Any day you do not go to work and you play cricket for your country on a test ground is a good day ...
But...Sad to report we came second to a disciplined Sri Lankan side at the Old Test Ground - known as the Lal Badahur Stadium today.
Sri Lanka batted first and made 244 - despite being only 101 after 20 overs. We played well as a unit, but our bowling struggled with the stringent wides rules and - unlike the first game - we struggled to hold on to our catches. Some were taken, and Ian MacDougal got a good run out with a direct hit, but 4 very makeable cacthes were put down and 3 tough ones as well.
All that having been said we really competed in the field - chasing everything and loving the atmosphere - if not the 30 odd degree heat.
The pick of the bowlers were our opening pair - Sam "Bananas" Butterfield kept it tight and Deni Matthews removed both openers; Q took a wicket with his first ball and ended up with 2-42 and Mat Gullick also took one.
Both Butterfield and Opperman grassed chances for catch of the tournament.
As to the batting, we struggled against tight bowling. We made a slow start despite our best efforts; there was a chance when Q and Sam Butterfield were going well that we could up the pace and make a good effort at the target, but slowly the run rate climbed and we perished in a search for quick runs, and a hat trick for the Sri Lankan slow left armer. Opener Mathew Gullick was top scorer with 40, but all the top order struggled against a two-paced pitch with variable bounce. It was good to see Guy Holland rise from his death bed to play - although he has lost a stone in the last few days due to illness.
SCORECARD:
Sri Lanka: 244 for 7
ENGLAND
1 Gullick 40
2. Williams 3 [slightly dodgy LBW]
3. Holland 8
4. Newcombe 18
5. Butterfield 14
6. Opperman 3
7. Rhodes 7
8. MacDougal 0
9. Matthews 0 [a particularly hard LBW decision against the big man]
10. Cartwright 0
11. Bob Percy Hall [still a legend in India and all asia for stopping one ball whilst standing up with a full bklow to the chest] 3 not out [and not dismissed in the tournament]
Total 124
Lost by 120 runs
Phrase of the day:
Q: "My bat is broken - I am going to smash it against the wall and get rid of the days frustrations"
Deni Matthews: "I wish my bat would smash against anything" - sadly Deni has not actually hit a ball as yet
GENERAL UPDATE:
Health: a lot of the team are struggling and we will be buying shares in Imodium soon; Pete Dood and Jamie Cameron sat the day out by the pool recovering.
Next game: tomorrow we play the West Indies at the Railway Ground in Secunderabad
Team spirit is good: Q is called Winston by many of the hotel staff and Mat Gullick has become King of the Karioke - reeling off 3 numbers to thunderous applause last night
Functions: we are invited to around 4 a day - the pace is frenetic - our hosts are very generous.
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