Anyone out there?
4th over: England 18-0 (Banton 15, Duckett 3) Banton jumpstarts the England innings with three successive boundaries: an edge wide of slip, a classy off-drive and an even better back-foot punch through extra cover. Good lad.
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3rd over: England 5-0 (Banton 2, Duckett 3) Duckett survives a run-out chance after taking a quick single on the off side. He was just short of his ground when Arachchige’s throw bounced past the stumps at the bowler’s end.
Another quiet over, with only one big stroke from Banton that didn’t beat the cover fielder. Sri Lanka have bowled an excellent length and England look like they want to get the measure of the pitch before they unsheath the long handle.
2nd over: England 3-0 (Banton 1, Duckett 2) The left-armer Dilshan Madushanka continues Sri Lanka’s good start, conceding three singles. England’s openers have started cautiously and are doing their own pitch inspection.
1st over: England 0-0 (Banton 0, Duckett 0) The stocky Asitha Fernando starts with a maiden to Tom Banton. No real swing, but no looseners either and Banton was unable to pierce the infield.
Tom Banton and Ben Duckett walk out to the middle. Banton made a blistering maiden hundred against Sri Lanka at the Oval last month.
This week’s Spin is a lovely read
Bradman b Hollies 0
Team news: Rashid dropped
England make two changes from the defeat to Pakistan. Josh Tongue and Liam Dawson replaces Sonny Baker and… Adil Rashid, who of late has been nowhere near his magical best.
Sri Lanka bring in the left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage for the leggie Sachindu Colombage. Their team also includes the opener Avishka Fernando, who looked a star of the future when Sri Lanka stunned England at Headingley in the 2019 World Cup.
Fernando, aged 21, made an audacious 39-ball 49 in that game. He’s had a stop-start career but I’m looking forward to seeing him again.
England Banton, Duckett, Root, Brook (c), Cox (wk), Curran, Jacks, Overton, Dawson, Atkinson, Tongue.
Sri Lanka Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (c/wk), Rathnayake, Arachchige, Liyanage, Shanaka, Wellalage, Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Madushanka.
Sri Lanka win the toss and bowl
That might not be a bad thing for England, who are better at setting targets than chasing them.
At the risk of misquoting Black Grape, it’s a big day in Gqeberha, where Australia have a helluva job on to save the second Test against South Africa. Geoff Lemon is on OBO duty.
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Preamble
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
The little girl with the little curl, the subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, has plenty in common with this England team. They’re a one-day side with two faces, and we saw both during Tuesday’s defeat against Pakistan.
England seemed to be cruising to victory, only to flunk a 300+ chase for the second time in three games. There’s no need to get carried away – that’s what social media is for – but negative patterns are never a good thing for a cricket team, especially when they involve batting collapses. After a largely positive 2026, the tame manner of Tuesday’s defeat was a setback.
It means today’s match against Sri Lanka is, if not a must-win, then at least a need-to-win. The losers will be bottom of the tri-series at the halfway stage, with nul points and a lot of work to do. May the best team not lose.
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