England tour of Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka versus England 2012

1st Test: Sri Lanka v England at Galle
Mar 26-30, 2012 (10:00 local | 04:30 GMT | 09:30 PKT)

2nd Test: Sri Lanka v England at Colombo (PSS)
Apr 3-7, 2012 (10:00 local | 04:30 GMT | 09:30 PKT)

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Injured Mathews out of first England Test, future as bowler doubtful

Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka allrounder, has been ruled out of the first Test against England with a calf injury that has quickened speculation that his ability to bowl at international level is now open to serious doubt.

The assertion by Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka's chief selector, that Mathews faces a potential future as a specialist batsman will come as a shock to a side that has only a couple of days to regroup ahead of the Galle Test after rushing back home from the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

Mathews failed a fitness test on his injured calf on Friday morning. The injury kept him out of the Asia Cup and the finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series. Chamara Silva, a middle-order batsman, who made a magnificent century against England for the Sri Lanka Development XI earlier this week, replaces Mathews in the squad. Thilan Samaraweera takes over Mathews' role of vice-captain to Mahela Jayawardene.

"I don't think we can use Mathews as an allrounder in the future," de Mel said. "Mathews has some problem with his legs and it is very unlikely he will bowl much. We have to look at him purely as a batsman."

Silva, who took 163 from 180 balls off the tourists' attack on a bountiful batting surface at the SSC, only for England to win by four wickets in a last-day run chase, has been in prolific form during the home first-class season, being the only batsman to top 1000 runs. He played the last of his 11 Tests for Sri Lanka in April 2008 against West Indies in Port of Spain, and has since been in and out of the one-day side.

De Mel also stated that Tharanga Paranavitana and Lahiru Thirimanne will contest the right to partner Tillakaratne Dilshan at the top of the order. A fast bowler's spot is also likely to be similarly contested with either Suranga Lakmal or Dhammika Prasad expected to partner Chanaka Welegedara.

"The team management will have to take a call on who should bat at no. 7," De Mel said. "It is between regular wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene and Dinesh Chandimal, who has not kept wickets for some time."

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DRS to be used for Sri Lanka-England Tests

The Decision Review System (DRS) will be used for the upcoming two-Test series between Sri Lanka and England but the Hot Spot technology will not be available, leaving the Snickometer as the only tool to aid decisions on catches. The ball-tracking technology will be provided by Hawk-Eye, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga has said.

The version of the DRS used in the series will be the same as the one used in Sri Lanka's previous home series, against Australia in August-September last year. There had been doubts before that series over whether SLC would be able to afford the technology required for the system, given their financial crunch, but the DRS was used then, though without the expensive Hot Spot, and will be used again for the series against England. The ICC, in October last year, removed the mandatory requirements for the DRS, leaving the decision of what technology to use to the participating boards in a series.

The last time the DRS was used in Sri Lanka, Hawk-Eye admitted there had been a tracking mistake that led to Phil Hughes being adjudged lbw during the first Test, in Galle. There was a visible discrepancy between Hawk-Eye's graphic and television replays for Hughes' dismissal, the umpires referred the incident to the ICC, and Hawk-Eye admitted there had been a mistake, mainly due to the small distance between where the ball pitched and the point of contact with the pad.

The absence of Hot Spot also became an issue during that series when, in the second Test, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was convinced Tharanaga Paranavitana had gloved a ball down the leg side to him, but was denied due to a lack of evidence. "It's pretty hard with those ones in general for umpires where it comes off the glove or the hip or the bat. It's pretty hard with no Hot Spot as well; it's hard to make a decision. I was pretty confident then that we got some glove," Haddin had said of the incident.

England, though, have had issues with the Hot Spot technology. During their home series against India last summer, Stuart Broad suggested Hot Spot does not show faint edges, after England were convinced VVS Laxman had edged a ball but survived a referral, at Trent Bridge.

There were also a couple of flashpoints surrounding the DRS during England's recent Test series in Pakistan in the UAE. In the second Test, a not-out lbw decision against Mohammad Hafeez was overturned despite the fact that Hot Spot appeared to show a faint inside edge, and an lbw against Stuart Broad in the third Test, when he had got his front foot well down the pitch, raised the question of whether the DRS had swung things too much in favour of the bowlers.

