Eng V SL 1st Test: Points to Ponder
Written by: Damith Samarakoon
(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
Loading ...Another home test and another win the Sri Lankans at Kandy. It was a bit tricky at the end and it took a couple of special balls from the golden boy from Kandy to seal the deal for the Lankans.
England came to Kandy knowing that they had to get something out of the 1st test if they were to stand a chance of winning this series. Visiting teams do unusually well in the former hill capital but order was restored and normal service resumed as Sri Lanka romped home for a 88 run victory.
This is a look back at the Top 5 Points to Ponder(a series I hope to continue for all future Sri Lankan test matches)
To Bee(s) or not to Bee(s)
“Hit the Deck !!”
Rain,Snow,Sandstorms, even the suns been guilty at one point or the other in stopping the odd game or two but Bees? Thats as rare as they come. They came with fury and offered much wanted respite for the England bowlers and fielders, during yet another one of Sangakkaras 150+ scores. But no Englishmen looked quite as shocked as dear old Monty who seemed to have wet himself at one point. Oh Bee-have baby Bee-have!
Agent J
“Shaken not stirred”
When the going gets tough Agent J appears it seems. Its been noted by few fans that Mahela Jayawardene seems to play with his collar when the game becomes a tad bit iffy. He monkeys around with it and ends up looking like a secret agent from the 70s. Add on some shades and he could be the next 007. Its J, Agent J.
Blind leading the Blind
“MV was not a happy camper”
When Rudi Koertzen was called up to officiate in India instead of the Eng v SL series no one objected due to some obvious reasons. Rudi was replaced by Dar and he and his fellow countrymen, Assad Rauf, promptly set about making some dubious decisions that would have made Rudi look acceptable. No less than 4 howlers were made by two umps from the “elite” panel and the last of the lot, against Sidebottom, was the worst of all and England would be well justified in thinking that it may have cost them the test.
Muttiah IdontknowwhatImBowling-Daran
“Which way is it going to turn !?!?”
This was always going to be a historic test with Murali in the running to become the most successful bowler in the history of the game. And we imagined that it would be the most perfect of balls that would take him past Warne, and so it was. A beaut from around the wicket, pitched and went away and Collingwood was made to look like a grade cricketer. But when asked about the ball Murali surprisingly added “I tried to spin the ball one way and it went the other way”.If he doesnt know what hope do England have ?
Fantastic 4 (mins)
that Alistair Cook spent at the wicket. Im Sri Lankan so Im biased. It was quite fantastic for me because I had worried that Cook might be a hard man to dismiss on our wickets. Especially since he had done so well in India on his first tour and since Murali generally struggles(if you may call it that) against Left Handers. But Cook spent only 4 mins at the crease getting a duck and 4 and ensured that Vass would have his fun on his 100th test.
“Times up”
Do you have anymore points you are pondering about ? Do tell in the comments section.
Comments
18 Responses to “Eng V SL 1st Test: Points to Ponder”
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Good stuff!! Looking forward to seeing similar reports on all future Sri Lankan test matches.
But you were a little bit harsh on Alistair Cook. I remember seeing him spend good 10-15 minutes at the crease. But unfortunately that came when he was Hoggard’s runner.
Brilliant article Damith! Good effort on it. Yes, Sangakarra is no doubt one of the most consistent batsmen Sri Lanka has produced. He has achieved a record for scoring 150s in four consecutive games. A great asset to the team and we hope he will offer much more in the games to come.
Damith funcky monkey i read all ur articles which are brilliant i think u should join Channel 9 or cricinfo
Thanks guys,
So do you guys have any other points you are pondering about from the first test ?
Great stuff Damith…! the match did give me bit of a scare in the last session… but the silent assassin struck when it mattered… nice article bro.. keep it up… looking forward to the next update…
nice.. lol at the bees.. something i definately have been seen before in a test match
Murali can’t read what he’s bowling.. what chances do the batsmen have?
