Welcome back to the Bishop and Bear!

It’s always great to see you and even more so when a Test series is just around the corner. This one is against Sri Lanka. Perhaps not the force of old, but not to be underestimated either.

Also not to be underestimated are the two guests on the barstools of bravado. It’s our Sri Lankan Olegasegram double act. Bennett and Son - the works never done, at least not until they have given us the lowdown on this year’s Sri Lankan tourists.

The son is Dylan who explains how the times are a-changing for Sri Lankan domestic cricket and the truth behind B – Love Kandy. A Sri Lankan Cricket franchise apparently, not a chocolate aphrodisiac .

We start with England though and debate not just how they will fare without Ben Stokes, but also whether his three appearances, four runs and no wickets for the Northern Superchargers was worth the few extra bums on seats in the Hundred as far as the ECB is concerned. Probably not, but we doubt they’ll admit that.

From there, it’s a thorough review of the old, new and returning Sri Lankan squad, who have just beaten India in a One Day series don’t forget! They will have a very familiar name as batting coach for this series. None other than our old favourite Ian Bell…Bell….Bell….Bell.

Finally, we circle back to the Hundred again. Mainly to assess Jimmy Anderson’s desire to play in it and other franchise tournaments. To us that seems a bit like asking Michelangelo to don his overalls and slap a lick of paint over cracks in the Bishop and Bear walls. But Jimmy has earned the right to do whatever he wants.

By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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