What No 1st Test Thread?

[El Sueno]

I went to stick this on the bbc radio player (5 sports xtra) but it's not having it today... dammit. Now I'm stuck with George fucking Lamb on 6music.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I went to stick this on the bbc radio player (5 sports xtra) but it's not having it today... dammit. Now I'm stuck with George fucking Lamb on 6music.

Working fine for me

Although I wish it wasn't, we're getting pwned

 

[TrippyLondoner]

Hey hey wtf? I just watched on ssnews that 'bee's stopped play' for this match..ehh?

 

[mattie]

Murali's got 50-odd overs at the tail (if you include Prior in that)


eta: seem to be quite a few 4s, are we going for the win?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Probably just keeping the scoring rate up so that Sri can't play five slips and two short-legs.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

I assume we're all expecting a wicket pretty soon in the last session.

In fact, I bet you've clicked on this thinking "oh Christ, I bet somebody's posted because a wicket's fallen...."

 

[g force]

No I expected Bell and Prior to take on Boycott-eque batting and stay at the crease for at least 8 hours

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Incidentally, why is Sanath retireing after this test, as opposed to after the series?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Incidentally, why is Sanath retireing after this test, as opposed to after the series?

They wanted him to go after Australia, but they're giving him one last test for his send-off. It is slightly bizarre, I agree.

He is 'retiring' in the same way that McClaren 'resigned'.

 

[Santino]

Maybe he wanted to get 100 wickets.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

He wants to keep playing.

But his form over the past year hasn't been good, and he is getting on a bit, so dropping him is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Murali's got Prior.

 

[JTG]

you know it's nearly Christmas when you're sat in front of a PC in the morning following a couple of Englishmen trying to dog it out for a draw somewhere hot and sticky.

About an hour left. Come on...

 

[JTG]

bollocks

looks like I'll be able to leave the house soon

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Just when you thought they might actually do it, eh?

 

[JTG]

Just when you thought they might actually do it, eh?

I'll never learn

 

[JTG]

so, um, anyone who's actually watching this - any chance of rain/bad light etc?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

According to the various services I'm following it on, it was looking quite dark some time before tea but then brightened up.

 

[agricola]

so, um, anyone who's actually watching this - any chance of rain/bad light etc?

Apparently the light can change very quickly, so perhaps. Less chance of rain, more chance of bees.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Was it India last summer who saved a Test nine wickets down because it rained for the last two sessions?

 

[agricola]

Murali's got Prior.

After half-an-hour of Bumble and Nick Knight (surely the cricketing Redknapp Jr) going on about "who would have thought Murali wouldnt get a wicket in the second innings at Kandy"....

 

[Donna Ferentes]

How does Bumble still get work?

 

[agricola]

How does Bumble still get work?

Dunno..

Sidebottom goes lbw after a huge inside edge - i guess how does Rauf still get work is as valid a question. In comes Monty!

(edited to make sense)

 

[JTG]

Tailender's dismissal. Appeal for lbw, may as well give it, nobody will mind...

Hoggy's a star. In tremendous pain by all accounts and he's still out there. Bless him

 

[JTG]

Apparently the light can change very quickly, so perhaps. Less chance of rain, more chance of bees.

It always does in the tropics. Was at Durban in 2004 and we never got a full day's play in. When the light starts to go it fucks off very quickly. We would have won that one if not for that.

 

[agricola]

Tailender's dismissal. Appeal for lbw, may as well give it, nobody will mind...

Hoggy's a star. In tremendous pain by all accounts and he's still out there. Bless him

Cook (I think) is out as a runner for him now... well he cant be tired, after all.

 

[JTG]

oh well

 

[agricola]

Sri Lanka win. Great test match, won by Sangakkara's immense innings.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Yeah, a deserved win in light of a superb second innings from Sangakkara and yet another lukewarm batting performance from England. Bring back strauss?

No probably not.

 

[jonnyd1978]

Our 1st innings lost us this game. Too many gave away their wicket cheaply yet again. You really shouldn't lose a test match when you've bowled the opposition out for well under 200 in the 1st innings. A valiant effort in the end, but it wasn't to be. It was quite a generous declaration to be fair and if our top order had applied themselves better in the 2nd innings we could have nicked this game. Harmi back in for Anderson?