- Cricket World Cup updates from the match at Headingley
- Tatenda Taibu: ‘I should have been Zimbabwe’s poster boy’
- And send your thoughts to rob.smyth@theguardian.com
10th over: Sri Lanka 48-2 (Fernando 41, K Mendis 4) Kusal Mendis hasn’t got going, though he doesn’t need to when Fernando is playing like this. He clouts another pull for four off Archer, this time over midwicket, and pings the next ball over backward square leg for a huge six!
There’s a break in play while the umpires pick a new ball, and Archer ends the over with a brilliant full-length delivery that just misses both the outside edge and the off stump. Fernando has scored 40 from his last 21 deliveries, most with high-class strokes. For a 21-year-old playing his first World Cup match, and only his seventh ODI, it’s on the outrageous side of audacious.
9th over: Sri Lanka 37-2 (Fernando 31, K Mendis 3) Avishka Fernando is your new favourite cricketer. When Woakes drops short he dumps a majestic pull over square leg for four more. He has 31 from 28 balls, including 30 from the last 18.
“Hi Rob,” says Alex Bramble. “‘Well played Marcus Trescothick; a crisp whip through midwicket moves him to an increasingly fluent century. It’s been Trescothick at his unfussy, stand-and-deliver best.’ You’re welcome!”
8th over: Sri Lanka 31-2 (Fernando 25, K Mendis 3) A maiden from Archer to Mendis. Avishka Fernando has done damage to England before in a World Cup, as Sam Curran and Mason Crane can testify.
“I’d not thought about it before James Butler’s query, but there are rather a lot of words for wielding the willow,” says Brian Withington. “Not quite as many varieties as Inuit words for snow, but in addition to slapped we’ve got (for starters): smashed, thumped, bashed, crashed, planked, spanked, heaved, thrashed, lumped, stroked, worked, pulled, hooked, scorched, scooped, tucked, drove, ramped, placed, sliced, tickled, glanced, fluked, caressed, finessed and finagled. I’m sure I’ve missed loads of OBO favourites.”
7th over: Sri Lanka 31-2 (Fernando 25, K Mendis 3) Fernando edges Woakes through the vacant fifth-slip area at catchable height. Quite why Eoin Morgan doesn’t have 12 slips is beyond me. Fernando plays another gorgeous shot later in the over, driving straight down the ground for four. He looks foppin sensational.
6th over: Sri Lanka 24-2 (Fernando 20, K Mendis 1) Fernando gets the first boundary with a brilliant stroke, standing tall
and delivering to thump Archer through the covers. It’s the start of a very entertaining over. Archer beats Fernando twice outside off stump; then Fernando swivel pulls a big six over backward square leg and drives classically through the covers for four. That is beautiful batting.
5th over: Sri Lanka 10-2 (Fernando 6, K Mendis 1) Fernando plays a couple of stylish back-foot drives off Woakes, one through mid-on and one down the ground, with each bringing two runs.
“Hi Rob,” says Alex. “In reference to James Butler’s comment - ‘stand and deliver’ also seems to have crept into the modern cricketing commentator’s arsenal overnight - I don’t know why it irritates me so much (but I’ll try to explain). It says almost nothing about the shot it describes - reminds me of tennis commentating; all emotion without any real insight.”
4th over: Sri Lanka 4-2 (Fernando 1, K Mendis 0) England now have two right-handers to work with: the experienced Kusal Mendis and the precocious 21-year-old Avishka Fernando. Archer bowls a maiden to Fernando. Sri Lanka are 4-2 after four overs, and England are disconcertingly good.
Meanwhile, I’ve not had chance to read this yet - I’m busy - but it will almost certainly be a great read, because the subject is fascinating and Don McRae is the best interviewer around.England now have two right-handers to work with: the experienced Kusal Mendis and the precocious 21-year-old Avishka Fernando. Archer bowls a maiden to Fernando. Sri Lanka are 4-2 after four overs, and England are disconcertingly good.
Related: Tatenda Taibu: ‘I should have been Zimbabwe’s poster boy but I was on the run’
3rd over: Sri Lanka 4-2 (Fernando 1, K Mendis 0) “I always thought ‘slapped’ was borrowed from ice hockey (Slap Shot), a shot that is all wrists and timing,” says Sean Cunningham.
I thought it was a cross-bat thump to the off side, usually well timed (see here) but not always.
This is a spectacular start from England, who have picked up both openers - both in-form batsmen - inside 2.2 overs. Kusal Perera threw the kitchen sink at a wide delivery from Woakes, and the ball flew all the way down to Moeen Ali at third man. He took a simple catch, and that was that.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 3-1 (K Perera 2, Fernando 0) That was a lovely bit of bowling from Archer - the length was perfect, and the line was tight enough that Karunaratne had to play.
