Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Just going on the report I read!

alfie wrote:All makes the selectors look a bit indecisive .

Calling up a player after runs in a tour match feels like the England side of the nineties.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:

alfie wrote:All makes the selectors look a bit indecisive .

Calling up a player after runs in a tour match feels like the England side of the nineties.

As soon as I heard it, I cringed. Knee jerk reaction, desperate stuff.

I still think Australia will take this one comfortably. Sri Lanka are pretty poor at the moment, they are dire overseas, the first test is in Fortress Gabba, and Australia still has a strong bowling attack (even if they were a bit off the boil against India). I can't see a very inexperienced Sri Lanka batting line-up making good enough scores to compete.

If Australia can't win this series, it really will be rock bottom.

bigfluffylemon wrote:I still think Australia will take this one comfortably. Sri Lanka are pretty poor at the moment, they are dire overseas, the first test is in Fortress Gabba, and Australia still has a strong bowling attack (even if they were a bit off the boil against India). I can't see a very inexperienced Sri Lanka batting line-up making good enough scores to compete.

If Australia can't win this series, it really will be rock bottom.

Sri Lanka don't have the quality of quick bowlers to get anywhere near winning a test in Australia even against the current aussie side

They have the pace but the radar's aint there sadly

andy wrote:They have the pace but the radar's aint there sadly

Suppose they could get a win given Australia have their worst ever top 7

I guess the pink ball effect could , just possibly , allow Sri Lanka's (quite decent ) seamers to knock Australia over cheaply if timing and conditions fell their way...

But given this is the home team's fortress and the generally poor recent form of the tourists , you'd want pretty good odds to risk putting money on them. I'm hoping to see some competitive cricket ; but I expect Australia to win both matches.

Will be interesting to see how the newcomers look ; but again I'm not sure success , at home , against Sri Lanka would equate to announcing the next wave of Australian stars.

This starts tonight! I'm about to go to sleep, but I'll be interested to see the look of the Aussie team in the morning.

Except they've named it.

1 Marcus Harris, 2 Joe Burns 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Travis Head, 6 Kurtis Patterson, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Jhye Richardson, 11 Nathan Lyon

No Pucowski. Pretty tough as he was in the squad ahead of the Aussie KP. I don't like those kinds of decisions. They suggest poor planning.

This is the side Cricinfo is predicting for SL.

1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Lahiru Thirimann, 3 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Roshen Silva, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Home side on top first session. Starc a bit wayward , but new boy Richardson and Cummins bowled well (a wicket each) and Lyon chipped in with the important wicket of Karunaratne late in the session to leave a patient but battling Sri Lanka struggling at 58/3.
Will need big runs from Mendis you'd think.

No big runs for Mendis...or anyone else yet.

Impressive newcomer Richardson has bagged both him and Dananaya since the break to leave Sri Lanka reeling at 66/5. Ball that struck Mendis' off stump was a peach
With Lyon locking up one end this innings is going nowhere.
Dickwella will doubtless play some shots ; but it's hard to see them getting even 130 from here. Will take some pressure off the dodgy batting lineup.

Pink ball ; early days ...and "only"Sri Lanka : but Richardson looks to be booking his Ashes spot and ensuring that even if Pattinson doesn't make it back , and one or other of the usual three picks up an injury at some point (hardly a long shot) - Australia are sure of a lively pace battery for that series. Batting might be another matter...

As suggested , Dickwella isn't going to die in a hole... Few boundaries already , 18 from 27 - and he's looking to score , particularly off Lyon , wherever possible.
90/5 after forty.

Starc on for just his eighth over ...he's been a bit astray today. Some good balls ; but a fair few wasted ones also. Wouldn't surprise me to see him "rested" in Canberra.

He will probably take five now

Cummins takes his turn...Roshen a thin edge to Paine and it's 91/6... That modest 130 still looks a way off !

Only good thing for the tourists is they'll likely be bowling with a new ball under lights later on...

Now Perera retires hurt with a possibly broken digit...

Not going well for the visitors. Last three are real rabbits so Dickwella probably needs to tee off...