England V SL 2nd Test Preview

so the 2nd test is here. can Lanka bounce back after that absolute shocker? will the momentum generated at Cardiff carry England through?
I think advantage England. they have momentum on their side. Cook, Trott and Bell scored 100s, Strauss has been in fine recent form, and Morgan is also coming off with good recent form. among the batters, only Kevin Pietersen's form is a matter of serious concern.
the bowling unit will certainly miss James Anderson, particularly if the ball is swinging. but then Steven Finn should make the 11 at his home ground where he has quite a good record. Finn's a wicket taker, even if his economy tends to be more on the rather expensive side. Chris Tremlett is in great form, and so is Graeme Swann. Stuart Broad has to get his act together, as he's going to be the leader of the attack. so rather than acting petulant, he'll do well to pitch it up, and look for available movement and use the short stuff sparingly. so other than KP's batting, which I am sure will be in place sooner rather than later, andAnderson's non-availability, England are in a much comfortable position.
Lanka's case is pretty different. the 2nd innings shocker is going to haunt them for some time, but they have a job at hand. their batting and bowling are in serious trouble. both Mahela and Sanga, the walls of their batting are yet to find form. with Prasanna batting a position too high at 6, it adds more pressure on the top order. may be they have to think about the balance of the side. Prasanna may have scored a fine 100 at 6, but then you do need your no 6 to be someone who can average more than 30. Dinesh Chandimal's a fine player and may be they have to bring him in. Maharoof hasn't done anything of note with the bat or ball, and if they go for 6 batters, I think it is he who should go out. also Velegadera the left-armer should come in place of the rather iineffective Ajantha Mendis. Dilhara Fernando should walking, in my view in place of Lakmal. may be the fresh hands will provide Lanka some much needed sharpness, and as they have done so often, surprise England.
hopes the pitch won't be a flat monster like that of Cardif, and the weather stays fine.

errggghhh please use paragraphs if possible, just the huge chunk of text makes it a bit awkward to read

Also some capital letters at the start of sentences wouldn't go amiss either.

If Sri Lanka bat like they did on Monday then England will win comfortably but if they apply themselves well it could be a draw as Lords is generally a bit flat and Sri Lanka have some quality batsman let's not forget. The massively tall bowling attack of Broad/Tremlett and Finn could cause some problems with their bounce but there is a risk of it being too 'samey'.

My prediction: England to win on day 5 again.

All on the pitch for me. The forecast is pretty good for all five days so weather shouldnt come into it too much. If there is pace and bounce in the pitch then that attack of Finn, Broad and Tremlett should enjoy it, maybe with Swann getting some turn out of it as it bakes in the June sunshine! (cursed it now = 5 days of rain!). Slow and flat equals Lanka making a point and piling on the runs for me.

The Lord's pitch hasn't been consistent over the last few years. 5 years ago, Lanka managed a draw, batting out 2 and a half days. Then SA, even after following on, saved the match quite comfortably.

But Australia, Pakistan, and even India, when they toured, found the pitch favoring the bowlers a bit more. The weather it seems, is going to be fine, lets see what the pitch has in stor this time around.

And sorry for the formating problems, but typing out on a netbook is never easy. shall try for better next time around.

today's the day come on england!!!!!!!!!! win the toss and bat get huge score and declare

Agree with you that if we win the toss we should defo bat first. However wouldn't be so upset if Sri Lanka win and bat first, an early wicket with the new cherry could see them panicking again after the effect of last monday.

I really hope that England win the toss and bat. Whats the weather going to be like?

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/7days.asp?zipcode=london
There's your answer billy! Lets hope that forecast is accurate. Diffinately a win toss and bat day for me. Scoreboard pressure!

Thanking you kindly pack. Lets hope Strauss wins the toss now

Yes, what is the weather going to be like for the next few days? Hopefully we can have an uninterrupted test match this time. Got a long weekend with nothing planned but the cricket. If not I will make the sacrifice and send this Italian sun over to Lords.

Cheers pack, looks ok, bit nippy though on some of the mornings. Come on Strauss call correctly!

Do you think Lanka's strategy of going in with 5 batters is the right one? Does anyone else think Farveez Maharoof should give way to Chandimal?

I think that it is the only stragey they can use tbh msp83. They need to be able to bat England off the pitch as well as keep England in check somewhat.

Its going to be dry and sunny.
Danger for England is losing the toss, Sri Lankas premier batsmen getting in, Finn and Broad leaking runs and the 4 man attack getting tired.
But the Sri Lankan tail is a joke (number 7 averaging under 20) and they dont have their best two bowlers, Fernandos undercooked as well even if he does play. If they drop Mendis the one player who could blitz through the England batting if he had a good day is gone.

Think Sri Lanka's 5 batsmen strategy is a reflection on their bowling capacity. They obviously think they will struggle to take 20 english wickets and so need the extra bowler. Mind you even with 5 bowlers I can't see them taking 20 wickets at Lords.

One thing is for sure, Sri Lanka must have very little confidence after their poor performance on the last day of the first test. I would be suprised if they wanted to bat first to be honest.

True, we will get an insight into their mindset if they win the toss.

It still has to be hurting them.

This is why a like cricket. Even such a seemingly insignificant thing such as the toss can be become a big event, and an indication of the mental state of the teams

Exactly LivinginItaly, could'nt have put it any better

I hope England are saying to themselves, "Right, winning every Test this Summer is still achievable. That's still the target, boys - number one this year."

