctrove, the decision was overturned, however the evidence was probably not irrefutable). A late flurry of runs by Perera saw Tremlett removed from the attack, but Broad wrapped things up with some hostile fast bowling. Sri Lanka were dazed and confused, England were confident and inspired; fortune favoured the brave.
Moment of the day
The 18th over of the Sri Lankan innings. From around the wicket Swann bowled a beautifully flighted off-break that dipped and with a hint of turn took the edge of Sangakarra's bat and carried to slip. Three balls later, this time over the wicket, Swann bowled a slightly quicker ball wide of Maharoof's off stump. Despite a bold forward defence, he nicked it to the grateful Prior.
So now on to Lord's. On a day that threatened nothing but rain and a chance for batsmen to play for their averages, a monumental achievement from England and complete loss of control from Sri Lanka leaves the series looking one-sided. Nevermind five bowlers, England won this with three. Anderson will be missed at Lord's, but Finn is a capable replacement on his home turf. The tallest bowling attack ever will surely give Sri Lanka more discomfort, unless their top order knuckle down and show some focus and discipline for the duration of the match. Meanwhile England storm forward, having now won four out of their last five matches, each won by an innings.
Sunday, 29 May 2011
England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test - Day Four Review
Close of play
England 491-5 (Trott 203, Cook 133, Bell 98*)
Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Anderson 3-66)
In a sentence
Easy pickings for England as Trott continued his serene progress while Sri Lanka pursued a defensive attitude, seemingly fearful of final day gremlins in the pitch.
Player of the day
One IJL Trott. A second double century for the man now homing in on a Test average of 70. Aesthetically pleasing, no, but this was attritional batting and to condemn the man, as has been seen in some media circles is as bizarre as OMC's 1996 smash hit. Looked utterly untroubled until getting himself out to Dilshan's part-time off-breaks.
Moment of the day
The slapdash fielding by Farveez Maharoof which enlivened a becalmed period of play. Slide tackles are for the football stadia a few miles down the road, lad, not trying to stop boundaries. Otherwise, it was a highly uneventful day.
Outlook for tomorrow
It's totally up to England. Batting practice or let Broad, Tremlett and Swann get some overs under their respective belts. Either way, the game is dead as a contest, which reflects badly on Cardiff as a venue, for they have now produced shirtfront pitches for each of their two Test matches. The weather forecast once again looks unhelpful so it could well be a case of seeing Eoin Morgan bat out a meaningless half-century to half-heartedly enhance his Test credentials.
England 491-5 (Trott 203, Cook 133, Bell 98*)
Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Anderson 3-66)
In a sentence
Easy pickings for England as Trott continued his serene progress while Sri Lanka pursued a defensive attitude, seemingly fearful of final day gremlins in the pitch.
Player of the day
One IJL Trott. A second double century for the man now homing in on a Test average of 70. Aesthetically pleasing, no, but this was attritional batting and to condemn the man, as has been seen in some media circles is as bizarre as OMC's 1996 smash hit. Looked utterly untroubled until getting himself out to Dilshan's part-time off-breaks.
Moment of the day
The slapdash fielding by Farveez Maharoof which enlivened a becalmed period of play. Slide tackles are for the football stadia a few miles down the road, lad, not trying to stop boundaries. Otherwise, it was a highly uneventful day.
Outlook for tomorrow
It's totally up to England. Batting practice or let Broad, Tremlett and Swann get some overs under their respective belts. Either way, the game is dead as a contest, which reflects badly on Cardiff as a venue, for they have now produced shirtfront pitches for each of their two Test matches. The weather forecast once again looks unhelpful so it could well be a case of seeing Eoin Morgan bat out a meaningless half-century to half-heartedly enhance his Test credentials.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test - Day Three Review
Close of play
England 287-2 (Cook 129*, Trott 125*)
Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Anderson 3-66)
In a sentence
Trott and Cook cruised along at a gentle pace in 240 run partnership where neither player ever looked seriously troubled by a popgun attack.
