The report is in so that’ll be enough from me. Tomorrow should be great fun so be back here for the 11am BST start. England are going for the perfect summer, Sri Lanka a first Test win over these lot in 10 years.
And another plug for this from Ali, on the end of a thrilling international career.
I’ll probably wrap this up pretty soon. If you want to have fun elsewhere, I can suggest the links below:
Colum Fordham writes in:
There is a fascinating run chase in prospect with Kusal Mendis due a score. A very gifted batsman, it may be a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man. Nissanka has batted in swashbuckling fashion. Both Bashir and Josh Hull will have big part to play tomorrow. Well done Sri Lanka for their persistence and a proper challenge for England.
Stumps: Sri Lanka 94-1 (target: 219)
They’ve called it at the Oval. It’s been a brilliant day’s play, perhaps the most competitive we’ve had all summer in the Tests. Oh, and there’s a rainbow peaking out from behind the pavilion as I type this.
The light isn’t good enough for the quicks. The players leave the field. It’s not stumps just yet, but I don’t see us getting back on. Day four is going to be terrific: Sri Lanka need 125 more runs to win; England need nine wickets. Take the day off if you’re in south London.
15th over: Sri Lanka 94-1 (Nissanka 53, Kusal 30) It seems like the light has got slightly worse, which might be why Ollie Pope has turned to Shoaib Bashir. Kusal Mendis greets the off-spinner with an authoritative sweep for four. A drag-down follows but Kusal has to settle for a single. Bashir lands one in the rough to get some spitting turn that hits the glove; he’s in the game.
Half-century for Pathum Nissanka!
Smith holds on to a sharp bumper from Hull and the crowd, for a brief moment, think Nissanka is a goner. Hull gets some decent lift – and swing – to trouble Nissanka but a wide one follows and the batter drives aerially for four to get to a 42-ball half-century. He’s been thoroughly watchable.
14th over: Sri Lanka 87-1 (Nissanka 52, Kusal 24)
13th over: Sri Lanka 81-1 (Nissanka 46, Kusal 24) Olly Stone replaces Woakes, who went for 12 in his previous over. Stone offers a loose one early, though, allowing Kusal to cut for another boundary. The shadows are close to engulfing the entire Oval outfield as the sun goes down. Kusal takes a blow to the hand before drinks are called.
12th over: Sri Lanka 76-1 (Nissanka 45, Kusal 20) Nissanka clunks a ball over mid-off for a couple before cutting Hull hard for four. Another wide one ends the over, with Kusal slapping it away to move to 20.
Updated
11th over: Sri Lanka 63-1 (Nissanka 38, Kusal 14) Kusal Mendis drives Woakes through the covers before launching through midwicket, and a pull provides him with a third boundary in the over. He’s racing now, too.
Updated
10th over: Sri Lanka 51-1 (Nissanka 38, Kusal 2) Josh Hull gets the ball from the Pavilion End. He bowls a pearler with his second delivery, beating Nissanka’s bat outside off stump before the right-hander clunks an inswinger towards deep midwicket … they end up running four. A loose full bunger follows but Nissanka can’t put it away. Hull really is very raw; this isn’t a slight on him but I’ve watched and wondered why England, seemingly desperate for a giant left-armer, haven’t given Reece Topley a Test cap at some point? I get that he hasn’t played first-class cricket in an age, but England don’t seem bothered about that, do they?
9th over: Sri Lanka 47-1 (Nissanka 34, Kusal 2) This is good from Nissanka and Kusal, running plenty of singles after Karunaratne’s dismissal to knock England’s push for momentum.
News from the shires:
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has joined Surrey to play in tomorrow's fixture against Somerset at Taunton! 🇧🇩
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) September 8, 2024
Welcome to Surrey, Shakib! 🪶
Click the image to read more 🔗
🤎 | #SurreyCricket
8th over: Sri Lanka 44-1 (Nissanka 33, Kusal 2) Kusal Mendis dabs into the off side to collect his first single off Atkinson. Nissanka clips for one as Atkinson is nurdled around.
WICKET! Karunaratne c&b Woakes 9 (Sri Lanka 39-1)
Nissanka adds to his highlights reel with a cover drive for three before Karunaratne nearly ends his own innings, setting off for a run before realising it’s most definitely not on. He dives back in at the striker’s end as the throw comes in from midwicket. Woakes then jags the ball past Karunaratne’s prod before landing the first blow! Karunaratne gets an inside edge on to his pad, the ball popping up … Woakes dives forward to hold on.
7th over: Sri Lanka 39-1 (Nissanka 31)
Updated
6th over: Sri Lanka 36-0 (Nissanka 28, Karunaratne 8) Nissanka is treating this like an afternoon net against throwdowns; he drives Atkinson through mid-off to move to 27. Karunaratne cuts for a couple to try and show he’s down with the kids.
5th over: Sri Lanka 29-0 (Nissanka 23, Karunaratne 6) Woakes sneaks the ball past Karunaratne’s outside edge before slapping him on the pads, the right-armer finding some rhythm from the Vauxhall End.
“Good evening Taha.” Good evening, Kim Thonger. “Just catching up after a day out. As an England supporter I’m very pleased for Sri Lanka, they’ve deserved to get something out of this series and I find myself hoping they chase this total down. It would be good for Test cricket in general and a salutary lesson for England.”
