***Official*** Sri Lanka in England

[steds]

All credit to Sri Lanka for outplaying us through the whole series.
the key is in the bowling statistics:

M O M R W AVG EC
Kabir Ali 2 16 0 149 0 - 9.31
Harmison 5 50 2 286 8 35.75 5.72
Bresnan 4 25 1 169 2 84.50 6.76
Plunkett 5 34.2 0 242 3 80.66 7.04
SI Mahmood 3 21 0 173 3 57.66 8.23
Dalrymple 5 44 1 205 4 51.25 4.65
Collingwood 3 21 1 92 2 46.00 4.38
IR Bell 5 4 0 30 1 30.00 7.50

England positives are hard to find but ill have to go with Trescothick and cooks batting and the emergance of Dalrymple.

That needs cleaning up.

 	    M    O   M   R W   AVG   EC
Kabir Ali   2   16   0 149 0     - 9.31
Harmison    5   50   2 286 8 35.75 5.72
Bresnan     4   25   1 169 2 84.50 6.76
Plunkett    5 34.2   0 242 3 80.66 7.04
SI Mahmood  3   21   0 173 3 57.66 8.23
Dalrymple   5   44   1 205 4 51.25 4.65
Collingwood 3   21   1  92 2 46.00 4.38
IR Bell     5    4   0  30 1 30.00 7.50

So much easier to read.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Solution is to stop picking bowlers. Waste of energy.

Trescothick
Cook
Strauss
Pietersen
Bell
Clarke
Collingwood
Dalrymple
Solanki
Loudon
Jones

 

[Gloucefan]

Not a good day all round for England fans

Injuries can't be blamed for a performance like that, the players on the pitch aren't injured. I hope never to see the likes of Ali and Bresan in an England shirt again.

 

[kvemuri]

Solution is to stop picking bowlers. Waste of energy.

Trescothick
Cook
Strauss
Pietersen
Bell
Clarke
Collingwood
Dalrymple
Solanki
Loudon
Jones

Is that for the long run? and has no Freddie in that...wow! seems like the Lankans have definitely done a number on you English fans.

 

[JASON]

Not a good day all round for England fans

Injuries can't be blamed for a performance like that, the players on the pitch aren't injured. I hope never to see the likes of Ali and Bresan in an England shirt again.

While I was equally disappointed as you are by the Football result , I am overjoyed about the cricket though (as a Sri Lankan) .

However , I understand your sadness of a bad day overall for English sport .(considering the impact of the Football result) .

 

[JASON]

What an absolutely brilliant batting performance by Sanath J and Tharanga . That was unbelievably ruthless on the English bowling attack probably best to describe as "Carnage at Carnegie Stadium".

While the SL openers batted brilliantly in record breaking style, the bowling of Malinga (in taking 4 for 44) was top class effort , particularly when he bowled toe crunching yorkers (ball after ball) towards the death and was rewarded a few wickets for those as well (Dalrymple, Bresnan, Gerraint Jones) . Also the opening spells of Vaas and Malinga at the start of the England innings was commendable in the way they restricted the scoring at the start of the innings.

One felt when Trescothick got away with the nick off Dilhara (not given by Billy Doctrove), that it might be England's day. But Sanath and Tharanga re wrote record books on their way to extremely fast hundreds and a record partnership. This is too good to be true .

 

[JASON]

i don't know which is worst England going out of the world cup on penalties or this humiliation. Once again i must commend the Sri Lankan ODI side lead by Jayasuriya they have a powerful all-round unit & are seriously strong candidates to win the world cup next year.

They may be.... if the World Cup was tomorrow or next month. But the World cup is over 7 -8 months away. And while as a Sri Lankan , I wish this amazing run continues, As a realist I know it will be over very soon, infact as soon as the next series starts.

If SL can bottle this amazing form and release it close to the World Cup next year it would be great , but this is not possible .

Since form is such a fickle thing, You never know ....by January next year , SL may be struggling again and England could be in a brilliant winning streak ...(with all the injured back ) ... So its too early to predict anything.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Um. Wow.

 

[JBH001]

OMG!

I didnt believe it at first - I had to look at the scored 3 times to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. What a massacre and that just about begins to describe it - though speechless and lost for words might be better.

I only wish I had been able to see it - either live or on TV unfortunately they don't seem to be showing regular coverage of the cricket here in NZ.

But really, just.....

