England vs Sri Lanka - the one day and t20 stuff

First ODI at Trent bridge today, England currently leading the series 10-2...

Team is Hales, Roy, Root, Morgan, Bairstow, Buttler, Ali, Woakes, Rashid, Willey, Plunkett

The batting is incredible, can't help feel were a bowler short tho

So it makes sense that we've won the toss and are bowling...

And Olly has sneaked in while I was typing my thread

Suggest we use this one, though possibly a mod or admin could merge the two? Not sure we have one on the cricket boards at the mo though, we're obviously too well behaved

Re team selection, you do feel England could have afforded to play Finn, as Ali at 6 followed by Woakes, Rashid, Willey, Plunkett isn't exactly a huge tail. But equally England clearly want to get Bairstow involved given his form.

Pitch looks good, outfield is both short one side and lightening fast - Notts have scored 400+ on both their last games here...is 400 par?

Looks a cracking pitch to bat on this one.

Willey strikes, a rather tame push to cover and a simple catch for Bairstow. England will need to keep taking wickets here.

Willey with another, both openers gone now as Perrera looks to turn one to leg, but the ball just swings and straightens a touch, gets a leading edge and Roy takes a fine diving catch in a deep gully position.

SL 50/2 in the 8th over.

England do continue to pick up wickets. This time it's Woakes with a sharp bouncer and Mendis gloves it down the leg-side to Buttler. SL 56/3

This is the crucial partnership for Sri Lanka

Mad for Chelsea wrote:Willey with another, both openers gone now as Perrera looks to turn one to leg, but the ball just swings and straightens a touch, gets a leading edge and Roy takes a fine diving catch in a deep gully position.

SL 50/2 in the 8th over.

I've banged on for a few years now on the Surrey threads as to what an outstanding fielder that Roy is, both close in and out. I'm not convinced that England have fully utilised that. Whilst I - as you might expect - tend to look out for him in televised internationals, he doesn't seem to be too often where the ball goes. Possibly a reason the calibre and potential benefit of his fielding isn't fully recognised at England level is that Surrey now largely - certainly in Championship games - place him at slip; the understandable reasoning being that's where the most chances go and so you want your best catcher there even though it rules out the possibility of his athletic boundary stops and throws.

With that, a fine stop and direct hit by Roy although the batsman was back.

Yep, I do favour Roy but I like to believe that's because he's earned it and not because of who he plays for.

Rashid bowling well without reward here

Hes done well to peg the scoring rate back for sure but a change needed now theyve got settled and are starting to pick him off.

I agree that Roy's a very fine fielder, but I'm not sure he's quite shown it for England so far. There's been a couple of drops, the odd fumble, etc. which surprised me as he looked electric for Surrey. Could be being asked to field in different positions of course. Certainly today he's been razor-sharp. Could also be as a result of finally feeling he belongs at this level after being an integral part of England's T20 campaign.

He's only bowled a couple of overs so early days yet, but Moeen's bowling doesn't seem best suited to this surface. A slight worry given that we only have 5 bowlers today.

Agree with that, seems a bit quick IMO, and not getting any purchase out of it.

Crikey Bairstow's quick!

And as we write that, Moeen promptly breaks the partnership. Maybe a bit of extra bounce, and Chandimal's sweep lands straight down Woakes's throat. If I were Chandimal, I'd think about shelving the sweep shot for now, he doesn't seem particularly good at it...

Rashid - 10-0-36-0

Good spell that - shame he couldn't prize a wicket but a very controlled spell

no wicket for Rashid today, but he's bowled very nicely indeed, and done an excellent job in going for just 36 runs in his ten overs. Suspect guildford will be along in a bit to chat about the merits of bowling a bowler straight through his spell, and on this one I agree. Rashid had very nice rhythm from the start, and it was good captaincy from Morgan, both to bring him into the game early, and then to allow him to go through his spell.

Terrific from Prasanna as SL explode into life. 50 off just 24 balls...

Plunket bowling absolute rubbish here

And gone. Bit of extra pace from Woakes and Prasanna lobs it tamely back to him. Good captaincy from Morgan that, and a much needed wicket. SL now 5 down.

Great knock from Prasanna though, changed the complexion of the game.

Mad for Chelsea wrote:no wicket for Rashid today, but he's bowled very nicely indeed, and done an excellent job in going for just 36 runs in his ten overs. Suspect guildford will be along in a bit to chat about the merits of bowling a bowler straight through his spell, and on this one I agree. Rashid had very nice rhythm from the start, and it was good captaincy from Morgan, both to bring him into the game early, and then to allow him to go through his spell.

MfC - for once, I'm pretty busy today and so thank you for flagging it on my behalf. Getting your eye in - or at least getting rhythm and confidence applies just as much to a bowler as a batsman. Too often, fielding captains try ''to mix the bowling up'' and end up causing disruption for their own bowlers more than the opposition batsmen.

0/36 off 10 for Rashid. He will probably be slightly disappointed not to have a wicket but as a captain, Morgan will be happy to bank that nearly every time.