4th over: Sri Lanka 28-0 (Nissanka 22, Karunaratne 6) Nissanka is making the crowd ooh and ahh, this time nailing Atkinson with an on-side drive … but a huge lbw appeal follows, turned down but reviewed by England. It’s shown to be sliding down the leg side. Ollie Pope’s DRS struggles continue as Nissanka drives again, less convincingly this time, but picks up three. Karunaratne punches off the back foot past gully to score his first boundary.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 17-0 (Nissanka 15, Karunaratne 2) Nissanka is driving through the off side with freedom, a boundary followed by two into the covers.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Nissanka 8, Karunaratne 2) Gus Atkinson takes over from the other end and fires in his second delivery at 80mph – he won’t be as sharp as usual with that tight quad. Karunaratne punches through cover for a couple to close the over. It takes him past 7,000 Test runs, and the crowd show their appreciation for the achievement after its announced on the big screen.
1st over: Sri Lanka 8-0 (Nissanka 8, Karunaratne 0) Beautiful from Nissanka as he drives through mid-on for four, the shiny new Dukes beating Shoaib Bashir to the rope. An outside edge runs away past gully for four more – Sri Lanka have begun in a rush.
Updated
Gus Atkinson is out there with England despite some trouble with his quad, so you’d imagine he’ll bowl too. Pathum Nissanka will face as Chris Woakes opens up.
Lahiru Kumara ends the innings as Sri Lanka’s leading force, taking 4-21. The sun is out at the Oval, the light looking good. We’ve got a lovely evening coming up.
England all out for 156 – Sri Lanka need 219 to win
Six for Hull! He swivels and sends Asitha over deep fine leg for six, the men on the boundary forced to watch it sail over. The short-ball peppering continues … will Asitha slide a yorker into the mix? Another bouncer to Hull gets an edge, and the fingertips of Maduskha, too – but he can’t hold on high to his left behind the stumps. Nevermind, though, because Asitha has Bashir gloving down the leg side to end the innings.
WICKET! Bashir c sub Madushka b Asitha 4 (England 156 all out)
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33rd over: England 145-9 (Hull 0, Bashir 4) Bashir throws his bat at one and sees the ball race along to the third-man rope. Kumara wants his name up on the honours board, and he goes up in appeal for an outside edge to the keeper … but Bashir is safe.
WICKET! Stone c sub Madushka b Kumara 10 (England 145-9)
Stone tries to thwack Kumara through the off side but nicks off to Madushka. The end is nigh.
Updated
32nd over: England 141-8 (Stone 6, Hull 0) Stone waves his bat around but can’t make much contact until a dab into the leg side from the fourth ball gives him one. Five men wait on the leg side for Hull to make a mistake … he survives due to there being no silly point, the ball looping up into that region.
And we’re back, with Olly Stone to face the wrath of Asitha. The field is set for the short ball, including a fly slip.
Some tea-time reading. Goodbye, Mo.
Tea: England 140-8 (lead by 202 runs)
What a cracking session. England collapsed from 56-2 to 82-7 before Jamie Smith countered with a sparkling 67. But Sri Lanka can see the light now, having removed him before the break.
WICKET! Smith c Kusal Mendis b Vishwa 67 (England 140-8)
Stone drives for three before Smith pulls Vishwa for four, moving to 59 off just 46! The lead is now at 194; anything over 200 and I worry for Sri Lanka. Smith punches through the covers for four more and Ricky Ponting can’t believe there aren’t men back on the boundary, stopping this mayhem. A gap at deep midwicket is pierced next by Smith. The fielders come in for the final ball of the session … and Smith slogs to midwicket! Sri Lanka get lucky, but they may have lost the game in those last few overs.
Updated
30th over: England 125-7 (Smith 55, Stone 2) Asitha finally decides to go full against Stone, which is the right move. Stone tucks one around the leg-side corner for one. Asitha bumps Smith before the England keeper clubs him down the ground for a boundary. Smith can do no wrong this summer; he probably even managed to get Oasis tickets for a tenner or summat.
Half-century for Jamie Smith!
Rathnayake is taken off by his skipper after a loose over from the Vauxhall End, with Vishwa back. Smith clips the first ball for two, and does the same with the next. Midwicket retreats before Smith lofts over mid-off for four; this really is excellent from Smith, who’s threatening to play the match-winning innings. A pull for four more follows – Smith has gone from 15 off 31 to 47 off 41. Make that 49 off 42, before another clip for two produces a 43-ball half-century. The Oval crowd rises to applaud him.
29th over: England 120-7 (Smith 51, Stone 1)
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28th over: England 104-7 (Smith 35, Stone 1) I fear Sri Lanka are letting their moment slip. Asitha is persisting with the short ball against Stone rather than sticking to the more potent, fuller delivery.
27th over: England 104-7 (Smith 35, Stone 1) Fortune for Jamie Smith as he chips Rathnayake high into the air … but the ball evades the fielder running after it at mid-off. A cut for for four follows before Smith pulls for six, the keeper launching a counter-attack. A lofted straight drive for four is next, and he closes the over with a backfoot punch through the covers. Wonderful batting from one of the finds of the summer. 20 (!) runs come off the over.
26th over: England 84-7 (Smith 15, Stone 1) Asitha Fernando returns and goes around the wicket as Sri Lanka turn to a short-ball ploy. He’s back to going over the wicket quite quickly, while still persisting with the bumpers to Olly Stone – strange, considering the success they’ve had in the last hour while going full.
25th over: England 84-7 (Smith 15, Stone 1) Vishwa goes up in appeal, I think for a leg-side grab off Stone. It was very, very hopeful stuff. There are two leg-gullies, which is prompting a very straight, too straight line from Vishwa. Kumar Sangakkara is not a happy bunny on Sky, annoyed at this leg-side trap plan.