“Morning Rob, morning everyone,” says Matt Emerson. “We were at The Oval for the Australia v Sri Lanka game and I’d argue that the highlight of Sri Lanka’s World Cup so far was Karunaratne & Perera’s assault on the Australian opening bowlers - they were 102-0 after 13 overs. If – and it’s a Ranatunga-sized if – they do the same this morning then we may see England revert to their rather stroppy state of mind they inhabited against Pakistan.”
Here’s Jofra Archer, England’s three-for specialist. He already has four three-wicket hauls in the tournament, and a fifth today would put him level with Mitchell Starc as the leading wicket-taker.
There’s his first wicket! Karunaratne fiddles outside off stump at a beautiful delivery that seams away just enough to take the edge, and Buttler takes a routine catch.
1st over: Sri Lanka 2-0 (Karunaratne 1, K Perera 1) A lovely start from Woakes, whose first ball nips back to cut Karunaratne in half. The rest of the over is pretty accurate, and both batsmen get off the mark with singles.
“I’m interested in the etymology of ‘slapped’ to describe a particularly aggressive shot,” says James Butler. “I’m pretty sure this didn’t exist a year or so ago but is now commonplace on both OBO and the BBC. Who coined it first? Reminds of when ‘steepling’ reared up from nowhere (ho ho) to describe Steve Harmison’s short ball.”
Here come Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera. It’s a beautiful morning in Yorkshire, and this is a good chance for Sri Lanka to post a big total. If they get 300 and James Vince drives his first ball to extra cover, who knows what might happen.
Remember when
England’s first World Cup meeting with Sri Lanka was at Taunton in 1983, when one of the Guardian’s cricket writers took the first five-for for England at a World Cup. Not that Ali Martin likes to boast about it.
“Morning Rob and a Happy Solstice to OBOers everywhere,” says John Starbuck. “There’s a steady westerly wind pushing clouds towards Headingley but at ground level it’s fairly gusty in places. If this keeps up we ought to miss the rain but local atmospherics could be awkward for bowlers and fielders.”
Pre-match listening (optional)
Happy Black Midi day, everyone.
England are unchanged. Sri Lanka bring in Jeevan Mendis and Avishka Fernando for Lahiru Thirimanne and Milinda Siriwardana.
England Vince, Bairstow, Root, Morgan (c), Stokes, Buttler (wk), Ali, Woakes, Rashid, Archer, Wood.
The pitch is literally flatter than a pancake, so they’ll want at least 300. Eoin Morgan says he would have batted first.
“As regards Sri Lanka blaming their meek performances on poor pitches and shoddy hotels goes, it still falls within the acceptable bounds of reason,” says Abhinav Dutta. “If I remember correctly, a previous generation of Sri Lankan cricketers blamed their poor cricket on ill-fitting, body-hugging clothes. Although I haven’t found proof, I do remember this being asked around in a respectable sports quiz. One wonders if they turned up to the ground in straitjackets that morning/afternoon.”
“Morning Rob,” says Daniela Siekiera. “It seems like a sign that when I read about ‘a complaint about a swimming pool’ in your preamble, I just assumed that was a reference to all the washed-out games instead of, you know, an actual swimming pool. But I guess it works both ways. I hope no such complaints will be made about today’s game.”
Breaking news: today’s match has been switched to New Road, Worcestershire.
New Road, the home of @WorcsCCC is under water. Their game against @SussexCCC will take place in Kidderminster tomorrow.
Picture credit: Twitter/Worcestershire CCC pic.twitter.com/Plopj8BvPw
Pre-match reading
Related: Moeen Ali driving sense of fun for England’s World Cup joy of sixes | Ali Martin
Related: Dead rubbers are another cloud on the horizon of a wet World Cup
Good morning. Tense, nervous headache? Me neither. But trust me, it’s in the post, and I’m not talking about tomorrow’s hangover. For England fans the World Cup is about to get very serious, and today’s match against Sri Lanka at Headingley is the last that can be watched in the reclining position.
Before you start, my dearest trolls, this isn’t to say England are guaranteed to win today. They should, but they might not. All of that is what the point is not. The point is that whether they win, lose or tie, the remaining matches will have a nervous edge to them even before a ball is bowled.
View from the @bbctms box at Headingley.
Sun breaking through the clouds & a good forecast for the day.
Coverage of @englandcricket v Sri Lanka begins @5liveSport 9.30am. #bbccricket#CWC19pic.twitter.com/1cTe6sHkyh