And another wicket. Plunkett took a lot of tap from Prasanna but has got rid of Tharanga. Not a great ball, full and wide, but a big drive only brings a nick through to Buttler. Not a good shot in the circumstances, and SL are in danger of running out of batsmen. Big responsibility on Matthews now, does he stick or twist?

While not quite on topic, a shout out to the new England Women's captain, Heather Knight. In a comfortable seven wicket win against Pakistan earlier today, she became the first woman to score 50 and take 5 wickets in an ODI.

Great work from Plunkett in the ring there at extra-cover, makes a good stop and keeps his calm to return the ball to Willey to complete the run out as Shanaka goes charging down the pitch. SL 7 down now, with the last recognised batsman of any sort coming to the crease.

Gotta think England are gonna chase the likely 280-300 SL are gonna set here - glorious day, pitch is doing little if anything and the outfield is quick and small - oh and they bat to 11

Matthews gone, leading edge to deep mid-off gives Plunkett his second of the day.

All down to Maharoof now...

Amazed that England had a long-on to Lakmal just then, did Morgan not realise the batsmen crossed when that one was in the air?

What a drop from Root absolute dolly..

Doesn't really cost England though, Maharoof unable to find the boundary in that last over as there's only five off it. Run out off the last ball as SL take a suicidal second, good throw from Willey.

Feel that 286 is quite a bit below par on this pitch, those three early wickets to England crucial as it forced SL on the defensive.

Errr he has Hales reviewed that......

How are England getting bowled out by a division two county attack on a flat road?

Well somehow England have dragged themselves to a position where they need 79 off 60 - gotta think if Buttler stays till the end we're in with a chance

Unreal finish. Great game. Feel a little sorry for Pradeep, bowled a great last over - one bad ball - and was let down by his fielders off the penultimate bowl when it should have been over. Then I felt the SL's overcomplicated it before the last ball (too many cooks etc.).

what a remarkable game!

Is it too harsh to suggest Woakes innings, whilst fantastic, showed his limitations with the bat in ODIs?!

JDizzle wrote:Is it too harsh to suggest Woakes innings, whilst fantastic, showed his limitations with the bat in ODIs?!

Plz find the door and exit the thread JDizzle - how dare thee criticise my man for that knock!

I've decided it is. I am wanting too much for my number 8 to have the ability to come out and slap 90 off 60 balls... 90 off 90 will do.

So turns out having a batting line where everyone has at least two first class centuries is not a bad thing - ridiculous that we even got above 200, let alone tied it

For the next match, I feel we should leave out a batter and play the extra bowler. Bairstow pretty much the only one who could be left out.

Anyone watching the ladies?

Whatever Nat Sciver's been having for breakfast, I want some!

She's absolutely smashing it. Not many women could have played that knock, certainly none I've seen from England. If this is their new direction, I'm okay with that!

Yep. Seems in a way that the retirements of Edwards and Greenway, plus of course the break Taylor's taking to sort out her anxiety issues, have forced the rest of the batting to take more responsibility, and they seem to be doing so with a wonderful freedom and joie-de-vivre.

Players like Sciver, Beaumont, even Knight have been around for a while, but in these two games have batted with much more authority than I'd seen from them before. Knight's cameo today was a lovely knock of deft deflections and improvisations, and Sciver just smashed it everywhere. Good to see!

Mad for Chelsea wrote:Anyone watching the ladies?

With my reputation?

LondonTiger wrote:For the next match, I feel we should leave out a batter and play the extra bowler. Bairstow pretty much the only one who could be left out.

On paper maybe...but off the back of the last match its the batting thats the issue (as with the previous two ODIs) and we struggled even with that ridiculous depth.

At the minute they have 5 players picked primarily for their bowling, the only out and out all rounder arguably being Ali although he is training and being selected as a bowler first.

If Stokes were availlable I could see a strong case for picking him ahead of Bairstow, and he probably would have been.
But 6 players selected primarily as bowlers? Thats maybe swinging the balance too far the other way when the front 5 bats are struggling for form.

Recent form ..
Ali hasnt been taking wickets or scoring runs.
Roy hasnt passed 20 in his last 5, but had a good run of socres prior to that.
Morgan again has echoed the sides batting struggles since the start of the SA series...undroppable diue to cpataincy though.

Really I cant see what selections will be differnet other than shuffling the bowlers around.
If they go with one spinner Rashid deserves the spot over Ali.
I dont see 6 bowlers happeneing unless Stokes is fit

Can't see them changing the team yet.

Remarkable match yesterday ! Didn't sit up for it : matches finishing under lights in England are about as bad as West Indies games for this time zone and quite out of my plans. But I watched extended highlights this evening so a couple of comments :

Hasn't Woakes gained a bit of confidence ? Not too long ago a lot of people (some on here I think) were suggesting he wasn't cut out for the limited over game and it was a pity England didn't see him as primarily a Test player and select him accordingly . After the authority with which he played here I'd suggest his stocks in both formats may be on the rise - though at the moment it may be he will get more of a run in the short form. Hopefully he will continue his development.

