Good idea


Woakes for me and Bairstow should never be down at 7.

Well, Woakes is now celebrating his pick with an 8 for against Durham.

Very much agree.

Unfortunately i think selectors will go with Woakes when its an ideal opportunity to see how Ball goes, especially as whoever they pick is essentially just a 4th seamer so no huge pressure (which is all woakes is at best at Test level)

Very much agree about Woakes but he is certainly in good form !

Going back to the 1st Test, it can't be that usual for teams to win the toss and insert the opposition and lose by an innings

Dropping like ninepins. More bad news for the tourists

Sri Lanka fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera has been ruled out of the England tour after suffering a stress fracture to his lower back. Chameera has been advised rest for four months and will return to Sri Lanka to continue his treatment.

The Sri Lanka selectors are expected to meet by Wednesday to pick a replacement for Chameera. The loss of Chameera is the second big blow to Sri Lanka's bowling attack as pacer Dhammika Prasad returned home last week after picking up a shoulder injury during a tour match.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-...y/1018849.html

think if i was a sri lankan bowler and just watched that batting display i would be "injured" too

Maybe, as you mentioned on the other thread, they could call up another wicket keeper...

Could always recall sangakkara.

Essentially sri lanka hopes of even winning one game is over now with two of their best bowlers injured.
makes sri lanka go from a decent attack, to a really awful attack now, they may even struggle to take wickets now.
so essentially they have 2 and half batsman and probably 2 bowlers in the team.

I'm no fan of Woakes but there we are so in he comes as 4th seamer. Keep it tight and let the big boys do the work.

I'd have him batting below Finn though I'd prefer to see Broad in lower than both of them given his lack of scoring recently.

Woakes is a far better batsman than Finn, should bat at 8 with Ali at 7 and Bairstow at 6.

Indeed, he's someone that can score big runs. Finn is fine where he is, he's someone that can block up an end whilst hopefully the more attacking bat at the other end can have a thrash around,

Broad is currently not good, but in the end he's still capable of that match turning innings.

No hes not. Hes not even close to turning a match in an innings. Can you name the last time he turned a match in an innings?

32 against Saffie in Durban wasn't bad. Got us over 300 in the first innings. In the end though the fact remains that he's capable of a quick 30 odd, and Finn's ability just to stick around is effective at ten or eleven, no reason to bat a guy with a firdt-class average of 8 any higher than that.

Broad is ok bat but since the last ashes tour down under and then getting hit by Aaron as really made him an awful player against pace.
even that 30 against south africa was extremely lucky.
TBH would have finn above him since it is better if broad bats lower down to get quicker runs while finn can waste deliveries and help the main batters + Ali to score meaningful runs.

Essentially broad could do what Swann really did when it was bresnan, broad above him and not worry about getting out or getting hurt just saw quick runs doesn't really matter if he gets out.
not sure broad got the will and skill now to defend.

Doesn't work for me, because Broad isn't Swann, he's always even when he was good an utterly lousy starter, so he needs time if he's going to do something, then when he gets going he hits it about.

Swann was just someone who could hit it from the start.

Anyway, bottom line is Finn at 10 seems to be working, the old, if it ain't broke. Same with Bairstow at 7, seems a waste, but that's where he seems to score the most runs.

Thats what I said Woakes then Finn, Broad and Jimmy would be my tail. Woakes must be feeling confident as a bowling all rounder but I doubt it will make any difference to England who seems to have most bases covered at the moment.

ABV at it again, almost single handingly winning the game for RCB

Chasing 158, and being 29/5 he is now 77* off 45 with only 15 needed off 16 balls at 142/6

He is amazing. Doesn't panic either

England getting their fair share of injuries as well


Ben Stokes has undergone surgery to address a cartilage tear in his left knee after pulling up injured during the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Reece Topley, the Hampshire left-arm seamer, has been ruled out for the entire international season having been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-...y/1019021.html

Broad's an ok No9 test bat again now. He still doesnt look as good as a few years ago so i wouldn't want him higher, but seems over that awful period of being scared of a cricket ball. I saw bits of his 36 and 55 for Notts vs Yorks (with bowlers incl plunkett, willey, rashid & brooks) in the early May live sky 4-day championship game and broad looked alright

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/...ch/946827.html


Bairstow hit an extraordinary six off Broad in the same match, bit brief (1min59) in this clip but just a cross bat flick that somehow cleared the ropes
https://youtu.be/Fee4yJGE7rs?t=1m56s

Alan Mullally, now living in Aus, is still struggling with alcoholism :

The former England Test star has been caught while five times over the drink-drive limit .

Alan Mullally was fined and banned from driving for three years.

Astonishingly it is the fourth time in ten years he has been caught drink-driving.

Mullally, 46, played 19 Tests and 50 one-day matches for England.

The court in Perth, Australia heard how he crashed his mum’s car when he was too drunk to negotiate a corner, hitting a wall several times and two parked cars.

Magistrates were told how he had struggled after retiring from cricket with the break-up of his marriage, the loss of £50,000 through a bad business deal involving a friend who went bankrupt and the death of his dad.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricke...r-alan-8051216

England announce their team

Teams news

In keeping with England's new, positive outlook towards everything from declarations to follow-ons, Alastair Cook once again confirmed his team a full 24 hours in advance of the toss. In comes Woakes for Stokes, with Ball missing out, and up a notch on the batting card go Jonny Bairstow, the Man of the Match at Headingley, and Moeen Ali - whose form as a designated No. 8 has been ropey in recent times. Both have been given extra responsibility at 6 and 7 respectively, with Woakes slotting in as a very handy No.8.


http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-...y/1019837.html

They just did a live report from Durham on Sky Sports news. Didn't half look cold and gloomy

Dry weather is forecast till Monday, Monday looking 50/50 dry too, so a full 5 days is possible. And any clouds are white so light problems should not happen

I imagine the new trend of making the wicket batting friendly might offset the weather influence.