Thanks for all your messages today, and the lovely tributes to Thorpe that Rob received earlier. We’ll be back tomorrow for day two. Have a lovely evening!
A last email before we shut up shop, from David Sweer. “If Sri Lanka have been told they must open with spinners it seems rather unfair and distorting. Given there are floodlights at the ground, and these are top level professionals, it seems weirdly condescending to forbid the use of fast bowlers.”
It’s a good point – wish I had a Test player here to ask. But I think it’s the red ball under the floodlights which become tricky to see when it gets too dark, despite the artificial light. England were equally handicapped towards the end of their innings.
Stumps
And that is that, as the spectators drift away from Old Trafford, on a day which started with emotional tributes to Graham Thorpe, much loved and much missed.
From a disastrous first half hour, Sri Lanka scrapped their way to 236 – though, as Kate Cross, who knows Old Trafford well, says, it is probably a 400 pitch.
Chris Woakes has been sent out with the microphone. “A good day, when you bowl on day one on a surface like that and you’re batting by the end, you’re happy. We wanted to stay out there and bowl them out, they probably got a little bit away from us, but who knows what the conditions will be like tomorrow. Early on it swung a little bit, big breeze, tried a couple of wobble seam cos it was working for Gus. Old Trafford on days two and day three can be a really good time to bat, hopefully we can pile up some runs.”
Seems unlikely that the players will get back on again under these skies – especially with only three minutes to go.
Bad light stops play (England 22-0)
4th over: England 22-0 (Duckett 13, Lawrence 9) Andy Zaltzman has been busy with his stats: this is only the second time since 1967 that two spinners have opened an innings in England – the last time it happened was with Monty Panesar and Kevin Pietersen. And it is the first time two specialist spinners have EVER opened the bowling in the first innings in this country. Lawrence whisks Jayasuriya through the off side for four – Sri Lanka decide they fancy bowling a quicker bowlers and the umpires shut up shop.
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3rdover: England 18-0 (Duckett 13, Lawrence 5) Duckett sweeps four from Dhananjaya, but does well to survive one that straightens at the last gasp.
2nd over: England 10-0 (Duckett 6, Lawrence 4) Prabath Jayasuriya (71 wickets in 12 Tests with his left arm spin) with the second over. A crazy-risky single off the last ball – Lawrence would have been trudging back had the throw hit, instead he picks up two from an overthrow.
1st over: England 6-0 (Duckett 5, Lawrence 1) The Sri Lankan captain opens the bowling with his off breaks. Duckett blazes four up and over cover, Lawrence, who under his helmet looks very like Stephen Mangan, is off the mark with a single.
A Sri Lankan huddle in the field, as Duckett and Lawrence punch gloves on the boundary edge – in the absence of Crawley, Lawrence is playing the beanpole to Duckett’s bean.
England have sent out the heavy roller, while Sri Lanka’s bowlers roll their arms over on the outfield. Ollie Pope will be happy to have nipped the visitors out for 236 – though half centuries from Rathnayake and de Silva perked up the final score.
Shortly, we get to see what Dan Lawrence can do in the opener’s slot.
WICKET! V Fernando run out 13 (Sri Lanka 236 all out)
A run-out to finish things off, as Vishwa Fernando dabs the ball to midwicket and starts running only to find his partner stone-still, he executes a quick U-turn but not quick enough to beat Ollie Pope’s throw. Sri Lanka all out with 236 on the board – a decent effort from the depths of 6-3 and 92-6.
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73rd over: Sri Lanka 232-9 (V Fernando 8, A Fernando 0) The floodlights blaze brightly. Four byes roll over the rope, beating everyone legside.
”There’s a game coming to its denouement in Rotterdam now, with two
well-matched sides for whom the outcome is a Very Big Deal,” taps Romeo.
”It also is for their fans and followers. And it’s free to watch. USA need 35 in seven overs, two wickets left. Netherlands v USA, CWC League 2.”
72nd over: Sri Lanka 227-9 (V Fernando 8, A Fernando 0) To restless, rowdy chants of various hues, Fernando V picks up one run from Root’s over.
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71st over: Sri Lanka 226-9 (V Fernando 7, A Fernando 0) A third for Bashir and just reward for plugging away, suspect Rathnayake might find himself promoted up the order in the second innings/Test.
WICKET! Rathnayake c Woakes b Bashir 72(Sri Lanka 226-9)
Rathnayake holes out, having had a heave-ho a couple of balls before. Woakes plucks the ball from above his head at mid-on and the end of a super debut knock. Gets an admiring round of applause.
70th over: Sri Lanka 224-8 (V Fernando 7, Rathnayake 70) Fernando has a heave and picks up four off Root through midwicket. Building block on building block.
69th over: Sri Lanka 220-8 (V Fernando 3, Rathnayake 70) Bashir’s long legs stride in from the James Anderson end, collar up, shirt untucked. And is that the chance England have been waiting for? Rathnayake prods Bashir to short leg where Lawrence can’t hold on, but perhaps off the pad.
68th over: Sri Lanka 216-8 (V Fernando 3, Rathnayake 66) Another maiden. Paul Reiffel takes position with the air of a man dreaming of a radiator and a hot drink.
67th over: Sri Lanka 216-8 (V Fernando 3, Rathnayake 66) Fernando moves onto three after resting nearly an hour on two. Bashir rolls through his 20th over.
66th over: Sri Lanka 215-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 66) Rathnayake mixes it up by swinging at Root’s first ball and sending him arcing into the dirty washing up water gloom for six. Root throws down the bouncer, but Rathnayake is game and pulls him to long leg.
Gareth Wilson muses on the commentators: “Mel Jones is absolutely the heir to Richie Benaud, and Alex Hartley is a big upgrade on Phil Tufnell.”
65th over: Sri Lanka 207-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 58) Pope hasn’t had much need for the sunglasses perched on the top of his cap. The fielders close in, but Sri Lanka plough on regardless – showing the grain of the bat.
64th over: Sri Lanka 207-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 58) Root trips through his repertoire – Rathnayake dabs the ball just short of short leg where Dan Lawrence picks up. Another maiden.
63rd over: Sri Lanka 207-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 58) Knit one, purl one, pattern repeated. Pope tries to mix things up at the end of Bashir’s over but by the time Mark Wood has his jumper off, the umpires have confirmed that it is too dark for anything but spin. Out comes the light meter.