Player of the day
The two headed monster that is Johnister Trook. A familiar sight to watchers of English test cricket over the last 6 months, Cook and Trott were as comfortable as a Cheshire cat spread out on a pillow in front of the fire. The runs were carefully shelved and ordered rather than piled on, but another day of obedient work at the crease from these two would be very welcome indeed in the England dressing room.
Moment of the day
The England pair took advantage of the extra pace of the new ball and the marginally more adventurous fields that accompanied it, best summed up by a powerfully succinct cover drive for 4 played by Cook off Herath in the 87th over. It was a terrific display of the command over bowling Cook now possesses and served as a warning for any who may write off the Essex opener's feats in the winter as a fluke.
Outlook for tomorrow
It's difficult to see such a moderate Sri Lanka attack dismiss England for a low enough total to create themselves a lead. Barring the weather the home side should push past 400 tomorrow - but with no Anderson in the field and more rain to come predicting anything other than a draw seems fanciful.
England 287-2 (Cook 129*, Trott 125*)
Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Anderson 3-66)
In a sentence
Trott and Cook cruised along at a gentle pace in 240 run partnership where neither player ever looked seriously troubled by a popgun attack.
Player of the day
The two headed monster that is Johnister Trook. A familiar sight to watchers of English test cricket over the last 6 months, Cook and Trott were as comfortable as a Cheshire cat spread out on a pillow in front of the fire. The runs were carefully shelved and ordered rather than piled on, but another day of obedient work at the crease from these two would be very welcome indeed in the England dressing room.
Moment of the day
The England pair took advantage of the extra pace of the new ball and the marginally more adventurous fields that accompanied it, best summed up by a powerfully succinct cover drive for 4 played by Cook off Herath in the 87th over. It was a terrific display of the command over bowling Cook now possesses and served as a warning for any who may write off the Essex opener's feats in the winter as a fluke.
Outlook for tomorrow
It's difficult to see such a moderate Sri Lanka attack dismiss England for a low enough total to create themselves a lead. Barring the weather the home side should push past 400 tomorrow - but with no Anderson in the field and more rain to come predicting anything other than a draw seems fanciful.
Friday, 27 May 2011
England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test - Day Two Review
Close of play
England 47-1 (Cook 24*)
Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Anderson 3-66)
In a sentence
Sri Lanka are in command after making hay against a disjointed attack shorn of Jimmy Anderson for most of the day, whose series is now in doubt.
Player of the day
Prasanna Jayawardene had the confidence to take on the England bowling in the afternoon session and was rewarded with several boundaries, a Nick Knight eulogy in the commentary box and a fine century to boot. Comfortable against Swann and rarely troubled by England's largely flat seam attack, his runs at no. 6 have gone some way to justifying the tourists' selecting five genuine bowlers.
Moment of the day
Anderson's working over of Mahela Jayawardene to start the day was swing bowling par excellence. 11 consecutive outswingers pitched up tempted the right-hander, followed by a full inducker that flummoxed the former Sri Lankan captain as he edged to second slip. But this expert piece of bowling also highlights how much England missed the Lancastrian when his strain put him out of action in the late afternoon.
Wickets
England 47-1 (Cook 24*)
Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Anderson 3-66)
In a sentence
Sri Lanka are in command after making hay against a disjointed attack shorn of Jimmy Anderson for most of the day, whose series is now in doubt.
Player of the day
Prasanna Jayawardene had the confidence to take on the England bowling in the afternoon session and was rewarded with several boundaries, a Nick Knight eulogy in the commentary box and a fine century to boot. Comfortable against Swann and rarely troubled by England's largely flat seam attack, his runs at no. 6 have gone some way to justifying the tourists' selecting five genuine bowlers.
Moment of the day
Anderson's working over of Mahela Jayawardene to start the day was swing bowling par excellence. 11 consecutive outswingers pitched up tempted the right-hander, followed by a full inducker that flummoxed the former Sri Lankan captain as he edged to second slip. But this expert piece of bowling also highlights how much England missed the Lancastrian when his strain put him out of action in the late afternoon.
