They are going down swinging.
Well, they’re certainly going down.
Salt went pretty much the ball after I posted that previously, and that was pretty much it.
SL v AUS 2nd Test @ Galle
Normal game strategy in Galle is to win the toss, score a bucket before the wicket crumbles and batting becomes a lottery … sorta like in the 1st Test.
This Test SL win toss, get bowled out for 257 early on second day.
After 65overs AUS have a lead with Smudge getting his 36th Test ton and 17th as captain.
Carey is in the 90s and Inglis has been sitting on the bench watching 650 runs scored before he gets to bat a second time in his career, which must be some sort of record.
With debutant Connolly set to come in at #8, AUS have their shortest tail for quite some time. So they will just keep batting. Unless there is adverse weather around I’d doubt they’d consider declaring until Day4
Carey tons up.
Why Smudge?
He certainly made the most of it when he got the chance!
And he’s filled his boots at England’s expense in the Champions Trophy as well!
I thought 351 was an eminently defendable total. But after Carey and Inglis got going it never looked in doubt, despite Cricinfo’s predictor showing England favorites through 40+ overs.
Archer dropped Carey when it was still in the balance, but Maxwell looked good anyway.
Surprised with no comments on the ICC. I will brag that when I saw Aus at only +170 after the Eng 350 inning, I saw that as a signal to take Aus on the chase. Funny thing is that I wouldn’t have bet it at +270.
Actually just wondering why they couldn’t move the cancelled Aus-SA game to another day, like tomorrow
Do they ever play washed out matches on reserve days any more?
As England are playing Afghanistan today, there are quite a few articles - even in the Telegraph! - about how Afghanistan’s presence in the tournament is essentially a disgrace, and how England should have boycotted the match.
They’re not wrong. ICC rules are very clear that all nations must have a women’s team. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan don’t. Which reflects the Taliban’s general policy on women’s participation in public life, and status, and rights, and any semblance of equal standing with men.
So given those incredibly clear rules, there is no way Afghanistan’s men’s team should be at the tournament, or continue to have ICC recognition. But… here they are. And no one involved is going to make any kind of stand.
When some England players went on rebel tours to apartheid South Africa, which was not welcome in international sport, there was debate within the cricketing bodies and the team and it was generally regarded as obviously controversial and ethically dubious. Even now, there is still something of a black mark against those who participated.
For this… hardly a ripple.
How you like them ripples?
AFG 325/7 (50 ov)
ENG (49.5/50 ov, T:326) 317
What a great win for Afghanistan. I thought they were dead in the water when I left for work this morning. Followed it a bit during the day was shocked at their score. England couldn’t do what Australia did to them. Watching the replay of Afghanistan smacking the ball around now. And all this with Rashid being less than his best.
If anything today’s performance was even more embarrassing.
Firdose Moonda (who I might be in love with, don’t tell Mrs Mouse) said it well:
“a hapless England, who ended the tournament winless, captain-less and on a seven-match losing streak.“
Good last 15 overs by New Zealand bowlers and fielders. Restricted India to 85 runs. Couple of spectacular catches.
Only 1 rest day for India before playing Australia. With the final on Sunday, not sure why the semis wouldn’t be Wednesday/Thursday.
I will ask in my WhatsApp groups of Pakistani classmates.
I’m sure the answer will be some flavor of “it’s a conspiracy to favor India”
Maybe AK84 was right and I’m not a True Pakistani.
lol. Looking forward to hearing the reasons. I assume it would have something to do with “it doesn’t allow Australia to time to adjust to the conditions in Dubai, after playing in Pakistan for 3 games”. Probably a conspiracy I would buy into if I weren’t rooting for India.
Are you in that WhatsApp group? That’s almost word for word what one of them said!
Low hanging fruit. 