Eng vs SL: First Test

[Officer Barbrady]

So the season begins. It will be interesting to see how England do just before the series against Pakistan.

Sajid is likely to play, a good move I think though I'd have liked to see Owais playing as well.

 

[MIG]

We wish both teams luck and hope that SL can dent some English confidence ( atleast win 1 test ) before we arrive

 

[Amjid Javed]

Sri lanka will be like a chicken wing in a starter course for england. Sri lankas batting to me is to flimsy to compete across the whole series.

england will cruise to a 2-0 or 3-0 series win.

 

[Officer Barbrady]

Yes, personally I hope to see England win - read thrash SL - 3/0. They deserve it. Having said that the English batsmen are capable of anything up to a test loss (though certainly not a series).

 

[tahaqureshi]

I'm hoping for a Sri Lanka win.

 

[z10]

actually, i expect sri lanka to do well

a series loss perhaps, but definately not a thrashing

 

[pakistani pride]

if they (SL) can score runs then there is a chance but their batting seems 2 be 2 weak !

 

[pakistani pride]

ENG win toss !

any news how is the wicket ? how will it play throughout ?

 

[pakistani pride]

no interest ? or is everyone watching game live ?

i am @ uni no footage in holland !

 

[Billy]

Pitch is doing a bit so Vaas is a threat, I wouldn't be surprised to see Malinga cause a few problems either.

Not as one sided as many people predicted I fancy.

 

[pakistani pride]

malinga is he playing ?

 

[Hash]

malinga is he playing ?

you can check the teams on cricinfo

 

[Billy]

malinga is he playing ?

No, I was reading the wrong lineup.

Kulasekara is in instead.

 

[jusarrived]

62/0 eng

pitch is as flat as u can get!

 

[Big Mac]

Murali credited as being the one to introduce the doosra yet again

 

[Big Mac]

Totally plumb, Rudi says not out. How is that man still an international umpire

 

[jusarrived]

tresco gets lucky!

Plumb lbw not given by rudi!

 

[Oxy]

That was Plumb - Rudi gives Eng their 1st life of the series....

 

[UJ]

Haha, Rudi strikes again

 

[Oxy]

Honestly - that was an embarrasing decision. I am watching without the audio - what are they 'commentators' saying?

 

[jusarrived]

why is that any team or any venue or any form of game SL plays becomes boring ?

 

[Big Mac]

Honestly - that was an embarrasing decision. I am watching without the audio - what are they 'commentators' saying?

Both Athers and Holding were asking why isn't it out even before the Hawkeye came on. They still can't believe it

 

[Oxy]

...and Strauss is the man to fall!

Eng 86-1 at Lunch

 

[Oxy]

I like Sky's graphics package this season - looks like they will milk the 'exclusive' rights!

 

[Big Mac]

Murali has Strauss caught at slip for 48 on the stroke of lunch. 86/1.

Bowled Murali caught Jayawardene is now the bowler/fielder combo with the most dismissals in test history.

 

[HAFRIDI]

Murali does the trick before lunch, good stuff.

Remaining 5 balls to Cook after lunch, feeds him every ball in the book, a few brilliant bowls.

 

[the Great Khan]

Murali credited as being the one to introduce the doosra yet again

typical english!!..doosra isnt even a sinhalese word!!

 

[Waseem]

typical english!!..doosra isnt even a sinhalese word!!

Murali is Tamil

 

[James]

We have had some luck but played well. Hopefully we can get to close of play with a couple of hundred on the board and not many wickets down, you never know what Murali is gonna do but the seamers look ordinary enough to give us runs. If Tresco keeps picking the doosra like he did the last time when he got a six, theres a comeback century for the taking!

 

[Daoud]

Murali is Tamil

) )
The irony
I do hate it how commentators give Murali or Harbhajan credit for the doosra though. Mike Haysman even went further. Murali renamed the doosra the 'connection' and when Saqlain bowled it, our friend 'Haysie' called it the 'connection'

 

[the Great Khan]

doosra isnt even a word in tamil too as far as I know

 

[Billy]

Now Rudi.. I know some unkind people have likened Murali's action to that of a baseball pitcher but we're not playing three strikes and out here!

