Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test Match Thread

[Duty281]

First topic message reminder :

Not too early for this is it? After their 'heroic' defeat last Thursday, England will need a win to tie the series and preserve their no.1 ranking while Sri Lanka need a win or tie to win the series.

England's preparations haven't been helped by the fact that Broad will miss out due to injury while Sri Lanka's have been boosted by the news that Mathews will return from injury. Cricinfo predicts the following line-ups with two changes for each team:

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Lahiru Thirimanne, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jaywardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dhammila Prasad, 11 Suranga Lakmal.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Finn.

The pressure is really on Andrew Strauss, for his batting (justified) and his captaincy (unjustified). England's batsmen will also be feeling the heat as well - they haven't made over 400 so far this winter!

Keep an eye out for the rain, some is predicted on the first day. Game starts at 5:30 BST. Come on England!

[Guest]

no incidents of anyone going into 3rd umpire's room today

[Mad for Chelsea]

not sure England need to swing the bat even if they get to 400 by say close of play tomorrow. That leaves them two full days to force the result, and let's not forget every run England make in the first innings is one they don't have to make in the second. Just bat and bat and bat would be my advice.

[Fists of Fury]

I'm with you, MFC. Unless there is a prospect of rain then I'd just continue to accumulate steadily, knowing full well that we can bowl Sri Lanka out in two days.

[dummy_half]

Anyone know the last full day of Test cricket with so few runs scored (37 + 154 = 191 runs in the day)?

I've not got any problem with us batting like this in these conditions and after the recent poor performances - back to basics of leaving the balls you can, blocking the ones you must and scoring off the ones that are available safely. Same again for the first half of tomorrow, and we should be somewhere around the Sri Lankan score hopefully with no more than 3 down. After this hopefully the SLs will start to bowl a little more loosely and the morale in the field decline, allowing us to just up the scoring rate without taking many risks.

Hopefully 400 on the board by the end of tomorrow with the opportunity to add to this the following morning.

[mystiroakey]

Anyone know the last full day of Test cricket with so few runs scored (37 + 154 = 191 runs in the day)?

I've not got any problem with us batting like this in these conditions and after the recent poor performances - back to basics of leaving the balls you can, blocking the ones you must and scoring off the ones that are available safely. Same again for the first half of tomorrow, and we should be somewhere around the Sri Lankan score hopefully with no more than 3 down. After this hopefully the SLs will start to bowl a little more loosely and the morale in the field decline, allowing us to just up the scoring rate without taking many risks.

Hopefully 400 on the board by the end of tomorrow with the opportunity to add to this the following morning.

so you want us to bat on for two full days and leave under two days to keep SL in with a chance of a draw.

think about this simply.

england get 450 - and i takes us 6 sessions!

we are only 180 ahead. say sl get 300 in 4 sessions. that would leave england 1 session to get 120!!

[mystiroakey]

In all honesty i dont think we should assume to get em out in two days for under our lead- therefore I would deffo push the RR up if we reach 400

[alfie]

Very well played by all three batsmen so far. England now on top after two days

BUT ... still a lot of work to do . Remember 2nd Test against Pakistan : England were cruising with Cook and Trott and looked set to take a big lead ... And what happened after a wicket fell ? The next four batsmen made about forty between them and only Broad's hitting gained a lead at all , not a big enough one...

Not suggesting that will happen here , but we need not get carried away yet ,there is a lot of cricket left in this match.

[alfie]

If England get 400 I will very much fancy our chances , as I think Finn may be very difficult to play later in the match with the bounce perhaps getting a bit unreliable...

Couple of other handy bowlers too

[dummy_half]

Myst

It's more about pragmatism - first day yielded about 240 runs, today under 200, so it isn't a pitch where you can expect to get 350 tomorrow unless Pieterson gets in and goes mad for a session. I think to be realistic we have to be planning to be around 400 at the end of tomorrow, so leading by about 125 - maybe we'll be ahead of that if we have a good day, and be at 450-475 by the close in which case we are ahead of the game, but it's not something we can guarantee.

