summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Foakes the leading run scorer for England.
Cricket
- Thread starter summerisle
- Start date
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Moeen strikes, Sri Lanka 15-1.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Sri Lanka 24-2, on review, Leach in his first over.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Sri Lanka 34-3, Moeen's second wicket.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Stokes bounces out Matthews, Sri Lanka 52-4.
..and a fine gloveman too.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Yes, Sri Lanka needing 327 to win were 53-4 at the close and possibly even getting within 200 is now looking a mite optimistic.
They were being offered at a very miserly best price of 5/1 at the start of their attempt to climb Everest, perhaps 5000/1 might now seem equally miserly.
Moeen Ali, Jack Leach and Ben Stokes (is he already the man of the match?) have opened the floodgates.
Adil hasn't had a bowl yet, hopefully he will get the chance to push his own man of the match claims tomorrow.
They were being offered at a very miserly best price of 5/1 at the start of their attempt to climb Everest, perhaps 5000/1 might now seem equally miserly.
Moeen Ali, Jack Leach and Ben Stokes (is he already the man of the match?) have opened the floodgates.
Adil hasn't had a bowl yet, hopefully he will get the chance to push his own man of the match claims tomorrow.
Minimeister
Player Valuation: £35m
What kind of series are you expecting out in the Windies mate?
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Home advantage is so massive that you can't write off any home side so it won't be easy.
If Ben Stokes is available then England should have too much as for me his contribution is absolutely and consistently crucial.
England can win without him but for me they will be rather like a table with only three legs, whichever way you try and turn it or manoeuvre, it just hasn't the balance.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
No matches at all in Jamaica Trinidad ; British tourists want to go to safer places.
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
So rapid has been England’s growth this autumn, it is easy to forget just how only a month ago Sri Lanka were favourites to win this three-Test series, just as it is easy to forget that umpiring can be as difficult as winning in Sri Lanka.
Now England lie on the brink of their first away whitewash since 1963, and their first ever in Asia, so the plaudits are assured, as for the on-field umpiring, it set records too hitting around rock bottom today and questions need to be asked.
Whenever spin predominates on turning pitches, especially in stifling heat and humidity, the umpires’ job is certain to be a taxing one, with so many verdicts on thin edges and LBWs to be reached, but even so this was just unacceptable.
Experience can help a lot in umpiring and the best have usually played the game to a reasonable standard, umpire Sundaram Ravi has never played first-class cricket - and it showed, as when Stokes was dismissed twice by Sri Lanka’s left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, operating from Ravi’s end, who was then subsequently found by the third umpire to have no-balled.
Umpire S.Ravi (or DRS Ravi as he is called in these parts) has been the only Indian on the ICC’s elite panel of international umpires since 2015, and he is undoubtedly the worst. His compatriot the former Indian test spinner Srini Venkataraghavan was among the very best until retirement but what on earth has happened to their standards since if Ravi is their best? Too much theoretical training but not enough practical playing experience may be part of the answer.
Almost every time Ravi gave a batsman out on day three, the review showed him to be not out, and every time he gave a batsman not out, the review showed him to be out. Umpire Chris Gaffaney at the other end hardly helped matters, being equally culpable on several occasions too. Gaffaney, who played first-class cricket in New Zealand, has become a very good third, or tv, umpire, maybe he should stick to what he's good at?
While I have every sympathy for test umpires missing no balls, surely the third or fourth umpire could use the technology to decide this, the business end of a decision being so difficult to adjudicate on that that is perhaps the umpires' main job, I have less sympathy if they time and again have their decisions at the business end overturned too.
The ICC match referee Andy Pycroft has to compose his report on the officials in strong terms. There is no suggestion that Ravi or Gaffaney are biased towards any side in any way - simply that Ravi does not have the skill-sets to be a Test umpire and, at 52, never will.
Now England lie on the brink of their first away whitewash since 1963, and their first ever in Asia, so the plaudits are assured, as for the on-field umpiring, it set records too hitting around rock bottom today and questions need to be asked.
Whenever spin predominates on turning pitches, especially in stifling heat and humidity, the umpires’ job is certain to be a taxing one, with so many verdicts on thin edges and LBWs to be reached, but even so this was just unacceptable.
Experience can help a lot in umpiring and the best have usually played the game to a reasonable standard, umpire Sundaram Ravi has never played first-class cricket - and it showed, as when Stokes was dismissed twice by Sri Lanka’s left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, operating from Ravi’s end, who was then subsequently found by the third umpire to have no-balled.
Umpire S.Ravi (or DRS Ravi as he is called in these parts) has been the only Indian on the ICC’s elite panel of international umpires since 2015, and he is undoubtedly the worst. His compatriot the former Indian test spinner Srini Venkataraghavan was among the very best until retirement but what on earth has happened to their standards since if Ravi is their best? Too much theoretical training but not enough practical playing experience may be part of the answer.
Almost every time Ravi gave a batsman out on day three, the review showed him to be not out, and every time he gave a batsman not out, the review showed him to be out. Umpire Chris Gaffaney at the other end hardly helped matters, being equally culpable on several occasions too. Gaffaney, who played first-class cricket in New Zealand, has become a very good third, or tv, umpire, maybe he should stick to what he's good at?
While I have every sympathy for test umpires missing no balls, surely the third or fourth umpire could use the technology to decide this, the business end of a decision being so difficult to adjudicate on that that is perhaps the umpires' main job, I have less sympathy if they time and again have their decisions at the business end overturned too.
The ICC match referee Andy Pycroft has to compose his report on the officials in strong terms. There is no suggestion that Ravi or Gaffaney are biased towards any side in any way - simply that Ravi does not have the skill-sets to be a Test umpire and, at 52, never will.
...Sri Lanka having a good go but that run out from Jack Leach is very timely. 184-6.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Sri Lanka 225-8, Jennings another two catches.
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Nearly there, Sri Lanka 226-9, 4 for Moeen.
toffeejack
Player Valuation: £100m
As I'm reading this post ravi has given lbw first over after tea... Is it out?
.... Umpires call ha