Monthly Archives: December 2019

December 28, 2019 · 8:00 am

Alfred Holsinger’s Unmarked Bowling Haul in UK: 6 wkts in six balls

Though Lasith Malinga, who picked up four wickets in four balls, has been immortalized in the annals of cricket, another Sri Lankan bowler who picked up six wickets in six balls continues to be in oblivion. Even though this rare feat was achieved in a club game in England, Holsinger’s accomplishment merits a lot of recognition since not often do bowlers produce such an unusual phenomenon.

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Filed under backyard cricket, child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing records, English cricket, performance, Sri Lanka Cricket, unusual people, unusual statistics

December 25, 2019 · 10:42 pm

Chandimal the Enigma in Topsy-Turvy Year

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo, 20 December 2019, where the title runs thus: “Dinesh Chandimal condenses rollercoaster career into one innings”

Dinesh Chandimal plays a shot during the second day of the second Test cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka –Photo by Asif HASSAN /AFP via Getty Images)

There is almost a novel here. A talented wicketkeeper from the southwest gets spotted by a big Colombo school in his teens. Goes on to lead that school to their best season ever. He quickly gets picked up by the national squad, and at first glimpse of this guy, the public is enchanted. He’s organised, but there’s also that manic fun of a schoolboy. He swings so hard at the ball his limbs could go flying off. By 23, he is Sri Lanka’s T20I captain – their youngest ever.

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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketing icons, memorable moments, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the mickey, unusual people

December 25, 2019 · 1:42 pm

When the Czech Cricket Team assailed the T20 Records

Sreshth Shah,in ESPNcricinfo, December 2019, where the title runs “The day Czech Republic held four world records in cricket” …. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28367290/the-day-czech-republic-held-four-world-records-cricket

The Czech Republic now holds the record for highest T20I total Vojta Hasa

One of 2019’s most noteworthy days of cricket came when, in August, a little-known team playing in a little-known tournament in a little-known European village set four T20I world records within four hours to grab the world’s attention.

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December 24, 2019 · 2:08 pm

To DRS or not DRS? Ask the Doctor First?

Ben Horne, in Daily Telegraph, 22 December 2019

Meet Dr DRS, the man Australia have turned to in a bid to crack cricket’s most convoluted code. When 22 botched referrals from 24 attempts leaves you in a critical condition, you need the doc with the PhD in lbw.

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Filed under Australian cricket, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricketing rules, DRS, performance, technology and cricket, unusual people

December 24, 2019 · 5:08 am

Scorchers sizzled by Strikers …. Adelaide Oval BBL 23 December 2019

My daughter Mayura Kim and I were there to feast on a six-hitting feast from the Riverbank Stand! …. Six from the Strikers and NINE from the Scorchers …. but the STRIKERS won!

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Filed under Australian cricket, confrontations on field, cricket and life, T20 Cricket

December 16, 2019 · 11:47 pm

Pissu Percy becomes a Book

Dhammika Ratnaweera, in Sunday Observer, 15 December 2019, with this title “Pioneer cheer leader Percy launches book”

The story of one-man cheer squad Percy Abeysekera titled ‘I‘am Percy Cricket Crazy’ was launched yesterday at the newly opened Chance Sports Grand Showroom at Baseline Road Borella. The veteran cheer leader’s biography written by Darrshini Parthepan notes Percy’s unforgettable stories out of the boundary line in this book and the first copy was handed over to 1996 World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga from the man himself at the simple ceremony organized by Sportsinfo and Trimo Media.

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December 8, 2019 · 2:38 pm

Sri Lanka enters the Pakistani Cricketing Den

ONE = Shenai Anushka, in Sunday Times, 8 December 2019, where the title reads thus – “Sri Lanka’s gruelling test in ‘unknown’ Pakistan’

Sri Lanka’s full-strength Test team will embark on a significant tour of Pakistan today to play two matches as part of the ICC World Test Championship. Pakistan has not hosted Test cricket since the 2009 Lahore attack on the Sri Lanka team that wounded several players, staff members and killed a few security officers. The series was initially scheduled to be played in October with the most likely venue to be the UAE. However after successfully hosting the second-string Sri Lanka team in the limited-overs leg in August and September, they forced Sri Lanka Cricket to play the Test series in Pakistan.

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketing icons, performance, player selections, sportsmanship, Sri Lanka Cricket

December 8, 2019 · 2:10 pm

Tripl Centuries!**! Huge Innings, Dull Games –From Adelaide to the SSC Grounds

Geoff Lemon, in Daily News, 7 December 2019, with this title “Like those of greats before him, David Warner’s triple century was a giant feat in a dull game”

When David Warner made his unbeaten 335 in Adelaide, a fair few people felt inclined to present some caveats. The pitch was flat, the bowlers were no good, the ball didn’t swing, Mercury was in retrograde. Those opinions would hardly have been muffled when the Pakistan tail-ender Yasir Shah made his first Test ton in reply, having never previously passed 50.

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Filed under Adelaide Oval, Australian cricket, cricket and life, cricketing icons, cricketing records, English cricket, performance, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the piss, unusual statistics, work ethic

December 8, 2019 · 10:30 am

Two Contrasting Tales on Sri Lankan Squad at the South Asian Games in Kathmandu

ONE: Karuppiah Ramakrishnan, in Sunday Observer, 8 December 2019, “Millions busted as Sri Lanka falls short at SA Games,”

Sri Lankan sports officials have expressed dismay at the current performance of the country’s athletes at the South Asian Games in Nepal saying the investment has not brought forth its desired results. As many as 567 athletes from Sri Lanka from many sports arrived here in Nepal to contest the 10-day event making it the biggest contingent at the Games behind giant neighbour India and host Nepal.

“The government spent nearly a hundred thousand for each of the athletes selected for their final preparations before the games and Rs.123 million was spent on air travel and other expensives [sic] and over a hundred of them were not able to win a single medal,” said a charged up Dhammika Mutugala who is the director general of sports in the Sports Ministry.