The suggestion is though that the wicket will deteriorate further, and so setting a lead of 180 to 200 could well be enough to either have us winning by an innings or at worst having to knock of 50 or so for the win. Sri Lanka scoring 300+ in the third inning would be a good effort.

[Guest]

anyone know the situation of sri lanka's pay?

are they getting paid, and will they get paid after this series?

[mystiroakey]

Myst

It's more about pragmatism - first day yielded about 240 runs, today under 200, so it isn't a pitch where you can expect to get 350 tomorrow unless Pieterson gets in and goes mad for a session. I think to be realistic we have to be planning to be around 400 at the end of tomorrow, so leading by about 125 - maybe we'll be ahead of that if we have a good day, and be at 450-475 by the close in which case we are ahead of the game, but it's not something we can guarantee.

The suggestion is though that the wicket will deteriorate further, and so setting a lead of 180 to 200 could well be enough to either have us winning by an innings or at worst having to knock of 50 or so for the win. Sri Lanka scoring 300+ in the third inning would be a good effort.

I just see that if we get to 400- the chances are we will have more chance in winning if we hit out 20/20 style rather than going at the same 2.4 rr and losing time which could proove crucial

[Guest]

if we win the test we stay no1, if we have a good day tomorrow, then we really should do it.

[Mike Selig]

People getting very far ahead of themselves on here. An excellent day for England following a very good one yesterday, but this test is far from over.

First thing for England: bat all day tomorrow. Don't worry about the runs too much, even if they finish on 350 providing they're only 5 or 6 down at most that's what the plan should be.

From then on, assess the pitch (if it's going to deteriorate it'll start tomorrow). If as everyone seems to think it's going to crumble, then talks of Sri Lanka scoring 300 shouldn't be relevant should England bowl well (200 will be tough enough).

That being the case, and IMO any chase over 100 not being easy, I go along with MfC and Fists in that every single run is vital, and acceleration is not necessary, although it should be noted that Strauss and Cook have so far played naturally, the slowness of the pitch and the outfield (even compared to the first test) explains to an extent the slowness of the scoring. In which case I suggest the run-rate will pick up naturally as the bowlers get tired and the more aggressive players bat.

I just don't think time is the issue, because any runs England don't get in this innings they'll have to score in the next one.

But a couple of quick wickets tomorrow morning and it's game on again let's not forget. England are in a strong position, but it's far from being unassailable yet.

[mystiroakey]

People getting very far ahead of themselves on here. An excellent day for England following a very good one yesterday, but this test is far from over.

First thing for England: bat all day tomorrow. Don't worry about the runs too much, even if they finish on 350 providing they're only 5 or 6 down at most that's what the plan should be.

From then on, assess the pitch (if it's going to deteriorate it'll start tomorrow). If as everyone seems to think it's going to crumble, then talks of Sri Lanka scoring 300 shouldn't be relevant should England bowl well (200 will be tough enough).

That being the case, and IMO any chase over 100 not being easy, I go along with MfC and Fists in that every single run is vital, and acceleration is not necessary, although it should be noted that Strauss and Cook have so far played naturally, the slowness of the pitch and the outfield (even compared to the first test) explains to an extent the slowness of the scoring. In which case I suggest the run-rate will pick up naturally as the bowlers get tired and the more aggressive players bat.

I just don't think time is the issue, because any runs England don't get in this innings they'll have to score in the next one.

But a couple of quick wickets tomorrow morning and it's game on again let's not forget. England are in a strong position, but it's far from being unassailable yet.

really dont agree dude. time will run out if we keep going at 2.4 and we finish tommorow at 400- therefore id hit out, gives us much more chance in winning the game.

batting the morning session after and getting to 450 , leaving only 5 sessions left brings in a possiblity of a draw

[Mike Selig]

As I say, if the pitch behaves as everyone seems to think it will, 450 by lunch tomorrow should comfortably win the test if England bowl well (probably by an innings with more than a session to spare).

If the pitch doesn't deteriorate then you can look at accelerating.

