Arthur Crabtree wrote:Can't lose this. But a wake up call.
Arthur Crabtree wrote:Can't lose this. But a wake up call.
sussexpob wrote:Durhamfootman wrote:I spotted a stat earlier that said that 8 of the 12 wickets taken fell to attacking shots
More execution than approach created the downfalls.
Thirimanne got out from a buffet ball on the leg stump not making any attempt to keep it down with a fielder placed for the shot. Mendis got a ball that wobbled and cut from the surface, but the conviction in his forward press was non-existent, which I guess you can expect from a player with 5 ducks in a row. Perera just didnt get over the bounce with a sweep, Matthews just slashed at a ball that looked to me wide enough to punch through the off side for me but he went at it wildly and no control in his techniquee. Chandimal slashed a very wide ball with static feet and no balance; he was lucky to survive a carbon copy of his wicket not long before. Dickwella got out to a rank long hop somehow. Perera tried to take on Bess and missed the ball. The comic run out just added to the clownish atmosphere.
You will here this a lot this series, but we cant really rationalize these scores in another other way; SL are an atrocious test team. England really didnt need to do much, even when the top two SL bats got a start and conditions looked fairly tame, both tried their best to get out.
And while Sibley (who has massive question marks on his ability to play spin, which his dismissal wont help) and Crawley (only really he knows what that shot he got out to was) failed, SL really havent bowled anything that has tested England.
Any half decent bat who maintains concentration for long enough can get a score against this line up. I counted probably 2 maybe 3 balls where the bowler gets it right and the batsman is challenged. Other than that its tame going through the motions stuff mixed with far, far too many balls that go awry.
The pitch isnt dead, there is something there, but nothing to over-ride the gulf in ability between teams. England should target 500 plus and to be back in the hotel by th end of day 3 having won the test.
alfie wrote: If Sri Lanka bowl them out for 67 tomorrow I'm blaming you , SP
Never a dull moment watching England in a Test...
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