Early Bored Call: England v themselves v (Sri Lanka)

One good thing, the English cannot lose 7-0 in the Champions Trophy. If it’s any consolation, they can’t lose 6-1 to the Lankans today. However, they can be outnumbered.

They should be, because that is acceptable, and it will help restore the balance of one-day cricket. Mendis is expected to take 10 wickets today, which could happen, if he bowls from the 7th over – that’s when he started to prise out the Indians not long ago.

For England, the key should have been Prior, but he can only bat with Flintoff. Flintoff can’t even bat with himself. Predictable as England are, they will look to Strauss for another fifty in a lost cause.

The whole lot of them, Bopara, Shah, Collingwood should be sharpening their skills in county cricket. Instead they’re in South Africa helping the ECB sharpen their knives.

And of course England will lose, because they have nothing to win. On the contrary, if Sri Lanka loses, it will be because they had everything to lose.
England should bat forty overs, that’s a format they’re comfy with, and the Lankans should score the runs in less than forty.