It looks like this game is in the bag. There’s always a chance that something miraculous might happen – although Sri Lanka aren’t exactly blessed with many miracle workers – but one would expect England to romp home quite comfortably from here. I guess the rain might make an unwelcome return too, but we probably only need one of the two remaining days to wrap up a well deserved victory. In the words of a countercultural icon turned middle-aged pop-rock sell out...
Galle – Day 2
Well this is rather pleasant isn’t it? England are currently sitting pretty with a lead of 177 and all ten wickets still intact. The only thing that can stop us winning this test match is the weather. Famous last words. The day couldn’t have gone much better. Ben Foakes completed a debut century in the morning – the only other England keeper to achieve this was Matt Prior, who did so in much easier conditions (I was there) – and then England’s spinners tied Sri...
Galle – Day 1
Ben Foakes. Where have you been? Maybe there’s some magic spell which automatically turns England No.7s into world beaters (and our number 3s into frogs) or maybe, just maybe, the selectors and all the so-called experts got Surrey’s keeper all wrong. This lad can bat. He’s justified his place in the side and he hasn’t even put his keeping gloves on yet. For years we’ve heard that Ben Foakes was the best pure keeper in the country. There was just one problem: his...
Selection Dilemmas And Scheduling Ineptitude
So then. After a few weeks of inactivity, and a series of farcically wet ODIs which captured precisely nobody’s imagination, we’ve finally got some meaningful cricket to look forward to. There’s just one problem: it’s still monsoon season in Sri Lanka and I sense this pre-series buildup will be a complete waste of time. I’ve just looked up the Galle weather forecast and ‘heavy thunderstorms’ are forecast for all five days of the test. Typical. Obviously...
Would England Really Drop Broad?
There has been much talk about England’s potential line-up in Galle next week. Some reporters are even suggesting that Stuart Broad might miss out if England pick three spinners. Really? I can’t see this myself. Broad is England’s second leading wicket taker of all time, a huge figure in the dressing room, and he hasn’t been dropped (as opposed to rested due to injury or workload) for nigh on a decade. Personally, I think there might be some unrest from senior players if...
Before The Rain … A Total Shower
I couldn’t be bothered with the 5th ODI. Perhaps I subconsciously knew what was about to happen. I put the TV on, watched the first ten overs or so, and thought “this is incredibly dull”. The pitch was incredibly flat, the batsmen were cashing in, and England hadn’t even bothered to pick their best side. The game had ‘dead-rubber’ written all over it. Because I had no appetite whatsoever to watch the game live, I retreated to my home office to do some work...
