Cricket: International Discussion Thread

England 185 (43/45 ov)

Bopara 51 (69)
Root 42 (57)
Mendis 3/33

Sri Lanka 186/2 (34.2/45 ov, target 186)

Mahela 77* (80)
Kumar 67* (93)

Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets (with 64 balls remaining)

About as comprehensive a victory as you're likely to see that, Sri Lanka have won by eight wickets, strolling to victory in a cakewalk of a run chase that looked straightforward at tea but Mahela Jayawardene in particular, along with his old mucker Kumar Sangakkara, have given England the run around in the field, teasing them for a while with careful accumulation and then hurrying to the target after drinks. Easy peasy.
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England had a batting performance to be fairly pleased with in the opening rubber but there's nothing to take away from today - save perhaps more runs for Ravi Bopara. It's been a miserable day. They got nothing going with the bat, struggling badly once again to spin, and were fired out for a very poor total which their bowlers were unable to make any impression with in the second half of the game.
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Rahat Ali taking Corey Anderson and Daniel Vettori in successive overs; will put a dampener on the run rate. Ali has 4/85 so far.

Pakistan 351
New Zealand 539/6 (109.0 ov)

New Zealand lead by 188 runs with 4 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
 
Here's the losing captain, what's his name? Oh it's Alastair Cook..."We thought it was a good toss to win but I'm not sure that was the right choice. Sri Lanka totally outplayed us in all departments today. We assessed the pitch wrong but it's how you play and Sri Lanka put us under pressure with the ball. Then you end up having to try stuff in the field and keep players up and that gives class players the chance to hit boundaries. We had a few big shots that just evaded fielders but they played so well. It's been a tough few days, we've had no practise time with the rain, it'll be good to get out of Colombo and have a fresh start. We've got some good players and we can bounce back."

Angelo Mathews: "It feels great. The bowlers did the job, Dilshan was brilliant and then Mahela and Sanga showed how to bat on that wicket. It was playing a bit slow so I opened with Dilshan, especially as Moeen likes faster bowlers. I keep changing the bowlers because they're all good and they were brilliant today. Our fielding has picked up a little bit but we still can improve." Man of the Match goes to Mahela Jayawardene.
 
Mohammad Hafeez to Southee, SIX, loopy ball wide outside off, and Southee reaches out and launches it down the ground, clears the long-off boundary, and New Zealand have equalled the record of most sixes in a Test innings
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Seems that number is 17 sixes in an innings if I look at the number shown in the ESPN dashboard.

If Southee can hang about for a few more overs, I am quite sure he'll help that number along :)
 
Andy Coan: "The fastest ever totals of 600+ are by India (124.0 overs v SL 2009) South Africa (126.1 overs v Ind 2010) and Australia (126.5 overs v Zim 2003). Half an hour of Southee and NZ should claim that record. Awesome!"
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Pakistan 351
New Zealand 592/7 (122.4 ov)
New Zealand lead by 241 runs with 3 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
 
Yasir Shah to Craig, SIX, down the track, and New Zealand now have sole ownership of the record. Stays inside the line and makes room to free his arms and launch it ramrod straight over the bowler's head. Lovely clean strike
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Mohammad Hafeez to Southee, SIX, boom. That's floated up wide outside off and Southee clears his front leg and clears the long-off boundary with ridiculous ease
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Not content to hold the record, they're setting the bar a little higher with 19 sixes in the innings (so far).
 
Yasir Shah to Southee, OUT, looks to slog it over the leg side, there's a lot of turn out of the rough, and he miscues it high in the air. This time it's Talha under it after coming in off the long-on rope, and he takes it very comfortably
TG Southee c Mohammad Talha b Yasir Shah 50 (61b 3x4 2x6) SR: 81.96
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5.10pm The umpires have looked at the light meter, and it looks like they're going off the field. Or are they? Well, Rahat Ali has the ball, and I guess that's a major factor in the decision. Yup. Off go the players.
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Always amazes me how a batsman gets out and then players leave the field for light. Yeah, I know the light and safety of players must be considered... but immediately after the batsman is gone? Eish!
 
Brendon McCullum made this statement, earlier today:

"On behalf of the BLACK CAPS I want to make the following statement. Our focus at the moment is not on our performances, it is all about Phil. We are heartbroken for Phil's family, Greg, Virginia, Megan and Jason. No one should go through what you guys are going through right now. We are reaching out to Phil's family, Michael Clarke and the Australian boys, medical staff, fans, all who have been affected by Phil's passing. We are also reaching out to Sean Abbott. You are all in our thoughts, our hearts and in Phil's case, our memories. Cricket is a sport, but the cricket community is a family. We are here for you, we are thinking of you."
 
