Time to get the umbrellas out lads! So, England secured a comprehensive ODI and T20 series victory over Sri Lanka recently. It was a stroll in the park for the tourists. I say the park, more like a stroll in the waterpark.
The amount of rain that fell during the limited overs games was pretty ridiculous, to be honest. Every match was affected, and at one stage I thought Freddie Flintoff was going to turn up in his pedalo. He didn’t because he’ll be driving expensive cars soon!
How Many Spinners?
Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were ever-presents throughout the ODI series and the sole T20 match. Liam Dawson, and later on Joe Denly, did join the bearded duo in the sweltering heat. The latter ended up producing a Man of the Match display upon his return to the national side.
Yes snowflakes, I used the word MAN, not f***ing PLAYER because at the end of the day there are MEN playing. Anyway, you gender neutral, non-binary muppets, what I am interested in is, how many spinners will England playing during the Test matches? Both Moe and Rashid are certainties. Despite not taking a big haul of wickets, they both bowled brilliantly during the ODI’s and their economy rates back that up. Rashid’s was an impressive 5.14, with Ali bowling at 5.68 runs per over. Now, that’s even more impressive considering they would have been bowling with a wet ball most of the time. Anyhow, I expect Joe Root to pick three spinners for the first Test match. It won’t be a surprise if Denly has pushed himself in front of Jack Leach with that T20 performance.
Any Chance You Can Stay Morgan?
Eoin Morgan was back to his best during the ODI’s. He topped the scoring charts, with two fifties to his name, not forgetting that he missed the final encounter because of an injury. Not surprising that England got well and truly walloped during that game. Simply put, if Morgan is playing like this when the clocks go forward in six months time then England’s chances of lifting the World Cup will only increase. The Irishman is the calmness in what is a brutally aggressive top, middle and lower order. Added with that, he is a shrewd and underrated captain. He has a bit of Brendan McCullum about him, to be honest.
Let’s hope Morgan doesn’t have the part where he loses a World Cup final to Australia. Do you think the Aussies will make it to the World Cup in England next summer? I don’t remember when they last won a game!
Are You Home Yet Hales?
Not the best of tours for Alex Hales. Three matches played and only 16 runs scored. Since those events in Bristol, the once-dominant England opener has looked the shadow of himself. A lot has been down to him not playing and then just simply being out of form. Luckily, England have an abundance of attacking talent in the side and even more waiting in the wings. However, it is a shame to see him struggle.
Saying that all he needs to do is look at his former opening partner, Jason Roy. He was dropped during the 2017 Champions Trophy after a number of poor performances. But when he returned to the side, he came back with the bang, and most importantly, a better player than he was before.