62nd over: Sri Lanka 206-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 57) Pope whistles for Joe Root and can’t say no when Joe suggests that he’s had Fernando caught behind. No cigar and another review burned.
61st over: Sri Lanka 205-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 56) Rathnayake drives through the cover and they jog a single from the final ball of the over, as Sri Lanka find a familiar pattern.
“Distinctly analogue bowling by England’s quicks today,” taps Brian Withington,"as in persistently attempting to remove the digits of the Sri Lankan batters. Ouch.” Yes, the phyiso has been kept busy.
60th over: Sri Lanka 204-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 55) A maiden from Atkinson.
Fifty for Rathnayake!
59th over: Sri Lanka 204-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 55) And he gets that fifty – reaching it by pinging Bashir up and over! What a debut innings at No. 9: 96 balls, five fours, one six. More than that, if it hasn’t quite changed the mood of the game, it has coloured it with a different pencil.
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58th over: Sri Lanka 196-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 47) Atkinson tests Rathnayake and Fernando with a bouncer or two but they’re game.
Hello Tom V d Gucht,
“I was interested to hear about the Oasis trumpet medley being played at Old Trafford after I’d spotted this on Twitter this week. I’d always assumed the Mike Flowers Pops cover was the definitive version of Wonderwall, but apparently not. Similarly, imagine being at the festival where Mr Blobby sat down and busted out this set. It probably had a feeling similar to being at Woodstock- a once in a generation cultural zeitgeist type moment that will never be replicated.”
Bet you didn’t think you’d see Mr Blobby signing Wonderwall today did you pic.twitter.com/wROdtj12rn
— Josh (@joshpearson180) August 19, 2024
Epic. And a raise you this strange tale.
57th over: Sri Lanka 193-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 44) As Sri Lanka tiptoe towards 200, and Rathnayake to a maiden 50 on debut, here is a lovely read by Taha at Old Trafford on Graham Thorpe.
56th over: Sri Lanka 190-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 41) A wide and a single, this time off the fourth ball.
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55th over: Sri Lanka 189-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 40) Rathnayake steals a single off Bashir’s fifth ball and keeps the strike.
“Afternoon, Tanya,” good to hear from you Phil Sawyer
I’m trying to finish off a work report here and have just realised that since you mentioned them I’ve been completely distracted by Matthew Potts’ extremely tight trousers. So thanks for that.”
De rien! Those trousers are made of stern stuff if they don’t split at the seams at some point during this Test.
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54th over: Sri Lanka 187-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 39) An Oasis trumpet medley accompanies the tip-toeing approach of Gus Atkinson, who has plumped for peroxide as Jimmy Anderson once did at Old Trafford in 2018. Another corking shot from Rathnayake who pulls Atkinson square for four and drives with ease for three more.
Evening session
53rd over: Sri Lanka 180-8 (V Fernando 2, Rathnayake 32) And they defy the rain outside my window and return to the field after tea. The crowd are well wrapped, shoulders hunched, hoods up. Two from Bashir’s over.
So many lovely tributes to Graham Thorpe on Sky today. Beautifully done. Time for a quick cup of tea.
Hello there Colum Fordham.
“Refreshing to see a Sri Lankan batsman offer some resistance against the England attack. De Silva can be proud of a true captain’s innings to give some sort of respectability to a pretty depressing scoresheet (a De Silva lining amidst the Manchester gloom). He played with panache and bravery against Wood with stunning pulls and cuts.
“Shame that he fell to a tickle round the corner but the trap had been set and all credit to Bashir who is bowling really well and establishing himself as England’s no.1 spinner. He gets turn and bounce and looks the real deal.”
He looks a cracker doesn’t he? And yes, a real shame for Sri Lanka to lose De Silva. And I can report that it has just started raining outside my window.
“Hi Tanya,” Hello Jeremy Boyce!
“You’re not wrong, not just wrong address, wrong commentator name, or are you and Rob Smyth one and the same?” Ha! I’d be happy for some of Rob’s sublime touch and encyclopaedic knowledge if he was up for a trade. But back to the topic in hand….
”Good day at the office so far for “interim” captain Pope, especially as he’s surely feeling the totally chilled-out eyes of “injured” captain Stokes watching on from the balcony. This is the cricket equivalent, rare enough so please remember it, of Eric Ten Hag and all the other managers since he stepped down feeling Lord Ferg’s laser rays burning into their minds from his seat in the stands. Tea cups for tea drinking ?”
I’m sure Stokes won’t mention that review…
TEA - Sri Lanka 178-8
52nd over: Sri Lanka 178-8 (V Fernando 0, Rathnayake 32) Rathnayake sees off a final pre-tea over from Potts and he and Fernando stroll off, followed, in dribs and drabs, by England. Ninety-eight runs in the session, including a partnership of 63 between newcomer Rathnayake and captain De Silva. A shame for Sri Lanka that De Silva fell on the cusp of the break, but England will be happy with their three wicket afternoon haul. Three wickets for Atkinson and Bashir, a couple for Wood.
51st over: Sri Lanka 176-8 (V Fernando 0, Rathnayake 30) After the (big) wicket, England burn a review, Pope convinced there was an outside edge on the new man’s bat. No luck – but Bashir finding spitting turn and De Silva safely off the field – generously applauded by the OT crowd.
WICKET! De Silva c Lawrence b Bashir 74 (Sri Lanka 176-8)
On the brink of tea! A smashing innings comes to an end in a moment of distraction, as De Silva guides Bashir straight into the hands of the waiting leg slip.
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50th over: Sri Lanka 176-7 (de Silva 74, Rathnayake 30) Pope strokes his chin, this partnership just starting to develop wings. Rathnayake picks up yet another boundary off Bashir, a short ball pulled with glee.
49th over: Sri Lanka 169-7 (de Silva 71, Rathnayake 26) Gorgeous! Rathnayake cuts with the delicacy of a drifting sycamore key.
48th over: Sri Lanka 164-7 (de Silva 70, Rathnayake 22) Potts bustles in, arms like pistons, Rathnayake, growing into his role on Test debut, short arms him over backward point for four.
Incidentally, I think that the email address might be wrong at the top of the page – my right address is tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com.
47th over: Sri Lanka 160-7 (de Silva 70, Rathnayake 18) Rathnayake rides his luck against Bashir: hemmed in by fielders, he skies a ball up, but just out of a sprinting Duckett’s grasp.
