England 2012 Cricket Thread

[paul_e]

Need a captains innings from Strauss now.  These 2 are both good defensive players who should be able to shut up shop and stay in.

We have over 2 days, if we're still in there with wickets in hand this time tomorrow it's ours for the taking, just need to be sensible and play each ball on it's merits.  The required rate from here is about 1.5 per over (given 90 overs each day and best part of 30 to come today) so better to go very defensive in this session.  end the day on 80-90 but with 9 wickets intact and we're in a good spot, repeat that tomorrow morning and it becomes a great platform.

looking at the scoring rate since Cook got out I think the team agree with me as well.

[PaulWinch again]

Strauss gone, he's got to be getting towards the brink now. We are pretty much buried.

[PaulWinch again]

He is not learning at all, which is the most worrying thing. He consistently gets in and then plays a terrible premeditated shot and gets out.

[PaulWinch again]

I will be amazed if KP and Trott are still in at the end of the day. The top order is has been really really poor all winter.

[TheTimVilla]

73 for 2, chasing 340. There's so much time, the pitch isn't offering any nasty surprises and the bowling is ok, not great. If we really are the best test team in the world, we should win this...

[PaulWinch again]

England should win this on this pitch, but it's about time our batsmen did the job.

[PaulWinch again]

KP please just bat responsibly.

[paul_e]

This is about as twitchy a performance as you can get but if these 2 can see us to close and then kick on in the morning we're still in with a chance, another wicket today and we're as good as out of it I think.

[PaulWinch again]

Well we've made it to the close with another 229 to get. That is doable if someone gets a century, these two need to get a good start tomorrow. KP has been lucky, but he's still there so that's all you can ask.

[Dave Summers]

When I used to play cricket, a looooooong time ago, the best way we approached chases was to break it down.   We have to score 229 runs in the day tomorrow.    So they should be looking at sensible batting and aiming to score 75 in the morning and 75 in the afternoon with the rest in the evening.

There is no doubt that Sri Lanka are favourites and would be expecting to win.  I would expect England to win if we were in their shoes, but if these two can bat a good deal tomorrow morning and get up to say 170, then who knows?.

Hopefully Belly has now found some form and Prior, Patel, Broad and Swann can contribute too.    It's definitely "do-able", but probably unlikely.

[PaulWinch again]

In fairness they don't have to do it all tomorrow, there's two days left. They just need to treat each delivery on its merits.

[Dave Summers]

The game will end one way or the other tomorrow.   If we bat all day for 90 overs, we will win.   In fact, it wouldn't take us 90 overs I wouldn't imagine to score 229.   

[PaulWinch again]

I agree, but I'm just trying to say England are under no time pressure at all so they can afford to just treat every ball individually. I think we'll massively struggle to do it though, and expect Sri Lanka to win although I hope I'm wrong.

[paul_e]

I'd say honours even at this point.  the first session tomorrow is absolutely key.  If the target gets to 150 without another wicket (i.e. we bat out the session) then we're in control, if they get a wicket or 2 then the whole game changes.

[PaulWinch again]

It might have been a slightly harsh decision, but Bell should never ever been playing that sweep.