 

[Big Mac]

Vass traps Pietersen LBW for 4.


But umpire Dar says not out.


SHAMBLES.

 

[James]

Lol, another blatant leg before not given. This is great.

 

[Uzzy]

England never leave home without Aleem Dar

 

[Pathan007]

5.3 Vaas to Pietersen, no run, good length delivery, pitched on middle and leg and shaping back in, Pietersen is beaten comprehensively and the ball hits the pad right in front of the stumps, pleading appeal for lbw turned down by umpire Aleem Dar - that looked out!

 

[Rob H]

Great start for us. Great to see Tres come back with a 100. And here comes the reverse swing conversation with bumble and beefy.

 

[Rob H]

244 is the new nelson, can't get off it

 

[Rob H]

Cannot score off murali for toffee. He's just bamboozling us.

 

[Rob H]

Atherton and Gower, ah bliss.

 

[Billy]

Vass traps Pietersen LBW for 4.


But umpire Dar says not out.


SHAMBLES.

I didn't actually pick that one up myself.. how I don't know, as it was plumb.

I got the two against Tres first up though.

 

[Big Mac]

Yeah the first one against Banger was the worst, there's just no possible reason for not giving it out

 

[Rob H]

50 for Pietersen. 52 off 91 balls, 9 fours.

 

[James]

Nice half century just completed from KP, our innings was set up by a great knock by Tres, and Cookie has played superbly. Strauss played nicely as well. Very very pleasing day, I wish I had been there considering the weather and the quality of shotplay.

 

[James]

91 balls? Cricinfo has his SR as 85...

 

[Pathan007]

50 for Pietersen. 52 off 91 balls, 9 fours.

61balls

 

[James]

Pietersen caught off no ball...ahahahahahaha

Why we ever considered dropping the luckiest batsman in England during the Ashes is beyond me.

 

[Rob H]

sorry, was 61. Just caught off a no ball. Was a great catch by Murbarak too.

 

[James]

Considering the no ball and the plumb lbw, this is shaping up to be a KP century. SL have had zero luck today, its harsh really.

 

[James]

Cook caught behind, shame he couldn't get the century.

What a weird over.

 

[Rob H]

Cook gone now, poor shot. Chased a short and wide one. Out for 89.

 

[James]

He is a gritty and talented young man, he will learn. What is his average in tests now, must be massive, though it will obviously drop.

 

[z10]

Bopara for England!

 

[James]

Will Hoggster reach his fifty before the close of play? Watch this space...

 

[Rob H]

Bopara for England!

go preach somewhere else

 

[James]

Hoggard got a run off a seamer

 

[jusarrived]

though cook got ton against us I wasnt vry impressed with his batting..thot he had vry limited shots....din watch todays knock,it cud have been nerves as it was his first series in India though!

 

[Amjid Javed]

Eng 317/3 and the slaughter has already begun 1 day into the series...!

 

[z10]

cook is a limited player

 

[James]

His knock today was a beauty. He played a superb no.3 innings, played all the bowlers well with a dead straight bat.

His knocks against India will have given him more confidence to use his arsenal, he played some lovely shots today.

The lad is a great find, and serious competition among the top 3 batting positions can only be good for us.

 

[Rob H]

single to hoggy. Doing his job.

 

[Easa]

Cook is so damn boring to watch.

It might be effective for his team - buts its absolutely tedious to us supporters!

He has two shots - a nudge and a cut.

 

[James]

We could do with a boring batsman who plays a few shots all day and is prepared to block for ages. Aussies have Langer, India have Dravid, we have Cook.

We have more than enough shotplayers, having Cook balances the team. As long as he is getting runs then its no problem.

 

[Rob H]

318/3 at close. Well played lads.

 

[James]

We need to be looking at 500 on board and a few Lankan wickets by tomorrow's close. I'm happy.

 

[z10]

We could do with a boring batsman who plays a few shots all day and is prepared to block for ages. Aussies have Langer, India have Dravid, we have Cook.