46th over: Sri Lanka 159-7 (de Silva 70, Rathnayake 17) Mark Wood get a rest and goes in for a rub down and a word with Jimmy Anderson. He is replaced by Matthew Potts who could do with a morale boosting wicket or two. Rathnayake survives a mini barrage of bouncers. On comms, Alex Hartley points out the tightness of Potts trousers and it is true, he does appear to have been sprayed into them.
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45th over: Sri Lanka 157-7 (de Silva 69, Rathnayake 16) A second consecutive maiden for Bashir.
“When Bashir came on to bowl - and when he got his wicket -
I heard the Barmy Army trumpeter play Cornershop’s Brimful of Asha,” writes
James Higgott. “Does anyone know the words they’re singing to this? Is it just
‘Brimful of Bashir’ or is there more to it?”
44th over: Sri Lanka 157-7 (de Silva 69, Rathnayake 16) The crowd sound as if they’re getting a bit restless and, from the occassional TV picture, there seem to be quite a few empty seats. The cameraman finds a couple sitting on a hotel balcony wrapped in a duvet and looking as if they’d rather be anywhere else. Sri Lanka drill three from Wood’s over – probably nearly time for him to have a rest.
43rd over: Sri Lanka 153-7 (de Silva 66, Rathnayake 15) A maiden from Bashir as Rathnayake watchfully defends. The sky outside my window, a couple of miles from Old Trafford, has definitely darkened.
42nd over: Sri Lanka 153-7 (de Silva 66, Rathnayake 14) Rathnayake picks up a couple against Wood with a pull but is punished with a searing bouncer that his him in the hand – the physio jogs out but all seems well.
Hello Gary Naylor! “There’s a narrative arc that the commentariat follow on days like these. “Looks a belter of a pitch”... “It’s going to be important to see off the new ball”... “There is the odd one misbehaving”... “That shouldn’t really be happening on Day One”... “Anything above 220 will be a competitive score”. I don’t know why anyone bothers to read a pitch - might as well read the stars.” I can’t say I’ve ever been able to unless there are huge jagged cracks – but… don’t we all love some pitch mumbo-jumbo?
41st over: Sri Lanka 146-7 (de Silva 65, Rathnayake 9) On the England balcony, McCullum rests his boots on the rail, Ben Stokes sits quite demurely, legs and arms crossed, hair gelled back. Suddenly a change of tempo as de Silva slog-sweeps Bashir against the wind for four, then again next ball as he lofts him over the offside. And to finish an eventful over, he nearly gets bowled as he dances down the pitch, is yorked, and Jamie Smith uncharacteristically fumbles behind the stumps – a tricky missed stumping.
40th over: Sri Lanka 136-7 (de Silva 57, Rathnayake 8) Wood pounds in, throwing down his arrows in the direction of Rathnayake who plays him with a ladle of trepidation – ducks a couple of short ones and flails at a few more.
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39th over: Sri Lanka 135-7 (de Silva 55, Rathnayake 8) Hello and thank you Rob, that made for a wonderful read from you all – in the tributes to Graham Thorpe and the sensitive discussion around mental health. On the pitch, Sri Lanka are finding their first Test in England since 2016 a tricky challenge at a grey and windy Old Trafford. Bashir reels in, close fielders pulling at their sleeves and clapping their hands, new(ish) boy Dan Lawrence under the lid. One for the over.
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37th over: Sri Lanka 134-7 (de Silva 54, Rathnayake 8) I’m not saying he’s going to score 8000 Test runs at 45, but Milan Rathnayake looks very accomplished for a No9. When Mark Wood returns to the attack, Rathnayake stands tall to cut emphatically for four.
Drinks. With that I’ll hand you over to Tanya Aldred. Thanks for all your tributes to Graham Thorpe and thoughts on mental health generally. I didn’t have chance to read them all, never mind publish them, but they’re all appreciated.
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37th over: Sri Lanka 128-7 (de Silva 54, Rathnayake 2) Dhananjaya pushes Bashir for a single to reach a defiant, clear-headed and often brilliant half-century from only 56 balls. It’s not his fault his team are on their knees.
Later in the over Dhananjaya skids back to spank a cut for four more. That might be his best shot to date.
Thanks to Ruth for the overseas TMS link, which is here.
36th over: Sri Lanka 122-7 (de Silva 49, Rathnayake 1) No surprise to see Dhananjaya take on the short stuff, slugging Atkinson a long way in front of square for four. He takes a single to expose Rathnayeke, who gets his first Test run with a very correct push into the off side.
“Yesterday evening I was strolling along Deansgate and happened upon Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes (presumably heading back to their hotel for a good night’s sleep),” says Mike Hawkins. “Whilst battling to keep my composure I just about managed to blurt out ‘good luck tomorrow lads’ for which they very politely gave thanks.
“Given the way things have gone so far I think we can all agree my well-wishes have paid dividends today. You’re all very welcome.”
Couldn’t you have bumped into them before day four of last year’s Old Trafford Test?
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35th over: Sri Lanka 114-7 (de Silva 43, Rathnayake 0) Bashir replaces Woakes and hurries through an over in the time it takes me to edit and reply to the below email.
“Surely Graham Thorpe’s finest hour’s was mastering Murali in Colombo in 2001: one of the very greatest overseas innings by an England player,” writes Robert Ellson. “What a brilliant player he was. Steve Smith is invariably described these days as a great problem-solver at the crease. That’s how I think of Thorpe too: whether counter-attacking or occupying the crease, whether cutting and pulling the quicks or slog-sweeping Murali, he so often made the right decision for the match situation.
“I feel very lucky to have seen so many of his great moments for England, and hope it has been some small comfort for his family to learn via all these tributes just how much he was loved.”
I love that problem-solver line. He didn’t quite have Smith’s eerie hand-eye co-ordination but he certainly had the same originality of thought and ability to find new ways to solve old problems.
Totally agree on Colombo – that was his finest performance, against a seriously good Sri Lanka side, though the one that meant most to him was his return at The Oval in 2003. He thought he’d never play for England again. He didn’t want to play for England again.
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34th over: Sri Lanka 113-7 (de Silva 42, Rathnayake 0) “A tough morning for Sri Lanka,” writes Kim Reynolds. “Would any OBO regulars have the TMS overseas link so I can surreptitiously follow the rearguard action?”
WICKET! Sri Lanka 113-7 (Jayasuriya c Smith b Atkinson 10)
Very good from Gus Atkinson. After pushing Jayasuriya back he slips in a fuller one that Jayasuriya, driving loosely, edges to Jamie Smith.
