8th over: Sri Lanka 43-0 (Karunaratne 19, K Perera 22) A full, wide delivery from Thomas is driven over point by Karunaratne. West Indies are bowling dismally.
7th over: Sri Lanka 39-0 (Karunaratne 15, K Perera 22) Shannon Gabriel replaces Cottrell, who bowled an unusually poor opening spell of 3-0-17-0. He almost strikes with his third ball, when a leading edge from Perera lands just short of mid-off. The follow-up is leg-stump filth that is flicked fine for four by Perera. Six f-words in that sentence, but not the big one.
I supsect a few West Indies fans used the big one when Gabriel again strayed onto Perera’s pads and was again flicked for four. Ian Bishop, on commentary, settled for, “My goodness. This is not good.”
Thanks to Richard Harman, who has reminded me to post the link that allows you to listen to TMS overseas.
6th over: Sri Lanka 28-0 (Karunaratne 14, K Perera 13) A maiden from Thomas.
“Re: Tiebreakers being number of wins before Net RR,” says Chris Parker. “I agree on this being the wrong method (this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that my beloved Durham were knocked out of the One-Day Cup as a result of this stupid rule). Percentage of completed games won would be a better method, as it’s not exactly the team’s fault they had games rained off.”
Yes, it punishes them for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would use either net run-rate or head-to-head results, probably the former.
5th over: Sri Lanka 28-0 (Karunaratne 14, K Perera 13) Perera chargesdown the track to flat bat Cottrell over mid-off for four. West Indies are bowling a lot of short stuff, probably too much.
4th over: Sri Lanka 22-0 (Karunaratne 13, K Perera 8) Karunaratne slaps a back cut for four off Thomas. West Indies have started, a-hem, imperfectly. They seem determined to bounce Sri Lanka out.
“Dead rubber?” sniffs Mike Suffield. “Is this not a critical day for #pitchwatch ahead of Wednesday’s match between England and New Zealand. Are both matches using the same one?”
At the risk of being immodest, please allow me to bring my expertise to bear on this one: I have precisely no idea, but I doubt it. They might use the pitch from Sri Lanka v South Africa last week.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 17-0 (Karunaratne 9, K Perera 7) Karunaratne drags Cottrell onto his front boot, after which the ball spins back towards the stumps. He reacts smartly to cuff it away with the back of the bat, and then flicks deftly past short fine leg for his first boundary. He gets four more later in the over with a flick through midwicket. This is a good start for Sri Lanka.
“What in the world were the great MSD and Kedar doing yesterday?” sniffs Amod Paranjape. “Being an MSD backer in a house full of Pant fanatics, it was left to me to explain. I said I would ask Rob and so there.”
This email from Vibhanshu Bisht put it best: ‘Dhoni has judged that it is a 290 pitch and is playing accordingly.’
2nd over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Karunaratne 1, K Perera 7) Kusal Perera gets the first boundary, slamming a length ball from Oshane Thomas through the covers. That was a cracking shot from a player who has had a decent tournament: average 43, strike rate 101.
“It’s interesting that we’ve got this far without a true dead rubber – a few games in it was looking very much as though the top four would be done and dusted by now, but due to some fumbling by England and New Zealand we’ve got big games until Wednesday at least, and possibly right up to the last match,” says David Hopkins. “Maybe the World Cup has finally happened upon a decent format?”
You could also argue that, without a dozy batting performance from England against Sri Lanka, we’d have had two weeks of dead rubbers. I think it needs a new format, primarily to include more teams, but let’s not go there today. I’m all formatted out.
1st over: Sri Lanka 2-0 (Karunaratne 1, K Perera 1) Sheldon Cottrell, who has been West Indies’ best player at this tournament by a distance, bowls the first over. He’s not happy with the footholds, as he is skidding a little when he lands. Two runs from the over, and there’s nothing else to say.
If you prefer your rubbers live, or you simply want to commit blogamy, it’s a busy day in the County Championship.
“I’ve spent my Monday morning listening to Disintegration on repeat (after spending yesterday evening remembering how much I flipping love the Cure),” says Matt Dony. “I imagine both teams looking at each other, knowing their World Cup is effectively over, thinking ‘We’re in the same deep water as you.’ They’re probably feeling homesick, but have to get the last dances out of the way first. Maybe even falling into the cowardly trap of invoking prayers for rain. Or something.”
I’m sensing an emotional Sunday night in the Dony household, and possibly a clink in the recycling bin this morning.
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The teams
Sri Lanka Karunaratne, K Perera, Fernando, K Mendis, Mathews, Thirimanne, de Silva, Udana, Vandersay, Rajitha, Malinga.
West Indies Gayle, Ambris, Hope (wk), Pooran, Hetmyer, Holder (c), Brathwaite, Allen, Cottrell, Thomas, Gabriel.
West Indies have won the toss and will field first
Dimuth Karunaratne says he would have done the same. He then announces that Sri Lanka have made three changes and that, er, he can’t remember what they are.
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Preamble
Morning. After a long wait, and enough broken promises to fill at least two episodes of EastEnders, we finally have the first dead rubber of the tournament. Put the Valium away, let your fingernails grow unmolested; today’s entertainment is pulse-stabilisingly unimportant.
West Indies have been out of the competition for ages, at least in their own minds, while Sri Lanka were finished off by a combination of England’s win over India and the tournament regulations. Although they can still reach 10 points, the same as England, they would have fewer wins and that comes before net run rate as a tiebreaker. (I’m not sure that is remotely fair, by the way.)
I shan’t insult you by saying this game is bubbling up nicely, or that it’s one for the connoisseur. But it’s still a chance to follow geriatricos like Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga – and potential future galacitcos in Shimron Hetmyer and Avishka Fernando. There are worse ways to spend a Monday.
The match starts at 10.30am BST.
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