24th over: England 83-7 (Smith 15, Stone 0) Rathnayake deserves some credit here, picking up where Kumara left off from the Pavilion End. Olly Stone can bat, though, having hit three fifties in the County Champ this summer.
WICKET! Atkinson lbw Rathnayake 1 (England 82-7)
Another one goes! Rathnayake nips one back in to Atkinson to strike the back pad and the batter doesn’t bother with a review.
Updated
“May I be indulged to riff briefly on Steve Colwill’s slightly melancholic fin de l’été reference to the last test of the summer,” writes Brian Withington. “Although not a great tennis fan, I have for some reason similarly made that association with the last day of the US Open. This year the two coincide with the end of the Paralympics - peak autumnal harbingering indeed.”
Cue the obvious reference:
23rd over: England 81-6 (Smith 14, Atkinson 1) Smith and Atkinson, despite the tricky position, must be smiling to themselves. These are two Surrey boys, playing a Test match at home, batting in front of a packed-out crowd, the game on the line. That’s special. Atkinson, despite his injury, gets a good stride forward to defend against Vishwa.
22nd over: England 80-6 (Smith 13, Atkinson 1) Rathnayake finds Smith’s outside edge, but the ball leaps over the leaping gully to the boundary.
21st over: England 74-6 (Smith 7, Atkinson 0) Vishwa is making that ball dance, and a leg slip is positioned for Gus Atkinson as the ball tails into the right-hander. There’s an lbw appeal and a review from Sri Lanka – it’s a really poor one. The ball pitched outside leg stump before striking Atkinson.
20th over: England 72-6 (Smith 6, Atkinson 0) Lahiru Kumara’s excellent spell is over; up to Milan Rathnayake to keep up the pressure. He begins with a ball that nips into Jamie Smith, just missing off stump. It’s disciplined stuff from the right-arm quick, conceding just one with a tight, stifling line.
“At the end of the last Test, it always seems to me that the shutters are pulled down on the last remnant of Summer, Autumn starts in earnest, and the end of the year looms,” writes Steve Colwill. “I hope that this last Test does not end with a whimper in less than three days of play, but sadly this seems to be very much on the cards.”
A whimper? We’re on for a thriller, Steve!
19th over: England 71-6 (Smith 5, Atkinson 0) Vishwa’s left-arm havoc continues. Atkinson, by the way, is batting with a tight quad, so he won’t be moving too freely.
18th over: England 70-6 (Smith 4, Atkinson 0) Chandimal is being helped off the field by a couple of the subs, and it’s Nishan Madushka who takes the gloves. That’ll be problematic for Sri Lanka when it comes to the chase.
Now this is concerning. Dinesh Chandimal leaps to his left behind the stumps to take a terrific leg-side grab, but he’s down on the ground having hurt something. Everything was just starting to go Sri Lanka’s way …
Updated
WICKET! Woakes c Chandimal b Kumara 0 (England 70-6)
Kumara sneaks the ball past Chris Woakes’ outside edge and is refusing to tire in this spell from the Pavilion End … and then he gets his man! This time he does get the edge, Woakes prodding at one outside off. Chandimal holds on low and England have collapsed to 70 for six. Finally, we have some jeopardy in this Test match summer.
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17th over: England 69-5 (Smith 3, Woakes 0) “It devalues the game, wedging three Tests into three weeks,” writes Gary Naylor. “Joe Root looks understandably drained after his efforts at Old Trafford and Lord’s and should be commended for turning out at all. If administrators are watching this match and cannot see that they’ve asked too much of the players and that it should never happen again, then they don’t deserve the cost of a blazer’s dry cleaning.”
WICKET! Brook lbw Vishwa 3 (England 69-5)
Vishwa swings another into the pads and this time it’s Brook who’s on his way! He reviews but it’s looking good: three reds once again. What a ripping spell from the left-arm quick.
Updated
16th over: England 69-4 (Smith 3, Brook 3) Kumara’s putting in a shift: just a couple off the over.
“My dad died earlier in the summer,” writes James Walsh.
When in hospital during his last days, in the grey and difficult early hours of the morning, the companionship of the OBO during the World Cup pretty much kept me going.
I’m cycling to Berlin to raise money for the RNLI in his memory, as he loved the sea. Today is day #1 of the trip, and I’ve cycled past Vauxhall, as this is where he grew up, in the shade of the Oval.
The friend I’m cycling with suggested we stop by the Graham Thorpe memorial, and who do we bump into but Moeen Ali.
“Congratulations on your retirement”, I said, shaking his hand. Is that the right thing to say, or weirdly passive-aggressive? He looks sharp, fit - here’s to a few years of him making more money on the T20 circuit. He’s earned it. An absolute role model.
And if your readers want to sponsor me, well… https://www.justgiving.com/page/adrianwalsh
All the best, James. No better place in the world to start than the Oval.
15th over: England 67-4 (Smith 1, Brook 3) Jamie Smith walks out to navigate a tricky situation – not for the first time this summer.
WICKET! Root lbw Vishwa 12 (England 66-4)
One Fernando replaces another: it’s time for Vishwa from the Vauxhall End. He’s too loose, though, offering Root a freebie to drive through cover for four. It takes Root past Kumar Sangakkara in the all-time Test run chart. Just five men are above him … but forget that for now, Vishwa’s got ‘im! It was full, swinging into the pads and the finger went up. Root reviews but that’s nailed his toe and he’s walking off before the final decision: it’s three reds. Game on!
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14th over: England 62-3 (Root 8, Brook 3) A fine stop at backward point denies Root a boundary as Lahiru Kumara continues from the Pavilion End, bustling in. Brook ends the over with a strong forward defence: proper cricket.