We have more than enough shotplayers, having Cook balances the team. As long as he is getting runs then its no problem.

the difference between Cook and Dravid/ Langer is that Dravid and Langer both are quality batsmen who can play all shots but choose to play the steady role allowing others to attack around them but Cook has no choice, he is just that limited a player.

 

[James]

You can have your own views but like I say, as long as he is getting runs and helping attacking players express themselves, then he is really very hard to drop. What are his test scores so far, something like this:

60
104*
17
7
89

For any player that would be good, but for someone so young it is amazing.

 

[HAFRIDI]

Langer aint even boring.

 

[Billy]

the difference between Cook and Dravid/ Langer is that Dravid and Langer both are quality batsmen who can play all shots but choose to play the steady role allowing others to attack around them but Cook has no choice, he is just that limited a player.

Rubbish.

He may not play all the shots all the time but when you've seen a bit more of him you'll realise he's got all the shots he needs. It's true he doesn't sweep and he's not on to pull too often but I've yet to see him in a situation where he hasn't got the shots for the job.

 

[sehsan]

great inning by cook, he is a great find for england. England need that kind of player as they have too many stroker makers in the team

 

[dan hudson]

Cook's first-class batting strike rate is 56 whilst Bopara's is 43 which is food for thought.

Last season Cook scored 214 from 238 balls against Australia in a tour match.

He's not limited at all, Andy Flower rates him so highly because he feels can play off both feet and all around the wicket.

He's settling into international cricket by accumulating (a lot) of runs, in time I think he will blossom into the stroke player he is at county level. Michael Clarke took a similar step when he moved up from U19s international cricket to state cricket.

 

[Easa]

We could do with a boring batsman who plays a few shots all day and is prepared to block for ages. Aussies have Langer, India have Dravid, we have Cook.

We have more than enough shotplayers, having Cook balances the team. As long as he is getting runs then its no problem.

Dravid, even while being boring, can come up with a sublime shot or two. His drives are a treat to watch and he is a very good player off his legs.

Langer is not boring.

 

[Easa]

I'd prefer Shah to be in the team ahead of Cook.

93 and 39 in his only test and dropped?

 

[Big Harvey]

I'd prefer Shah to be in the team ahead of Cook.

93 and 39 in his only test and dropped?

I agree that Shah looked a class act in Mumbai. However he was only playing because Cook had a stomach bug (he was not the only one ), and I'm totally with the selectors on Cook's selection at number 3. Someone else made the point about Cook adding balance to the side, and I agree 100%. We have plenty of attacking batsmen, but the main thing that was lacking in Pakistan was someone who was prepared to dig in and graft. Cook is our man who can do this, and is a superb and much needed addition to our armoury.

I'm very excited at the amount of talent we have at our disposal in the batting department at the moment, and the intensity of competition for places can only be a good thing.

I am a bit concerned about our lack of fit bowlers, though....

 

[Rob H]

I'd prefer Shah to be in the team ahead of Cook.

93 and 39 in his only test and dropped?

89 today. Your arguement has no facts for ousting Cook, just getting in Shah.

 

[z10]

billy:

i have played against both Cook and Bopara in club matches and can, therefore, justifiably rate Bopara higher

 

[Easa]

89 today. Your arguement has no facts for ousting Cook, just getting in Shah.

Errm, Shah has only played one test match.

He didn't fail in either innings - in fact in the 1st innings he was denied a hundred by an absolute gaffe in the slips.

Cook, on the other hand, has played 3 test matches. In his second test match, he made 17 and 7 and he still played today. Shah made 93 and 37 and he didn't play.

 

[Oxy]

billy:

i have played against both Cook and Bopara in club matches and can, therefore, justifiably rate Bopara higher

I dont think 'Subway eating' contests count z10

 

[Rob H]

Errm, Shah has only played one test match.

He didn't fail in either innings - in fact in the 1st innings he was denied a hundred by an absolute gaffe in the slips.

Cook, on the other hand, has played 3 test matches. In his second test match, he made 17 and 7 and he still played today. Shah made 93 and 37 and he didn't play.

so what you are basically saying is that Cook shouldn't be picked because he got a 7 and 17 in one game .

 

[z10]

I dont think 'Subway eating' contests count z10

my mistake, i hereby retract the earlier statement