Rangana Herath went past Wasim Akram to become the most prolific left-arm bowler in Test history when he dismissed Bangladesh’s last wicket. Akram took 414 wickets at an average of 23.62 in 104 matches. Herath, on the other hand, was playing only the 89th Test of his career. New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori is third on this list with 362 wicket from 113 matches. Chaminda Vaas, Mitchell Johnson and Zaheer Khan are the only other left-armers to take at least 300 Tests wickets.
FC “Derek” de Saram in full flow 
CI Gunasekera & Mahes Rodrigo walk out to bat 
Kehel Yakaa mesmerises
…. Published online: 19 Feb 2007
Gerald Peiris[1]
Remember the mighty Indians with ‘all time greats’ like God Tendulkar, Azar, Dravid, Viru, Ganguli et. al. losing disgracefully, first in Delhi and then in Calcutta (in 1996);[2] Sri Lanka hammering more or less the same team for 960 or so runs in Colombo;[3] and then, getting them for a paltry 54 in an ODI in Dubai (with Murali and Vaas breaking records in successive matches)? Why should SL, smaller than one-third the size of one of the smaller states in India like, say, Tamilnadu, be producing a succession of ‘all-time greats’ and ranking perpetually among the high flyers all the time?
Bandara, a student at St. Aloysius’ College in Galle, was called up to the squad to do fielding duties and he looked electric. During India’ second innings, when captain Virat Kohli flicked a Dilruwan Perera delivery to mid-wicket, young Ashen sprinted from wide mid-on and dived in the mid-wicket region to save a boundary prompting questions from fans about his identity? Continue reading
Filed under chaminda vaas, cricket and life, performance, player selections
Rex Clementine:, in The Island, 14 May 2017, with title “The price people pay for their arrogance”
The moment Hitler had France under his control, he had the whole of Western Europe at his beck and call. It gave him a massive adrenaline rush and he thought he could do just about anything. Instead of consolidating in Western Europe, Hitler invaded Russia. That proved to be a fatal mistake. The price people pay for their arrogance!
Sri Lanka go into Champions Trophy as the worst fielding team in the competition. They have been hard at work in Kandy to lift their fielding standards.Picture credit Sameera Pieiris/ The Papare.com.In cricket, the West Indies thought that they would continue to produce world class players. Natural talent was enough to dominate world cricket they believed. Australia shook them up by using sports science to good effect. Other teams soon took a leaf out of the Aussies’ book by setting up Centres for Excellence and world class cricket academies. It took a while for the West Indies to realize that the times were fast changing and they needed to embrace technology. Despite the brilliance of Brian Lara, West Indies struggled. Since Lara they are no more world class. No Champions Trophy for them and they might even get kicked out from making it to the 2019 World Cup. The price people pay for their arrogance! Continue reading
Michael Roberts, courtesy of islandcricket.lk …. http://www.islandcricket.lk/columns/michael_roberts/472740219/wt20-misfortune-has-compounded-sri-lankas-problems
From way back it was widely recognized that the retirement of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara would probably weaken Sri Lanka considerably. However, planning for the future from 2014 has not been assisted by the musical chairs in coaches and Selection Committees. The present coach is the third (or is it the fourth?) since mid-2014; while the present lot of selectors is the third —with no continuity via the retention of at least one or two selectors in order to sustain trajectories held in view by the previous Committee. Note that the Committee prior to that headed by Wijegunawardene was headed by Sanath Jayasuriya.
