The tour of Sri Lanka will determine how good England is – Feature
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 embarks on the important tour of Sri Lanka, where they play two Test matches. These two Test matches could be important in determining if England will be the undisputed world no.1 Test side of the world for a few years, and this series becomes all
the more important with the backdrop of a Test series whitewash at the hands of the Pakistani team, at the turn of the year.
England has an unassuming record in Asian conditions. They were favourites to win the Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033 but surprisingly they were convincingly beaten. It was reminiscent of the series on the back of their Ashes triumph
in 2005, when they beat the might Australians but lost to Pakistan in Pakistan, in their next outing. Similarly they annihilated http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Test rankings from
their visitors.
The problem with England is that they are the best Test side in the world but they have not been able to conquer the conditions in Asia. They lost to Pakistan, they lost the ODI series in India and they have a chance to prove their critics wrong in Sri Lanka.
This is what makes this tour important.
To be the No.1 Test side in the world and to be remembered as a truly great side, you have to win in every corner of the world. All the great times have done that, the West Indies of the early 80’s till mid 90’s. They swept all before them. Same is the case
with the great Australian side under http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RT-Ponting-c2377. They did conquer India, albeit on their second try but it was an aberration rather than the norm for the Australians to be beat in Asian conditions. For England it has been slightly different
and Sri Lanka offers them another chance.
England has traditionally been poor at playing spin. This was evident in the recent series against Pakistan, where the spin trio of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Hafeez-c76898 ripped through the English batting. Sri Lanka will pose a similar challenge,
besides the sweltering heat and humid conditions. Unlike India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka does offer something for the fast-bowlers, and their fast bowlers will be able to make an impact on the series.
If England wins the series in Sri Lanka, they will be in high spirits for the visit of the West Indies and South Africa in the English summer. The Caribbean nation is not a force as they used to be, and it is fair to assume that the Poms will win at home
but the real test will be against South Africa, who are also vying for the top spot.
South Africa had the chance to go top in the Test rankings but the first Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 ended in a draw, which has prevented them from overtaking England. The series of the current two giants of Test cricket is nicely poised for the summer but
before that England has to tackle the Lankans in sweltering conditions in Sri Lanka.
If England wants to be a great side, they have to put the Pakistan defeat behind them, win in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757. If they can conquer, they will start on the path to greatness.
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