Key events
18th over: Sri Lanka 101-1 (Nissanka 56, Mendis 34) Nissanka raises Sri Lanka’s hundred with a shove into the leg-side, Atkinson hitting just back of a length And he’s around there for most of the over; I’d expect Woakes to be a little fuller, attacking the stumps. Sri Lanka need 118 runs to win.
“Come on Sri Lanka!” cries Ben Bernards. “Do it for our tired, our poor, our huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of cricket’s teeming shore. Stuff it up one of The Big Self-Serving 3!”
17th over: Sri Lanka 99-1 (Nissanka 54, Mendis 34) It’s Woakes from the other end and, as you’d expect, he’s on the money immediately. Nissanka narrowly avoids a leading edge, then softens hands just in time to guide the next delivery into the ground so it bounces in front of slip. A single into the on-side follows, and neither side will mind this start too much. Sri Lanka need 120 to win.
16th over: Sri Lanka 98-1 (Nissanka 53, Mendis 34) Atkinson’s loosener to Mendis is leg-side but he escapes with a dot, then again when he offers a short, wide one. The pitch is breaking up a bit … for all the difference it makes when a drivable delivery, the last of the over, is driven to the fence at long off. Sri Lanka need 121 runs to win.
Righto, Gus Atkinson has the ball and we’re ready. England need nine wickets, Sri Lanka need 125 runs.
Oof madone dept: *RA Smyth advises me there’s a new Sopranos doc on Sky and it’s glorious.
“You don ‘t need a two-stretch at law school to learn that £75-£85 for a few hours cricket on a miserable Monday is daylight robbery,” writes Showbizguru. “My seat to watch the Aussies in the T20 at Cardiff on Friday is £43.50. The greed is palpable.”
And why is that series even happening?
On Sky, they’re talking about England’s selection process. For mine, now that you ask, I remember Sachin Tendulkar making his India debut aged 17, and the accordant handwringing about how that kind of thing could never happen in England. The way I see it, there are now three routes to selection: excellence in county cricket, excellence in potential or a bit of both, and what’s important is the right kind of profile and the right kind of mentality. It seems to be working, as far as I can see.
“Re Gary’s mention of the bargain ticket prices available today,” writes Zach Nolan. “I’m a cricket fan, with the day off work, I live five minutes from the Oval, and yet even I’ve decided to stay at home and listen to TMS instead. Maybe there’s a commercial masterplan that we’re not supposed to understand, but it sometimes feels like they actively don’t want people to buy tickets. See you next summer!”
I guess the idea is that those who’ve paid full price would complain. But frankly, if they’re adults they should understand the difference between buying something in advance and walking up on the day to get what’s available, never mind trying to protect something that we all love.
Josh Hull and Gus Atkinson are, says Nass, taking fitness tests. If either or both aren’t at it this morning, that’s a massive boost for Sri Lanka – though, as it goes, my sense is that if England are to do this, it’ll be Chris Woakes and Olly Stone doing umch of the work.
Email! ““Fancy a seat at the Test today?” wonders Gary Naylor. “Should be a decent couple of hours or so? A walk-up at the ticket office is £75 for the alcohol-free stand and, if you want a drink (at £7.95 a pint), £85. Why not bring a friend?”
Goodness me. I actually did a day like this once that was one of the worst days of my life, because I knew I was starting a two-stretch at law school the one after. I didn’t cost that, though – on which point, why is it dearer to sit somewhere you’re more likely to spend even more?
On Sky, Nass is interviewing the excellent Jamie Smith who, asked about England’s use of reviews under Ollie Pope, notes that they’ve got three so deploy them speculatively. And he’s right, I think: if you’re missing calls that would’ve been overturned, either if you went upstairs but didn’t, or burned your opportunities so couldn’t, that’s a problem. But if not, not.
Sri Lanka should win from here. But it’s a grimy day in London – yes, there are other kinds – but an English attack in English conditions, stung by the prospect of defeat, probably won’t make it easy. The absence of Mark Wood is a problem for the hosts, but theirs is still a decent attack and each member of it will fancy themselves as today’s hero. A few early maidens or a few early wickets and this’ll get very nervy.
Preamble
It’s not been the greatest summer for humanity’s greatest invention. One of the reasons we compete at stuff is because we don’t know what’s going to happen, but that hasn’t really been the case in the two serieseseseses England have played and, though they may be a decent outfit, they’re not so decent they should be dispensing consecutive whitewashes.
As such, it’s important – and necessary – that Sri Lanka see out this win, not because it will redress the crippling inequalities and inequities that define this thing of ours in the way they define every other thing of ours. But it’d be something, at least, evidence that application and intensity are required to achieve results rather than the team with the most sizeable exchequer just winning.
It’s called Test cricket because it’s meant to best testing – something else we just don’t say often enough! – so eyes down for the finish this summer might not deserve, but most definitely needs. Come on the Lankans!
Play: 11am BST, 11am local
