Tag: Sri Lanka

Cricket: Sri Lanka humble England in epic farewell

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Sri Lanka yet again proved too powerful for a disappointing England side in the final one day international in Colombo overnight.  Tillakaratne Dilshan was the cricketing star of the match scoring 101 and taking 3-37, but Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were the sentimental stars, playing their final match on home soil.  Neither set the World on fire in this particular game but both are so fondly revered in these parts that it hardly mattered, all that mattered was the farewell and the Sri Lankan win.

For the record, Sri Lanka destroyed England in game seven by 87 runs.  Batting first, the hosts amassed 302-6 from their allotment thanks to the aforementioned Dislhan knock and rollicking fifties from Dinesh Chandimal and Thisara Perera.  The old guard and captain Angelo Matthews added useful contributions and in unison with Dilshan always had the home side heading towards a large total.  Sangakkara did not reach the lofty heights of earlier in the series but when he got to 6 he broke Ricky Ponting’s record of most runs in a calendar year across all formats (FYI, Ponting had 2833 in 2005).

Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan – as he has done through most of the series – were the pick of the England bowlers.  Unfortunately, Ali couldn’t bring the bowling form to his bating.  His premeditated swipe at a straight, innocuous Dilshan ball set the tone for a collapse that would soon become 78-5.  Only Joe Root – again, as he has done all series – showed some fight.  Only the lack of partners got in the way of him putting up another ODI century.  His performances along with those of Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes (notwithstanding the tap he got in this game), and Chris Jordan are the major triumphs of England’s series.

Still of major concern is the form of Alastair Cook.  BBC analyst Simon Hughes commented after the game that the Sri Lankan players appeared to “feel sorry” for the England captain when he was dismissed after a scratchy 32, and even Cook himself has softened his position on whether he’ll captain at the World Cup.  He has hinted that he can have “no complaints” if he is stood down as he has not scored the runs or had the wins he would have liked.

To cap off the farewell and to send the crowd into a fits of joy, Jayawardene and Sangakkara combined to have James Tredwell stumped in the final act of the game.  It wasn’t his first ODI wicket but will probably go down as the most memorable.

Sri Lanka 302 for 6 (Dilshan 101, Chandimal 55*, T Perera 54) beat England 215 (Root 80, Prasanna 3-35, Dilshan 3-37) by 87 runs

Cricket: Cook still the focus of Colombo dead rubber

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The series may have already been lost but that hasn’t eased the pressure on England’s captain Alastair Cook.  Despite assurances from the England Cricket Board, Cook is under immense pressure to turn both his own form and that of his team around.  His own form is woeful, he’s scored just the 87 runs in the series thus far (interestingly, vice captain Eoin Morgan has only scored 86 as well) and his strike rate of juts 67 is worrying.  He needs runs or a win, preferably both.

Sri Lanka on the other hand have a settled captain and a settled middle order.  The evergreen pair of Kumar Sangakkar and Mahela Jayawardene are set to play their last one day international match at their home ground of the Premadasa.  A huge crowd is expected to farewell the two legends and it is only fitting that Sri Lanka deliver them a win for their troubles.  After all 4-2 sounds a lot more commanding than 4-3, and in truth, a more accurate reflection of the gulf between the sides.

The Last Time These Two Met

Kumar Sangakkara gave Sri Lanka the series win the las time the two teams played.  His scores have gradually increased throughout the series, but it would be difficult to expect more of the same from him this time around.  Instead a Jayawardene classic is in the script as he celebrates his last home appearance.

The Teams

Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne/Dinesh Chandimal, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Suranga Lakmal 11 Lakshan Sandakan

Sri Lanka need to find an opening solution quickly so will likely give either Dimuth Karunaratne or Dinesh Chandimal a go at the top.  Chandimal’s run in the previous match could give him the edge.

England (likely): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Alex Hales, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Ben Stokes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Harry Gurney

England could use the dead rubber to give games to other members of their touring squad in a bid to find out more about them including Alex Hales, Harry Gurney, Ben Stokes or Ian Bell, mind you, there’s little more they could find out about Bell.  That could see Moeen Ali and the impressive Chris Woakes miss out.

The Key Players

James Tredwell – The unheralded spinner does not elect much praise for his work but he should.  He’s building a nice reputation as an accurate and economical spinner, and his series numbers thus far stack up well.  His 4 wickets have come at an average of 42, but the impressive stat is the economy rate of 4.33.  An entire run per over better than the second cheapest England bowler (Moeen Ali).

