England vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test

Venue
Headingley, Leeds

Dates
19th - 23rd May 2016

TV Coverage
Live: Sky Sports 2 from 10am Daily
Highlights: Channel 5 19:00 Daily (also Sky Sports on differing channels and at differing times)



Officials

Umpires - Aleem Dar and RJ Tucker
TV umpire - S Ravi
Match referee - AJ Pycroft
Reserve umpire - PJ Hartley



Weather




Form

England - LWDWL
Sri Lanka - LLWWL



Teams:

England - 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Nick Compton, 4 Joe Root, 5 James Vince, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steven Finn, 11 James Anderson

Sri Lanka - 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Shaminda Eranga 11 Nuwan Pradeep



Pending Milestones:

Alastair Cook needs 36 runs to become the 12th player - and first Englishman - to 10,000 in Tests. If he gets there in this Test, he will be the youngest to do so.
Rangana Herath needs three wickets to become the third Sri Lankan to 300 in Tests.

They've implemented the ridiculous points system

Idiots

I don't think anyone will care or pay much attention, thankfully.

Hopefully England will underline their class and confidence by opting to bowl first, should they win the toss. Can't envisage Sri Lanka lasting too long on a cloudy Yorkshire morning against Anderson and Broad.

Four test series against the subcontinent sides this year for England - got to, and should, win them all.

I'm not having it that England should expect to win away in India, that is blind optimism I'm afraid

Sri Lanka win the toss and choose to bowl

VTR wrote:I'm not having it that England should expect to win away in India, that is blind optimism I'm afraid

Oh such a thing should be expected, I assure you.

Anyone for a roadmap?

Such is the nature of the Headingley pitch especially given the overhead conditions this morning I'd say England would be relatively pleased to get to lunch on 70 for 2. Consolidate and helped by the sun coming out get to Tea on 160 for 4 and close around 250 for 6.

Sri Lanka will be buoyed by winning the toss and will look for quick wickets. They'll hope to have England in trouble around 60 for 4 at lunch. At tea have England reduced to around 140 for 7 and bowl England out for no more than 200. Whether they can manage that with a new look team - time will tell.

Sri Lanka looking to put the ball outside off and play on the batters patience. Eranga's line has drifted onto Cook's pads once in each over so far.

And as I write that Hales gets his first ball that was not outside off, and clips it for 4 through midwicket.

350+ would be a good score for England.

Cook and Hales watchful thus far.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Such is the nature of the Headingley pitch especially given the overhead conditions this morning I'd say England would be relatively pleased to get to lunch on 70 for 2. Consolidate and helped by the sun coming out get to Tea on 160 for 4 and close around 250 for 6.

Sri Lanka will be buoyed by winning the toss and will look for quick wickets. They'll hope to have England in trouble around 60 for 4 at lunch. At tea have England reduced to around 140 for 7 and bowl England out for no more than 200. Whether they can manage that with a new look team - time will tell.

Morning Craig and all - feel that would be pretty ambitious hoping from Sri Lanka. Reckon they would take 2 in the morning and the same again in the second session if offered it. Anyway, that's just my gut feel of numbers and where they're at going into this Test.

Unable to watch atm and only just seen the score. Any excitement or anything else so far? Cheers.

As gentle as a train ride through the English countryside, though there was one half-hearted LBW shout against Hales.

guildfordbat wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Such is the nature of the Headingley pitch especially given the overhead conditions this morning I'd say England would be relatively pleased to get to lunch on 70 for 2. Consolidate and helped by the sun coming out get to Tea on 160 for 4 and close around 250 for 6.

Sri Lanka will be buoyed by winning the toss and will look for quick wickets. They'll hope to have England in trouble around 60 for 4 at lunch. At tea have England reduced to around 140 for 7 and bowl England out for no more than 200. Whether they can manage that with a new look team - time will tell.

Morning Craig and all - feel that would be pretty ambitious hoping from Sri Lanka. Reckon they would take 2 in the morning and the same again in the second session if offered it. Anyway, that's just my gut feel of numbers and where they're at going into this Test.

Unable to watch atm and only just seen the score. Any excitement or anything else so far? Cheers.

Aside from a few play and misses, a streaky four through the slips by Hales and that appeal referred to by Duty it has been pretty quiet.England 22 for 0. Cook needs 23 more runs to reach 10,000.

Thanks for the updates, guys.

Have to concede it does look like a bowling day.

Morning all. Pitch looks a touch on the slow side, keeper and slips far too deep BTW.

Think SL haven't quite got it right so far, a touch wide to both batsmen for me. If you're going to bowl that wide line to Hales you need to be fuller, as evidenced by the one he nicked through the slips.

Run scoring not easy, but England digging in.

Morning MfC - have to emphasise I'm unable to watch currently but isn't there a view that Hales will get himself out if you dry up the runs (or am I thinking too much about Roy? ) ?

Purely from the scoreboard, I don't think Sri Lanka will be too upset about how the first hour has gone. Need a wicket by lunch though.

28/0 after the first hour. Incredibly slow pitch, but a decently-paced outfield.

Sri Lanka far too timid; bowling at Hales and Cook as though it's a gorgeous day on a flat pitch, when in reality the conditions are in the bowler's favour. There has to be an element of aggression, particularly since the visitors won the toss, but no such attack is forthcoming.

Cook looks as though he's going to bat for six hours, Hales' footwork is a little cramped and he'll probably be feeling the frustration of the low scoring rate.

guildfordbat wrote:Morning MfC - have to emphasise I'm unable to watch currently but isn't there a view that Hales will get himself out if you dry up the runs (or am I thinking too much about Roy?   ) ?