Pakistan 351
New Zealand 637/8 (130.0 ov)

New Zealand lead by 286 runs with 2 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

It's been an incredible day for New Zealand, who have moved to their third-highest score in Test cricket. A double century for McCullum, a near-double for Williamson, and fifties from Taylor, Anderson and Southee - all three, bizarrely, were out for exactly 50 - and their lead has now swelled to 286. Pakistan have toiled with very little reward, and they will want to forget this innings pretty quickly. Rahat and Yasir, though, shouldn't feel too bad, they put in a very good shift and have been rewarded with wickets for their efforts. That's all from us for today, be sure to join us tomorrow morning for the start of day four. Bye!
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IIRC, 6 overs were lost today. Day 4 tomorrow will be incredibly interesting. NZ will be keen to put on another 50+ as quickly as they can and then see how many they can chip out of Pakistan before stumps.
 
Lunch | Day 4

Pakistan 351 & 30/3 (12.0 ov)
New Zealand 690
Pakistan trail by 309 runs with 7 wickets remaining

Trent Boult has provided just about the perfect spell for New Zealand after they had amassed a 339-run lead. Three quick wickets means important holes have been punched through Pakistan's unflappable top order. But they do have Misbah-ul-Haq, and Mohammad Hafeez has looked immensely assured in his short time at the crease. This fight is not quite over yet.
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Craig to Mohammad Hafeez, OUT, took a while to realise, but Hafeez has chipped back at the bowler! It was a tossed up delivery on off stump and the batsman was looking to whip it away, ends up spooning a simple catch to Craig, who had done the same when he had faced Hafeez earlier

Mohammad Hafeez c & b Craig 24 (41b 5x4 0x6) SR: 58.53
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Pakistan 351 & 40/4 (15.3 ov)
New Zealand 690

Pakistan trail by 299 runs with 6 wickets remaining

Doesn't look like Pakistan have the stomach to fight this one... or are they deliberately throwing it :eek:
 
Tea | Day 4

Pakistan 351 & 147/7 (42.0 ov)
New Zealand 690
Pakistan trail by 192 runs with 3 wickets remaining

They lost three before lunch, now four after. This Test seems headed towards an early finish, unless Asad Shafiq plays the innings of his life. Boult made the first incisions, Craig picked up Misbah and Sodhi has done his bit to expose the Pakistan tail
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I am not sure that even the bravest of efforts by Shafiq will save Pakistan from an innings defeat, as it seems his mates at the other end are interested in hanging about.
 
Load shedding. The end of my updates till later. Eskom & cANCer you frigging swines!

Shafiq is amazing. The number of sizeable scores he has posted with the tail is sheer brilliance. That said, NZ should take this. Hopefully today.
 
Day 4 | Game Over

Pakistan 351 & 259 (63.3 ov)
New Zealand 690

New Zealand won by an innings and 80 runs
 
"Definitely, really tough circumstances to play the Test," says Brendon McCullum. "Our thoughts were elsewhere. Proud of the guys for sticking together. I think the tone was set with the way we bowled on the second morning. They were 280 for 3, we were behind the eight ball and for us to take seven wickets for not a lot of runs. The circumstances in Australia made us go out there and try and enjoy whatever we could from the game. And it obviously gave a huge chance to set the Test up. Not an easy place to tour, we watched the Aussie series keenly. We were destroyed in the first Test. We're pleased to come back like this and hopefully we do well in the one-day series and with the world cup around the corner. I think it's his last Test match, he said he could do more if his workload was like this Test. It's great to have his family here, he's been a great for us and we love him to bits."

Mark Craig is the Man of the Match for his 10 wickets in the Test, and a fifty. "Big turnaround from the first Test. It was nice. Didn't really think, it was hard being out there playing. Boys just tried to stick together and wickets just happened. Not thinking about bowling and just letting the ball go was a big help." Mohammad Hafeez is the Man of the Series.

"After starting very well during the first day, whatever happened in the second day that was really difficult to concentrate. I was struggling to concentrate, it was really difficult to bat on and carry on," Misbah-ul-Haq says, "The way we played Test cricket was really awesome. Only in this Test match, one bad day and we were totally out of it. Full credit to New Zealand, they out played us in the way they batted. You lose some focus, little loss in concentration and things happen and once momentum goes it is difficult to turn it back. Lot of positives, specially in bowling and batting. In these two series the way everyone scored runs and got hundreds, today's knock from Asad, that hundred was a big plus as well. It's difficult to say anything at the moment, obviously I've been thinking about my future. A big event is coming up, I'm focussing on the World Cup and I'm really thinking about what to do after that. Lets see what I decide in the next couple of months"
 
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