4th over: Sri Lanka 13-0 (Gunathilaka 6, Karunaratne 5) Ground staff move into position – “we might be getting some weather,” offers Bumble. Karunaratne edges a single to third man, then Moeen tempts Guanthilaka into a false shot with a flighted dipper of a full toss – the ball squirts away to safety.
Adam Mountford (@tmsproducer)
Wind really getting up at the SSC & clouds building.
Feels like rain is coming soon. #bbccricket #SLvENG pic.twitter.com/jI61E6T9ni
3rd over: Sri Lanka 12-0 (Gunathilaka 6, Karunaratne 4) There’s a short recess prior to the over, for scattering of sawdust. Then, after two dots, Broad lands one on the button – just back of a length and moving away. Gunathilaka doesn’t play, then takes two to midwicket.
“I will tread carefully,” emails Hugh Maguire, “but Falkirk probably has a nationally perceived similar level of charm as Fife. Perhaps its location as neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow suggests a purgatory rather than final destination as with Freuchie.; your perspective of which way from Falkirk leads to St. Peter and which to Beelzebub depends on from where you are sending someone. Falkirk 0-0 Fife.”
That’s that cleared up then. I have been to both Largs and Paisley. Largs, in particular, is a very special place.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Gunathilaka 4, Karunaratne 4) It’s Moeen from the other end and his first ball catches Gunathilaka on the crease; there’s an appeal, but that was going down. He then gets down the other end with a single and Karunaratne steps into a full toss, clumping four to long off.
1st over: Sri Lanka 5-0 (Gunathilaka 3, Karunaratne 0) Broad has the ball and wears his best mean face, then harmisons a wide that’s somewhere towards Falkirk. And, well, oh dear, there’s another, but Foakes’ dive saves him the shame of seeing it go to slip. Next ball, though, is a jaffa, pitching and moving away – Gunathilaka is tempted into a push but it’s too good for him. He doesn’t mind, though, driving the eighth ball of the over for three.
Apologies, I appear to have started a kids TV riff – don’t talk to me at a party. But let’s mark it down as public service broadcasting for those with kids or, indeed, those without, in which vein, here’s Greg Eden:
“No one’s mentioned ‘Adventure Time’. For inventiveness, sass, empowered female characters and surreality, it rinses anything from the 70s or 80s. Sorry to pop your He-Man bubble, I rewatched one yesterday with my 12yo daughter who likes the rebooted She-Ra. It’s not aged well, though works as powerful cringe TV. Anyway ‘Ulysses 31’ won 80s TV cartoons as we all know.”
Great theme tune, not sure about the rest, Nono the robot especially.
Right then, eyes down for a fascinating mini-session…
Sri Lanka have, I think, 21 overs to bat tonight, but the likelihood is that the light will intervene prior to then. 327 is just about low enough for the batsmen to convince themselves that it possible – it’s equal with the highest-ever chase on this ground – one big partnership and it could be close.
That’s 100 test wickets for Perera, a mark he reaches quicker than Murali, and gives the bowler his fifer. Leach presses forward, the ball spins off his edge, and Sri Lanka need 327 to avoid a whitewash.
70th over: England 230-9 (Foakes 36, Leach 0) Mendis goes off to get some ice, and Foakes glides Perera for two to cover. Two more follow to midwicket, and then comes the single.
“As any ancient physician will tell, a well applied and clinging Leach is a marvellous restorative,” emails Phil Withall.
I’d love not to have known that, but someone at my school decided that the history of medicine was a goOd thing to do for History GCSE.
69th over: England 225-9 (Foakes 31, Leach 0) It’s phenomenally hot out there, but in the crowd are English heroes in jacket and tie. What a country. Foakes pulls Pushpakumara hard … and ouch! He clatters Mendis, fielding at short leg, on the shoulder. He sees the funny side, but there’s a break while the physio comes out to spray him. That was very nearly very nasty. But luckily he’s soon back in the action – I wonder how he’ll bat after that – and Foakes sweeps high but misses the fielders, earning two, then takes a single. Leach sees out his one ball, and back round we go; he has now faced 12 balls for his duck, showing all the stickability of an opener.
“Falkland and Freuchie are only a mile or two apart,” emails Andrew Benton, “but the interweb says those banished to Freuchie were there to be executed, so Awa tae Freuchie really did mean fiddle-faddle off and die.”
How is Falkirk, anyway?
68th over: England 222-9 (Foakes 28, Leach 0) This time, Foakes takes his single off the fourth ball of the over, and we see Joe Root in whites – with 26 overs left in the day, it might be a bit early yet for a declaration, but given the new ball isn’t that much of a factor, there’s less need to hang about and get two goes with it. However there’s more than enough time to bowl Sri Lanka out, so it probably doesn’t make much sense not to take as many runs as there are when the alternative is being chased down. Leach survives.