Kusal Perera
That said, I underline the impact of bad luck in the roll of the island’s cricketing dice. The biggest blow has been the doping ban received by Kusal Janith Perera (aged 25) in December 2015. I do not have the inside story or stories attending this event, so I do not know whether this was self-inflicted by Perera and his mentors or the result of some curious happenchance or error. However, he had been groomed as an explosive opening batsmen and gradually accumulated experience in this role. His present T20 stats read thus: 22 inns-0-596 runs—84—27.09 average– 133.03 s/r–05 fifties. These are better than those for AB de Villiers and Steven Smith. Continue reading
Charu Ekanayake
Dasun Shanaka: Who, in my opinion is the best bet for the no. 4 position in the national T20 team in the upcoming world t20. Scored 2 hundreds in the ongoing domestic T20 competition playing for SSC. he is currently the highest scorer in the same tournament with 338 runs at an average of 67 and s/r of 222. I’ve only seen him in action once during his t20 debut against Pakistan, but he barely got a chance to bat in that. Looks to have the ability to clear the fence with 33 sixes to his name in 6 matches.
Minod Bhanuka: A 20-year old wicket keeper batsman (Left hander), represented Sri Lanka in the u19 world cup in 2014. Already knocking on the door for national selection. Has done really when in first class cricket. Recently scored a 300 in the domestic three-day competition — a rare feat for a Lankan player. He also scored a well composed century against the touring West Indies side last year playing for the Board President’s XI.. He has only played 10 FC games thus far, but has an average of 58.50 coming in at no. 3 for SSC Continue reading
Kumar Sangakkara, whose preferred title is “Mahela Jaywardene –The Master Architect,” in http://www.wisdenindia.com/wisden-almanack-2015/mahela-jayawardene-master-architect/175888
The retirement of Mahela Jayawardene marks the end of an era in Sri Lankan cricket – an era in which records were chased, winning became a habit, and standards reached new heights. The baton has passed to a new generation to emulate the standards he took such pride in.
Mahela and Kumar say farewell to the Sri Lankan fans
Very few batsmen in the world played with the same ease, grace and technique. Mahela had these qualities even as a teenager – and carried them through an international career that lasted 17 years. When, aged 16, I first saw Mahela bat during a school match, his natural skill and flamboyance were strikingly evident. He was an instinctive batsman, aggressive but with a sound defence, and possessing an extraordinary combination of touch and power. Though he is only five months older than me, he had already appeared in 21 Tests by the time I played my first, and had a double-century under his belt. On my debut, against South Africa at Galle in July 2000, he made 167. More than two decades on from his school days, his game was still the same. Continue reading
Michael Roberts, courtesy of islandcricket.lk …. SEE http://www.islandcricket.lk/columns/michael_roberts/430700215/talking-cricket-with-michael-de-zoysa-managing-familial-companions
The previous administrations of SL cricket revealed considerable acumen in arranging a tour of New Zealand prior to the World Cup 2015. This meant that most of the Sri Lankan players were acclimatized to the conditions governing the Antipodes. There was a down side to this however. Coming on top of arduous ODI series in India and Sri Lanka, the physical demands on the regular players were considerable – so that one can inquire whether a few of the injuries suffered in the Antipodes were a product of overstrain (a thought that is difficult to answer).
Players, coaches and supporting staff cannot think, talk and sleep cricket all the time. They cannot be expected to live in each other’s pocket 24/7 … or even 15/7. Leisure and relaxation tailored to each man’s suite of desires are essential. Familial and female companionship are requisites for those with partners and/or children.
Kumar & Yehali Sangakkara and their twins
Tillekreratne Dilshan & family Continue reading
Scyld Berry, courtesy of The Daily Telegraph where the title is “Sri Lanka emerge as rivals to resurgent Australia as leaders in world cricket, albeit belatedly”
Take the opposite of a bow, you gentlemen of the International Cricket Council – for there has never been a woman involved at a high level, let alone now, which may be one of the causes of its inherent failings. Why was cricket in Sri Lanka not encouraged when England and Australia ruled the ICC and the global game, as they did until less than 20 years ago?
Sri Lanka has become a vital force in world cricket. England supporters may think they are the lesser touring side this summer, because they have been granted only two Tests whereas India play five. But maybe Sri Lanka are making a bigger contribution to the sport’s health and growth than India, given its obsession with the IPL – or England. Continue reading