Wickets
M Jayawardene c Strauss b Anderson 4 - thick edge high up the bat on an inswinger and was well taken by Strauss at second slip
Paranavitana b Tremlett 66 - dragged on flashing at a full ball pitching on off-stump
Samaraweera c Swann b Anderson 58 - angled into the body with a touch of swing and
edged to second slip
Samaraweera c Swann b Anderson 58 - angled into the body with a touch of swing and
edged to second slip
Maharoof run out (Trott) 16 - guilty of lax backing up as Trott feathered a delivery driven
back at him onto the stumps
back at him onto the stumps
Perera c Tremlett b Broad 25 - mistimed pull looped to mid-on
Herath c Trott b Swann 25 - filthy delivery slapped straight to cover
P Jayawardene c Prior b Broad 112 - tight line and length induced a regulation edge to the
keeper
keeper
Lakmal c Broad b Swann 2 - excellent diving catch at mid-on to grasp a fulsome drive
*****
Strauss c M Jayawardene b Lakmal 20 - a touch of away movement created an edge and a
fine catch at second slip
Outlook for tomorrow
England will have to bat all day to avoid a significant deficit. The key question is whether
Mendis and Herath can extract any venom from a benign surface, because if not a draw
looks nailed on.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
The Technology Debate Rumbles On
Over 18 months after its official introduction and the UDRS is still struggling to silence the doubters. Whilst it has certainly dispatched those heady days in the West Indies, when England first experienced the wonders of the system, into the annals of time, many questions remain unanswered.
There is still a grey area over how sure the TV umpire has to be to overturn the on-field call, as demonstrated by the dismissal of Kumar Sangakkara this afternoon. Rod Tucker appears to have based his decision on the fact that there was a sound which probably came from bat hitting ball, because the two were near each other. When you’ve spent millions of pounds developing a review system, that isn’t ideal. It especially isn’t ideal when you’ve explicitly said on a number of occasions that there must be clear evidence to overturn a decision.
Admittedly, the system is getting better. The worry for the ICC is the single biggest improvement they’ve made to the UDRS thus far is removing Daryl Harper from the Elite Panel. Too often they give the impression they’re making the rules up as they go along (an impression almost certainly much too close to the truth). Until Ian Bell’s farcical escape from an LBW decision at the World Cup not once had the ‘2.5 metre’ caveat been mentioned. Unfortunately, no one had bothered to read the 8 page – yes, there really is 8 pages of explanation on how to use it –booklet telling us the rules and restrictions, so no one really knows if they just sneaked that in once they realised they’d made a huge balls-up of the whole thing.
Earlier this year, on his way to a first Ashes hundred, the very same Ian Bell again benefitted from a UDRS mishap when he edged Shane Watson behind. Bell escaped because hotspot failed to show a mark. This was followed by the revelation that batsmen could fool hotspot by covering the edge of their bats with Vaseline. When your multi-million pound technology is outwitted by a small tin of lubricant, it’s probably time to take a look at yourselves.
There is no doubt that the UDRS has improved decision-making over the past year, but there are times when the whole system doesn’t help itself. There are still too many examples of basic errors. Tucker got it right today, but he got lucky, the edge was so small that it could quite easily have gone the other way. If there is no clear evidence, which there certainly wasn’t in this case, a decision surely cannot be overturned. If we go down that route then it is just adding more potential for human error when the whole point of the system is to reduce it.
There is still a grey area over how sure the TV umpire has to be to overturn the on-field call, as demonstrated by the dismissal of Kumar Sangakkara this afternoon. Rod Tucker appears to have based his decision on the fact that there was a sound which probably came from bat hitting ball, because the two were near each other. When you’ve spent millions of pounds developing a review system, that isn’t ideal. It especially isn’t ideal when you’ve explicitly said on a number of occasions that there must be clear evidence to overturn a decision.