The wicket came two balls after the non-wicket. Not quite Darren Gough to Greg Blewett at Edgbaston in 1997, but still an eye-catching triumph for a bowler who is having a remarkable first summer in Test cricket.
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DISALLOWED WICKET! Sri Lanka 113-6
Jayasuriya is bounced out by Atkinson, flapping meekly to Pope at gully, but the ball was above shoulder height and he’d already bowled two in the over so it’s a no-ball.
Shame as the switch to short stuff has worked instantly for England.
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33rd over: Sri Lanka 111-6 (de Silva 41, Jayasuriya 10) Jayasuriya flicks Woakes this far short of Bashir at midwicket. He’s playing quite well, that shot aside, and a push for two takes him into double figures.
At one stage during the West Indies’ first innings at Edgbaston, Woakes’ figures for the Test summer were 2 for 103 and he was done, kaput. Since then he’s taken 12 for 164.
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32nd over: Sri Lanka 107-6 (de Silva 41, Jayasuriya 6) “I haven’t thought about Craig White in an age,” says David Horn. “I loved him – although part of that was his Aussie background and the sense that we were getting one over the old enemy – and remember Steve Rhodes saying he stood further back for White than any other England bowler, his pace was so deceptive.”
When he first came into the side I thought they’d got one over on us. It feels okay to say that because he became such a fine cricketer, without whom the miracle of 2000-01 may never have happened. Interesting that the quote about his pace came from Steve Rhodes, because that means it was 1994. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear it later on, particularly in the summer of 2000 when he roughed up the West Indies.
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31st over: Sri Lanka 105-6 (de Silva 40, Jayasuriya 5) The captain Dhananjaya, standing alone on the burning deck, mullers Woakes to the cover boundary to bring up the hundred. He’s playing ever so well; brilliantly in fact. If Sri Lanka can somehow sneak past 200 – that’s a sizeable if – they can invoke the precedent of Headingley 2014.
I don’t think this pitch is a belter. It’s hard to be sure because the cloud cover has been a factor, but it’s rare to see quite so much inconsistent bounce on the first day.
30th over: Sri Lanka 98-6 (de Silva 34, Jayasuriya 4) Sri Lanka have a long tail. The No8 Prabath Jayasuriya has an average of 9, though he improves it slightly by slapping Atkinson up and over the cordon for four.
29th over: Sri Lanka 92-6 (de Silva 33, Jayasuriya 0)
WICKET! Sri Lanka 92-6 (Kamindu c Smith b Woakes 12)
Now look. A few weeks ago some people said with certainty that Chris Woakes was finished at Test level. Gone. Nobody listens to techno. Those people need knee operations to cure all the jerking because, after slowly finding form during the West Indies series, Woakes is bowling almost as well as he did last summer against Australia.
He’s just taken his third wicket of the day, with Kamindu Mendis nicking off from round the wicket. The line was immaculaet and the ball straightened just enough. Woakes, who had only just changed the angle, celebrated by pointing with gratitude at Mark Wood; they love it when a plan comes together.
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28th over: Sri Lanka 88-5 (de Silva 33, Kamindu 8) Short and wide from Atkinson, allowing Kamindu to clunk it through the covers for three. The outfield is slow because of the rain yesterday.
Nothing slow – pick that segue out – about the spectacular yorker with which Atkinson ends the over. Dhananjaya does very well to get his toes out of the way and keep the ball out, just.
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27th over: Sri Lanka 84-5 (de Silva 32, Kamindu 5) A maiden from Woakes to Kamindu, during which Kumar Sangakkara, commentating on Sky Sports, talks about concentration in the middle. “I used to hate people trying to tell jokes when I’d just come in. Thilan Samaraweera was terrible for that, I’d have to scream at home to shut up!”
Cricket really is the best thing that has ever happened to anyone, ever.
26th over: Sri Lanka 84-5 (de Silva 32, Kamindu 5) A lovely yorker from Atkinson is jammed into the ground by Dhananjaya. The ball bounces up in the vicinity of the stumps, prompting Dhananjaya swish desperately. He misses the ball, which misses the stumps, and Dhananjaya needs some dainty footwork to ensure he doesn’t ride roughshod over the stumps himself.
Dhananjaya has played really well, always looking for runs, and a pair of twos take him to 32 from 31. Not bad for somebody who came in at 40 for 4 and with Mark Wood bowling rockets.
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Right, we’re back. Gus Atkinson to Dhananjaya de Silva.
“I think a big difference with Wood is the way the England management have treated him,” writes James Brough. “Every game he’s played, Stokes has made a point of talking him up, whether he’s taken wickets or not. Compare that with Ray Illingworth describing Devon Malcolm as “a cricketing nonentity.” It’s an area where cricket has made some long overdue strides.
“I remember Illingworth taking over as manager and stating that he didn’t want anyone in his team ‘who needed a shoulder to cry on’ when he explained why he was sacking the team’s counsellor. I also remember him bragging about reducing Graeme Hick to tears while breaking the news that he was dropped or stopping Ramprakash who was on his way out to bat and telling him, ‘Better get some runs - it’s your last chance.’
“Compare that with Stokes talking so openly about the state of his mental health. Cone to that, compare it to Andrew Flintoff in his tv series talking about the anxiety he suffered after his crash. Things have changed. There’s a huge amount still to be done, but it’s a start.”
I’m loath to be too critical of Illingworth, simply because he was representative of the times, but equally that environment (pre- and post-Illingworth too) made it so hard for players to become established. With a few exceptions – geniuses, basically – the professional success of every human being depends on environment. For eg I started as a cricket writer at Channel4 and then at Wisden.com with Tim de Lisle as editor in 2001-02. Had a monkey with a typewriter worked under Tim for six months it would be capable of writing a half-decent OBO.
One thing I find interesting is that, despite all the criticism from Illingworth, Graeme Hick’s best spell in Test cricket – by a mile too – came under him. Another thinkgthat helps Wood is that for most of his career he’s been in a five-man attack. That’s one area where Illingworth was probably right; he was always desperate to have five bowlers and one of the first things he did as chairman of selectors was fast-track Craig White. Turned out White wasn’t ready, and maybe he was never a Test No6, but I appreciate the logic now in a way that I didn’t then.
Lunch
England lost the toss but that was about as bad as it got. Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson reduced Sri Lanka to 6 for 3, Mark Wood almost detonated Kusal Mendis’s thumb and an inexplicable grubber from Shoaib Bashir did for Dinesh Chandimal.
