Cricket : Sri Lanka v England tour Jan 2021 | Vital Football

Cricket : Sri Lanka v England tour Jan 2021

mikemiller

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It has been confirmed that the planned Sri Lanka v England games will go ahead, first match starting on 14th January 2021. Will wait until nearer the scheduled starting date to post the details, as plans may need to be modified yet.
 
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Seeing all the new coronavirus cases yesterday I imagine there will be changes and one of them might be that it will be a 'no go'
 
10/12/20
ECB announced today that there will be two Sri Lanka test matches , then the England cricket team will tour India in February/March 2021, all being well.

03/01/21 Confirmed schedule for Sri Lanka tour

Test series - both games in Galle, 0430 GMT start

14/01/21 1st Test Sri Lanka v England (Eng won by 7 wkts)
22/01/21 2nd Test Sri Lanka v England (Eng won by 6 wkts)

England won the series 2-0
 
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04/01/21
Not a great start to the tour - Moeen Ali has tested positive for Covid today , so will miss the first Test. No other Covid cases identified in the England team/staff at the moment. Woakes now has to isolate, but if ok can play in the first Test.
 
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I heard that on the four o'clock news on the radio - depending how close they are living together I suppose as if to anyone else gets it.
 
14/01/21

Day One

First Test underway. Live BBC commentary on internet and Radio 4 longwave. Yorkshire's Root, Bairstow and Bess are all playing for England. Sri Lanka won the toss, batted first and are 121-6. Bess has taken two wickets so far.

Update 1 -Tea : Sri Lanka 135 all out. Some careless shots from Sri Lanka, plus a dash of bad luck. Bess finished with 5-30. Bairstow was hit hard on the ankle, by a shot which was then caught by Buttler, and Bairstow then had to go off for treatment.

Update 2 - England 10-1 . Bairstow is now batting, so injury not serious.

Update 3 - Bairstow and Root have put on over 50 for third wicket. England now 77-2

Update 4- Fifty up for Root, 100 up for England... 100 partnership now...
Finished with England on 127-2, Bairstow 47 n.o., Root 66 n.o.
 
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Day Two

Bairstow (47) was dismissed quickly but Lawrence (making his debut) and Root have taken the score to 247-3. Fifty up for Lawrenece, ton for Root.

Update 1 - Tea : England 320-4 (Lawrence 73) Root still there on 168 n.o., Buttler 7 n.o.
Just started to rain.

Update 2 -No further play after Tea due to rain. England 185 ahead.
Starting 15 mins earlier tomorrow (0415 GMT) to make up some of the lost playing time.
 
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Day Three

England 421 all out.. Root was last man out for 228, as England collapsed in the morning session.
Sri Lanka 37-0

Update 1 - Tea : Sri Lanka 2nd innings - looking fairly untroubled so far at 90-0

Update 2 - Close of play : Sri Lanka are digging in their second innings and finished the day on 156-2
 
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They did seem to collapse around him didn't they! And Sri Lanka seem to have got a bit of a foothold on the game now.
 
17/01/21
Day Four

Stubborn resistance from Sri Lanka continues. Bess has picked up a couple of wickets. 266-5 now.

Update 1 : Tea score 302-7 . Another wicket for Bess - eight in the match so far for him.
Started spotting with rain.

Close of Play (Bad light): Sri Lanka 359 all out. Defiant innings from Thirimanne (111) and Mathews (71) . Best England bowlers : Leach 5-122 , Bess 3-100
Shaky 2nd innings start by England. Both openers soon dismissed and then Root was run out for 1 . England finished on 38 -3 (Bairstow 11 n.o., Lawrence 7 n.o.) . England need 36 more runs to win. Think start is scheduled for 0415 GMT again tomorrow.
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A bit more on Lawrence. I saw him play in the Essex v Yorks County Championship game in 2018, when Yorks were bowled out for 50 first innings, but came back to win. Lawrence took some shifting in that game - Essex top scorer first innings, second top scorer second innings, in . He looked useful, even back then. Luckily for us, the other Essex batsmen were not quite as good! Brook scored a ton for Yorkshire in that game, but hasn't really matched that level of performance since.
I spent a great couple of days in Chelmsford watching that match.
 
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Day Five

No problems for England as they knocked off the remaining runs to finish 76-3 and won by 7 wickets- Bairstow 36 n.o., Lawrence 21 n.o.
 
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They made hard work of it yesterday! Though the wicket left a lot to be desired. And isn't the next match there too although I expect it to be a different wicket.

Good to get a win.
 
22/01/21
Day One (Second Test)
Sri Lanka won the toss and are batting first. Root, Bairstow and Bess are in the England team again. Early England breakthrough and a couple of wickets for Anderson. Sri Lanka now 16-2

Update 1 - Sri Lanka 124-3 . Third wicket for Anderson. Mathews 51 n.o.

Update 2 - Tea score : 155-3 . Good recovery by Sri Lanka in the afternoon.

Update 3 - Close of play : Sri Lanka 229-4. Chandimal 52, Mathews 107 n.o.
Mathews digging in and proving difficult to shift, as is often the case
 
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Day Two

Sri Lanka 381 all out
Mathews 110, Dickwella 92, D Perara 67
Great bowling from Anderson (6-40) No wickets for the England spinners though.

Update 1 : England 79-2. After the both openers were lost cheaply, Root and Bairstow have steadied the England innings. Root has just gone past 50.

Update 2 : Close of play score is England 98 -2. Root (67 n.o.) and Bairstow (24 n.o.) playing the Sri Lanka spinners well so far.
 
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Day Three

England 229-5 now . Bairstow and Lawrence were soon dismissed in the morning session.
Buttler has just gone for 55. Root 127 n.o.

Update 1 - Tea 255-6. Sam Curran just caught at slip for 13. Root 137 n.o. The pitch is starting to crumble now and the ball is turning

Update 2 - England 296-6 now. Root 154 no. , Bess 23 n.o.

Update 3 - 300 up now, and 50 partnership

Update 4 - Joe Root's innings has now taken him past the Test Match runs aggregates of Boycott, Peterson and Gower! He is now the all time fourth highest Test scorer for England. Bess just out, caught at slip for 32. He played well.
333-7 now.
 
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