First test v Sri Lanka at Kandy

[BILLERICAY BLUE]

:) No probs.

A lot shorter than I thought, I was expecting somewhere around 2/1-5/2. Can't back Ricky at 11/8.

 

[The General]

YB - an awesome set of reports. Thanks for the coverage; really enjoying it. Keep it up for the remaining Tests if you can, and in the meantime, enjoy your diving on wrecks (sounds like the sort of thing a young man would do in an expat nightclub...!).

And no, I am not in the least bit jealous that you get to sit in the verdant splendour of Kandy...

...while I get to drive a desk in rain-swept Britain...

:cry:

OMG Matthew, i hope that isn't your desk ... !

:eek:

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

OMG Matthew, i hope that isn't your desk ... !

:eek:

LOL... no, it's not. Mine (a) isn't quite that bad; and (b) doesn't have cuddly toys on it...

:p

 

[MrB]

I recognise your bag though.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

I recognise your bag though.

Hey, all the cool cats have blue polkadot shoppers...
:fart:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Not sure I'll be able to do reports for Colombo, there don't seem to be any internet cafes open late.

Colombo is hot and humid and otherwise what I imagine Belfast to be (if you add in Southend seafront).

I think either Harmison or Swann will play, probably in place of Anderson. Tharanga would I imagine come in for the retired Jayasirayu. I still can't spell Sri Lankan names.

As for Matt's picture of Kandy, he obviously stayed in the posh bit of Kandy. I'll try and download my photos of monkeys when i find a decent internet cafe (or get home). In the meantime I'm off to find a curryhouse and then a bar.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Not sure I'll be able to do reports for Colombo, there don't seem to be any internet cafes open late.

Colombo is hot and humid and otherwise what I imagine Belfast to be (if you add in Southend seafront).

I think either Harmison or Swann will play, probably in place of Anderson. Tharanga would I imagine come in for the retired Jayasirayu. I still can't spell Sri Lankan names.

As for Matt's picture of Kandy, he obviously stayed in the posh bit of Kandy. I'll try and download my photos of monkeys when i find a decent internet cafe (or get home). In the meantime I'm off to find a curryhouse and then a bar.

It's confirmed here that Tharanga will replace Jayasuriya.

Stuart Broad is getting a push to get a game, Colombo has generally favoured spin so I think Swann is worth a shot, also he will strengthen the batting at 8.

I could ask my agent to help you with the internet, but that sadly will be office hours.:o

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Are we really going to dismiss the likes of Sangakkara cheaply with an attack boasting Panesar, Swann and Sidebottom...?

As of Southend Utd threads of yore... we're gonna get spanked.

:(

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

he obviously stayed in the posh bit of Kandy.

Sadly, my only visit to Sri Lanka has consisted of an 7-hour stay in Colombo airport, waiting to change planes on the way to Madras. I'd love to go, though. I've a good chance of persuading the missus to go to Sri Lanka on holiday at some point, and I might just have to make sure it coincides with England's next tour there...

:)

The pic was simply googled.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Second test is drawn. The pitch was looking flat, but a thunder storm intervened before england could attempt to lose it.

Two things stick out from this game:

1. Our batsmen don't make centuries and you need to score tons to win games. bell has now been out 3 times this series between 50 and 100. cook and vaughan both twice, although they can consider themselves unlucky on at least one occasion. in contrast sri lanka have 3 centurions already and there's no way that vandort is better than any of the english batsmen. bell might average 45 but unless he starts turning 50s into 100s he isn't worth his place.

2. we've no threat with the old ball. sidearse has done well with the new ball, but harmy aside we never looked at all threatening once the ball was more than 10 overs old.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Second test is drawn. The pitch was looking flat, but a thunder storm intervened before england could attempt to lose it.

Two things stick out from this game:

1. Our batsmen don't make centuries and you need to score tons to win games. bell has now been out 3 times this series between 50 and 100. cook and vaughan both twice, although they can consider themselves unlucky on at least one occasion. in contrast sri lanka have 3 centurions already and there's no way that vandort is better than any of the english batsmen. bell might average 45 but unless he starts turning 50s into 100s he isn't worth his place.

2. we've no threat with the old ball. sidearse has done well with the new ball, but harmy aside we never looked at all threatening once the ball was more than 10 overs old.

Agree with your summary about Bell, and the batsmen in general. Although in the 1st innings Vaughan was very unlucky, but 100's are the key in Sri Lanka.

Stat alert - apparently the 100+ opening partnership by Cook & Vaughan in both innings is the first time by an England opening pair since the Adelaide test in 1971, when Boycott & Edrich were the openers.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

100 partnerships are nice, but someone needed to go on and get a big hundred. its not just sri lanka its anywhere in the world

dilharo fernando managed 36no on that pitch, 100 shouldnt be beyond our batsmen.

the three dismissals today were very poor - vaughan popped a catch back to fernando, cook was out to chamara silva first ball and bell's was truly shocking.

first innings some dodgy umpiring contributed - especially cookie, but even though kp should never have been out he should never have played that shot.

will be interesting to see how the re-laid galle pitch plays.

also must say sri lanka played the most directionless, insipid cricket i've seen for a long time. they seemed to have no interest in winning from a very strong position. most strange

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Thanks for the update, Matt. How's being in SL generally - enjoying yourself?!

:)

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Thanks for the update, Matt. How's being in SL generally - enjoying yourself?!

:)

Absolutely loving it.

Great country, I can't help but wonder why its taken me so long to come here. Its the perfect place to watch cricket. Galle in particular is looking a sensational place. I'm staying in a great sleepy beach resort, called Unawantana, about 10 minutes from Galle. I've got the beach and bars on my door step and then a short tuk-tuk or bus ride away I've got the historic town and fort of Galle, which looks like the greatest place to watch a test match from. Watching a session from the walls of the fort is something everyone should try and do at least once in their lives.

Sri Lanka is a generally a great place to go travelling. There's plenty to see and do ranging from the beaches, to the cricket to places like Sigiriya (why isn't this as famous as Ayers Rock or Machu Pichu?). Its also all so cheap: my train fare from Kandy to Colombo or Colombo to Galle was less than it costs to go one stop on the tube. The food is fantastic, I'm loving the curries, even having curry for breakfast on a couple of occasions. Other than the curries its good as well. I haven't had, or even wanted a "western" meal yet this trip. For breakfast (when not curry) I often find a little roadside restaurant, confusingly known as a 'hotel' and get given a selection of rottis, vaddais and other pastry type treats and you just eat what you want and you are charged according to how much you leave. Perfect for being adventurous. My favourites are the spicy, stuffed rottis which are just fantastic.

Flights might be a fair bit, but you can get here for 400 quid if you don't travel peak, maybe even less, and you'll spend so much less than a similar holiday in Europe or the US. People might be put off by the security aspect, but its like travelling to England a couple of months after the last bombings. If you are happy going to London you should be relaxed enough about Colombo, and outside of the capital (and the north and west) its considered even less likely - although Yala National Park is currently shut due to security concerns. The LTTE know its counter-productive to threaten tourists, and whilst the cricket is incredibly high profile, I think its unlikely to be targetted considering that Sri Lanka's star player is a Tamil.