Series link is your friend. I missed first day.
Worst of all is lack of TMS, where is it on the radio ?
If England win this will be a huge boost for Root. Match winning century and captained well.
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Talksport 2 have uninterrupted ball by ball commentary.
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And very good it is too, Iāve been really enjoying it.
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Donāt think I can get that here.
FM or DAB?
Useless stat time.
If Sri Lanka score 28 more runs, this will be the highest scoring test in history where there hasnāt been a century partnership.
Youāre welcome 
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Iāve been listening online, I havenāt tried to find it on the radio.
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Of course, I forgot about listening online. I can get that ok.
Thanks.
Well done England 
Excellent series win. Many good, and indeed great, teams perish in Sri Lanka. Ok theyāre fairly weak and a team in transition now after the loss of Jayawardene, Sangakarra, Malinga et al. but you still have to play well to beat them on their own grounds.
Moeen bowled beautifully again and made the important breakthrough. Leach with a 5 fer must be feeling great too. An England team with 3 spinners, who would have thought that.
A great series win. England have looked highly motivated and exciting from the beginning.
The first match was a trouncing once they got on top but this second one has swung both ways and England have won probably because they have made big moments in the field, or made the most of partnerships when batting. They havenāt had it all their own way but I really like the way they have gone with an attacking mentality and stuck to it. Three spinners is the attacking option. They could have looked to dry up the runs with Anderson, Stokes and Curran but have used them very sparingly, this is a huge shift! Cook used to drive me mad in the subcontinent when he would turn a winning position into a draw because he didnt trust the spinners. The fielding has been brilliant at times too and that is always a barometer of team spirit. Everyone has contributed to this win and things look exciting for the future. I hope they keep their foot on Sri Lankaās throat now and make it 3-0.
I like the look of Burns aswell. We may have found an opener !
I think we could make number the one slot in tests and one days if we can keep developing this team. Root looks like he has come of age as a captain.
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It was a fantastic test match to watch, entertaining from the first ball and the result in doubt until Moeen took Dickwellaās wicket this morning. I think the turning point of the game was when Root decided to review the catch behind when Matthews was controlling things. That fine edge, after review, changed the course of the game.
We will now move above SA into second spot in the ICC Test rankings. Thatās some achievement considering our recent away form. Given that we trounced the no 1 side, India (albeit at home) this summer, it begs the question, if we played this side in India now, could we compete. I think we could with this spin attack.
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Ok, time for todayās useless stat:
More wickets fell to spin than in any other test in the history of the game - 38
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A quick word on the new guys:
I agree with Pete, Burns looks promising, he had a mare in the first game what with one thing and another but has come back from that with 90 odd runs in the game and has looked good. I hope Jennings practices like a madman so he can remember where off stump isā¦
Leach too has looked promising. He bowls tight and that left arm option is golden. He hasnāt always looked completely assured but that is experience I think. 15 wickets across 3 tests at 24-ish bodes wellā¦
What a find Foakes is! He looks like an accomplished batsman with several different gears and with the gloves on he is magic. His anticipation and dynamism behind the stumps is on another level from Bairstow and Buttler. He really looks like a proper test cricketer.
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I agree that Burns looks promising, nothing more. Weāll find out a bit more about him in the third test and presumably in WI next year. His extravagant movement before the ball is bowled always worries me, but at least his bat comes down straight and thatās all that really matters. Jennings will no doubt get the nod for the WI tour, but his real test will come in next years ashes.
Foakes is light years ahead of any of our keeper/batsman alternatives and his batting looks assured and confident.
Curran continues to impress and may be rested for the Colombo test if that side strain isnāt 100% recovered.
Rootās return to form is good to see, heās also captained the side very well in both of these tests too. I like the bold moves that have been made on this tour, playing 3 specialist spinners, leaving Bairstow out when it would have been the easy option to āfindā a place for him in the team and playing positive cricket in difficult conditions.
Leach has done very well and got the rewards, I agree that a left arm spinner is such a bonus to have in your team.
I think Buttler has proved that he is worth his place as a specialist batsman and his contributions on this tour cannot be overestimated.
Overall it all bodes well and I look forward to them continuing their success in the third test and then against a pretty average WI in January. The really tough test will obviously come in the 2019 ashes, but Iām getting more confident by the day that we are good enough for that challenge.
I think we are good enough but I expect the series to be a streetfight rather than attritional and I expect there to be plenty of swings to and fro. England are definitely playing to their strengths now, rather than trying to fit into what anyone thinks that test cricket should be.
I wonder if there will be changes for the next game with an eye on the future? David Lloyd was suggesting on telly that Bairstow may come in at three for Curran and that Anderson could be dropped for Stone. Thoughts?
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I think I would persevere with Stokes at 3, heās only had one game there and if he is going to be the long term answer he needs the games under his belt.
Stone for Anderson I like. We know Jimmy inside out and it would be a great game to blood the new kid, with no pressure of expectation on him. Broad might want to play, but again, we know everything we need to know and other than keeping him happy on a tour where he hasnāt featured, thereās no reason to pick him. Stone would probably only get a dozen, or so, overs, but it would be nice to see if the SL batsmen can handle extreme pace.
Great to have a look at Stone, I believe Northants get some cash if he plays ??
Is Woakes fit ? He could still push ahead of Broad for the Ashes. Whatās great is that there is competition for places now, for too long the places were guaranteed once you established yourself.
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The Broad question is an interesting one. I wouldnāt have him displace anyone on this current tour. I donāt think he offers much with the Kookaburra ball and his batting isnāt what it was. With the way England bat up the order, Iām sure they are looking for as many runs from the tail as possible. The West Indies may be a different proposition but Iād still be more interested in a blend of what we have in SL, with the possible addition of a bit more pace there and an eye on the future. Does anyone know which ball is used in WI?
Broad gets himself up for the Aussies and with 400 wickets has the experience. He is sometimes irresistible in home conditions with the Dukes ball. I wouldnāt write him off just yet but his days do seem to be numbered.
WI use the Duke ball 
Broad is fantastic at home, but less so away. I would try Stone in WI although their pitches are no longer as quick and tend to be more like sub-continent pitches nowadays. 3 spinners will be a great help.
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