Wow! The ball was missing leg stump! And there was no edge either, so no caught behind. Sickener for Sri Lanka.
No height issue here, this one is an ankle-biter, and Foakes misses with a sweep. But he reviews, no doubt to rid the game of the howler.
67th over: England 221-9 (Foakes 27, Leach 0) Pushpakumara gets one to grip and twist past Foakes’ bat, but he doesn’t edge so defends some more than takes one off the fifth ball, pressed to cover. Leach sees the over out easily enough, and the lead is now 317.
66th over: England 220-9 (Foakes 26, Leach 0) Foakes farms the strike, taking a single from Perera’s final delivery.
65th over: England 219-9 (Foakes 25, Leach 0) “Monster Munch got bigger, reckons Adam Hillmann. “If you want good modern kids TV try Hey Duggee or Steven Universe. Then try watching Thundercats or He-man and appreciate that we escaped from the 80s. Oh and The Darkness do the theme tune for Katie’s Amazing Machines.”
I do actually have a nipper, but telly is generally what happens when I need to do other stuff. Perhaps what I’m saying is we need to watch more telly together, snivel, but I’m not having that Thundercats and He-Man weren’t good. Still, though, have we any serieses ((c) IJL Trott) to compare with Willy Fogg or Cities of Gold?
That pitched outside leg, and by the look of it, Leach didn’t edge either. That’s three reversed decisions for Umpire Gaffaney. Ouch.
Leach tries to drive, misses, and up goes the finger … but he reviews…
64th over: England 219-9 (Foakes 25, Leach 0) Umpire’s call on height! Foakes survives, and Sri Lanka will be feeling very poorly.
64th over: England 219-9 (Foakes 25, Leach 0) Will Foakes go now, or will he keep knocking it about? The lead is 313 – England wanted 320, I reckon – but Leach is an opener remember, so should be good to do the necessary. Foakes glides two to deep third man, then looking to retain the strike, misses with a sweep, wears it on the pad … and when the umpire says no, Sri Lanka review. it was straight, i think, and not quite high enough…
63rd over: England 217-9 (Foakes 23, Leach 0) Pushpakumara stays around for Leach and getd him pushing too … and he’s dropped at short leg, first ball! It was off the pad again, but this time the deflection took it away from Mendis, who had to dive and ended up parrying. Still, a wicket maiden.
Pushpakumara goes around, cutting the distance from ball to bat, and Broad lunges, nudging into the pad and straight to short leg.
62nd over: England 217-8 (Foakes 23, Broad 1) Foakes is quietly accumulating, easily picking gaps on the on side. He takes one thataway, then Broad does likewise off the hip.
“The origin of this piece of vernacular quoted by a reader is not ‘Falkirk’ at all and it has a cricket connection,” emails Alan Foster.
“The Scots court in the middle ages was oft to be found in Falkland (the palace thereof). If a courtier lost favour with whichever King James was in possession he might be banished from the court with the words – ‘Awa tae Freuchie and eat mice!’ Falkland and Freuchie are neighbouring Fife villages, both with cricket teams, and Freuchie is the more eminent being the first, and only so far, Scottish winner of the (UK) National Village Cricket Trophy at Lord’s in 1985.”
This thing of ours never ceases to amaze me.
What a delivery that was, contorting Rashid into a very peculiar shape, French cricket-style almost, and it flicked the thumb! Rashid goes, but those 24 runs have been very useful for England and damaging for Sri Lanka.
61st over: England 215-7 (Foakes 22, Rashid 24) Puskpakumara continues and Rashid, who’s batting with so much confidence, takes one to leg. Foakes then does likewise, leaving Rashid to face the final ball of the over. And Pushpakumara finds a beauty! It dips, spins, and from outside leg squares up the batsman, perhaos taking the edge! The umpire says no, so Sri Lanka review…
60th over: England 212-7 (Foakes 21, Rashid 22) England mosey on down, taking two more singles off Perera. Presumably they’ll want a shy at Sri Lanka tonight, so will bat another 70 or 80 minutes, then come in – if they’re still out there.
“Old Johnny Bugger,” emails Fred Lane.
Back come the players…
“Everyone seems to have forgotten about the Test tour to the West Indies next year,” emails Richard Graveling. “When the Lions went over recently they got a stuffing, so it could well be that the likes of Jennings, Burns, Moeen the batsman, Woakes etc will be under decent pressure for places there. I think it’s dangerous to hypothesise about Ashes teams this far out (though fun/tempting). Ignoring that straight away I actually liked the idea of Stokes at three, hints of peak Kallis and a better technique than Bairstow. Could force him to bat properly.”
