Ballance to bat one-down against Sri Lanka
England captain Cook reveals squad changes ahead of first Test.
Sri Lanka have never won a Test series of more than one match in England. PHOTO: AFP
LONDON:
Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance is set to bat in England’s problem position of number three in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday.
England captain Alastair Cook said the Zimbabwe-born left-hander would come in at first wicket down when speaking to reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday.
When Ballance made his debut during England’s last Test, a 281-run defeat by Australia in Sydney in January that capped a 5-0 Ashes series loss, the 24-year-old batted at six in the first innings due to a night-watchman and five in the second knock.
Ballance made just 25 runs in the match but, with long-time number three Jonathan Trott in the early stages of his second ‘comeback’ to cricket, England have decided the novice batsman is the right man to fill a key spot in the top order.
Ian Bell, a longstanding Warwickshire colleague of Trott and a veteran of 98 Tests, will bat in the number four slot that was Kevin Pietersen’s until England controversially decided to ditch their all-time leading run-scorer in all formats after returning from Australia.
Although the changes had been widely speculated upon, the fact that Cook – who will open alongside Australia-born debutant Sam Robson – confirmed them a day before a game was indicative of England coach Peter Moores’s desire to run a more ‘open’ set-up that existed under Andy Flower, who quit his post after the Ashes debacle.
Asked where Ballance would bat, Cook said, “He will bat at three, Bell at four, Joe Root at five and Moeen Ali at six.”
As well as revealing his top order, Cook all but confirmed the composition of the team with all-rounder Chris Woakes set to be dropped from a 12-man squad.
Meanwhile Cook insisted he had come to terms with the controversial run-out backing up of England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler by bowler Sachithra Senanayake during Sri Lanka’s 3-2 one-day series-clinching win at Edgbaston.
“Both sides will play a particularly hard game of cricket, but we have a responsibility to do it in the right way,” said Cook.
“What happened last week...I was quite emotive about it, but I’ve settled a bit.
“It was frustrating at the time and it still is...but he [Senanayake] was in his right to do it. The bottom line is you can’t really argue against it.”
Sri Lanka defiant about Buttler incident
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews refused to withdraw the appeal during the match and he was in defiant mood when once more questioned on the incident on Wednesday.
“Buttler was warned a few times,” said Mathews, whose side had nearly been beaten in the fourth ODI at Lord’s as a result of a blistering hundred by the keeper.
“He was backing away [backing up] and we did nothing about [that], but we couldn’t let him do that in every game.
The all-rounder added, “There is a law and if you’re going to judge the captain of the other team [for using it] there shouldn’t be a law; if that’s the case it should be taken out.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2014.
Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance is set to bat in England’s problem position of number three in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday.
England captain Alastair Cook said the Zimbabwe-born left-hander would come in at first wicket down when speaking to reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday.
When Ballance made his debut during England’s last Test, a 281-run defeat by Australia in Sydney in January that capped a 5-0 Ashes series loss, the 24-year-old batted at six in the first innings due to a night-watchman and five in the second knock.
Ballance made just 25 runs in the match but, with long-time number three Jonathan Trott in the early stages of his second ‘comeback’ to cricket, England have decided the novice batsman is the right man to fill a key spot in the top order.
Ian Bell, a longstanding Warwickshire colleague of Trott and a veteran of 98 Tests, will bat in the number four slot that was Kevin Pietersen’s until England controversially decided to ditch their all-time leading run-scorer in all formats after returning from Australia.
Although the changes had been widely speculated upon, the fact that Cook – who will open alongside Australia-born debutant Sam Robson – confirmed them a day before a game was indicative of England coach Peter Moores’s desire to run a more ‘open’ set-up that existed under Andy Flower, who quit his post after the Ashes debacle.
Asked where Ballance would bat, Cook said, “He will bat at three, Bell at four, Joe Root at five and Moeen Ali at six.”
As well as revealing his top order, Cook all but confirmed the composition of the team with all-rounder Chris Woakes set to be dropped from a 12-man squad.
Meanwhile Cook insisted he had come to terms with the controversial run-out backing up of England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler by bowler Sachithra Senanayake during Sri Lanka’s 3-2 one-day series-clinching win at Edgbaston.
“Both sides will play a particularly hard game of cricket, but we have a responsibility to do it in the right way,” said Cook.
“What happened last week...I was quite emotive about it, but I’ve settled a bit.
“It was frustrating at the time and it still is...but he [Senanayake] was in his right to do it. The bottom line is you can’t really argue against it.”
Sri Lanka defiant about Buttler incident
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews refused to withdraw the appeal during the match and he was in defiant mood when once more questioned on the incident on Wednesday.
“Buttler was warned a few times,” said Mathews, whose side had nearly been beaten in the fourth ODI at Lord’s as a result of a blistering hundred by the keeper.
“He was backing away [backing up] and we did nothing about [that], but we couldn’t let him do that in every game.
The all-rounder added, “There is a law and if you’re going to judge the captain of the other team [for using it] there shouldn’t be a law; if that’s the case it should be taken out.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2014.