That third umpire blunder in not ruling a no ball and recalling Willey ( surely it was an obvious overstep !) ironically probably cost Sri Lanka the match : Willey wasn't middling anything and I doubt England would have got there had Plunkett's arrival been delayed any longer.

And how the devil did they run three on that penultimate ball ? Looked like a tight two off the bat ...Perhaps the Olympic athletics team could invite Woakes and Plunkett to work out with the sprint squad

Might have a look at the next one if they start at a vaguely civilized time...that looked like fun.

Mad for Chelsea wrote:Yep. Seems in a way that the retirements of Edwards and Greenway, plus of course the break Taylor's taking to sort out her anxiety issues, have forced the rest of the batting to take more responsibility, and they seem to be doing so with a wonderful freedom and joie-de-vivre.

Players like Sciver, Beaumont, even Knight have been around for a while, but in these two games have batted with much more authority than I'd seen from them before. Knight's cameo today was a lovely knock of deft deflections and improvisations, and Sciver just smashed it everywhere. Good to see!

Think the stat was it had been 5 years since someone other than Edwards or Taylor had made a century for England. Astonishing really. And I would imagine that person was Claire Taylor.

Too early to jump the gun on the new side as there will be tougher tests than Pakistan, but Mark Robinson will be relieved. As much as Edwards and Greenway announced their retirements, you got the sense it was jump before you are pushed from the interviews they gave. Charlotte was a great batsman, but I did feel things had got a little stale underneath her and the fact she could barely move whilst batting/fielding wasn't the modern, aggressive way that Robinson clearly wanted to promote.

I really rate Sciver. She, along with Grace Harris of Australia, are where the women's game is going. Powerful athletes who can clear the ropes with ease.

alfie wrote:Can't see them changing the team yet.

Remarkable match yesterday !  Didn't sit up for it : matches finishing under lights in England are about as bad as West Indies games for this time zone and quite out of my plans.  But I watched extended highlights this evening so a couple of comments :

Hasn't Woakes gained a bit of confidence ? Not too long ago a lot of people (some on here I think) were suggesting he wasn't cut out for the limited over game and it was a pity England didn't see him as primarily a Test player and select him accordingly . After the authority with which he played here I'd suggest his stocks in both formats may be on the rise - though at the moment it may be he will get more of a run in the short form. Hopefully he will continue his development.

That third umpire blunder in not ruling a no ball and recalling Willey ( surely it was an obvious overstep !) ironically probably cost Sri Lanka the match : Willey wasn't middling anything and I doubt England would have got there had Plunkett's arrival been delayed any longer.

And how the devil did they run three on that penultimate ball ? Looked like a tight two off the bat ...Perhaps the Olympic athletics team could invite Woakes and Plunkett to work out with the sprint squad

Might have a look at the next one if they start at a vaguely civilized time...that looked like fun.

The issue with Woakes..and to be honest pretty much all the limited over bowlers..is that hes stil yet to really rip through opposition and show hes much more than a handy option who can also bat. Of course people used to say that about Broad and hes certainly looking increasingly set.
His opportunities in the test side will be more limited not because hes bertter suited to ODIs, but because of Anderson and Broad being in that squad and Stokes having the all rounder spot nailed down.
Hes heading in the right direction and yep Id agree his stocks on the rise, but England still look desperately short of a strike bowler.

Players who I do think should be having questions asked ...
Well Ali. Ive been a backer of him but his poor returns with the ball cant continue forever, especially when Engfland are stacked with bowlers who can also bat. Hes getting selected now primarily as a bowler, and concentrating his training accordingly. Thats where nhe needs to start delivering, in all formats.
Of course theres an element of you can only seelect form the players available, and with the lack of a real class specialist spinner hes been very useful to balance the side in all formats. Rashid hasnt exactly set the. world on fire to displace him when given the chance.
As shocked as Surrey fans will be to here me say this Ansari could/should be getting a chance to establish himself ahead of Ali if not this summer then over the winter tours. As I understand it he too is concentrating on improving his bowling and has moved down the order for his county. If he can turn into a regular wicket taker that could solve a problem for England. I dont see him as a short term magic bullet to rush in now (this summer) though.

Roy. He needs runs. As does Morgan. For both their places wont be under immediate threat (mixture of a lack of immediate repalcements, previously demonstarted potential and in Morgans case being Captain. But its legitimate to be concerned about their lack of runs following short lived good spells.

England two issue shave been lack of runs from specialist batsmen and a lack of wicket taking bowlers. Beyond a possible lshuffling of the seam bowlers I wouldnt expect any changes for the next game, or for that to make a significant change in the strengths and weaknesses of the side.

Plunkett in the wickets and a great run out from Roy has Sri Lanka 75-3 in the 17th over

England unchanged

Well that was a good time to start watching - brilliant run out from Roy! What were we saying the other day, MfC?

Everyone else still on the Euro thread?!

Anyone watching today. Just switched on to see Roy produce a brilliant bit of fielding to run out Perrera and reduce SL to 77/3 in the 17th over. Guildford will be pleased