I hate rain
What I hate is they have weather forecasts and yet you end with one side batting their allocation and the other coming up short. The other night was it 15 overs, just five short, yet 65 (?) bowled in the match which is 25 more than is needed for a result.......................
England came up short yesterday, despite much made of the highest chase in a day-nighter at the ground - like they've played hundreds of day-nighters. England just didn't pick up enough wickets to control the innings, that was the major factor.
Sri Lanka were 119/2 after 25 overs, lost just one more wicket in adding 168 runs in 22.1 more overs, a run rate of near 8 an over without losing (lots of) wickets. The 'grand plan' of the fifth bowler conceded only 60 runs off nine overs, not too bad but 60 runs without a wicket. With Broad and Bresnan both toothless and quite expensive as well, it was a stroll for Sri Lanka.
After 20 overs England were 85/1, hard to be critical of the strike rates of anyone bar the opening pair, both making 20+ and yet neither at a rate above 70 per hundred balls.
Fair play to the Sri Lankans, they paced their chase very well indeed. Good knock from Sangakkara which won the match, that and England's lack of 'teeth'.
On the halfway doubling 'rule', England were 146/2 after 30, Sri Lanka 150/2 so England were within one run of doubling their 30 over total and Sri Lanka would have comfortably more than doubled it had they batted their full 50.
England I guess need to win their last game, I think they're handicapping themselves with their fifth bowler and picking Buttler as keeper. He's averaging just 12.75, even if his SR is a ridiculous 134.21, 13 runs off 10 balls isn't going to win many matches. That's five scores of 0-3 in nine innings, two of 14 and only one of any substance.
Buttler needs to score runs when England need him to, not when a situation suits him. So far he's scored
0 off 2 balls, came in at 249/4 (45.3 overs)
1 off 2 balls, came in at 212/5 (42.5 overs)
47no off 16 balls, came in 210/5 (45.5 overs)
2 off 5 balls, came in 166/4 (29.2 overs)
14 off 25 balls, came in 124/4 (28.3 overs)
3 off 4 balls, came in 168/4 (32.3 overs)
DNB
21 off 13 balls, came in 190/4 (40.1 overs)
DNB
14 off 9 balls, came in 220/5 (45.5 overs)
0 off 2 balls, came in 68/3 (15.4 overs)
Three times he's come in post 40 overs, twice making big/half decent scores given the overs left, so I'm not sure a lack of time to play himself in is much of an excuse since he's not need it three times. If he has any batting ability whatsoever he should be able to average 20, perhaps needs to throttle back a little bit and not chase runs at a run a ball all the time.
When he's had time to play himself in, as early as the 16th over up to the 33rd over he's scored a whopping 19 runs in four innings at 4.75 average and SR of 52.78. If he needs to come in at certain situations/positions then I think he's out of luck, and likely out of the side. England don't do flexible, they are mostly rigid in their batting order, and they can't build their innings around when Buttler is happiest coming in on the offchance that brings lots of quick runs.
I think England have to turn to Bairstow, I know it's an "effective swap" of an accumulator for a "dynamic" batsman, but I'd take an average near double for a brief cameo every now and then that one in nine innings makes some kind of difference. Or just bring in that fifth bowler for Buttler and give the gloves to Morgan.
We desperately need to find an all-rounder. That isn't Bopara, Woakes, Yardy, Wright, and probably not Patel - either not good enough to bat seven or not good enough as a wicket taker/5th bowler. Whatever happened to Ben Stokes? Sure I saw his name come up the other day on BBC. We can't be completely lacking in all-rounders in the county game, surely not?