13th over: England 59-3 (Root 6, Brook 2) Sri Lanka are going to play with Brook’s ego, Asitha offering a tempter outside off. A beautiful away-swinger follows to beat the outside edge – the two seamers have been on it since the restart.
12th over: England 57-3 (Root 6, Brook 1) Kumara begins wide to Brook, who throws the bat at it … and misses. Brook drops the ball into the leg side to get off the mark with one. England’s two best batters are out in the middle – and they’ve got some work to do.
WICKET! Lawrence c Chandimal b Kumara 35 (England 56-3)
Oops. Kumara has Lawrence edging behind to Chandimal. Once again, Lawrence made room for a straight six but he didn’t get anywhere close to finding the middle of his bat, prompting a rather ugly-looking dismissal. Lawrence punches his bat, his time as an England Test opener surely over.
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11th over: England 56-2 (Root 6, Lawrence 35) Dan Lawrence is going to have some serious fun, no matter the circumstances. He makes room to slap a fuller delivery from Asitha down the ground, all the way for six, the arms liberated. A walloping punch through point follows after Asitha goes too wide.
10th over: England 43-2 (Root 6, Lawrence 22) Joe Root gets going with a delicious straight punch off Lahiru Kumara for two, England’s lead going past 100. Kumara is looking sharp, backing up some good work from Asitha in the previous over. But Root ends the set with a brilliant pull, guided with rolled wrists to the boundary.
9th over: England 37-2 (Root 0, Lawrence 22) And we’re back with blue skies, but with the floodlights still on. The weather is refusing to make its mind up in south London. Dan Lawrence punches Asitha Fernando behind point for a couple, the Surrey right-hander still going in what could be a significant knock in his England career. Asitha beats the bat with some away movement, Lawrence looking terrifically awkward outside off stump. Lawrence then walks across the crease for an attempted flick, the ball somehow missing the stumps; it just jumped over middle. Lawrence lives on.
I was supposed to hand over to Taha at 2.45pm but it makes more sense to do it now. Thanks for all the emails, especially the love letters to Moeen. Enjoy the rest of the day; see you tomorrow.
Play will resume at 2.40pm.
The umpires and the Sri Lankan players haven’t bothered going up to the dressing-room, which suggests play will resume pretty soon.
Joe Root needs 11 runs to move above Kumar Sangakkara on the list of leading Test runscorers.
15,921 Sachin Tendulkar
13,378 Ricky Ponting
13,289 Jacques Kallis
13,288 Rahul Dravid
12,472 Alastair Cook
12,400 Kumar Sangakkara
12,390 Joe Root
0 Me and you
Rain stops play
8th over: England 35-2 (Lawrence 20, Root 0) And they’re off. Rain starts falling after Kumara’s first ball; the umpires allow him to complete the over and then take the players off.
It’s a heavy shower but it’s also sunny at The Oval, so I’ve got no idea.
We’re back. Lahiru Kumara has two balls of his first over to bowl.
“Agree with Felix Wood about England’s batting in this match – it has felt a bit self-parodic, almost what the people who hate Bazball think it is rather than the reality,” says Will Vignoles. “Could this be partly down to the absence of Stokes? There were signs earlier in the summer that the team had evolved their approach to be more situational, but perhaps Pope doesn’t yet have the authority or innate cricket sense to gently rein them in – not a slight on him as Stokes’ cricket IQ is almost his biggest attribute.”
I don’t think it’s that, simply because Stokes has been in the dressing-room throughout the game. It feels like the last day of the term, nothing more significant than that.
“I’d just like to pick up on something Brian Withington said about Mo: ‘It’s almost like he never sought or wanted the limelight but was just there whenever needed’,” says James Brough. “Now, that’s a tribute. If anyone were to say that of me, I’d be proud indeed.”
"One of my favourite ever teammates" 🗣️
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 8, 2024
🏏 @StuartBroad8 pays homage to former teammate Moeen Ali after international retirement pic.twitter.com/sK2Qbs5d5W
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Ollie Pope ends his first series as England captain with 191 runs at 31.83, 154 of them in one innings: 6, 6, 1, 17, 154, 7. That reads like Brian Lara during one of his lean spells, though with Lara it would probably have been 254.
Kumara strikes just before lunch as Ollie Pope drags onto his own stumps 🥪 pic.twitter.com/XmYnpao0hN
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 8, 2024
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Lunch: England lead by 97 runs
The wicket means the players will go off for lunch. Sri Lanka are fighting hard here, and Kumara’s impassioned celebration showed how much this match means, dead rubber or not.
WICKET! England 35-2 (Pope b Kumara 7)
Goddim on the stroke of lunch! Lahiru Kumara, on for Rathnayake, has picked up Ollie Pope with his fourth ball. Pope tried to steer it to third man but was cramped by the seam movement and deflected the ball onto the stumps. That’s a really good piece of bowling, even if Pope is fuming with himself.
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7th over: England 35-1 (Lawrence 20, Pope 7) Pope’s first boundary is a beauty, cuffed elegantly off the hip when Asitha drops fractionally short. Later in the over he’s surprised by a bit of extra bounce but manages to drop the ball safely on the leg side for a single. Josh Hull won’t be much fun to face in the fourth innings if the pitch gets more uneven.
6th over: England 29-1 (Lawrence 19, Pope 2) Lawrence hurtles down the track, tries to slam Rathnayake into the crowd at extra cover and misses. “It’s opening batting, Jim, but not as we know it…” says Mike Atherton on Sky. Nine minutes till lunch.
