***Official*** Sri Lanka in England

GeraintIsMyHero said:

It's quite the myth that Jones is a bad keeper, he has taken an awaful lot of catches lately

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No its not.

When you have quality bowlers such as Flintoff and Hoggard bowling, a keeper is obviously going to get chances.

You're blind with bias if you can't see that Jones is a bad keeper in terms of international standard.

Jeez, another shambolic effort from the SL top and middle order.
They really do want to make life hard for their bowlers, dont they?

I dont know about Jayas selection either.
He is rusty, without any match play, and facing one of the best attacks in world cricket.
What is he supposed to do?

Zoysa may have been a better option for his bowling, and even his batting.
After all, a bowler seems to have a better chance of scoring runs in this SL team than the batsmen do.

All well and good SL batting first so as to get Murali in on a turner - but that is not going to happen if England don't have to bat in the 4th inning.

SL out for under 200, Eng make 400+ and SL out by an innings or lose by a large margin of wkts.

I'd have thought you'd have changed your signature by now Jono, considering the forfeit ran out ages ago, that is of course if you find anything you would want to remove.

Jono said:

No its not.

When you have quality bowlers such as Flintoff and Hoggard bowling, a keeper is obviously going to get chances.

You're blind with bias if you can't see that Jones is a bad keeper in terms of international standard.

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I'm not blind with bias, but I think his keeping has been a lot better than some give him credit for. Since the Ashes he has not made many howlers, and on the other side of your argument, when your attack is as good as ours is, the Keeper will drop chances from time to time, but he takes most of them, that is what he is there for, it's not like he concedes an exceptional amount of byes. Each to their own, but I rate Jones.

edit: Malinga gone. Sl's 1st innings batting has been a big let down this series.

Same old, same old. SL produce a crap first innings score and England fanny about getting the tailenders out.

Scaly piscine said:

I'd have thought you'd have changed your signature by now Jono, considering the forfeit ran out ages ago, that is of course if you find anything you would want to remove.

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Fair point.

GeraintIsMyHero said:

Each to their own, but I rate Jones.

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Fair enough each to their own, but I must ask, what do you actually 'rate' him at? I can understand if you think he's not a bad keeper, but you can't actually think that he's a very good one? Nor can you think he's a very good batsman. Allevidence point to him being mediocre at best.

55.1 Lewis to Muralitharan, SIX, Max! good length ball on the off stump, Muralitharan exposes the stumps and smacks it across the line, right from the centre of the bat and ball goes high and over the mid-wicket fence

a massive zebra said:

55.1 Lewis to Muralitharan, SIX, Max! good length ball on the off stump, Muralitharan exposes the stumps and smacks it across the line, right from the centre of the bat and ball goes high and over the mid-wicket fence

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The fact that Lewis is bowling at this point isn't funny, neither is the fact they seem to be trying to make up for the fact he didn't play in the first 2 tests by bowling him 3 tests worth here. The lack of a third man isn't clever, neither is the reluctance to at least try Panesar.

Not clever cricket

finally the python

Jono said:

Fair enough each to their own, but I must ask, what do you actually 'rate' him at? I can understand if you think he's not a bad keeper, but you can't actually think that he's a very good one? Nor can you think he's a very good batsman. Allevidence point to him being mediocre at best.

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I think he's vastly improved as a Keeper, alas he's not as young as you might think he was at first guess, but I would have him in the team ahead of Read, Prior etc.

His batting is frustrating, I do believe he has ability that he is wasting when batting, because he is capable of an excellent innings from time to time, yet makes so many schoolboy errors it's untrue. I have never or will never claimed to be an expert on Cricket, but I reckon there is definitely something to work with as far as his batting goes, even at Gerain't age.

He made his mistakes in the Ashes, and but for his drop of Pathan (? I think ?) at Nagpur England could feasibly have won that series, but overall his recent form with the gloves has been very good, I can't be the only one who thinks so.

He dropped Kumble I believe.

The thing about Geraint is, his errors go beyond even 'schoolboy'. He honestly played one of the worst shots I've ever seen in Pakistan. Considering the amount of batsman that had gone out to the sweep, and the fact that Kaneria was low on confidence, that sweep shot he played in the 3rd test (I believe it was the 3rd) to get bowled would probably rank as the 2nd worst shot I've ever laid my eyes on in test cricket, with Tait's shambolic attempt at batting in the Trent Bridge test the only one worse.

Maybe you're right and Geraint will meet some potential, but surely he's had plenty of time invested and the clock is ticking. Particularly in the limited overs game where he is downright poor with the bat.

murali batting v murali bowling which is more entertaining?

Jono said:

that sweep shot he played in the 3rd test (I believe it was the 3rd) to get bowled would probably rank as the 2nd worst shot I've ever laid my eyes on in test cricket, with Tait's shambolic attempt at batting in the Trent Bridge test the only one worse.

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You didn't see Ramprakash's idiotic waft at Warne in the 2001 Ashes?
What about the sweep shot Denesh Ramdin played against New Zealand earlier this year?

Both of those are leagues worse as far as shots go, given the moments and the men.

Lovin' it.

Mr Mxyzptlk said:

You didn't see Ramprakash's idiotic waft at Warne in the 2001 Ashes?
What about the sweep shot Denesh Ramdin played against New Zealand earlier this year?

Both of those are leagues worse as far as shots go, given the moments and the men.

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Dhoni at mumbai.
















































Twice.

Strauss out cheaply again. He has looked quite good in this series but has failed to make a score. Im a real supporter of his but i guess his place really has to be under threat now.

superkingdave said:

The fact that Lewis is bowling at this point isn't funny, neither is the fact they seem to be trying to make up for the fact he didn't play in the first 2 tests by bowling him 3 tests worth here. The lack of a third man isn't clever, neither is the reluctance to at least try Panesar.

Not clever cricket

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And sod's law dictates that the only passage of play I got to see today was the hour after tea when Vaas & Murali belted our attack all over Nottingham. What is it with England and the tail - complacency, unable to maintain focused, p***poor captaincy, or what? The hour I watched really was like a trip back to the dog days of the 80's, with our allrounder serving a diet of longhops & half volleys and the others looking, tbh, like trundlers of the worst order. And Flintoff's captaincy was abysmal. Hoggard & Lewis with the old ball is exactly what Murali & Vaas would have requested and to see Hoggard bowling at Murali without a slip in sight was unedifying in the extreme. For the 3rd test in a row, an object lesson on how to let a side back into a game that they shouldn't have a sniff of.

GeraintIsMyHero said:

I think he's vastly improved as a Keeper, alas he's not as young as you might think he was at first guess, but I would have him in the team ahead of Read, Prior etc.

His batting is frustrating, I do believe he has ability that he is wasting when batting, because he is capable of an excellent innings from time to time, yet makes so many schoolboy errors it's untrue. I have never or will never claimed to be an expert on Cricket, but I reckon there is definitely something to work with as far as his batting goes, even at Gerain't age.

He made his mistakes in the Ashes, and but for his drop of Pathan (? I think ?) at Nagpur England could feasibly have won that series, but overall his recent form with the gloves has been very good, I can't be the only one who thinks so.

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I'm of this train of thought, I think he is a good gloveman. I thinnk, I'll get slaughtered for this, that if he wasn't wicketkeeper he would be good test standard batsman.

Well this has worked out beautifully for me viz. watching KP and Murali tomorrow, near thing though.