**Official** Sri Lanka in England and Ireland 2016

[Prince EWS]

Yeah Hales will get this series IMO. I think that would be under slightly more doubt if not for the unfortunate retirement of Taylor as Compton could be pushed up to open, but the middle order depth will be tested as it is so I think they'll stick with Hales for now.

 

[91Jmay]

Yeah my guess:

Cook, Hales, Compton, Root, Ballance, Stokes, JB

will be the team.

 

[vic_orthdox]

So the indications are that Jos will come back in?

 

[Prince EWS]

Knight, Hussain and Willis are all leaving out Compton but keeping Hales. That's pretty nuts, IMO.

EDIT: And Atherton as well. Weird.

 

[Prince EWS]

So the indications are that Jos will come back in?

The JB in 91Jmay's team is Bairstow rather than Buttler. There's a chance Bairstow will move up to five and Buttler will come back in but I don't think it's the most likely outcome at this point.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Ah yeah, got myself mixed up.

 

[Pothas]

Knight, Hussain and Willis are all leaving out Compton but keeping Hales. That's pretty nuts, IMO.

EDIT: And Atherton as well. Weird.

None of them picked Compton which is interesting, in an ideal world I would drop both but as you said earlier the Taylor thing looks more likely. Honestly though if I am to have a 30 something in my side I would rather it be Bell than Compton.

Would go Vince, Root, Bell, Stokes, Bairstow.

Compton could still be in the discussion as an opener of course.

 

[Prince EWS]

None of them picked Compton which is interesting, in an ideal world I would drop both but as you said earlier the Taylor thing looks more likely. Honestly though if I am to have a 30 something in my side I would rather it be Bell than Compton.

Would go Vince, Root, Bell, Stokes, Bairstow.

Compton could still be in the discussion as an opener of course.

Yeah I can see why leaving Compton out for Vince, Bell and/or Ballance could be appealing, but I tend to think if that's the case he should still be selected as an opener ahead of Hales. They all picked Vince and were split on which of Bell, Ballance or Buttler should come in but they all retained Hales rather than shifting Compton up which I found strange.

 

[Pothas]

I think it was all a case of wanting to give Hales a real chance, he has always had a lot of support from the Sky lot and media more generally.

 

[Prince EWS]

My best guess at a Sri Lankan side:

1. Silva
2. Karunaratne
3. Mendis
4. Chandimal
5. Mathews
6. Siriwardana
7. Dickwella
8. Prasad
9. Herath
10. Chameera
11. Lakmal

Mathews has confirmed that openers and said #3 would either be Dickwella or Mendis. It would be pretty amusing if Sri Lanka picked three keepers in the eleven but batted them all in the top four but it seemed like Mendis had the inside running from what he said, and he looked pretty solid in his two Tests at #3 against New Zealand too despite a pretty meagre First Class record. The #7 spot could go to any of the other batsmen in the squad really but (assuming he's not at 3 instead) I'm guessing it'll be Dickwella in order to have one of the keepers not batting in the top order, and Lakmal/Pradeep is a bit of a toss-up as well.

 

[OverratedSanity]

They don't have anyone better than Dickwella for no.3? That's a bit... alarming.

 

[Prince EWS]

They don't have anyone better than Dickwella for no.3? That's a bit... alarming.

Well, they have Mendis.

 

[theegyptian]

Compton not getting in any of the teams was pretty funny. He really does not seem to be particularly well liked both as a player or person. Buttler still liked.

 

[Howe_zat]

What happened to Jayasundera/Vithange?

 

[Prince EWS]

What happened to Jayasundera/Vithange?

Dropped after direness.

 

[Howe_zat]

Next question: Is Finn fit?

 

[mr_mister]

lol so funny I used to be able to name like every ever batsman who had played for Sri Lanka this century coz they had the same regulars for years....now i barely recognise anyone in that top 7


who the **** is dickwella

 

[Tom Flint]

I reckon prasad could clean up this series, very underrated and nips the ball around nicely. Can see him having plenty of joy with England's fragile top order

 

[theegyptian]

With Hales I reckon he needs to start playing the pull/hook if he has any chance of being a success. He basically put it away in SA. Probably because he isn't particularly good at it and tends to pull/hook up. In isolation it looked a fair judgement but as part of the wider plans of his game it really has screwed him.

) I don't think he is good enough to bat longer periods and score at 35-45 sr which is what will happen if he doesn't play the pull/hook.
) By not playing the pull/hook he is stuck in a defensive mindset and it seems to stop him from really getting his weight into shots on the frontfoot.
) It's hard to bat in the top 3 and not be a good player of the short ball.

It just plays too much into the bowlers favour. They can hammer him back with short balls with no threat of being scored off and then get Hales to jab at fuller balls without him getting the weight into his shots. He isn't great technically so basing his game around being technically sound and scoring all your runs off deliveries that pitch in the final 1/3 of the pitch seems to be a big error. His game needs to be built around putting pressure back on the opposition but if you can't play the short ball he is going to struggle.




I

 

[Dan]

My best guess at a Sri Lankan side:

1. Silva
2. Karunaratne
3. Mendis
4. Chandimal
5. Mathews
6. Siriwardana
7. Dickwella
8. Prasad
9. Herath
10. Chameera
11. Lakmal

Mathews has confirmed that openers and said #3 would either be Dickwella or Mendis. It would be pretty amusing if Sri Lanka picked three keepers in the eleven but batted them all in the top four but it seemed like Mendis had the inside running from what he said, and he looked pretty solid in his two Tests at #3 against New Zealand too despite a pretty meagre First Class record. The #7 spot could go to any of the other batsmen in the squad really but (assuming he's not at 3 instead) I'm guessing it'll be Dickwella in order to have one of the keepers not batting in the top order, and Lakmal/Pradeep is a bit of a toss-up as well.

Don't underestimate the SL tendency to inexplicably leave out Kaushal Silva despite him being one of the more consistent opening batsmen in the world, and the tendency to randomly recall Thirrimanne.

This is the team I'd go for, ftr.