 

[JBH001]

They may be.... if the World Cup was tomorrow or next month. But the World cup is over 7 -8 months away. And while as a Sri Lankan , I wish this amazing run continues, As a realist I know it will be over very soon, infact as soon as the next series starts.

If SL can bottle this amazing form and release it close to the World Cup next year it would be great , but this is not possible .

Since form is such a fickle thing, You never know ....by January next year , SL may be struggling again and England could be in a brilliant winning streak ...(with all the injured back ) ... So its too early to predict anything.

Oh please. Not another grovelling miserable excuse for a post.

Why keep forever apologising for the SL team?
Or did Arjuna's revolution pass you by?
Do you ever stop bagging your team, or has kicking yourself so that no one else will kick you become too much of a habit for you to shake?

Sri Lanka now are strong candidates for the world cup - whether they realise that potential or not is something we shall all have to wait and see. But despite that and whatever happens 7 months from now, enjoy and savour this victory and this overseas tour - Sri Lanka's best ever in its 23 year history. A series concluded with savagery and style.

 

[dinu23]

Oh please. Not another grovelling miserable excuse for a post.

Why keep forever apologising for the SL team?
Or did Arjuna's revolution pass you by?
Do you ever stop bagging your team, or has kicking yourself so that no one else will kick you become too much of a habit for you to shake?

Sri Lanka now are strong candidates for the world cup - whether they realise that potential or not is something we shall all have to wait and see. But despite that and whatever happens 7 months from now, enjoy and savour this victory and this overseas tour - Sri Lanka's best ever in its 23 year history. A series concluded with savagery and style.

have to agree with you there JBH.

 

[marc71178]

Oh please. Not another grovelling miserable excuse for a post.

There is nothing wrong with a bit of level-headedness, even after a result of this magnitude.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Is that for the long run? and has no Freddie in that...wow! seems like the Lankans have definitely done a number on you English fans.

 

[Benny2k1]

That needs cleaning up.

 	    M    O   M   R W   AVG   EC
Kabir Ali   2   16   0 149 0     - 9.31
Harmison    5   50   2 286 8 35.75 5.72
Bresnan     4   25   1 169 2 84.50 6.76
Plunkett    5 34.2   0 242 3 80.66 7.04
SI Mahmood  3   21   0 173 3 57.66 8.23
Dalrymple   5   44   1 205 4 51.25 4.65
Collingwood 3   21   1  92 2 46.00 4.38
IR Bell     5    4   0  30 1 30.00 7.50

So much easier to read.

Thanks for that Steds

 

[Tomm NCCC]

One word to sum it all up, Ouch!

Lets look at positives, cos if i look at any more negatives, I'll cry

We have found a talented well rounded player by the name of Jamie Dalrymple, looked like he bowled well, was a little unlucky, and very consistent with the bat, scored 30+ runs in every game. Also, Ali Cook has shown he's not too bad on One dayers, making 30 and 40 in his last two games. And.... well thats it.

 

[Autobahn]

One word to sum it all up, Ouch!

Lets look at positives, cos if i look at any more negatives, I'll cry

We have found a talented well rounded player by the name of Jamie Dalrymple, looked like he bowled well, was a little unlucky, and very consistent with the bat, scored 30+ runs in every game. Also, Ali Cook has shown he's not too bad on One dayers, making 30 and 40 in his last two games. And.... well thats it.

And hopefully Kabir Ali, Mahmood, Bresan will be sent back to their counties ASAP.

 

[Neil Pickup]

And hopefully Kabir Ali, Mahmood, Bresan will be shot

better

 

[Autobahn]

Well i guess the threat of death would get some of the players to up their game....

 

[JBH001]

There is nothing wrong with a bit of level-headedness, even after a result of this magnitude.

Absolutely.

But that's no reason not to savour and enjoy an especially brilliant and beautiful day just because you fear storm clouds the next. Tomorrow may need an umbrella but thats no reason not to bask in it today.

Also as a Sri Lankan by birth (though now a NZ by nationality and choice) I find Jason's excessive deference and obseqiousness a little annoying.

This has been SL's best ever overseas tour - moreover a tour no one expected or predicted. All the more reason then to enjoy it and let the WC or the next series wait.

 

[Nate]

Those 'Marks out of 10' things continue to be pretty stupid. Malinga only an 8, when he was the only bowler really to scare and dominate the opposition, and the only fellow with very attractive figures. And although Harmison was pretty crap, I thought they were a bit harsh on him. But Malinga deserves a bigger rap IMO.