But if England from 380/5 at stumps decide to have a slog on a wearing pitch and get roled over for 400 within half an hour, they could leave themselves chasing 150 in a session and a half or 2 sessions and lose. If on the other hand they eke out to 480 by mid-afternoon, Sri Lanka will almost certainly struggle to bat out more than 3 sessions. Even if they get 270 (a tough ask if the pitch behaves as predicted) England only have 70odd to win, still in a session and a half. Those extra 80 runs could make all the difference.

[mystiroakey]

As I say, if the pitch behaves as everyone seems to think it will, 450 by lunch tomorrow should comfortably win the test if England bowl well (probably by an innings with more than a session to spare).

If the pitch doesn't deteriorate then you can look at accelerating.

But if England from 380/5 at stumps decide to have a slog on a wearing pitch and get roled over for 400 within half an hour, they could leave themselves chasing 150 in a session and a half or 2 sessions and lose. If on the other hand they eke out to 480 by mid-afternoon, Sri Lanka will almost certainly struggle to bat out more than 3 sessions. Even if they get 270 (a tough ask if the pitch behaves as predicted) England only have 70odd to win, still in a session and a half. Those extra 80 runs could make all the difference.

When it comes to cricket - I would allways rather bring in a possibility of loss for more chance of a win over a possibility of a draw and lesser chance of a win.

I have seen england(years ago) bring draw after draw into play.

Over the last 3 years or so england have been winning v well- basically destroying other teams- and doing it with very high RR's(4.5 etc) and never really bringing a draw into play- when you play at 4 plus an over you dont have to worry about much else in fainress, if your good enough you win!

this is a low scoring track and i feel we have a possibility of a draw- and that is something that i dont wanna see!

you lads may be right- however my point was allways - if we get to 400- id rather hit out,as it will give us more time

[Guest]

I am with Mike on this.

No way is this a pitch where even 450 is going to be made within 3/4 sessions. If the pitch slows down and starts to turn, even 4 an over would be an achievement in itself.

England to reach 150+ in 2 1/2 sessions is quite remarkable. They have done this without any rash shots leading to a collapse. England need to try and bat the day out. Hopefully get to 330 and try and get the Sri Lankans in. Swann and Patel will be vital in the 2 innings. The good thing about the England seamers is that they have the measure of the Lefties and I think again a full length might find some edges.

[Mike Selig]

In this game on these pitches it's less a question of time than making sure you're bowling as late as possible when the pitch is as hard as possible to bat on.

It will be very difficult to score even 100 on the last day, remember Australia against India when they finally won? They couldn't chase down 100 to clinch the series 3-0 in a pitch which I believe this one will ressemble come day 5. OK so the indian attack wasn't the same as this Sri Lankan one, but ditto it was the great australian side (depending on who you believe out of guilford and I, they were either the greatest or the second greatest of all-time) with significantly better players than this current England one.

Talks of 4 runs an over are crazy on pitches like this. England scored between 3 and 4 in Australia (I certainly can't recall any innings where the batsmen took the bowlers apart completely, it was much more accumlulating) which is roughly 2.5 here.

[mystiroakey]

get to 330, you what!

pitch isnt tough batting at present- we must look to get more!

if we get to 450 - its gonna take us 6 sessions!! not 3/4- leaving only 5 to go

anyway point was if we get to 400 - then hit out- get a strangle hold on the game and give us time to bowl em out!!

[Mike Selig]

All this assuming this isn't a wicket of the type which never deteriorates as you think it must be (as some pitches seem to be). I don't think it is, and neither do any of the commentators I've listened to, but that doesn't mean we're right.

[Duty281]

IF we manage to bat this long, then I would like to see us declare on the middle of Day 4 with around a 200 lead. This gives us 3 hours of Day 4 to knock over the top order and all of Day 5 to finish it off with maybe a small target of 50-75 to chase. That's IF we bat that long. One thing is for sure though - bat through tomorrow and prove we are still number one.

[mystiroakey]

All this assuming this isn't a wicket of the type which never deteriorates as you think it must be (as some pitches seem to be). I don't think it is, and neither do any of the commentators I've listened to, but that doesn't mean we're right.

mike if it deterorates- which it probally will!! and england have put on 400 plus the hit out runs.. we will win whatever we do!!

