Will bounce do it for England?
England look like they are going to play three fast bowlers at Lord's writes Nasser Hussain in the Daily Mail , but while Sri Lankan cricketers may not be used to the bounce and carry, England must avoid getting carried away with too much of the
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
England look like they are going to play three fast bowlers at Lord's writes Nasser Hussain in the Daily Mail, but while Sri Lankan cricketers may not be used to the bounce and carry, England must avoid getting carried away with too much of the short stuff.
They're brought up on slow pitches, and Cardiff - though not the quickest pitch - was their first Test outside the Subcontinent for three years. Throw in the fact that their favoured format is 50-over cricket, where the short ball is used less, and England have an obvious advantage.
As a result, you don't see many Sri Lankans who are great pullers. Someone like Ricky Ponting, brought up on quicker pitches, can pull back-of-a-length balls off the front foot, but you could see in the second innings at Cardiff, after the pitch had quickened up, that the shot wasn't an option for the Sri Lankans.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo