Second Test. England v Sri Lanka at Riverside. 27/5/16.

[Aidan11]

Cautious start from the openers.

[Arthur Crabtree]

The cloud is supposed to clear later on, so if they are batting mid afternoon with an older ball, it might be time to cash in.

[mikesiva]

Shanaka is rather ruthlessly dropped.

Indeed...Siriwardana should be there, but at the expense of Shanaka?

Thirimanne must have a godfather somewhere....

Lakmal in for the injured Chameera.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Anyone in the ground?

[yuppie]

People have probably answered this question before. But why are the first tests of the summer in the north?

Would it not make more sense to have the first games further south where the weather will more than likely be warmer and the conditions less likely to make the test last for 3 days?

With little preparation for teams that find this conditions as foreign as they can get. It just does not make sense.

[Aidan11]

People have probably answered this question before. But why are the first tests of the summer in the north?

Would it not make more sense to have the first games further south where the weather will more than likely be warmer and the conditions less likely to make the test last for 3 days?

Indeed it would but the ECB have never been one to follow logic. Yet they wonder why no one is turning up to watch.

[mikesiva]

Lakmal took a wicket!

[hopeforthebest]

Cook does it again, pokes at a wide delivery. Cood catch in the slips. That 10,000th run seems a lot of innings away.

[KipperJohn]

People have probably answered this question before. But why are the first tests of the summer in the north?

Would it not make more sense to have the first games further south where the weather will more than likely be warmer and the conditions less likely to make the test last for 3 days?

Indeed it would but the ECB have never been one to follow logic. Yet they wonder why no one is turning up to watch.

20C and sunny here on the IOW

Mind you it's the festival in 2 weeks time and two years ago it flooded!

Fairly typical Cook dismissal - do even the top players ever really iron out their weaknesses?

[sussexpob]

Just catching up, and yes, its a pretty typical Cook dismissal that.

Always get the feeling that at times when he is cold or of form, he moves a lot at the crease and his head can be all over the place.

[Aidan11]

Cook will be all right when he gets past that milestone.


The way it's going he'll be doing it against Pakistan.

[Dr Cricket]

Well cook not a top player.
He an average good batsman.
Not world class or great batsman.

[sussexpob]

There goes Compton.... enjoy county cricket mate

A dismissal that had New Zealand at Lords 2013 all over it.... bats and gets in, then wildly throw it away. Both wickets show he isnt a test player

[hopeforthebest]

Compton continues to have a low scoring year. Terrific catch by Lakmal, unlucky for Compton though.

[KipperJohn]

Awful shot - stunning catch.