Arthur Crabtree wrote:
POTM? Got to be Honest Joe.
bigfluffylemon wrote:JB1, surely? Stokes at 3 is clearly a failed experiment. Bairstow bats better without the gloves, despite what he thinks.
If another seamer has to come in, Broad surely should be next cab off the rank, but Stokes and Anderson should be sufficient.
History suggests Colombo is easier for batting than Galle or Kandy, but who knows?
alfie wrote:End of a fascinating match...couldn't watch the play today due to a cricketing commitment closer to home ; but happy to see England were able to finish the job this morning comfortably enough : have to say it was looking a bit dicey at time yesterday ! But that's why Test Cricket is so compelling , with the constant changes in fortune...especially on pitches like the ones prepared on this tour , that do a bit for at least one type of bowler.
Unlike many people I have no problem with home sides preparing pitches that suit their strengths : after all they are their strengths because they are the conditions in which their players developed ; so it would make no sense to try and set up something different to make life easier for the visitors. Good teams learn to handle alien conditions...and the great ones win home and away.
Not calling this England side great , mind...long way to go ! But they've done a damn good job on this trip - albeit with some luck of the toss ; and , it must be said , an opponent a lot weaker than its predecessors which boasted the likes of Jayawardene , Sangakarra , Murali and Vaas. Still tough to win here - ask Australia and SA - and they've done so with a game to spare.
Not sure I'd anoint the current spin trio as equal to Swann and Monty in India a few years ago ; but they've done what was asked of them and enabled victory in conditions that drained England's usual strengths to the point that Broad wasn't picked at all and Anderson has been a bit player ( though his tail end contributions in sticking with Curran and Foakes resulted in many more runs than the eventual winning margin ! ) Where we go from here in terms of selection for West Indies , let alone a home Ashes , is something for the future . Right now , Root and his men can take a bow...though I hope they don't take their foot off the pedal for the third match : a third win would be lovely but they're surely due to lose a toss at least so not easy.
And as for Root (though I think his captaincy is still a bit iffy at times) I think he thoroughly deserved his MoTM for that quite excellent century. Fine batting. , and clever. And turned a tricky third innings into one that set up what always seemed likely to be a winning score on a fourth day turner... A good captain's knock , indeed
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