I know this is a task rated somewhere between Very Difficult and Bleedin Impossible, but this bunch should have the ambition and guts to go for it.

Good toss to win, like most, but given the disparity in attacks as we know them at present I wouldn't be so concerned if we bowl first.

I honestly feel that Sri Lanka wont want to bat first after last tests crumble so i imagine that the toss is almost not important as England will bat first. I could be wrong though

i think dilishan is the sort of character where if he wins the toss he will bat first, he will come out and say, we are to give england a game, we have got over the defeat, and we are ready to come bak

True, but imagine the psychological boost for the England team if Lanka win the toss on a good batting strip and decide not to bat.

I am not so sure about that cricketfan. SL had a hell of a crumble and their confidence will be very low.

LivinginItaly wrote:Think Sri Lanka's 5 batsmen strategy is a reflection on their bowling capacity. They obviously think they will struggle to take 20 english wickets and so need the extra bowler. Mind you even with 5 bowlers I can't see them taking 20 wickets at Lords.

Quite, Their 5th "bowler" is more like a combination of Trotts bowling and Broads batting than the exact opposite which would actually justify his selection.
Its a great example of why England stick to 4 bowlers. If you have 4 good ones and no genuine all rounder dont try and pad the side out for the sake of "variation".


It would be ludicrous to not bat first. If youre scared about batting on day one of a test you should be terrified of batting last. If it were a grey overcast day and England had Anderson on a green wicket then OK, but in what should be good batting conditions do you really want to be letting Strauss Cook Trott rack up a declaration of 700-1?
Whenever you are thinking about batting second stop and think, then bat first. (apologies for butchering that quote) Its only in exceptional circumstances to suit specific bowlers youd bat second in tests. Sri Lanka have two spinners, theyll get the best from them bowling last.

Confidence low or not - and I wouldn't bank on it being THAT low - Dilshan must know he should bat if he wins the toss. Apart from anything else, if he bowls he is stating publically that he has no confidence in his batting line up.

Second, Stuart Law and the rest of the management should point out that they fell victim to an ambush. Dreadful, but it is a stark reminder of what happens when you lose concentration. "We all know you are better than that, YOU know you are better than that, now go out and show the world what you can do!" etc etc.

So I would expect at least a front of confidence but one that is almost certainly fragile. If Englnd bowl, I really want us on the money from Ball One.

Not long now...

One thing is for sure and that is that England are a test team on form so it will be hard to beat them.

Winning the toss and batting is an absolute no brainer in this weather. If you were Dishan, you'd expect your top 5 to see you to near 400 on day 1 against any attack after the amount of dry weather there's been in southern England.

I mean, imagine the outcome of putting England in with SLs rather powder puff seamers and with Cook, Trott and Bell coming off ton, double and ton not out respectively.

eirebilly wrote:One thing is for sure and that is that England are a test team on form so it will be hard to beat them.

I have watched enough English sport to instinctively hide under the table when someone says that.

Yeah in hindsight its not the best comment to make cowshot

I do believe that England have an aura around them at the moment though.

As Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler reminds:

If you win the toss, 9 times in 10 choose to bat straight away. The tenth time, think about in, then bat anyway.

Bowling first is a really high risk strategy that can only pay off if conditions are such that you'll know the opposition over for 250 or less first up, and be able to establish a very health first innings lead.

In the current conditions, you bat for 2 days and get 600+ on the board, so that at least there is some pressure on the opposition, in needing 400 to avoid the follow on.

Its going to be a decisive toss,not liking the teams chances who lose the toss.

Lovely conditions and weather should be plenty of runs on the Lords pitch.

What time is the toss?

Toss happening now,Sri Lanka win the toss. Bowl first very surprised.

Very surprising decision. Also strauss saying that perhaps he would have bowled first,.

Beautiful conditions and not either would want too bat first..

I thought that Sri Lanka would elect to bowl first.

I do believe that England have an aura around them at the moment though.

Bit of disinfectant in the kit bags should sort that out. Sorry. Am just in high spirits awaiting the start of the game.

I DO know what you mean. I am just a bit concerned that our perception is a touch skewed by what was, after all, just one session. I want more evidence before I'm sure.

I think that's a disastrous SL decision.

I was worried Strauss might have been tempted to bowl; I'm appalled Dilshan has been.

A number 6 averaging 30, a number 7 averaging 20. I think Sri Lanka is getting it all wrong. and the all-rounder isn't any great with the ball either. had Sangakkara been keeping, this strategy would have made a lot more sense, or if the all-rounder could actually bat a bit. in fact, Thisara Parera is a much better than Maharoof, and at least they should bat him at 7.

I would like to say that it was a shock decision by Dilshan but i really did expect it. Round one to England i feel. Lets just hope Dilshan is not right

Dilshans new too captaincy he's going to make 1 or 2 questionable decisions along the way.

Looks like you were right Billy, I think the momory of that last session must still be in the Lankan's Thoughts. Lets have Cook and Strauss make the most of a beautiful day now!

eirebilly: Yep, you read them right. I'm just horrified. Bowl first? In these conditions? After the dry weather we've had? Are they mad?

If I were Sri Lankan, I'd have a Baaaaad feeling about this.

...I just have this mental picture of Law clubbing Dilshan to death with a bloody stump....

I just had this feeling tha SL were still feeling a little shell shocked pack which is why i thought that they would bowl if they won the toss.

Not the best of decisions is it cowshot, that said, time will tell.