< 1 minute read This week’s Old Trafford Test was the last there until at least 2012. Putting aside our irritation that we can’t see Test cricket at our local ground, we can see that it’s increasingly shabby and that Lancashire have been complacent about their ‘right’ to hold Tests. Only that’s not necessarily
Continue readingCategory: Sri Lanka
Shivnarine Chanderpaul hits a last ball six to win
< 1 minute read This was the perfect example of how great batsmen play the situation. Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s an obdurate Test batsman. He hangs around for hours. In one-day cricket, he’s a different beast. He’s A BEAST OF WRATH. Controlled wrath, but wrath nonetheless. The West Indies needed ten to win off the last
Continue readingTypical Fidel Edwards
< 1 minute read Burns in, takes 3-18, tricks you into thinking he’s finally arrived as a fast bowler, then takes 0-32 in his next spell and finally ends up with those same three wickets for about 120. Stupid, round-armed short-arse. Tillakaratne Dilshan’s saving Sri Lanka with 58 not out off 57 balls. We
Continue readingMalinda Warnapura counters Marvan Atapattu comparisons
2 minute read Malinda Warnapura was out first ball on his debut against Bangladesh, but he’s avoided following in Marvan Atapattu’s footsteps since then. Atapattu benefitted from a good deal of generosity from the Sri Lankan selectors at the start of his career. His first few innings read as follows: 0, 0, 0,
Continue readingYuvraj Singh can actually play deliveries that bounce above his knees
2 minute read We’ve had a computer that hated the internet FOR ALL IT WAS WORTH for the last two days, so we’re a bit behind. We’re going to try and catch up, so brace yourselves for some three sentence updates that completely miss the point of what’s been going on. Yuvraj Singh
Continue readingAdam Gilchrist opening the batting and scoring hundreds – still
< 1 minute read It would be tempting to look on this as Adam Gilchrist‘s final international hundred, but the interminable Commonwealth Bank Series is going to provide him with a few more opportunities yet. Australia have played Sri Lanka twice and beaten them twice now, but they still get to play two more
Continue readingNathan Bracken bowling people out despite his flaw
< 1 minute read Sickeningly wrong-handed purveyor of off-cutters, Nathan Bracken, has once again ended a one-day international with disgustingly flattering figures. Bracken took 5-46 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 125, chasing Australia’s 253. We’ve long since accepted that Nathan Bracken is a more-than-useful one-day bowler, but we don’t have to
Continue readingTwenty20 wicketkeeping
2 minute read Do you want the better batsman or the better wicketkeeper behind the stumps for your team? That argument’s been represented by any number of individual duels over the years. Recently though, we think you’ll all agree that the better batsman’s been winning out, in general. Blame Adam Gilchrist. He’s a
Continue readingAlastair Cook papers over some cracks
< 1 minute read The quiet, southern, well-kempt, left-handed Michael Atherton for the 21st Century (actually, maybe he’s not Michael Atherton, thinking about it) brought the merest hint of pride back to shameful, shameful England with what we can’t help but describe as a rearguard hundred. Alastair’s very much a rearguard hundred kind of
Continue readingEngland’s learning curve away from home versus Sri Lanka’s
2 minute read It’s bad when the aftermath starts on day two. We didn’t realise we’d be so much further on by day three though. We’re struck by the contrast with Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2006. When Sri Lanka arrived, they were, without wishing to be disparaging, ripe for the taking.
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