The only slight downside was a nervous return to Test cricket for Matthew Potts, who was successfully targetted by Sri Lanka.
25th over: Sri Lanka 80-5 (de Silva 28, Kamindu 5) Kamindu Mendis, who averages over 100 in his short Test career and 65 in first-class cricket, drives Bashir inside out through extra cover for two. An accomplished shot, though not without risk early in the innings. A bread-and-butter work to leg brings two more, and that concludes a very fine morning for England.
24th over: Sri Lanka 73-5 (de Silva 28, Kamindu 1) De Silva misses a lusty drive at a tempting delivery from Woakes. Even on the stroke of lunch, he has run-scoring in mind.
“As ever, the wonderful robelinda on YouTube has you covered regarding a Malcolm spell without any reward (match figures 2-198) – Perth 1995. He wasn’t helped by England’s mid-90s penchant for butterfingers, though.”
There’s also one at The Oval in 1993: only 14 balls, I think, on the Sunday evening but he reckons it was the fastest he ever bowled. You get a flavour of it here. Malcolm was at least rewarded with a few wickets the next day.
I guess the speedgun also makes it easier to track consistency of pace. For example there might be times when Dev bowled poorly (eg Headingley 1995) but was still bowling rapidly.
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23rd over: Sri Lanka 72-5 (de Silva 25, Kamindu 0) Ben Stokes would have been happy with that counter-intuitive bowling change from Ollie Pope, even if it did take a bit of fortune to get the wicket.
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WICKET! Sri Lanka 72-5 (Chandimal LBW b Bashir 17)
Fire up the Carl Hooper video! Chandimal has been done by a disgusting grubber from Bashir which rolled along the ground to trap him LBW. Bashir puts his hands over his mouth, and at one point I thought he was going to apologise to Chandimal like a tennis player who benefits from a netcord.
Chandimal reviews – “perhaps it was going under” deadpans Mel Jones on commentary – but he’s out and Sri Lanka have lost another review.
22nd over: Sri Lanka 71-4 (Chandimal 17, de Silva 24) The world’s changing, drugs are changing and so is the captain’s innings. In the 20th century it was all about cussed defiance; the modern captain – okay, most of them because I’ve just remembered West Indies – prefer to go on the attack, especially when their team is in trouble.
Dhananjaya is doing just that and moves to 24 from 20 balls after gliding Woakes for four. Woakes is back on for Wood, who bowled a what’sagoodbloodysynonymofvolanic spell of 4-0-13-1.
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21st over: Sri Lanka 66-4 (Chandimal 17, de Silva 19) With the floodlights on, England introduce Shoaib Bashir in place of Matthew Potts. They never miss an opportunity to stick two fingers up at received wisdom. You should hear what they say about Raymond behind closed doors.
The plan almost works when Chandimal inside-edges the last ball onto the pad and up in the air. There’s a short leg in place but this chance loops towards the vacant leg slip area.
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20th over: Sri Lanka 64-4 (Chandimal 16, de Silva 18) A bit of extra bounce from Wood has Chandimal moving around like a cat on a volcano. This is exhilarating stuff, almost without precedent in English cricket history.
Frank Tyson in 1954 and 1955 is the obvious comparison but many of England’s fastest bowlers dealt in devastating one-off performances rather than sustained ferocity. Then again, maybe that’s just scorecard bias and I’ve forgotten, say, Devon Malcolm’s equivalent of Wood’s brilliant performance (match figures 2 for 78) at Trent Bridge against West Indies.
What we can say without fear of contradiction is that Wood’s rhythm has never been better than in the past 14 months. It’s to Dhanjaya’s credit that he hasn’t taken a backward step against Wood, at least not metaphorically; he’s looking to score off every ball and has 18 from 15.
The floodlights are on now, such is the Manchester gloom.
19th over: Sri Lanka 61-4 (Chandimal 14, de Silva 17) The ball has stopped swinging, another reason it’s been harder for Potts. But it has just started to wobble a touch, and de Silva has to soften his hands to ensure an edge falls short of slip before running away for four. Potts smiles wryly, knowing it wasn’t a bad delivery at all.
“Greetings from Dublin!” writes Sean Smith. “Just on your Darren Stevens chat, he’ll be a bit busy over here this week (see below). And I absolutely loved watch Graham Thorpe bat, my favourite left-hander behind David Gower. Graham came across as a genuinely nice person also and the tributes today have this Irishman in tears.”
Team to play @VetCricketIre XI in a friendly at @MerrionCC , Dublin.
— England Over 40s Cricket (@Eng40sCricket) August 19, 2024
Thursday 22nd August, 12:30pm start
Hoping the weather plays ball !@ApexGlobalGroup @TTMSportsTours @Gentlemenplayer @DeLonghiUK pic.twitter.com/ddQKeT9zgX
18th over: Sri Lanka 55-4 (Chandimal 14, de Silva 11) Mark Wood goes down in his delivery stride for the first time today; he really should be nicknamed Igby.
Dhananjaya, who has clearly decided to take Wood on, steers nicely past the slips for four and has 11 from 8 balls.
“The OBOccasional cricket team, forged from the very webpages of the Guardian OBO way back in 2013, have just returned from a weekend playing at the Voorburg CC near the Hague in the Netherlands,” writes Matthew Stafford. “Alas we didn’t win but would love for any other overseas readers to get in touch so we can try and organise a tour for next year.”
Surely we have some readers in New Zealand, maybe a philanthropic gazillionaire who’d fly us all over for a month-long sabbatical.
17th over: Sri Lanka 48-4 (Chandimal 14, de Silva 4) The captain Dhananjaya de Silva drives Potts stylishly through mid-off for three. It’s getting a bit gloomy at Old Trafford and there’s a chance of rain as the match progresses.
A very wide ball from Potts, who has looked a bit nervous, is larruped with feeling to the cover boundary by Chandimal. Potts has figures of 4-0-27-0; the rest have combined figures of 13-4-20-4. He’s a good bowler, it’s just a silly phase he’s going through.
If you want a drive…
93mph from Mark Wood ⏱🔥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 21, 2024
Another wicket for England! pic.twitter.com/2AechFM8wG
16th over: Sri Lanka 41-4 (Chandimal 10, de Silva 1) That ball actually hit Kusal’s thumb, not the glove, and may have done some damage. He walked off looking at his thumb almost quizzically, and he already has strapping on that right hand.