Admittedly, the system is getting better. The worry for the ICC is the single biggest improvement they’ve made to the UDRS thus far is removing Daryl Harper from the Elite Panel. Too often they give the impression they’re making the rules up as they go along (an impression almost certainly much too close to the truth). Until Ian Bell’s farcical escape from an LBW decision at the World Cup not once had the ‘2.5 metre’ caveat been mentioned. Unfortunately, no one had bothered to read the 8 page – yes, there really is 8 pages of explanation on how to use it –booklet telling us the rules and restrictions, so no one really knows if they just sneaked that in once they realised they’d made a huge balls-up of the whole thing.
Earlier this year, on his way to a first Ashes hundred, the very same Ian Bell again benefitted from a UDRS mishap when he edged Shane Watson behind. Bell escaped because hotspot failed to show a mark. This was followed by the revelation that batsmen could fool hotspot by covering the edge of their bats with Vaseline. When your multi-million pound technology is outwitted by a small tin of lubricant, it’s probably time to take a look at yourselves.
There is no doubt that the UDRS has improved decision-making over the past year, but there are times when the whole system doesn’t help itself. There are still too many examples of basic errors. Tucker got it right today, but he got lucky, the edge was so small that it could quite easily have gone the other way. If there is no clear evidence, which there certainly wasn’t in this case, a decision surely cannot be overturned. If we go down that route then it is just adding more potential for human error when the whole point of the system is to reduce it.
England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test - Day One Review
Close of play
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat - rain prevented play until 3.30pm
Sri Lanka 133-2 (Paranavitana 58*, Dilshan 50)
In a sentence
Considering rain cut the day in half the tourists would probably have accepted 133-2 at the close, though with Sangakkara back in the hutch England won't be disappointed.
Player of the day
Newly appointed skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan was classy and composed at the crease for his half-century before limply giving his wicket away misjudging a stock Swann delivery. Scored at a good clip by exploiting Broad's lax control of line and length with a range of crisp offside play.
Moment of the day
Kumar Sangakkara falling victim to a combination of a superb delivery from Anderson and questionable umpiring from Rod Tucker up in the TV booth. Whilst it is true that there was a noise as the ball passed the edge, and indeed there was a fleck of heat on the hotspot image, to say it met the conclusive standard supposedly required to overturn a standing umpire's decision is highly debatable. As ever, the DRS debate will run on and on.
Wickets
Dilshan b Swann 50 - bottom edge into the stumps trying to cut a ball slightly too full and straight
Sangakkara c Prior b Anderson 11 - jaffa of an inswinger pitching on the stumps induced the faintest of edges (given out on review)
Outlook for tomorrow
England will have to bowl with more discipline on a slow and steady pitch to dislodge the compact Paranavitana. If the Sri Lankan left-hander can continue at his own untroubled pace and let the flashier stroke players of the two Jayawardenes and Samaraweera to kick on around him then an imposing score could be in the offing.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat - rain prevented play until 3.30pm
Sri Lanka 133-2 (Paranavitana 58*, Dilshan 50)
In a sentence
Considering rain cut the day in half the tourists would probably have accepted 133-2 at the close, though with Sangakkara back in the hutch England won't be disappointed.
Player of the day
Newly appointed skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan was classy and composed at the crease for his half-century before limply giving his wicket away misjudging a stock Swann delivery. Scored at a good clip by exploiting Broad's lax control of line and length with a range of crisp offside play.
Moment of the day
Kumar Sangakkara falling victim to a combination of a superb delivery from Anderson and questionable umpiring from Rod Tucker up in the TV booth. Whilst it is true that there was a noise as the ball passed the edge, and indeed there was a fleck of heat on the hotspot image, to say it met the conclusive standard supposedly required to overturn a standing umpire's decision is highly debatable. As ever, the DRS debate will run on and on.
Wickets
Dilshan b Swann 50 - bottom edge into the stumps trying to cut a ball slightly too full and straight
Sangakkara c Prior b Anderson 11 - jaffa of an inswinger pitching on the stumps induced the faintest of edges (given out on review)
Outlook for tomorrow
England will have to bowl with more discipline on a slow and steady pitch to dislodge the compact Paranavitana. If the Sri Lankan left-hander can continue at his own untroubled pace and let the flashier stroke players of the two Jayawardenes and Samaraweera to kick on around him then an imposing score could be in the offing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)