England bowlers toil as Sri Lanka Board XI make most of flat pitch

• Sri Lanka Board XI 392-9• Joe Root utilises eight bowlers and three wicketkeepersAll was serenity in this leafy part of Colombo. A few miles away huge crowds gathered around government buildings near to England’s hotel to protest against the removal of the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, by the president, Maithripala Sirisena, which is regarded by many here as the source of a constitutional crisis. But at the Nondescripts Cricket Club, the home of some of the greatest Sri Lankan cricketers like Aravinda de Silva and Kumar Sangakkara as well as the current captain, Dinesh Chandimal, life pottered on as normal with visiting cricketers being reminded yet again that the pitches here can be unyielding and the heat sapping even on a cloudy day.Moeen Ali spent most of the day in the field – as well as having a quick net – and was more concerned about the flatness of the pitch than any constitutional crisis. “It was a tough day, but a good one as well,” he said. “At least we got some bowling into our legs on a dead pitch. But they scored more than we would like.” Continue reading…
Via: England bowlers toil as Sri Lanka Board XI make most of flat pitch