“With that Duckett dismissal, over the two innings since Brook got out England have lost eight for not very many completely unnecessarily,” says Felix Wood. “By taking it down to ultra attacking from reckless they could have been so far ahead in the game that a handsome win would be assured. On another day Pope would have got out early or on 30 or 60 or 90 or 120 and they’d be a long way behind. They’re a bowler down so need big runs not quick runs now, and I’m not sure they’re focused enough to play more than one way.”
It’s the last day of term and they’ve come to school in their football kit. This has surely been their most indulgent batting performance since the first innings at Lord’s last summer but, while I don’t love it, I can understand why it has happened.
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5th over: England 28-1 (Lawrence 18, Pope 2) Lawrence gets his second boundary with a smooth swivel pull off Asitha. It went flat, hard and only just bounced inside the rope. Pope then chases a very wide delivery and is beaten.
“The problem is, in some ways, Mo retiring from international cricket doesn’t feel real or definite,” says Matt Dony. “Everyone keeps saying he’s such selfless and nice and team-oriented guy, you almost feel like, should he get a phone call, he would willingly join up with the squad. A fairly unique, life-affirming cricketer person.”
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4th over: England 22-1 (Lawrence 13, Pope 1) “With a record of 0 from 9 DRS reviews, Ollie Pope’s record is heading towards statistical significance,” writes Brian Withington. “Much more of this and we will be moving into Stuart Broad territory where the most reliable tactic is to go with the opposite of whatever he thinks. Of course this will require some rigorous design to ensure that Pope’s ‘decision’ is not influenced by the prior knowledge that it will be reversed. A veritable field day for Bayesians.”
3rd over: England 20-1 (Lawrence 12, Pope 0) That might be the first time in Test history that an opener has been caught at mid-on inside the first three overs. It wasn’t a good shot, and maybe he was a bit too frivolous, I don’t know. What was it Dolly Parton said about rainbows?
"As tamely as you like"
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 8, 2024
Ben Duckett has mistimed one straight to mid-on and is dismissed for 7 pic.twitter.com/bg99UiAP8j
Updated
WICKET! England 20-1 (Duckett c Vishwa b Asitha 7)
Asitha beats Lawrence, then draws a leading edge that flies safely past gully for two. A thicker edge yields two more, taking Lawrence into double figures from his ninth ball. In the first innings he made 5 from 21.
That was then and this is now. He charges Asitha and drags a reasonably disgusting hack through square leg for a single.
England are playing a shot a ball. But now Duckett has fallen very tamely, mistiming a drive straight to mid-on.
Updated
2nd over: England 15-0 (Duckett 7, Lawrence 7) Dhananjaya has given the new ball to Milan Rathnayake, preferring his discipline to Lahiru Kumara’s pace. After a couple of sighters, Lawrence charges down the pitch to thump a thrilling boundary over extra cover. Shot!
The next ball, on the pads, is tucked easily behind square for three. No idea how long it will last but this has to be the right approach for Lawrence. It’s always the correct approach for Duckett, who wallops a pull through midwicket for four to complete the over.
1st over: England 4-0 (Duckett 3, Lawrence 0) Duckett is busy from ball one, taking three off the first two balls. Lawrence runs down the pitch to his first delivery from Asitha, which suggests he’s not going to die wondering. The ball hits him on the hip and runs away for a leg-bye. The rest is dots.
“Just what is it about cricket?” says Simon McMahon. “I’m pretty sure I won’t feel the same way as I do now about Moeen’s retirement when I hear that Ronaldo has finally decided to call it a day. But maybe that’s just me.”
Not sure Ronaldo is the best comparison, although Moeen is also notorious for posting those topless selfies in the gym.
Updated
Lunch is at 1.45pm so England’s openers have around 40 minutes to survive bat. Here they come: Ben Duckett and, probably for the last time as opener, Dan Lawrence.
Loads of love for Moeen today, and quite right too.
John Swan “Totally agree with you about Moeen Ali. A perfect example of when stats don’t come close to telling the whole story. That classical cover drive, the effortless muscle over long on, the strangely enjoyable both-arms-aloft bowling action, plus I don’t recall him dropping anything in the field. I have a slight (Thorpe-influenced, I’ll admit) tear in my eye at the thought that we won’t see him again.”
Brian Withington “I wholeheartedly concur with all the positive sentiment about Moeen Ali. I shall really miss those quintessential came(M)os for England: an elegant 29 in quick time; a couple of overs taking a key wicket; a bit of sage advice in the field; and a fleeting appearance in the group celebration before the corks start flying. It’s almost like he never sought or wanted the limelight but was just there whenever needed. Great team man. Great guy.”
James Brough “It’s a sad day to know we’ve seen the last of Mo in an England shirt. I was at Headingley in 2017 on the fourth day against West Indies with a blind friend. She would go to matches with a little portable radio and listen to TMS. Her batteries failed and I spent the last session giving her ball by ball commentary. Moeen made 84 at a run a ball and was an absolute joy to describe. It was one of the most enjoyable couple of hours I’ve spent at a cricket match, looking for the right words to describe effortless cover drives and flicks through midwicket by a man who could make batting look as easy as anyone I’ve ever seen. Go well, Mo. You’ll always have a place in my heart for that afternoon.”
“Moeen’s announcement took me back to the time I met him – at an airport lounge in Abu Dhabi, back in 2016,” says John Bailey. “We lived in Singapore at the time and were flying home for Christmas. We managed to blag our way into the Etihad lounge and found an empty section so our then 18 month-old toddler could run around without bothering anyone.