While Hawk-Eye will be used in Sri Lanka, its rival ball-tracking provider Virtual Eye was called into question by South Africa's Jacques Kallis and New Zealand's Doug Bracewell after the Dunedin Test. Virtual Eye threatened to pull out of the series due to the criticism but were persuaded to stay on by the ICC.

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Sri Lanka heat 'unbelievable' - Pietersen

Touring Sri Lanka no longer comes with the challenge of facing Muttiah Muralitharan, but while the opposition attack has changed the climate hasn't. Kevin Pietersen rarely deals in half measures so it wasn't surprising to hear him describe the heat England will face in the Test series as "unbelievable" and a bigger task than combating Sri Lanka's bowling attack.

England have sweated through two warm-up matches in Colombo and are now in Galle ahead of the first Test, which starts on Monday, but the change in location won't bring much relief. During England's second warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Development XI the mercury hit the mid-40s in the middle and at drinks breaks batsmen, including Pietersen, used icepacks on their heads. Matt Prior even resorted to keeping without pads. On the whole, though, the England squad appear to be adjusting - another hallmark of their outstanding fitness levels - with most of the batsmen playing lengthy innings and the bowlers all getting overs in their legs.

However, performing in tour matches is one thing. England's batsmen need to make up for their woeful series against Pakistan in the UAE where Alastair Cook's 94 in Abu Dhabi was the highest score; where they failed to chase 145 and then couldn't build a match-winning lead after bowling out Pakistan for 99 in the final Test. Still, while respecting the opposition, it wasn't the Sri Lanka bowlers preoccupying Pietersen's mind.

"They've got a left-arm spinner, Rangana Herath, who bowls wicket to wicket and you saw against Pakistan what a guy like Abdur Rehman did to us," Pietersen said. "Left-arm spin is a huge part of the game now and it's not going to be easy at all. But it's not really the spinners out here, it's the heat. I think that will be the biggest threat to us."

Overcoming tough conditions is why touring is such a huge challenge. For all that England's players are finding it hard work now, Sri Lanka didn't have much fun rugged up against the cold at Cardiff or Lord's in May - although the demands of playing in higher temperatures are probably tougher, as there's only so much you can do to cool down.

"It's unbelievable, make no bones about that, but it's something we have to try and get over as quickly as possible," Pietersen said. "I'm trying to just not do too much and to conserve a lot of energy, not run around like a crazy fool like you do in England or Australia or South Africa, where you can afford to do that.

"It's something we have to try and control. On days off we need to get out, swim in the sea, spend some time in the sun and let your body get used to it. If you only spend time in the dressing room or in the ground and you try and take conditions in like that it's not going to work. You need to get out as much as you can."

Pietersen could find himself with more to keep him busy in the field than normal, if some overs of his under-used offspin are required. Ravi Bopara's side strain means he's unlikely to bowl during the series but remains the favourite to bat at No. 6 ahead of Samit Patel and Pietersen played down any problems in balancing the team.

"I'm not sure it's a big setback, because he's [Bopara] hardly going to take you seven wickets in a Test match," he said. "He might bowl you four overs. I can bowl those overs, Jonathan Trott can bowl those four overs."

England's frontline bowlers will hope Pietersen can supply a few more than four overs.

[Sadaf Gondal]

har jay gaya eng
sub continent mein nahi jeet sakta

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Sri Lanka Test squad
Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Chanaka Welegedera, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath

In: Prasanna Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv and Suranga Lakmal

Out: Ajantha Mendis, Kanishka Alvitigala, Dilhara Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Kaushal Silva and Nuwan Pradeep

[DexteR]

har jay gaya eng
sub continent mein nahi jeet sakta

han, aur Sri Lanka ki pitches tou India-Pakistan aur Bangladesh sey bhi slow hain.

[Sadaf Gondal]

boring tour hai
Aus or Pakistan ka kub hai?

[DexteR]

boring tour hai
Aus or Pakistan ka kub hai?

25 August sey start honi hai series.

[sheem]

ahaan yeh srilanka walo ko tu zara b rest nahi milta yar tabhi tu harte jate hain .. fata fat hi yeh b start kardi hai

kaisa board hai inka

khair lets see.. i think england fresh honge tu shayad chance ho win krne ka baki draw hi lagte hain meko