WICKET! Sri Lanka 40-4 (Kusal c Root b Wood 24)
My days, that is vicious from Mark Wood. Barely human. The first ball of his second over is a malevolent lifter that Kusal Mendis can only glove gently to second slip. I’m not doing it justice; it was a brute of a delivery. Kusal was playing really well but walked off with the look of a man who knew there was the square root of bugger all he could do. Truly, it’s not your fault.
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15th over: Sri Lanka 40-3 (Kusal 24, Chandimal 10) Almost a run-out chance when Mendis and Chandimal do the mid-pitch dance after Mendis slugged Potts to mid-on. Just a single from a good over from Potts, who needed that after an expensive start: his figures are now 3-0-20-0.
14th over: Sri Lanka 39-3 (Kusal 23, Chandimal 10) Here he is, the Ashington flamethrower. Mark Wood’s first ball is a ferocious 93mph bouncer that sits Dinesh Chandimal down. So much for a loosener, though it may well have loosened Chandimal’s… well never mind.
A thrilling first over also includes a cracking delivery that beats Kusal Mendis and bounces just over the stumps. It’s extraordinary that Mark Wood is getting quicker as he approaches his mid-30s. Imagine what he’ll be like when he’s Darren Stevens’ age!
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“As a Surrey fan from the 80s onwards, I saw Graham Thorpe on many occasions with my brother Dave at the Oval, as well as all those famous innings for England,” writes Guy Hornsby. “He was a rock in an eventually great Surrey team, and for a lot of the 90s and early 00s, he was England’s batting line up, coming in so many times with early wickets down and steadying the ship.
“So many have called out those highlights, especially that one-legged pull shot. I was a fan of his walking off/cover drive. So in line with everything, so fluent and compact, and there right from his debut century that made the wider world recognise his talent that we already knew. I’ll just remember him as one of the best, the player we’d all want in the team. He’s desperately missed.”
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Drinks: Sri Lanka 37-3
Here are the wickets to fall so far.
It's an early first wicket for England 💥👇 pic.twitter.com/PN1yaW4C6a
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 21, 2024
What a blistering start for England 🔥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 21, 2024
They take two more quick wickets! 💥 pic.twitter.com/huMEKCDREF
13th over: Sri Lanka 37-3 (Kusal Mendis 22, Chandimal 9) Kusal Mendis continues his Thorpish counter-attack by steering Potts through backward point for four, then carting another to the cover boundary. He’s such a fun batsman to watch.
Sri Lanka are playing well now, and the three batsmen who have been dismissed must be going through the gears of regret and frustration.
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12th over: Sri Lanka 29-3 (Kusal Mendis 14, Chandimal 9) Four to Chandimal, flicked efficiently off the pads when Atkinson errs in line.
11th over: Sri Lanka 25-3 (Kusal Mendis 14, Chandimal 5) Matthew Potts replaces Woakes, who bowled an interrogative spell of 5-2-8-After no boundaries in the first 64 balls of the game, Kusal Mendis hits two in two. The first was guided through the slips with soft hands; the second was slapped in the air past backward point. A bit risky but he got away with it.
10th over: Sri Lanka 14-3 (Kusal Mendis 6, Chandimal 2) “It’s hard to know what to say,” says James Brough. “I watched England play Test cricket through the 90’s and my memory is England have always lost a couple early on. Atherton is holding on at one end, whole Thorpe is thumping cover drives and flicking one-legged pulls like Brian Lara at the other end.
“It’s so sad. I’ve been somewhere similar to where he was, sitting on a bench at a station, waiting for a train and planning to just step in front of it. I was lucky. Someone called me and realised something was wrong and kept me talking for long enough for it to pass.
“I wish there was an easy answer to all this, that I could say, ‘I’ve been there - here’s the answer to it.’ All I can say is - talk to people. Find out how they are. Tell them how you are. Offer support. And don’t be afraid to ask for it. However bad things are, ending your own life is the one way to ensure they will never improve.”
Bloody hell, I’m so sorry; I can’t imagine how it must feel to have experienced that. This isn’t the place for such a nuanced discussion and we should probably knock it on the head after this, not least because I have to describe some cricket. But while I agree with everything you say, I also think society has become complacent about mental health, perhaps because of the prevalence of phrases like “it’s okay not to be okay” and the frequency with which the Samaritans number appears at the bottom of the screen.
Equally, as you say, it is so difficult, probably impossible, to find an answer because every case is different and the modern world needs a 28-hour clock not 24 so there’s barely enough time to check in ourselves never mind anyone else. I guess what we really need is funding to enhance our understanding of the social, cultural and scientific factors.
Right, the cricket, and sorry for any imperfections in the above stream of consciousness. (Mine, not James’s.) Please do continue to send in memories and tributes to Thorpe, I’m just uneasy about discussing mental health while also trying to blog because I’ll inevitably say something inadvertently insensitive.
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9th over: Sri Lanka 14-3 (Kusal Mendis 6, Chandimal 2) Kusal Mendis drives Woakes nicely through mid-off for three to continue Sri Lanka’s mini-mini-mini-revival. He looks in good touch and full of intent.
“So choked up watching all the tributes to Graham Thorpe and the interview with Nasser this morning,” writes Steven Pye. “A man loved by so many, his death really hit me hard when I heard about it. It made me realise that some of the stuff I worry about really isn’t important. I know I struggle at times with stuff thrown at me in life, but as my wife wisely said recently: ‘Keep talking’.
”I have a lot of memories of Thorpey as a player. His debut century; two knocks in the 80s during the tour of the Caribbean in 94; that stare after being dismissed during the 46 all out; Illingworth dropping him at the start of the English summer in 94 (a joke); a century at Perth; dropping a catch in the same match and angrily kicking it through the covers for a single.
“His partnership with Nasser at Edgbaston in 97; rescuing England alongside Ramps at Bridgetown in 98; his Pakistan/Sri Lanka masterclasses in the winter of 00/01; a double hundred against New Zealand; a comeback century against South Africa at the Oval; his part in our successes in 2003/04.
”My favourite Thorpe innings? Definitely his unbeaten 119 against the West Indies at Bridgetown in 04. England 119/6 and over a hundred behind the home team but if one man could save the day it was our little genius. Thorpey dragged us up to a lead of two runs and the whole Test changed. Typical Thorpey, a man for a crisis who will be sorely missed.”