“No sooner had we arrived than the whole England cricket team filed in – they were on their way home from India. Joe Root almost trod on our daughter as she darted across in front of him, and Alastair Cook gave me a lovely smile as I ran to pick her up. As they settled in around us, I found myself behind Moeen at the breakfast bar, my daughter on my hip. I couldn’t resist telling him that this little girl had watched his century in Rajkot a few days earlier, sitting on my knee in Singapore and clapping wildly every time the camera cut to the crowd applauding him.
“He was very relaxed and friendly and I still have a great photo of my daughter pointing at his beard as he smiles back at her – she’d never seen anything like it. What a genuinely good guy. He’s given cricket lovers a lot of enjoyment and some great moments. Best of luck in his coaching career.”
“God knows Bazball can be infuriating but five debutant fifers in two years is incredible,” writes Max Williams. “Being part of this team must be the best thing in the world.”
The fact even Jimmy and Stuart Broad describe it as the most enjoyable period of their careers says everything.
England lead by 62 runs They’ve had a good morning, taking the last five wickets for 43. Josh Hull and Olly Stone took three wickets apiece, with Stone the pick of the attack. But it was Hull who had us all looking at the ceiling.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 263 all out (Avisha c Smith b Bashir 11)
Asitha slog-sweeps Bashir for four, then gloves a reverse sweep up in the air. Jamie Smith runs round to take an easy catch. Asitha reviewed but replays showed the ball hit the wristband that is attached to his glove.
61st over: Sri Lanka 259-9 (Kumara 5, Asitha 7) Kumara fences Stone just short of Pope at gully. The umpires went upstairs to check but it clearly bounced in front. I’m not sure Pope even appealed.
England do appeal for caught behind when Kumara smears across the line. Ben Duckett started to run off the field, assuming it was out, but Ollie Pope’s latest review was unsuccessful. It hit Kumara on the shoulder of the body, not the bat..
60th over: Sri Lanka 257-9 (Kumara 4, Asitha 6) Asitha chips Bashir over midwicket for two, continuing this mildly irritating last-wicket partnership. Lunch is an hour away so England will want to get batting asap, especially as the sun has just come out.
“I would like to bring up the slip catch by one Joe Root,” says Mark Slater. “Is there not a England record for catches by outfielders, and does Root not now share it? It was a subject mentioned during the previous Test.”
He’s now on 201 catches, behind only Mahela Jayawardene (205) and Rahul Dravid (210) among outfielders. I think he took the England record a couple of years ago.
59th over: Sri Lanka 254-9 (Kumara 3, Asitha 0) Kumara almost copies Rathnayake’s dismissal when he swishes at fresh air outside off stump, then clunks a pull into the leg side for a single.
Blimey, the No11 Asitha charges down the track to clout Stone back over his head for four. Sri Lanka trail by 71.
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58th over: Sri Lanka 249-9 (Kumara 2, Asitha 0) Shoaib Bashir replaces Josh Hull, who bowled an impressive spell of 6-0-27-2 either side of the rain break. Asitha misses a couple of disgusting smears across the line.
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57th over: Sri Lanka 248-9 (Kumara 1, Asitha 0) Olly Stone has quietly had an impressive return to Test cricket, and with Mark Wood injured he has a good chance of playing in Pakistan.
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WICKET! Sri Lanka 248-9 (Rathnayake c Smith b Stone 7)
Oh yes, this is excellent, merciless bowling from Olly Stone. Rathnayake, a very good lower-order batter, was smashed on the armguard and then the glove by nasty deliveries. That meant he was in no position to drive the sucker ball, fuller and wider, and he nicked it through to Jamie Smith.
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56th over: Sri Lanka 248-8 (Rathnayake 7, Kumara 1) Rathnayake tries to uppercut a Hull bouncer that beats him and Jamie Smith behind the stumps. Kumara is beaten by a length delivery later in the over. Hull’s figures belong to an ODI circa 1991: 11-0-53-3.
“For me the perfect example of Moeen’s selflessness was promoting himself to No3 during the last Ashes to protect Harry Brook,” says Mark Hooper. “If you look at the figures it looks like he failed, but for the better of the team. It might be apocryphal but I love the story that he replied to his surprise recall to the England team by texting Stokes back ‘LOL’.”
Yep, spot on. I don’t think he ever explicitly stated it was to protect Brook, but we all know what Moeen’s like. It’s no exaggeration to say that England would have lost, maybe been hammered, had he not moved up to No3. It was great that he had that partnership with Zak Crawley at Old Trafford and especially his spell on the final day at The Oval. I think we’ll remember him as much for his decency as his wonderful elegance.
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55th over: Sri Lanka 243-8 (Rathnayake 6, Kumara 1) Stone is brought on to replace Woakes and steal wickets from a 20-year-old’s table. He almost does just that when Kumara fences a good delivery just short of the slips. A maiden.
“I will miss Moeen,” says Matt Emerson. “Like Graham Thorpe he was a selfless player and put the needs of the team before his own. I wish him a peaceful non-playing career. Oh, and it’s raining in Guildford. Expect an early lunch to be taken about 12.30.”
54th over: Sri Lanka 243-8 (Rathnayake 6, Kumara 1) Since Baz and Ben took over in 2022, five England bowlers have taken five-fors on debut: Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Josh Tongue, Tom Hartley and Gus Atkinson. Before that there had been three in the previous 19 years.
Hull should be one wicket away from joining the list – but Olly Stone has just dropped a straightforward chance. The whole thing was weird: a full toss that Kumara spooned miles in the air towards long leg. Stone ran in, tried to catch it with a reverse cup and made a mess of it. There was no need to reverse his hands.
