Second Test. England v Sri Lanka at Riverside. 27/5/16.

[Durhamfootman]

at least the match made it to the third day.

there would have been no point in piling on the thick end of 500 runs if England were going to bat again

[hopeforthebest]

Many people saying that this is testament to Woakes' inclusion - I still think he is not of Test standard. It's just that Sri Lanka are so poor that he looks good.

If Anderson and Broad were entitled to great acclaim for destroying SL on a tricky pitch at Headingly, surely this bowling of Woakes deserves a little more than the sour grapes your post offers.

[ianp1970]

Many people saying that this is testament to Woakes' inclusion - I still think he is not of Test standard. It's just that Sri Lanka are so poor that he looks good.

If Anderson and Broad were entitled to great acclaim for destroying SL on a tricky pitch at Headingly, surely this bowling of Woakes deserves a little more than the sour grapes your post offers.

During the later sessions yesterday it looked like Woakes comfortably out-performed Finn when they were bowling in tandem.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Finn's form/rhythm/method/whatever seems a bit mercurial.

[hopeforthebest]

Woakes has never been chosen on merit, he's always been in the team because of injuries to others. Even his first test was on at the Oval when it was treated as a experimental test bringing in Woakes and Kerrigan. Batsmen are apparently entitled to a run of 7 consecutive games to see if they're up to snuff but bowlers are very often discarded after one poor game.

[KipperJohn]

Woakes bowling yesterday was very little different to his previous efforts in Tests - he's had precious little luck in finding the edge up to press whilst regularly beating the bat. He has a nice rhythm, is the quickest of the current quartet and puts the ball in good areas.

For the avoidance of any doubt I'm not a Warwickshire supporter so have no axe to grind.

[Aidan11]

Another cold day at the ground.

[Aidan11]

SL certainly wont fancy it.

[alfie]

I thought Woakes looked a good deal more dangerous than when I've seen him before . I suppose that may be because the Sri Lankan batsmen played so poorly ; but it seems to me he has gained significantly in consistent pace and this is making a difference. Not much wrong with his length either ; and he certainly looked much more likely than Finn , who seemed a bit off the boil.

Still going to be hard for him to book a regular spot when Stokes returns ; but if he keeps this form going he might well challenge Finn and Wood for the third seamer position. Let us see if he continues in this vein...

[Aidan11]

Wicket already.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I was looking for the mph on the cricinfo stats, which are usually exhaustive. But they're not there. I thought there has been a suggestion that Woakes has lost movement as he has gained pace. Maybe it'll just take him time for his skills to catch up with his extra mph. He's quite different physically now. I'm really pleased he got wickets yesterday. He looked pretty toothless in SA, and even as one who always felt he deserved a chance based on his county/Lions record (the bowling James Taylor), I thought he was going to have to wait a while for his next opportunity.

It would be nice for any player to get a long run on coming into the side, but if you cover for injury, you just have to make the most of the games as they come. After all, even playing the odd game is more of an opportunity than many good county players get (Rushworth, Brooks, etc).

[Aidan11]

Thirimanne giving it the long handle now.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Pradeep's Test average is 3.75. That's Chris Martin territory.

[Aidan11]

100up.

[Aidan11]

LOL some old codger is in the commentary box.