Purely from the scoreboard, I don't think Sri Lanka will be too upset about how the first hour has gone. Need a wicket by lunch though.

Maybe, but I feel with the ball swinging in tricky batting conditions you should be trying to get batsmen out rather than let them get themselves out as it were. There was one ball from Eranga which pitched about off stump and swung away, on a good length, beating an uncertain defensive shot from Hales. My feeling is that had they bowled more balls there, they would have had a better chance of making inroads. By all means go back to the wide of off line if it doesn't work, but early on I would have liked to see SL be more attacking.

Thanks, MfC. I'm more trying to find out from you gentlemen what's happening than anything else. I'm not agreeing with Sri Lanka's approach but they've had a toughish time in their two warm up games which probably goes some way to explaining it and their apparent lack of positive intent / confidence.

Hales beginning to open up a bit against the first change bowlers

Cook caught behind for 16 wafting at a wide delivery. England 49 for 1 and Cook is 20 short of 10,000 Test Match runs.

Uncharacteristic rubbish from Cook, rare for his patience to run out.

Excellent first wicket for Shanaka.

Compton lasts three balls before being caught at 1st slip for a duck. England 49 for 2.

More rubbish, Compton this time. Not overly sure as to why he was picked in the first place, but there we go.

Sri Lanka one wicket away from making it a decent morning.

Compton needs a score in this series. Suspect he and Hales are battling for one place given their form.

Haven't we seen how the horrifically out of form Nick Compton story ends?

This is garbage

Ducks are all over the place at Headingley. Root caught for a duck and England 51 for 3. Hales holding things together - who would have thought you'd be saying that approaching lunch this morning. Debutant Vince enters with England in crisis.

Three down. What a dream start for Shanaka, Cook and Root accounted for.

Test match bowling average of a third of a run!

Cook will get the usual criticism for his shot, since apparently batsmen aren't ever allowed to get out playing an attacking stroke, but in reality it was full, wide and he saw the chance to score. Given he had played himself in, I feel it was a reasonable shot to play, but didn't execute obviously.

Compton, well. Nicking off early on happens to most players at some stage, but you can't help but feel that Nick Compton completely out of nick is not going to be a good thing for England. Needs a score sharpish really.

Root was a poor shot. Having just lost two quick wickets, and lunch approaching, not a good shot to attempt to get off the mark. Shanaka's done well, he's bowled a more attacking line and length, and done just enough in the air and off the pitch to draw the errors.

England 57 for 3 at lunch. Hales 38 not out and Vince 0 not out.

That was Sri Lanka's morning for me. A lot now lies on the shoulders of Hales 9who was under pressure enough to score for his own sake) and Vince (debutant). Should be an interesting afternoon session.

Just to add that Vince will be having a very nervy lunchtime. Sri Lanka did well to stop him getting off the mark in his maiden Test and let the pressure build. Admittedly, I'm sure Compton would swap places with him now.

Well that was a horrible 15 mins undoing all the good work of laying a platform in bowling conditions

Doesn't matter who England try at the top of the order we always seem to be 50-3, key difference this time is Root isn't there to rescue the innings.

Big test for Vince now as he won't have a clue whether to stick or twist. Also Hales is in new territory gluing the innings together.

We wouldn't have wanted the scoreboard reading as it does now but this is actually an opportunity for Hales to go on and secure the other opener's spot for some time ....

Looking forward to the Stokes/Bairstow counter attack after tea personally

The first test innings of the summer top order fail is becoming something of a tradition for England

Vince caught driving at a pitched up ball - out for 9. England 70 for 4 with Hales 42 not out.

Stokes in with three fours in his first four balls. England 82 for 4.

Stokes goes out playing his shots and is caught in the covers. Out for 12. England 83 for 5.

Was this really the time for fun and games?

Or was it more the time for careful application, and then playing your shots - as Hales has thus far shown.

You really have to question Stokes at 6 if he is going to play like that - a headless chicken of an innings

VTR wrote:You really have to question Stokes at 6 if he is going to play like that - a headless chicken of an innings

You can't have the 250 odd innings in South Africa without a few of these out earlier innings, he plays in a counter attacking way - when it comes off its brilliant

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

VTR wrote:You really have to question Stokes at 6 if he is going to play like that - a headless chicken of an innings

You can't have the 250 odd innings in South Africa without a few of these out earlier innings, he plays in a counter attacking way - when it comes off its brilliant

I'd agree with that. Such is his style he will always live by the sword, die by the sword so to speak.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

VTR wrote:You really have to question Stokes at 6 if he is going to play like that - a headless chicken of an innings

You can't have the 250 odd innings in South Africa without a few of these out earlier innings, he plays in a counter attacking way - when it comes off its brilliant

He played himself in during that 250. In this innings he was almost out twice before actually getting out to the ninth ball he faced. I think today was an absolutely shocking innings and the fact he once scored 250 doesn't excuse it

Anyway, back to the actual game, I think 250 keeps England well in it. That is a target they can still get to even with the poor effort so far

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

VTR wrote:You really have to question Stokes at 6 if he is going to play like that - a headless chicken of an innings

You can't have the 250 odd innings in South Africa without a few of these out earlier innings, he plays in a counter attacking way - when it comes off its brilliant

There's always a time and a place.

The 258 in South Africa was played on a ridiculously flat deck (both teams scored 600+) in absolutely stupendous weather. Stokes came in at 160/4, and only started to open up when he had reached 25 at a moderate pace.

This was 70/4 with the ball swinging about under heavy cloud, after two batsman had got ducks.

Foolish innings.

Hales gets a half century punching a shot through the onside for four - 51 not out. England 98 for 5.

I'm obviously with Duty, I think that's spot on. So we agree on that but I'm still mulling over England being favourites to win in India