Monthly Archives: December 2010

December 25, 2010 · 2:06 am

Sports Minister proposes exclusive TV channel for sportsti

Ravi Nagahawatte, Island, 22 December 2010

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage proposed to have an exclusive local television channel for sports when he met representatives of 16 sports bodies at a meeting to discuss Sri Lanka’s bid to host the 2016 Asian Games, yesterday in Colombo. Minister Aluthgamage’s proposal had been enthusiastically received by the representatives of different sports bodies who had gathered at the sports ministry auditorium on the request of the minister. A source said that the meeting had lasted for a long period and the minister had insisted that the respective sports bodies return to him with their ideas which will help boost Sri Lanka’s bid to host the next edition of the Games. Aluthgamage had said that each sports body should put their ideas to their own executive committees before sending such ideas to the minister to support the country’s bid.

Sri Lanka had one of their worst outings at this year’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, where the entire contingent failed to win at least a single medal.

NB: Aluthgamage is an old Royalist. More to the point he has earned a favourable reputition in his constituency of Nawalapitiya for getting things done. Let’s see how matters pan out in the near future in all fields of sports and especially in cricket. Michael R

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December 25, 2010 · 1:59 am

Shillingford’s action found to be illegal

From Island, 22 December 2010

Pic  from Island

 The International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday confirmed that an independent test had found the bowling action of the West Indies’ off-spinner Shane Shillingford to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket. A comprehensive analysis revealed that his mean elbow extension was 17 degrees which is above the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the relevant regulations. Shillingford can now apply for re-assessment of his action after he has modified is bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the regulations for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal bowling actions.

The independent analysis was performed by Prof. Bruce Elliott, member of the ICC Panel of Human Movement Specialists, at the School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth on December 9. Shillingford was reported after the end of the Galle Test against Sri Lanka last month by on-field umpires Steve Davis of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Richard Kettleborough of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires, along with TV Umpire Asad Rauf, also from the Elite Panel, and fourth umpire Tyron Wijewardena.

The 27-year-old from Dominica has the right to appeal against UWA’s conclusions to the Bowling Review Group, in accordance with clause 2.3 of the regulations for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal bowling actions. Should he choose to appeal, he must lodge written notification with the ICC within 14 days of receiving the report.

Webmaster NOTE: Shilligford was flown all the way to Perth from Colombo forr this test. Joel Garner accomapniedhim and was due to fly back to Sri Lanka, but the postponemnet of the OODI series would have enabled him to return to hearth and home in the Caribbean for Christmas.

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December 24, 2010 · 3:03 pm

Reviewing Sri Lankan Cricket Team’s Performance in 2010

 Chris Dhambarage, Courtesy of Daily News, 18 December 2010

 

The record breaking performance of legendary off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took centre stage as the Sri Lanka cricket team completed another highly successful year in all formats of the game. As the year 2010 draws to the end Kumar Sangakkara and his team could look back with a great amount of satisfaction having enjoyed success both at home and away. In fact Sangakkara had the distinction of becoming the number one batsman in the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen while pushing India’s Sachin Tendulkar into second place.

Single effort

Even then it was the single effort of Muttiah Muralitharan that really lifted the country to greater heights as the entire World watched the drama unfold when he captured his 800th wicket in a most spectacular manner. He will go down in history as one of the greatest cricketers ever to have played the game. Having represented the country in a total of 133 test matches during a span of eighteen years Muralitharan is undoubtedly one of the most adored characters in World cricket. Muralitharan not only had the potential to spellbind the audience with his sensational deliveries but he was also a perfect ambassador for the game of cricket that he has been associated since 1992.

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December 24, 2010 · 2:47 pm

Selectors’ Dilemma with Jayasuriya: to gamble or not gamble

Samat, Courtesy of Sunday Leader, 19 December 2010

Jayasuriya’s presence in the World Cup training squad of 30; you’d have to say his inclusion isn’t surprising either. He played no part in any of the country’s ODI campaigns this year and honestly, the 41-year-old ought not to be even in a list of 50 possible candidates for places in the 15-member World Cup squad.

  

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December 13, 2010 · 9:51 am

ICC head says referral system could change

Courtesy of the Island, 12 December 2010

The head of the International Cricket Council said Sunday the referral system for all Test series could undergo further review and that changes could be made. The system has been debated since its trial introduction in 2008 and subsequent addition as an optional extra for all Test series, particularly the element that allows competing teams to choose which decision should be sent to the third umpire for video evidence.

“From the start we’ve always had a very open mind about the referral system and we are always open to changes that can make the system better,” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told Australian Associated Press.

“I can’t say what those changes might be, but we are open-minded.” Each team is limited to two incorrect referrals per innings under the system, and players are learning to choose their referrals more wisely to concentrate on obvious umpiring errors rather than marginal calls. “More and more people are being won over to the system after having seen it or used it,” Lorgat said. “There are still a few people who are not supportive of it.”

England coach Andy Flower is among those who have advocated a return to the system used during the 2005 ICC “Super Series” between Australia and World XI, in which the responsibility for referrals was placed solely in the hands of the umpires. But Lorgat said the system was gaining the confidence of players as more learned how to use it, citing the referral by England’s Alastair Cook to correct a wrongful dismissal during the Adelaide Ashes Test as an example of its ideal use. “It is not there to get a wicket when you are struggling to find one, it is there to fix the obvious errors,” Lorgat said. “Alastair Cook’s referral on the fourth day when he was given out caught behind off his arm was a classic example.”

“That’s exactly what it is for, and I’m quite confident we are near to the ideal. We will never have it 100 percent right,” he added.