If the pitch doesnt deterorate- by upping the run rate at the 400 mark we have less chance of getting the draw!!!

[mystiroakey]

IF we manage to bat this long, then I would like to see us declare on the middle of Day 4 with around a 200 lead. This gives us 3 hours of Day 4 to knock over the top order and all of Day 5 to finish it off with maybe a small target of 50-75 to chase. That's IF we bat that long. One thing is for sure though - bat through tomorrow and prove we are still number one.

if we declare middle of day 4- then id say that the pitch is still decent and it may not deterorate day 5, which gives sl a massive chance at getting the draw.

[Mike Selig]

We will know tomorrow evening whether the pitch is a deteriorating pitch or not.

If it does deteriorate, England get to 400 and start swinging they will be all out for 410. If Sri Lanka then scrape 230/250 then England could well lose. Whereas if they eke out to 450 the pitch will have gotten worse and SL will be lucky to get to 200. Even England should be able to chase 30.

[Duty281]

IF we manage to bat this long, then I would like to see us declare on the middle of Day 4 with around a 200 lead. This gives us 3 hours of Day 4 to knock over the top order and all of Day 5 to finish it off with maybe a small target of 50-75 to chase. That's IF we bat that long. One thing is for sure though - bat through tomorrow and prove we are still number one.

if we declare middle of day 4- then id say that the pitch is still decent and it may not deterorate day 5, which gives sl a massive chance at getting the draw.

We don't need the pitch to deteriorate, we took 6 wickets on a very flat first day pitch. 10 wickets to get in a day and a half with the pressure heaped on Sri Lanka? Piece of cake.

[mystiroakey]

i think england hitting out could easily put on 60 as much as 10!!

and if it has deteriorated then sl will be lucky to get 180 not 240

[Duty281]

Anyone see how much spin that Swann got for his final wicket? If he can do that on an early morning Day 2 pitch then I'll enjoy watching what he can do on a Day 5 pitch.

[Mad for Chelsea]

to be honest the cracks looked wider this morning than they did yesterday, though SL's spinners didn't really create much. I think given how dry the pitch is those cracks will continue to widen, thus the pitch will deteriorate. England have excellent bowlers to exploit uneven pitches (three tall fast bowlers, all of whom bowl pretty straight, plus Swann of course).

[mystiroakey]

Id rather go for the kill. But yeah however we do it- and i think most feel the cautious approiach is best- I dont wanna ruin this opportunity!

In this case the cautious approach is trusting our bowlers final day- rather than our batters! which is fair enough i suppose

[Mike Selig]

Anyone see how much spin that Swann got for his final wicket? If he can do that on an early morning Day 2 pitch then I'll enjoy watching what he can do on a Day 5 pitch.

Exactly. Presuming the pitch does get worse and not better (as pitches sometimes strangely do), it'll be unplayable come day 5. Not only against spin but also fast bowlers will get uneven bounce.

[Mad for Chelsea]

the last time our bowlers let us down was Perth second innings. the last time our batsmen let us down was two innings ago, so yep, I'd trust our bowlers

[Mike Selig]

Still think people are getting ahead of themselves. First thing for England: bat out tomorrow and get into the lead with plenty of wickets still in hand. That's still quite a way away.

[mystiroakey]

if two wickets go early the game could be back in the SL camp. due to us having to bat last and no one past kp feels me with any confidence

[trebellbobaggins]

Evening all. Been a good match this, in the balance at the mo.

SL would be struggling without Jaya for sure.

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

Yeah i think reaching 400 would be a big ask even as things stand, then chasing a lead of over 200 will be tough last up.
England have a lot of batting and bowling to keep their final target under that.

The batsmen really have suffered this winter from being strauss being a bad tos ser

[guildfordbat]

People getting very far ahead of themselves on here. An excellent day for England following a very good one yesterday, but this test is far from over.

First thing for England: bat all day tomorrow. Don't worry about the runs too much, even if they finish on 350 providing they're only 5 or 6 down at most that's what the plan should be.