Mahela Jayawardene – Whether he bats four or at the top the right hander is a dangerous prospect.  In this dead rubber he has an excellent chance to audition for a permanent World Cup opening spot, which will in turn solve a difficult conundrum for the Sri Lankan selectors.

The Odds*

Sri Lanka – $1.59

England – $2.36

*International Cricket odds courtesy of BetEasy.

The Prediction

England to steal a pride saving win by 2 wickets. Oh an Alastair Cook is paying $20 to score a century for anyone who is brave enough.

Cricket: Sangakkara too good for awful England

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If Kumar Sangakkara’s scores in the four prior matches against England were anything to go by he was destined to eventually reach three figures in the series.  Scores of 67*, 63, 86 and 91 were just the precursor to a breathtaking hundred, scored at a rapid pace in game six of the seven match series.  His innings was at all times controlled, allowing him to effortlessly toyed with the England field and captain.  That he was dropped by the England captain in the midst of the manipulation when on 41 was as fitting as it was cruel.     His run a ball 112 the backbone of his sides impressive total of 292.  With an uncharacteristically controlled support hand from  Tillakaratne Dilshan (68) and a late contribution from the returning Dinesh Chandimal (35), Sri Lanka were able to register a total that asked England to be at their very best if the wanted to take the series to a Colombo decider.

England were not at their best.  Their chase never really threatened Sri Lanka’s total and none of their players could match Sangakkara’s heroics.  The chase started in the worst possible fashion when out of sorts and under-pressure captain Alastair Cook played around a straight one in the third over.  James Taylor arrival at the crease gave reason for England to be hopeful given his strong performances in the series thus far, but he too fell to the impressive Sachithra Senanayake after walking past one.  When Moeen Ali fell to a Dilshan ripper the series was all but over at 50/3.  Joe Root got some time in the middle with a circumspect 55, Chris Woakes blazed 41 – outlining his improving credentials as a handy limited overs cricketer – and Sangakkara also grabbed four catches behind the sticks.

Despite suffering his fourth successive defeat at the helm of the ODI team Alastair Cook remained staunch when his ability to lead the side was questioned.  While there are chorus’ for the man to give up the captaincy, it seems unlikely give the proximity to the World Cup, but coach Peter Moores offered less support than he usually does by suggesting, “It would be wrong of me as a selector and coach not to review things at the end of this series”.

Sri Lanka 292 for 7 (Sangakkara 112, Dilshan 68) beat England 202 (Root 55, Woakes 41, Lakmal 4-30, Senanayake 3-33) by 90 runs

Cricket: Confident England seek unlikely series decider

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Close to being written off after three games in the series England surprised everyone by winning game five easily.  The surprise win means they can take the series to a deciding game with a follow up win in game six.  That is a strong possibility given the form of the care bear kids, Joe Root and James Taylor.

Sri Lanka are still tinkering with their World Cup lineup and have introduced new players for this one.  While they do want to give exposure to a wide range of players and allow others time to get into World Cup form, they’ll be annoyed if they can’t close this one out.

Pallekele again should favour the English side.

The Last Time These Two Met

Game five saw England close the series gap to just one game.  Joe Root’s cool head saw England home in a chase that was delayed by an entire day due to wet weather.  The match was also significant for Sachithra Senanayake who returned superbly from an international bowling ban.

The Teams

Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wkt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Suranga Lakmal 11 Lakshan Sandakan

Kusal Perera and Ajantha Mendis have been dropped.  Perera is to be replaced by Dimuth Karunaratne, whereas Suranga Lakmal Lakshan Sandakan should be given a chance at Mendis and Prasad’s expense.

England (likely): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wkt), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Steven Finn

No changes expected to their winning side.

The Key Players

Steven Finn – The obvious key player to spotlight would be Alastair Cook.  But he’s getting enough light from every other fan and critic of English cricket.  Therefore, we’ll leave him alone and focus on Steven Finn.  Finn is slowly regaining his form after overcoming a long held groin injury.  The quick achieved figures of 1-28 in his best bowling effort of the series.  Finn will be hoping to regain top form in game six and take early wickets.

Lahiru Thirimanne – Averages a whopping 116 in this series because of three not outs from four innings.  Equally impressive is the strike rate of 106 which seems to outline that the left hander is much more comfortable as a lower order closer than he is / was at the top of the order.  Thirimanne was in sublime form leading into this series too.  In the emergency games against India he posted back to back fifties.