“Sad to hear of Moeen’s retirement,” says Colum Fordham. “His Gower-like cover drives, probing off-spin bowling and excellent fielding made him, as well as his humble demeanour, one of the most endearing and engaging cricketers on the world stage. I feel England may have missed a trick by leaving him out of the T20 team. I think Moeen still had/has much to offer in this format.”
I think it’s the right decision: he’s 37 and there were times in the last year or so when he almost felt like a specialist vice-captain. That sounds harsh, which wasn’t the intention, but he has been fairly peripheral for a while. Time to look at Jacob Bethell in the middle order, maybe Sam Curran too.
53rd over: Sri Lanka 238-8 (Rathnayake 2, Kumara 0) Woakes bowls a few deliveries across Rathnayake, then gets one to swing back sharply to hit him on the glove. A maiden.
“I can’t help but be reminded of another raw bowler, picked as a bit of an unknown, whose action looked in need of coaching, but who possessed the priceless ability to move the ball in the air and off the seam at decent pace,” writes Gary Naylor. “He had a few bumps along the way, but he ironed things out and did okay. Maybe, up on the balcony this afternoon, Jimmy Anderson can tell Josh Hull about him.”
He was sharp at the start, wasn’t he? We tend to forget that.
52nd over: Sri Lanka 238-8 (Rathnayake 2, Kumara 0) Tell you what folks, we might have found one here. For all the talk of pace and height, it’s the swing that really makes him dangerous. Well, that and the height, the left-arm angle and the potential pace.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of Hull over the past couple of years at Leicester and he’s definitely capable of bowling over 85mph,” says Mike Daniels. “That’ll probably come as he relaxes into Test cricket.
“He’s increased his run up this year, he had a shorter one previously. I think they’ve (Leicester) worked on a longer run up to help him get through the crease and maintaining body height to offset a tendency to ‘heave’ the ball at the batter and lose body shape.
“He’s only twenty and nowhere near the finished article but has enormous potential. He’s a nice lad as well.”
You could argue his potential is unprecedented in English cricket. I know we have Reece Topley but he’s never been a serious contender for the Test team because of his injuries.
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WICKET! Sri Lanka 238-8 (Vishwa LBW b Hull 0)
A classic left-arm swing bowler’s dismissal. Hull curves a lovely delivery back into Vishwa, who misses a defensive push and is trapped plumb in front. That’s just lovely bowling, and Hull has a sniff of a debut five-for.
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51st over: Sri Lanka 237-7 (Rathnayake 1, Vishwa 0) Woakes spears four byes down the leg side - Smith had no chance – then digs in a lovely bouncer that is gloved into the leg side by Vishwa.
“I wish Mo all the best now he’s called it a day for England,” writes Guy Hornsby. “Someone who always seemed to play the game for the right reasons and put the team before himself, even when he was messed around. A beautiful, if mercurial player who seemed to be lauded for his strokeplay and singled out by many when he failed in ways that felt unfair to me. His book was really interesting, and seeing how he navigated the game and succeeded as a Muslim is something I hope inspires many after him. One of the good guys.”
Another thing I always loved about Moeen is his aversion to bee ess. His interviews were always so candid, particularly when he and/or England had played crap.
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WICKET! Sri Lanka 233-7 (Kamindu c Root b Woakes 64)
That’ll do! Chris Woakes starts with a really good delivery that Kamindu, pushing defensively, edges to Root at first slip. The line and length were perfect, angled across the left-hander from over the wicket, and Kamindu had to play.
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50th over: Sri Lanka 233-6 (Kamindu 64, Rathnayake 1) Kamindu Mendis turns Hull fractionally short of the man at leg slip, then shapes to hook a bouncer before wisely deciding against it. The ball beats everyone and flies away for five wides.
This is a menacing start from Hull. The next delivery swings away to take the edge and fly through the vacant gully region at catchable height. Four runs but a moral victory for Hull against a seriously good player. As Stuart Broad points out, Mendis’s weight was back because of the bouncer which was why he edged the drive.
Lunch has been pushed back to 1.45pm. Josh Hull is about to resume with the ball.
Play will restart at 11.50am
No word of a lie.
“As to nicknames for Josh, simply calling him Rod doesn’t seem surreal enough,” writes Kim Thonger (again). “I’d be calling him Emu because of his height as well.”
Isn’t the unofficial rule of nicknames that there should only be one degree of separation?
“I’m sure the question on everyone’s lips is, is Josh Hull related to Rod Hull of Emu fame?” asks Kim Thonger. “And does he also have a grudge against plain speaking Yorkshire folk?”
I didn’t realise until recently that Rod Hull died because he wanted to watch Man Utd in the Champions League. I knew he was adjusting his aerial but didn’t know it was so that he could watch Henning Berg v Ronaldo. It almost sounds made up. Poor bloke.
Rain stops play
Darn it.
49th over: Sri Lanka 223-6 (Kamindu 59, Rathnayake 1) Gus Atkinson has a tight quad which is why he’s off the field. The fielder is Jordan Cox, the next cab off the battingt rank and a magnificent fielder.
The next batter Rathnayake chases a very wide, very full delivery from Woakes and is beaten. Two left-handers at the crease now, though not for long because it has just started raining. Rathnayake is beaten again by the last ball of the over.
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48th over: Sri Lanka 221-6 (Kamindu 58, Rathnayake 1) Hull’s figures are 7-0-36-2; there’s plenty to like.