From then on, assess the pitch (if it's going to deteriorate it'll start tomorrow). If as everyone seems to think it's going to crumble, then talks of Sri Lanka scoring 300 shouldn't be relevant should England bowl well (200 will be tough enough).

That being the case, and IMO any chase over 100 not being easy, I go along with MfC and Fists in that every single run is vital, and acceleration is not necessary, although it should be noted that Strauss and Cook have so far played naturally, the slowness of the pitch and the outfield (even compared to the first test) explains to an extent the slowness of the scoring. In which case I suggest the run-rate will pick up naturally as the bowlers get tired and the more aggressive players bat.

I just don't think time is the issue, because any runs England don't get in this innings they'll have to score in the next one.

But a couple of quick wickets tomorrow morning and it's game on again let's not forget. England are in a strong position, but it's far from being unassailable yet.

Mike - you disagreed with me last night so I'll retaliate by totalling agreeing with your post above.

To mix a couple of travel metaphors, we are in the driving seat but could still hit the buffers.

We have done well / very well so far and deserve a lot of credit for that. However, whilst we're in the box seats with 9 first innings wickets left, we still trail by over 120 runs. The loss of two or three wickets in the first hour tomorrow could even see us end up with a deficit on first innings. Not likely but not impossible.

As you say, time is not the issue. There are still three full days' play left. Tomorrow we need to ensure we don't needlessly lose wickets, get a lead and keep going. That's surely the best way to put Sri Lanka in danger and force a win.

[Mad for Chelsea]

so far so good from England, Trott and Cook have serenely moved their partnership past the 50 mark and England now trail by exactly one hundred runs.

pitch report: Prasad has got a couple to really shoot through, Herath getting a couple to spin to Trott, though nothing extravagant as of yet. It may be that the pitch deteriorating will help the seamers more, in which case England are bang on in their selection.

[Mad for Chelsea]

pitch update: you may have to scratch that, Randiv has just spun one a very long way against Cook, pitching it outside leg, and hawkeye suggesting it would just have bounced past the off-stump...

[Mike Selig]

Morning all,

I think the pitch is definitely showing signs of wearing. A couple of balls kept a bit low, and the odd ball has spun. Think with England's extra pace their seamers will definitely come into it.

I also think the new ball may be easier to bat against. If it doesn't swing it'll bounce more and come through quicker. The spinners will enjoy it as they'll get a bit of bounce and a better seam, and the odd ball may skid on, but the seamers will be easier to play with it.

Herath looks a bit tired to me, always a sign when your arm starts getting lower.

Cook looks happy to bat all his life.

[eirebilly]

Goodmorning to you all. Just got it but it looks like Cook and Trott have take off where they finished yesterday. This is the confident England batting that we have missed for many tests

[Mad for Chelsea]

SL out of reviews as they lose both in consecutive overs, the second one a daft one IMO, big inside edge and would most likely have been umpire's call at best on height.

[Mike Selig]

Think Cook probably gloved that one. Either that or it was as close to the glove as you can get! Anyway, thought Samawaweera gloved his off Finn earlier as well so...

Trott definitely hit that. Not a great review given they only have one left.

[eirebilly]

Wow, in the space of two overs Sri Lanka have used up their reviews.

[eirebilly]

England have the lead in their sights. If possible to bat out today a 3rpo then the would give them a very decent lead going into the last 2 days. These two and Strauss have betted perfectly in the conditions.

[eirebilly]

Sri Lanka desperately need a wicket and soon. This has to be monumentally frustrating for them. I am enjoying it though

[eirebilly]

Oooh Cooky, lovely

[Mad for Chelsea]

England past the 200 mark for the loss of just one wicket. Looks like Mike may have a point about the new ball being a good place to bat on this pitch, though of course England's new ball bowlers are far superior to SL's.

[ShahenshahG]

Got the feeling that england need 180 lead minimum and will probably get it

[ShahenshahG]

Congrats trotter

[Mad for Chelsea]

Trott is so good, he can hit 4s off the back of the bat without even looking at the ball

Having said that, I've never been convinced bowling straight at Trott is a good idea, I know he looks like an LBW candidate the way he plays across his pads, but I really don't think he's actually got out that way a lot.

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