The International Cricket Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Simple equation now. Win we’re through and lose we’re out. I think it’ll be a tricky game.

[paul_e]

Thinking back to our game against Ireland this shows why DLS needs a rethink in T20. What teams can get off the last 3/4 overs is way more than the calculations allow for.

And with a team like England we have players all the way down that can hit a couple of boundaries in a pinch. Look at Tuesday for example, we had Curran and Malan in at 7 and 8 with Woakes still to come who has a t20i strike rate of nearly 146.

Against Ireland we had Ali and Livingstone at the crease with Curran and Woakes both still to come 52 from 33 (had we seen out our full allocation) with those players still around isn't a big ask, 10 an over in t20 is almost standard at this point. The issue is that the value of wickets taken is far too high in the calculations, 1 less wicket taken and England, with the same amount of runs, would've been ahead of the target when the rain came. In 50 over cricket that makes sense but in t20 you just don't get the same drop off in scoring as wickets are lost.

[PaulWinch again]

I suspect we would have won the Ireland game had it been completed. But we fully deserved to lose and showed a real lack of game management.

[paul_e]

I suspect we would have won the Ireland game had it been completed. But we fully deserved to lose and showed a real lack of game management.

Oh of course, it was poor that we didn't stay well ahead of the rate given we knew there was rain about, Brook and Malan in particular seemed too happy to plod along at 5-6 an over when we were behind the rate. To be fair to Moeen he came out with a completely different mindset and I suspect if we'd got to the end of that over we'd have won, let alone the end of the game.

[PaulWinch again]

Lose the toss and bowl first. Used pitch against the SL spinners will be tough. I wouldn’t want to be chasing much north of 150-160.

[PaulWinch again]

Poor start from Stokes.

[PaulWinch again]

This is a pretty ominous start. Terrible over from Wood.

[manic-road]

Great catch from Livingstone but Sri Lanka are scoring quickly.

[PaulWinch again]

I think we’re in a spot of bother here. They’re on for 200+.

[PaulWinch again]

As Bopara says it doesn’t look easy to hit spin. Good news as we’re probably playing against the best spin attack about.

[PaulWinch again]

Better, but need to keep taking wickets.

[manic-road]

Great come back from England, Rashid and Curran have bowled fantastic.

[olaftab]

Superb recovery in the last 4.

[PaulWinch again]

Yep they’ve dragged it back really well.

[cdbearsfan]

England favourites now. Good effort in the closing overs.