The Odds*

Sri Lanka – $1.57

England – $2.40

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Unibet.

The Prediction

The cynic in all of us thinks this will go to a deciding game.  More money, more television viewers and more interest.  So England to win this one for us.  Jump on Unibet to take advantage of the generous price on England.

Cricket: Root sees England home after false start

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Joe Root overcome a long overnight wait to guide England home in their pursuit of Sri Lanka’s 239 in the fifth match of the ODI series.  England’s chase was initially delayed by a mid game downpour as the game entered a second day; planned with the World Cup in mind and utilising the rarely used reserve day.  When the teams returned, Root superbly guided his side to 240/5 and a win with five balls to spare.  His 104* came from just 117 balls and is his third ODI century of the year.  He was aptly supported by James Taylor, who backed up his last effort of 90 with a patient 68.  That was after England had fallen to 35/2 when Alastair Cook and Moeen Ali were dismissed cheaply by the returning Senanayake.  We thought the returning bowler might go alright on his return from international suspension and he delivered an economical spell of 2-35 from his ten overs.

Other than his impact however, the rest of the Sri Lankan attack struggled and the four pronged spin attack lacked the requisite threat to take regular wickets.  With wickets in hand England were always favourites and Root’s six to bring up his century was the final nail in the coffin.  Ravi Bopara (28) offered another useful contribution, sharing in a partnership of 86 with England’s match-winner.

Before the unusually long rain delay Sri Lanka had stuttered to a below par 239; suffering at the hands of Chris Woakes who returned his best internality cricket figures of 6-47.  Sri Lanka got off to the worst possible start when the ‘duck-prone’ Kusal Perera nibbled one to slip third ball of the match.  Perera’s last international scores read 0 4 0 59 9 0 31 0.  Kumar Sangakkara scored well again, the classy left hander contributed 91 of the local’s total, but he lacked support from his fellow senior players.  That may well be due to the fine bowling efforts of Woakes, Chris Jordan (2-56), and James Tredwell (1-35).  The trio never allowed the run-rate to get away from them, illustrated by the fact that Sangakkara scored at a strike rate of only 73 and Matthews at only 52.

The win means England stay alive in the seven match series.  Luxbet still have them as outsiders to win the series though.  They are at $2.30 to pull off an unlikely series win.

England 240 for 5 (Root 104*, Taylor 68) beat Sri Lanka 239 (Sangakkara 91, Woakes 6-47) by five wickets

Cricket: Senanayake cleared to return in game five

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With just a handful of games to go until the 2015 Cricket World Cup every game plays an important part in a team’s preparations.  Game five in the England v Sri Lanka series is no different as both sides welcome the opportunity to test combinations and settle on orders before the prestigious tournament.  Both sides welcome back players, with England throwing down the red carpet for their captain, Alastair Cook, and Sri Lanka fortunate to have Sachithra Senanayake available for selection after a recent illegal bowling action ban.

If the rain stays away this could be an intriguing contest, on both an individual and team basis.

The Last Time These Two Met

In Colombo Sri Lanka took a 3-1 series lead when they successfully chased down England’s 265.  However, the Pallekele venue should suit the England side much better and of the grounds England play at before the World Cup is likely to be the venue that resembles the New Zealand conditions most closely.

The Teams

Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Dhammika Prasad, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

England (likely): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Steven Finn

The Key Players

Sachithra Senanayake – The controversial spinner has endured a miserable few months as he sought to remedy his law breaking action.  Without a second skill to fall back on, the offie has been limited to just 10 overs in a domestic List A match, no doubt going stir crazy in the process.  He gets an immediate opportunity to showcase his remodelled action and make an impact on the series thanks to Rangana Herath’s hamstring injury.   Sport loves a comeback story so Senanayake taking wickets might be worth a bob or tow.

James Taylor – Some of the games best batsmen have been little.  Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting are all short men who dominated opposition because bowlers found it so difficult to find the right length to bowl at them.  James Taylor is the same; his height allows him to pull deliveries that are usually decent length deliveries to other batsmen and when bowlers try and correct the fuller efforts often become half volleys.  Taylor helped himself to eight boundaries in game four and will be looking to make another statement here.

The Odds*

Sri Lanka – $1.54

England – $2.48

*Odds courtesy of Sportsbet Australia.

The Prediction

Despite Pallekele offering more favourable conditions for the tourists I can’t see them winning this one.  Sri Lanka by 2 wickets or 30 runs.  As an outside roughie, take Alastair Cook to top score at $5.50.