Sidarth Monga at ESPNcricinfo, 24 November 2017, where the title reads “Ashwin, Jadeja hand India advantage on 11-wicket day”
India 11 for 1 trail Sri Lanka 205 (Chandimal 57, Karunaratne 51, Ashwin 4-67, Ishant 3-37, Jadeja 3-56) by 194 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
ESPN Commentary team thoughts and other End-of-Day COMMENTS
Phew. What an end to this Test. Lot of time lost to rain. This was effectively a three-day Test. Gosh, give me this day in and day out. More fun than watching your favourite batsmen stack up triple hundreds for fun. That exhibition of swing bowling from India and Lakmal is my moment of 2017. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Until next time, it’s goodbye from me, Shashank Kishore, and Alagappan Muthu. Cheers. Be well, Eden Gardens. Over to you, Jamtha.
Lakmal
Sa’adi Thawfeeq in Daily News, 6 November 2017, where the title is “Mendis dropped for Indian Test series”
Kusal Mendis who began his international career on a high note with two big match-winning Test centuries against Australia and Bangladesh has been dropped from the 15-member Sri Lanka Test squad for the tour to India next week.Along with Mendis, opener Kaushal Silva and fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has also been left out of the squad. All three of them figured in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan in the UAE that Sri Lanka won 2-0.
…. SO … omitted from Test Squad for India leaving on the 8th October
Asela in agony after fracturing a finger earlier this year
Filed under Angelo Mathews, performance, player selections, Sri Lanka Cricket
Sidharth Monga, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, 27 August 2017, where the title reads “How Sri Lanka went from being a fortress to a phantom”
In the end, what stays with you the longest from cricket in Sri Lanka is the crows. The papare band can fade away, Galle Fort can seem run-of-the-mill after a while, Percy can sometimes grate, you can get away from the shouts of “Aluwa aluwa”, but the crows stay with you long after you have gone. They are looking for worms in the warm, moist grass while cricket is on, but they could easily be doing what crows do: wait to feast on carcasses; in this case, those of the opposition after the home team is done with them.
Dusk looms over SL cricket today
The crows always seem to sneak up on you in Sri Lanka. And so does Test cricket. Tests here just start. You wake up, have your pol roti and chilli-onion sambal at the National Tea Room in the fort, or in one of the tea rooms near the station outside, and walk in to watch the highest form of cricket (so they say) for free. If you are on a motorbike, you don’t even need to remove your helmet. Just stand outside the fence and watch. Continue reading
ONE = Mahinda Wijesinghe, in Sunday Island, 20 August 2017, where the title is “Will Humpty-Dumpty’s fate be repeated?
At last – and thankfully – the three-Test series against India is over. Sri Lanka was outplayed, out-planned and out-distanced by many a mile as the visitors sauntered to a 3-0 series win seemingly without raising a sweat. Watching this massacre from a Sri Lankan point of view was excruciatingly painful to say the least. To think that not too long ago Sri Lanka humbled the mighty Australians 3-0 before this tumble. Hopefully, after this great fall, unlike the fate that befell Humpty-Dumpty, can the powers-that-be put our cricket together again? It is going to be a very difficult task.
Sri Lankan chief cricket selector Sanath Jayasuriya (R) and Sri Lanka Cricket President Thilanga Sumathipala attend a press conference in Colombo on August 16. India will play five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 game in Sri Lanka. The first one-day internationals starts today, August 20 in Dambulla.(Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP)
Andrew Fidel Fernando, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, August 19 2017 where the title reads Can ailing Sri Lanka spring a surprise?”
India were monumentally dominant in the Tests, while Sri Lanka are in turmoil and have a new full-time limited-overs captain, but if there is still a wisp of hope that the ODIs will be competitive, it is based on the outcome of the Champions Trophy match between these sides. Remember that? It seems so long ago now, and so difficult to imagine. But it’s true. Sri Lanka did defeat India on June 8, after orchestrating a record tournament chase. The way, unsurprisingly, was led by Kusal Mendis. Chasing, and a big score for Mendis, again represent Sri Lanka’s best chance of an upset in Dambulla. While they lost a home series 3-2 against Zimbabwe in July, they will at least take a little encouragement from the fact that none of those losses came when they were batting second.
Wanidu Hasaranga takes part in a fielding drill AFP Continue reading
S. R. Pathiravithana, Sunday Times, 6 August 2017, where the title reads “No Plan”
As I was saying before; keeping my ear to the ground, I presume it is a part of my job. It gives you vibes without prejudice or even second thoughts; it just surfaces from the ground within – where it began. The other day I was chatting to my grocery man Seneviratne, an ardent cricket fan. You must see how his face lights up when Sri Lanka wins. It’s so pleasing to see a face so bright. The vibes that emanate from his even make our daily drudges look good. Yet, just before the second Test against the Indians, Seneviratne was down, way below his usual self. When I asked him why, he just mumbled “Oka Hariyanne nehe, Mama cricket balana eka athheriya. (Things will not come right for us, so I quit watching cricket)”.
Champika Fernando in The Sunday Times, 7 August 2017, where the title is Chronology of a cricket disaster
Are they rapidly losing their focus – File pic by Amila Gamage
Twenty months into their first term, they have achieved little in respect of their promises of good governance, transparency and, more importantly, improvement of the game. Sri Lanka are now one of the lowest ranked teams among ICC full members across all three formats. They even face the threat of missing out on a direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup. (Only the top eight teams, including hosts, qualify directly while the other teams must play qualifying matches for the remaining two slots).
The slide has been attributed to the long transition following the retirement of Mahela (Jayawardene), Kumar (Sangakkara) and Tilakaratne (Dilshan) but has the Board made the right decisions to enable a smooth passage?
The Kolkata Contretemps: Dickwella clarifies
Rex Clementine, in The Island, 23 November 2017, under title “Dickwella opens up on Calcutta antics”
Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella engages in an altercation with Indian captain Virat Kohli as the umpires try to intervene.
Sri Lanka’s young wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who was the talking point for his antics in the opening Test against India in Calcutta, revealed that he tried to get under the skin of the Indian players in a bid to kill time. Continue reading →
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Filed under Angelo Mathews, close finsihes, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricket in India, Indian cricket, patriotic excess, performance, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, television commentary, tower of strength, verbal intimidation