I’m not ignoring that tour, I just think that the pitches and bowling will suit Jennings. Realistically, he needs one score to keep his spot and I think he’ll get that; the rest look ensconced to me, but I wonder if Woakes’ time has passed. I can’t see them dropping Curran now, and also can’t see how you can get both in. As for Stokes, I agree – I’d happily see him at three, especially if it allows another spinner.
So, England lead by 306, probably enough to win. But Sri Lanka made 240 in their first innings despite collapsing in remarkable style, so England aren’t away from them yet. They will be soon, though, if this innings isn’t knocked on the head quickly in the final session. See you in 15.
59th over: England 210-7 (Foakes 20, Rashid 21) Milking time. Foakes takes one via weep, then Rashid flicks to long on for two. He then goes back down the ground to get off strike, and Roakes takes us to tea with a swept two.
“I can never see the word ‘vernacular’ without thinking of the late great Ian Dury,” tweets Crawford, “often described as ‘The Count Dracula of spectacular vernacular…’”
That sounds like something the late, great Sid Waddell would’ve said, the inveterate degenerate of literate rhetoric.
58th over: England 204-7 (Foakes 17, Rashid 18) One to Rashid, then one to Foake shoved down the ground. England now lead by 300, and unless something happens very soon, they’re going to set a target that we can’t even pretend Sri Lanka might get.
57th over: England 202-7 (Foakes 16, Rashid 17) Rashid goes down the ground again to raise England’s 200, Foakes adds a further single to midwicket and then Rashid goes behind square on the leg side. Sri Lanka need to find something because these two are in no trouble whatsoever.
“When it comes to swearing, I always liked ‘Christ on a Bike!’” emails Matthew Wright. “It combines plosive power with a rhyming intensity. A guy I knew was commissioned to write a report for the Church of England on its environmental policies, and suggested that as a title. Sadly Lambeth Palace said no. Spoilsports.”
56th over: England 199-7 (Foakes 15, Rashid 15) Back to the Ashes XI, perhaps England bat so deep that Jennings can be picked as a specialist short leg – but were there an early series next summer, he might be struggling to hang on. Anyway, Pushpakumara, who’s barely bowled this innings, returns for his sixth over. one run comes from it, to Rashid down the ground.
55th over: England 198-7 (Foakes 15, Rashid 14) First boundary of the mini-session for Foakes – one of only ten this innings – clouted through cover when Sandakan is short and wide. He then gets down the other end with a single to leg, then Rashid gets to the pitch and canes four more through extra. He is enjoying his life, and adds a further single down the ground; that’s 10 off the over.
54th over: England 188-7 (Foakes 10, Rashid 9) So what does England’s XI for the Ashes look like? I guess we’re looking at: Burns, Jennings, Bairstow, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Curren, Foakes, Broad, Anderson – and then either Moeen or Rashid. I suppose they could pick both and not bother with Bairstow, or bin Foakes, but that seems unlikely. It’s tricky because Moeen bats properly (sometimes) and bowls well in English conditions, but Rashid gets good players out with unplayable deliveries. A single to each batsman off the over.
53rd over: England 186-7 (Foakes 9, Rashid 8) England take three from the first five balls of the over, then Rashid slices one more through where leg slip isn’t. Sri Lanka badly need a wicket.
“Does anyone else agree with me that Moeen Ali is starting to increasingly resemble D H Lawrence?” asks Ian Forth.
I’m not sure about that, answers D Lawrence H.
52nd over: England 183-7 (Foakes 8, Rashid 6) Quick turn for Perera as Foakes follows one around his pads but can’t catch up with it; at the other end, Rashid will be taking note. Two from the over; batting looks fairly easy again.
“My personal favourite minced oath is the Scots: ‘get tae Falkirk’,” emails Hugh Maguire. “Not often delivered with the accompanying offer to pay for a rail fare.”
I’ve only ever heard it without the “get”, but yes, it’s a belter. Do the Scots have the greatest vernacular in the world?
51st over: England 181-7 (Foakes 7, Rashid 5) Sandakan, who’s yanked Sri Lanka back into this, deceives Foakes with the wrongun, but the ball goes a fair way past the bat. Two from the over.
50th over: England 179-7 (Foakes 6, Rashid 4) England are tickling along again now, adding three singles. I guess Sri Lanka might feel 300-320 is chaseable – it probably isn’t, but it only takes one big partnership.
“Any Guardian reader unfamiliar with mince oaths clearly wasn’t paying attention to the quiz in yesterday’s Weekend magazine,” emails Smylers.