Prasanna Jayawardene had another super match with the gloves and contributed well with the bat in the first innings.
Mahela did not attack enough in the second innings. Surely he didn’t think England were going after 350 to win did he, especially after taking so long to declare?
Umpiring marring a match or a series is nothing new, especially at Kandy. Remember Cooray? That went horribly against the home side.
Who will form the new opening batting partnership for Sri Lanka, Van Dort and Tharanga? The former was inept in Oz and looked only marginally better here on a flat track.
My only worries are related to selection.
I can’t understand what Mubarak is supposed to be doing in the team. He adds absolutely nothing to this team. When you consider that a guy of the proven calibre of Upul Tharanga is sitting in some living room, warming the seat and watching the match instead of partaking in it, you realize how ridiculous Mubarak’s selection is.
With Jayasuriya’s retirement, Upul Tharanga will hopefully be brought back into the team to open with Vandort. If Mahroof isn’t fit then bring in Chamara Kapugedera. When Aravinda de Silva says a kid is the best young batsman in the country, which is what he said of Kapugedera, then I’d listen. At any rate, the sooner Mubarak isn’t a part of the team the better.
Great win for Sri Lanka! However, I wonder why there’s hardly a sound from all those who made such a din over Sangakkarra’s bad decision on the dodgy one that Sidebottom got? Pretty sad reflection on us as a nation….
Did you know Sangakkara’s test average from the 22 matches that he did not keep, is 94? That is phenomenal! To pu that in perspective, Bradmans average is 99. And it was sort of believed that no one could beat him (although Hussey seems to be gaining on him).
Renuka:PJ is indeed a doing a fantastic job behind the stumps, although I wish he was a tad bit more consistent with his batting cuz we can really use it lower down in the order. But he is jst starting out so Im sure he will only get better.
Theena: “Chuubarak” is a real nuisance in the team. Its high time they brought in Warnapura or recalled Dilshan to the team. Lets hope the selectors get their act together soon. If he is selected for the 2nd test Im gonna be pulling out some hair.
TBD:Mate, as much as Im happy we won, I was really annoyed with that decision. It was a HUGE mistake. How Rauf missed it is beyond me. Im doing a piece on the worst umpire in the world watch out for it! The truth may shock you !!
Blink:Yes Im aware of this mate. Get this, since Sanga gave up the gloves full time which was the 1st test against SA in July 2006 he has scored 1529 runs with 7 100s at an avg of, wait for it, 152 !!!! Bradman who !?
That decision by Rauf was atrocious. My colleagues at work and I were having tea watching the match when it happened. The edge was so obvious that when Murali appealed everyone in the room went “adou, inside edge…”. We were cut mid-sentence when Rauf put his finger up. There was a genuine WTF look on all our faces.
As far as bad LBW decisions go, this comes behind umpire B C Cooray’s howler in 2001 when he gave Alec Stewart LBW to a ball that pitched about a foot outside leg stump.
And Ian Bell dropping sanga cost eng heavily. Sanga added 54 more runs after that, and if he had been out for 98, sri lanka could have been all out for a much lower total. so it prly cost them about 70/80 (even more)runs. and eng only lost by 88 runs.
and some of the Current umpires are becoming very good wicket takers giving murali a run for the money!
Good job damith!! not very bad for a stalker after all. lol.
nicely written article ones again Damith. Good win for our guys but i think Umpire Rauf spoilled it a bit by giving such a bad decision against Sidebottom. Sanga’s extraordinary form continues..awesome stuff by him
Thanks for the comments boys and girls. Much appreciated !!
Shine: Yes Sherminators drop was crucial. A dolly really- he was probably thinking about how to convert a 50 to a 100 at the time. He woulda learnt a thing or two from Sanga at that pt.
Ishan:Rauf is doing well in my competition. Will be posting the results for this year soon!
Nice article damith! Keep it up!
Great article damith, you really are talented in writing..
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