“The England team seems to be referring to Josh Hull as ‘Hully’,” writes Stephen Cottrell. “Surely they’re missing some great opportunities here. I don’t expect that Ollie Pope is a huge rugby league fan, but what about ‘Kingston’ or ‘KR’. For my generation, anyone with the surname Hull would automatically be ‘Rod’.
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WICKET! Sri Lanka 220-6 (Dhananjaya c Bashir b Hull 69)
Well bowled Josh Hull! He has bounced out Sri Lanka’s captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who top-edged a hook high towards Bashir at long leg. He took the catch a little awkwardly, falling to his left, but held on as he hit the ground.
That’s Hull’s second Test wicket but in a way it’ll feel like the first, because it was a proper dismissal. The line was perfect, far enough outside off stump that Dhananjaya couldn’t control his hook shot.
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47th over: Sri Lanka 214-5 (Dhananjaya 64, Kamindu 57) Gus Atkinson is off the field, which is probably a factor in Josh Hull opening the bowling. Chris Woakes opens at the other end, taking a few deliveries to find his line before swinging a good delivery back into Kamindu’s midriff. A maiden.
“Mo retiring is bad day for cricket - what a delight he was – but a good day for Wilfred Rhodes,” says Pete Salmon. “Mo never did bat at 10 or 11, so Our Wilf keeps his record.”
For now: Ben Stokes has batted everywhere except No2.
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46th over: Sri Lanka 214-5 (Dhananjaya 64, Kamindu 57) England open the bowling with Josh Hull, which depending on your perspective is either a) a clever way of boosting his confidence or b) two stiff fingers in the direction of Mother Cricket. He starts well, getting some nice some outswing to the left-hander Kamindu, who thick edges a good delivery wide of the cordon for a single.
“Astonishing that Moeen Ali played 298 times for England: 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20s,” says Andrew Goudie. “Ultimate team player.”
It was a unique career, wasn’t it? Yes, yes, I know all careers are unique, strictly speaking. But I can’t think of any that resemble Moeen’s.
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Play is about to begin. For how long, we know not, so let’s enjoy it while it lasts.
Who wants the TMS overseas link? What’s it worth?
Today's schedule
Morning 11am-1.15pm
Afternoon 1.55-4.10pm
Evening 4.30-6.30pm
On-the-nose musical interlude
Barney Ronay on Josh Hull
You could – and some will – call Hull’s selection the most damning statement of thanks-but-no-thanks ever directed at county cricket. Picking him is literally saying, there is nothing to be gained from succeeding in this. We will instead pick a 20-year-old with 16 wickets at 62 because we like how he looks. How are you meant to feel about this if you’re a 27-year-old with hard-earned county numbers, winning games every week, running through the pain, dreaming of a bigger stage?
There were more issues with the light yesterday, including a weird few minutes in which Chris Woakes was obliged to bowl four balls of offspin. Here’s what Olly Stone made of it all.
“Imran Khan played 48 of his 88 Tests at No7 and averaged 35,” writes Gary Naylor. “He’d be in the conversation. Shaun Pollock played half his 108 Tests from number 8 and averaged 31 there!”
Imran is in almost every conversation about great cricketers, isn’t he? I do think he played his best cricket at No6, though he was still a giant.
“Hi Rob,” writes Marcus Abdullahi. “Batters to average over 40 batting at 7 (min 20 Tests) from highest average to lowest: de Kock, Gilchrist, Greg Matthews, Litton Das, Chris Cairns, Wasim Raja, Alan Knott, Matt Prior and IT Botham.”
That’s a good list. Litton Das has played some extraordinary innings in that position.
And now it’s over to Andrew Miller for the weather
Under siege all morning, then all bets are off for the afternoon. What larks #EngvSL pic.twitter.com/lHf9lWGW45
— Andrew Miller (@miller_cricket) September 8, 2024
I think we’ll start on time, but there’s a yellow weather warning from 2pm, so there’s that.
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International cricket lost a bit of charm overnight when Moeen Ali announced his retirement from all forms. His England career is hard to summarise, isn’t it? He could exhilarate and frustrate in equal measure; he was England’s most elegant left-hander since David Gower; he was too unselfish for his own good; and he was – for richer and poorer – a beacon of humanity. Moeen has an endearing honesty and self-awareness, as shown by his own assessment of his career.
I hope people remember me as a free spirit. I played some nice shots and some bad shots, but hopefully people enjoyed watching me.
He wasn’t a great player, but he leaves cricket in a better place than he found it. And the extent of his influence on British-Asian cricketers may not become apparent for another 10 or 15 years.
Ali Martin’s day two report
The lower order clearly had licence to thrash and Sri Lanka, re-energised after that tricky first day, were getting the old ball to swing. But among the array of swipes that accelerated things was a curious innings from Harry Brook. So often appearing already set when he arrives at the crease, Brook was instead jumpy here, surviving one howling drop in the deep by Asitha Fernando on 12 before crashing a wide ball to short cover.
Preamble
Shall we try that one again? England were very poor yesterday, but they are still in a reasonable position to complete a clean sweep. Sri Lanka will resume on 211 for 5, a deficit of 114, with Dhananjaya de Silva on 64 and Kamindu Mendis on 54.
Let’s talk about Kamindu. Apart from Adam Gilchrist, has there been a better regular No7 in Test cricket? By that I mean the quality of the player when they were a regular No7. You can make a case for Ian Botham in the late seventies and early eighties and also Quinton de Kock, but Kamindu is in the conversation. And while Gilchrist is the best, Kamindu is probably the most classical No7 we’ve seen.
While he is at the crease, assumptions of an England victory – and they are widespread, even among those who were most criticial of England’s confused, slightly indulgent performance yesterday – look dangerous.