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December 13, 2010 · 9:48 am

Match officials announced for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Umpires Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Amish Saheba and Shahvir Tarapore have been named to stand alongside the members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires during the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which begins in Dhaka on 19 February. These six have been identified as emerging and talented match officials, who have already officiated at international level with experience of conditions in the Asian sub-continent and are now ready to umpire at cricket’s flagship event.

The full list of umpires is: Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Billy Doctrove, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Daryl Harper, Tony Hill, Asad Rauf, Asoka de Silva, Simon Taufel, Rod Tucker (all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires), Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Amish Saheba and Shahvir Tarapore (all from the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires).

The Match Referees for the event will be: Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Roshan Mahanama and Andy Pycroft (all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees).

The umpire selection panel consists of David Richardson (ICC General Manager -Cricket), Ranjan Madugalle (ICC Chief Match Referee), David Lloyd (former player, coach, umpire and now television commentator) and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (former elite panel umpire).

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December 12, 2010 · 4:34 am

“We are in a spot of bother, Brother,” Ian Chappell to Greg with concern

Courtesy of the Sunday Mail and Adelaide Now. 12 December 2010

BROTHERLY love? Forget it. Ian Chappell asks Aussie selector Greg Chappell the tough questions.

IAN CHAPPELL: Why would you take on another monumental challenge like this (becoming a selector)?

GREG CHAPPELL: I enjoy the challenges. I knew we were coming to the end of an era and it was going to be a challenging time but I think that probably made it more exciting.

Perhaps a few years ago it wouldn’t have been a lot of fun ticking the same 11 boxes every game.

This way, it’s very much about trying to put a team together over the next few years.

IAN: You obviously still feel that Australia can level the series and hopefully win it. What do you think we have to do?

GREG: Well, we’ve got to play well, I think that’s the obvious answer. We can bat well enough.

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December 12, 2010 · 4:08 am

Hathu’s Departure: A Cricketing Tragedy

Samat, in Sunday Leader, 12 dec 2010

FRANKLY, Chandika Hathurusinghe’s appointment as Shadow Coach over a year ago was an oddity. With Trevor Bayliss and fellow Australian Stuart Law doing the job of head coach and assistant respectively, Hathurusingha’s inclusion seemed  one too many. As well, the SLC’s coaching staff had personnel in charge of the batting, bowling, fielding and fitness departments.  So, there seemed something superficial about his appointment. Not so, responded the decision-makers of the SLC. Hathurusinghe, the SLC declared publicly, would be an understudy to Bayliss and Law – in other words, serving a period of apprenticeship before being considered for the job of head coach, long in the hands of overseas coaches. It was an admirably brave decision, given that it were the foreigners who unarguably had taken our cricket to new heights; to tamper with that proven system would be unwise.
But with D.S. de Silva assuming powers as SLC chief, an attempt to usher a local coach to the top job was to be half-expected.  De Silva, during his days as a successful coach, held the view that a qualified local can be just as good a coach as a foreigner.  And after he successfully took our under 19 outfit to the final of the 2000 Junior World Cup, he didn’t disguise his confidence in the ability to do as good a job with the National team, if given the opportunity.
That opportunity, however, didn’t come de Silva’s way. So the appointment of Hathurusinghe no sooner than he had taken cricket’s highchair could be interpreted as a way to fulfilling his own unrealised dream through the shadow coach.  Against that backdrop, it was excusable to think that Hathurusinghe, under de Silva’s guardianship, was poised to take the reins of head coach, if not at the end of Bayliss’s term, then surely after the term of whoever succeeds the present incumbent – i.e. next year  or in 2013.

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December 11, 2010 · 1:35 am

Pallakele Stadium adds colour

Chris Dhambarage, Courtesy of the Daily News, 11 December 2010

 

International cricket returned to the Central Province in all it splendor when the Pallekelle Stadium hosted the third and final Test match between Sri Lanka and the West Indies last week.

It has been some time that Test cricket was played in the hill capital after the abandonment of the Asgiriya International Stadium. But the Pallekele Stadium proved that it has all the ingredients to become one of the most picturesque grounds in world cricket.

And quite appropriately this historic venue was baptized in the most spectacular manner when Sri Lanka’s new pace sensation Suranga Lakmal trapped West Indies opening batsman Chris Gayle in the very first delivery of the match. That may have been the perfect start for the Sri Lankan team but it also marked a new chapter as the country added another Test venue which will be the eighth in the list of stadiums.

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December 7, 2010 · 8:50 am

Pride and the Australian Test team

Bernard Whimpress[1], reprint from The Journal of the Cricket Society Vol 25 No. 3 Autumn 2010, pp. 18-24.

Pride is both a virtue and a vice or, as when I was growing up and attending a St Joseph’s Convent School, it was one of the seven deadly sins along with lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath and envy.

   Pride, according to Aristotle, was a ‘crown’ of the virtues. Pride is the virtue associated with self-respect. Pride can be confused with arrogance but there are differences. Virtuous pride is rational. Arrogance is irrational. The good pride (it has been said) ‘requires one to think highly of one’s accomplishments and abilities. But the accomplishments and abilities need to be worthy of praise’.[2]

          Pride as a virtue builds self-esteem, it involves making a positive assessment of one’s life, taking credit for one’s achievements but also wanting to make continual improvements.[3] It means being able to take a good hard look at oneself and not finding oneself wanting.

          There is, of course, the other pride, the vice, the deadly sin, the exaggerated love of self, vanity, hubris, which leads to other vices such as lying, cheating, presumption, ambition, boasting and so on. This pride is often considered the most serious of the deadly sins and is contrasted with the virtue of humility. In Biblical terms Pride comes before the Fall. He who humbles himself shall be exalteth. He who exalteth himself shall be humbled. The meek shall inherit the Earth. One can see the advantage of a Catholic education.

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