It probably wasn’t in his top 20 innings but I like Thorpe’s deliberately rapid 46 in a low-scoring bar-room brawl at Kandy in 2000-01. England were chasing 161 and Thorpe calculated that he had to go after Murali, even on a turning pitch, before Murali got into a groove. He took 20 off Murali’s first two overs, and though Murali got him a few overs later, Thorpe’s 46 broke the back of the runchase. For the rest of the innings Murali bowled 25 overs for 30. Without those 20 runs, I suspect England would have lost the match and the series.
8th over: Sri Lanka 8-3 (Kusal Mendis 2, Chandimal 0) Kusal Mendis scrunches Atkinson through the covers for a couple. He won’t faff around here; he understands Ricky Ponting’s line that, the better the bowling, the more you need to put pressure back on the opposition.
7th over: Sri Lanka 6-3 (Kusal Mendis 0, Chandimal 0) A double-wicket maiden from Woakes, whose figures are a football hipster’s dream: 4-2-2-2.
Gone! Three reds so Sri Lanka lose Angelo Mathews and a review.
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WICKET! Sri Lanka 6-3 (Mathews LBW b Woakes 0)
This is seriously good bowling, aided by the overhead conditions. Mathews is beaten by a beauty, then given out LBW after padding up to a big nipbacker. Mathews reviews in the hope it is bouncing over the stumps; we’ll soon find out.
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WICKET! Sri Lanka 6-2 (Madushka c Root b Woakes 4)
Nishan Madushka succumbs to England’s water torture. He’d been rendered almost strokeless and threw everything at a surprise fuller delivery from Woakes. Madushka’s shape was all wrong and he snicked it straight to first slip, where Root took the catch awkwardly at the second attempt.
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6th over: Sri Lanka 6-1 (Madushka 4, Kusal Mendis 0) Kusal Mendis, a very dangerous player who England would love to get rid of early doors, is beaten by a beautiful delivery from Atkinson. This has been very good from England so far: intense, focussed and relentlessly accurate.
“Really emotional seeing the tributes to Graham Thorpe,” writes Bharat C. “He could switch gears with ease, sometimes within an innings as Gary Naylor said recently in the 80s and 90s Cricket podcast.”
Here’s our tribute to Graham Thorpe https://t.co/tzUvjzUsfD
— The 80s and 90s Cricket Show (@CricShow80s90s) August 16, 2024
WICKET! Sri Lanka 6-1 (Karunartne c Smith b Atkinson 2)
Goddim! Karunaratne tries to pull a sharp bumper from Atkinson and gets a thin top-edge to Jamie Smith. Not sure whether he was done for pace or whether there was a bit of unexpected lateral movement. Either way, Atkinson has another very good scalp to add to his burgeoning collection.
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5th over: Sri Lanka 5-0 (Madushka 3, Karunaratne 2) England are getting closer. Karunartne, trying to flick to leg, edges Woakes just short of Smith. It was a cracking delivery, much fuller and moving away off the seam.
As if to prove that bowling such jaffas isn’t easy, the next delivery barely lands on the cut strip.
“Good afternoon Rob,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “The 80s and 90s self in me has been woken up by seeing Mendis and Jayasuriya in the Lankan team.”
Ah Duleep Mendis, the man who hooked Beefy for three sixes in seven balls at Lord’s in 1984. Imagine the face on Lord Beef as the third one went whistling into the cheap seats.
4rd over: Sri Lanka 4-0 (Madushka 2, Karunaratne 2) Madushka is beaten by a serious delivery from Atkinson that pitches on middle and zips past the edge. Karunaratne then leans into a fuller ball, cautiously driving a couple to get off the mark.
Sri Lanka want to be here for a long time; any good times can come later when they’ve seen off the new ball.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 1-0 (Madushka 1, Karunaratne 0) Madushka gets the first run of the match, pushing Woakes into the covers. England have started well and are making Sri Lanka play as much as possible.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Madushka 0, Karunaratne 0) Gus Atkinson opens the bowling, the correct decision despite the inclusion of Matthew Potts. England want him to get as much new-ball experience as possible before you know what.
Atkinson also starts with a maiden. His line was excellent, very tight to the left-hander, but Karunaratne left well.
1st over: Sri Lanka 0-0 (Madushka 0, Karunaratne 0) Woakes starts with a maiden to Madushka, including a beauty that shapes past the outside edge. There’s a bit of swing but nothing too dramatic.
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Cricket goes on – always has, always will – and Chris Woakes is about to bowl to Nishal Madushka.
This is very good from Stuart Broad
"He'll be sorely missed"
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 21, 2024
Stuart Broad shares his memories of Graham Thorpe ❤ pic.twitter.com/Bs5kntU109
“Thorpe was my absolute favourite, Nasser’s interview was a bit of a gut punch,” says Felix Wood. “Now, a cloudy morning at Old Trafford? I can think of one recently retired bowler who may have fancied these conditions. Listening to his interviews he clearly thinks so too, and isn’t thrilled about not being able to take advantage.”
Has Darren Stevens been on the radio?
Now there’s a minute’s applause from both players, with Joe Root looking especially emotional. Just as Keith Fletcher fast-tracked Thorpe into the England set-up and told anyone who’d listen how good he was, so Thorpe did the same for Root.
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The players are lining up to watch this tribute to Graham Thorpe. Good luck keeping your eyes bone dry for the next 114 seconds.
A touching tribute to Graham Thorpe ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Oiej8A5R1i
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 21, 2024
“As a 90s kid I always remember Thorpe as a swashbuckling strokeplayer,” writes Matt Storey. “That one-legged pull shot and thrilling cut shots. His hundred at Edgbaston 1997 when we were all tricked into thinking we might actually win the Ashes! He changed over time to be a gritty, no nonsense player protecting his wicket but that was a regeneration of his original game. I like to remember early Thorpe the shot maker. Though any version was amazing.”
That’s my favourite version too, even though he became a more complete player under Duncan Fletcher. Those counter-attacks, which stemmed from watching Brian Lara in 1993-94, were both exhilarating and impactful. Pick an England win against the big three in the 1990s and there’s every chance the match will have been turned by a Thorpe counter-attack. Even at Edgbaston in 1997, Nasser Hussain rightly stole the show with his 207, but it was Thorpe who started it at a time when England were wobbling.
Ben Stokes is chatting to Sky Sports
Feeling good, a lot better than I did when I did it. I went down like a sack of potatoes! It’s good to be back in the gym.
