SL tour of Eng, Aug 21 - Sept 10

[Arthur Crabtree]

He's having a go. Maybe get this lead up to 200.

The 50 is a good start.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Well England not out of it but a great opportunity for SL.

When the scores get smaller each innings, maybe a big ask to reverse the trend in the fourth innings...

[Arthur Crabtree]

219 to win. Should be an interesting final hour.

[mikesiva]

England 156 all out

Smith 67

Lahiru 4-21
Vishwa 3-40

Target 219

[Durhamfootman]

219 to win. Should be an interesting final hour.

what's an hour these days.... 10 overs?

they have 1 at least, but they're going to need at least another one tonight... maybe two

[bigfluffylemon]

Very poor innings from England. It's not over but you can't help but feel they've been unnecessarily sloppy in this game.

[sussexpob]

Its been a series that is hard to decipher in the grand scheme of things. For a team that has 1 test match win playing in away tests against anything close to decent opposition in the last decade, the expectation would be on English pitches that England would really beat SL with some ease, but SL have at times posed questions or dug in, and now find themselves in the position to take a rare away test win.

The positive side of me wants to look at this series and conclude that test match cricket is far from dead. SL aren't a great side, they've been playing mostly the minnows recently at the bottom, but have come to England and at times have displayed the guts and determination needed in this format..... ok, most of the time that has been rearguard counter attacks to avoid hefty deficits, but still.... England flirted in the first two tests with batterings, and in the end SL came away from both games with something to take away. And now find themselves in position to take a test win...

The negative side of me thinks, if England lose a test at home to this side and had moments where they struggled to turn good footholds in the first two games into total routs, then this current side has no chance in OZ next year. To beat Australia at home, you need to be able to dispatch teams like SL a lot more easily than England have been able to do.

Maybe that's harsh on SL, as they don't look that bad a side.....

The indisuputable lesson from this series is, SL are good enough to warrant more test cricket against top sides. So lets give them more... there is at least something in this team worthy of giving games to, we can't continue to let SL spend 3 years playing home tests against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan if we want a healthy test match circle.

[alfie]

Suppose we should wait and see whether England can yet pull an unlikely rabbit out of the hat on day four... but it does look as if they have been struck down by excessive confidence in this game. Starting right from selection : can see why they wanted to have a look at Hull (and he hasn't been total rubbish , to be fair) ; but does anyone seriously think he'd have been anywhere near the side were this a deciding Ashes Test instead of a "dead" rubber against a presumed lesser opponent ? It may yet prove that this experiment pays off down the track ; but it immediately signalled that their primary focus was not on winning the game in front of them but on "future planning" . This cannot help but have some effect on the players - and it certainly appears there has been a lack of sharpness at times in the match with bat , ball and in the field. Mixed objectives can always be inherently dangerous...

Have to agree with Sussex that Sri Lanka deserve praise for bouncing back after that awful first day. They had looked cooked ; but they have rather oddly veered from hopeless to inspired at various times during the series (with the former predominating which is why they are two down) so overall - whatever happens today - they have arguably exceeded reasonable expectations. Frankly hadn't expected their seam bowlers to put up that performance after what we'd seen of them so far in the series so well done them.

And yes ; if England play like this they have zero chance in Australia in 15 months. But presumably Stokes and Crawley will be back in action then so I won't be writing them off just yet , though a few things need improvement. The top order batting will have to perform ; and a viable bowling attack has to be assembled - not easy given they've just lost the services of the two who have carried the attack for 1300 wickets and are further plagued by constant injury breakdowns of newer prospects. But that is for the future. For now I would love to see a proper scrap for these nine wickets today rather than a meek surrender...

[sussexpob]

If you wanted to take the doomsday assessment of England's current team, then there is adequate scope to be worried about quite a lot of elements in the side.

Duckett's form is starting to become an acute concern. He averages 35 since the Ireland test in 2023, and IIRC he got two scores early in the same game in the Ashes (at Lords?), so if you take his last 14 odd games his long term form is a very acute concern. Same with Pope, who seems to have the luck of making scores just as questions about his performance start to become louder.... he was Hyderabad away from being dropped in India, and I reckon if he bagged two failures in this test there would be very loud calls about his future place. Lawrence has done nothing to make his case for future selection. Even Brook's last 11 tests he averages 38, which is no disaster but does show his career is starting to average out to normality. Smith has done enough to warrant a long run, Root is just Root.... and then Stokes, who averages 34 in the period, continues a long term slow decline in batting average.

Easy to see at least 3 players in who played in this test who don't survive a disaster tour of Pakistan.

Then the bowlers. Woakes has carried England this series, but his away record is so poor he might not even get on the plane, and one bad innings away would be enough to make sure he never tours again if he even does. Potts has been ok, but dropping him this test says to me the management aren't 100 percent on him. Hull is test prospect and I doubt will even tour Asia. Bashir could easily find himself one bad test in Asia being replaced. Stone has done well, but like Mark Wood, if he makes it through one more series without needing surgery, I will eat my hat.... and Wood himself is ruled out of the next two tours as he is injured (again, who would have thought).

At the moment, I think Atkinson is the only seam bowler in the side who survives a really bad series.

England desperately need some of their players to answer, rather than pose more, questions with their form in Pakistan.

[andy]

Hull and Atkinson both having fitness tests this morning!

[mikesiva]

Sri Lanka 219-2

Nissanka 127*

Sri Lanka won by eight wickets.

[Durhamfootman]

and at a canter

a lesson in the perils of hubris, perhaps

[Arthur Crabtree]

Bit of a caning in the end.

So T20s v Australia anyone?

[andy]

Not overly excited about them to be honest haha

[alfie]

and at a canter

a lesson in the perils of hubris, perhaps

Nail on the head there , DFM. Just hope they take the lesson to heart.

Still , have to praise Sri Lanka : they took their chance and showed the danger of underestimating your opponent ; so well done them