[On his role in this Test] The hardest thing for me is to fill my time and not get bored. I think Marcus Trescothick’s in for a long week with me around!
[On Graham Thorpe] He was the batting coach on my first Lions tour. I was so excited to say I was going to work with Graham Thorpe over the winter. Left-handed batter, I had one of those Kookaburra bubble bats as a kid. Later on I got to know him and he was a great man. He was a huge influenced on my career and I enjoyed every moment I spent with him. He was so good in the dressing-room, he always made people laugh and smile.
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Sri Lanka win the toss and bat
Dhananjaya de Silva says the pitch looks dry and may turn later in the game; a cheery Ollie Pope says England were “probably going to bowl first” but that it will be a good pitch for the first half of the game.
The pundits concur that it’s the right decision to bat first, even though it’s a bit cloudy at Old Trafford and the ball should swing.
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The teams
Both were announced in the build-up to the game. Dan Lawrence and Matthew Potts return for England; Sri Lanka give a surprise debut to Milan Rathnakeye. Most people expected the rapid Lahiru Kumara to play; maybe Rathnayeke is a better horse for the Old Trafford course.
England Lawrence, Duckett, Pope (c), Root, Brook, Smith (wk), Woakes, Atkinson, Potts, Wood, Bashir.
Sri Lanka Karunaratne, Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Mathews, Chandimal (wk), Dhananjaya (c), Kamindu, Jayasuriya, A Fernando, V Fernando, Rathnayake.
We lose the toss 🪙 and bowl 🔴 first at @EmiratesOT! 🏟
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 21, 2024
🏴 #ENGvSL 🇱🇰 | #EnglandCricket
Live Match Centre 📲 👇
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Ollie Pope will captain England in this series but Ben Stokes will be there in spirit (and in the dressing room).
“Talking of Graham Thorpe’s little acts of kindness, did you see Alison Kervin describing how he offered to look after her kid whilst he interviewed Mark Butcher?” writes Andy Banks. “A tiny, lovely little story. I was so sad to hear he had gone.”
Horrible news this morning that Graham Thorpe has died, aged 55.
— Alison Kervin (@alikervin) August 5, 2024
I interviewed him a million years ago, at the team hotel when my son was just 3 years old. My babysitter didn't turn up, so I had to take George with me.
After talking to Graham, I interviewed Mark Butcher, and… pic.twitter.com/XEPowew9XF
Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton are paying tribute to Graham Thorpe on Sky Sports. Nasser was choking up from almost the first word. “He was always there for me in my darkest moments, and that’s what I’m saddest about now: I wasn’t there for him in his darkest moment.”
You can always rely on Nasser for bracing honesty. We need to talk about this stuff so much more – not just somebody taking their own life but also the wider social context. That’s the only way things we’ll start to understand this vile illness.
"He was just a really good guy and a great, great player"
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 21, 2024
Nasser Hussain pays a touching tribute and remembers his friend, Graham Thorpe ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jI9qrptuHX
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England will wear black armbands in memory of Graham Thorpe, whose death has haunted cricket for the last two and a half weeks. I adored him; you probably did too. As a cricketer he was completely alien, a chameleon who analysed batting forensically and earned the respect of every single bowler in international cricket. As a human being he was totally relatable – flawed, like you and me and everyone we know, but with stratospheric levels of empathy.
Alec Stewart once said that “Thorpey will decide whether he’ll get to know you or not.” It’s a great line, testament to Thorpe’s shyness and especially his bullshit intolerance, but those who did know him speak with rare fondness. It’s hard to recall, certainly for a sportsperson, a series of tributes as raw and emotive as those on Sky a couple of weeks ago.
It wasn’t all sadness. Mike Atherton stressed how much fun they all had, and Thorpe sounds like the kind of drily funny, self-deprecating character we all love to be around. You can imagine his pithy one-liners as he walked out yet again to clean up the mess at 20 for 2. If only there was a record of his internal monologue as he walked off in Trinidad in March 1994, staring at a fixed point precisely a thousand yards in the distance after being bowled by a Ambrose shooter to leave England 40 for 8 at the close.
There are some actors – Kristen Stewart and James Gandolfini come to mind – who can reveal a complex character with just their eyes. Thorpe’s were equally expressive, particularly when he was cleaned up by Ambrose that night. But there were also times when they betrayed a melancholy that was never dormant for long enough.
A recurring theme of the stories about Thorpe are little acts of human kindness towards teammates, always done in private and with no motive beyond compassion and generosity of spirit.
Rob Key tells one in his book. On the South Africa tour of 2004-05, Thorpe went out for dinner with Key, Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison. Key was down because of the death of his grandmother, which was mentioned briefly at the dinner table. When they got back to the hotel, Thorpe knocked on Key’s door with a four-pack and asked him if he wanted to chat. They spent the next hour or two talking about Key’s gran, the mental side of batting at Test level, everything and nothing. As a kid Key idolised Thorpe, so you can imagine what that meant to him.
I didn’t know Thorpe but interviewed him two or three times, once a long chat in person before the 2005 Ashes, which we thought would be his swansong. At the end he said something like “Thanks Rob, that was a really good interview.”
Whether he meant it, who cares; the fact it has stuck with me tells a story. (And not only because it’s probably the only time my ramshackle interviewing style has been praised.)
The thought of the pain he was in, and of his internal monologue on that Sunday morning, is almost unbearable.
RIP Thorpey. Cricket adores you.
Read Ali Martin’s interview
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to the first day of the three-Test series between England and Sri Lanka, a contest that could be a lot more fun than people expect. It’s an historic day at Old Trafford, though it’s not necessarily the good history. This is the latest ever start to a Test series in England, a reflection of a landscape that is shifting with ominous speed.
The series feels low-key and it would be an insult to whatever intelligence we have left to say otherwise. In some ways the most exciting thing is the injuries to Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes, because it means we’ll see something new: Dan Lawrence opening, Ollie Pope captaining, Matthew Potts back in the side. God bless novelty, although maybe not on the eve of the Gabba Test next year.
Sri Lanka may not be a great side but they are never dull. Their squad includes Kavindu Mendis, an ambidextrous bowler who also averages 107 with the bat in his fledgling Test career, while Dimuth Karunaratne is a high-class opener hiding in plain sight. In the last five years he averages 51. Sri Lanka’s experienced top six are the key to their chances of an upset.
All things being equal England will win, probably comfortably. We’ve said that a few times before a match against Sri Lanka, eh.
