Category Archives: cricket and life

July 28, 2020 · 6:30 pm

Dhanasiri Weerasinghe passes away in Melbourne

ONE: Elmo Rodrigopulle in Daily News, 15 July 2020

The death of any outstanding personality in any form of life saddens many as was the passing away of Dhanasiri Weerasinghe a cricketer who in his own unique way and style contributed to make cricket what it is in the country today.

DHANASIRI WEERASINGHE passed away last week in Melbourne, Australia after an illness bravely borne. Cricketers of an era gone by – the 1950s and the 1960s – will mourn Weerasinghe who made his bat talk and his intelligent captaincy brain tick with great efficiency.

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July 13, 2020 · 5:19 pm

Jermaine Blackwood stands up for the Windies

Nagraj Gollaupadi, in ESPNcricinfo, 12 July 2020, where the title reads “Jermaine Blackwood writes history in his own way”

Dom Bess mocked him in the first innings. Jermaine Blackwood had charged England’s offspinner on Friday to hit hard into the hands of James Anderson at mid-off. Bess imitated swinging a golf club, as if out of a bunker in the golf course adjacent to Ageas Bowl. Blackwood’s audacity was not to the Englishman’s liking.

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Filed under close finsihes, cricket and life, English cricket, memorable moments, performance, player selections, unusual people, West Indian Cricket

July 13, 2020 · 4:56 pm

Test Cricket to Savour: Tests commence again with a Wham-Bang!

‘What a Test match to herald the return of cricket’ – Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara’s Tweet among the Host of Tweets: “What a test match to Herald the return of cricket. Steely determination from @windiescricket both @benstokes38 and Jason Holder have shown themselves to be exemplary leaders.
9:18 AM · Jul 13, 2020
Mark Wood floors himself as Jermaine Blackwood’s lofted drive beats mid-off

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July 10, 2020 · 4:54 pm

Partnership Kings in Test Matches: Sanga among the Elite

Bharath Seervi, in ESPNcricinfo, 10 July 2020, where the title is  “Which batsman has been involved in the most partnerships in Test history?”

32,039 The total number of partnership runs Rahul Dravid was part of in his 286 innings, the most by a batsman. Sachin Tendulkar is next with 31,245 runs in 329 innings. Steven Smith has the highest average partnership runs per innings – 115.90 (15,185 runs in 131 innings). Partnerships involving Ricky Ponting have had the highest average runs – 52.83 (27,105 runs in 513 partnerships).

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July 4, 2020 · 3:27 am

Remembering Everton Weekes: Cozier and Chappell Speak

ONE:  Tony Cozier in 2015: “Ninety years of Everton Weekes,” 26 Feb 2015

Of all the numbers stacked against the name Everton de Courcy Weekes in scorebooks the world over, 90 carries an unfortunate significance.

   

It was his score in West Indies’ first innings of the fourth Testagainst India in Chepauk, Madras, now Chennai, in January 1949. Ten more runs would have extended his overall record of five successive Test hundreds that has never been surpassed; he was cut short by a run-out decision by the square-leg umpire that Weekes now euphemistically describes as “rather doubtful”.

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Filed under child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing icons, performance, player selections, tower of strength, unusual people, West Indian Cricket

June 30, 2020 · 4:34 am

Our Cricket Reporters at the SSC….. 2018 or so

 

the BREW that sustains them all

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Filed under cricket and life, performance, Rex Clementine, Sidharth Monga, taking the mickey, technology and cricket, unusual people, welfare through sport

June 28, 2020 · 5:52 pm

Some Assessments of Muralitharan as Cricketer … and Philanthropist

ONE = Simon Barnes: “Muttiah Muralitharan as Cricketer of the Year 2006″

writing in 2007 on the year 2006 =  https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/350915.html

The time has come to grasp the nettle, to remove the mental and†, to reject the frown, the shrug, the pursed lips and the quizzical look. Muttiah Muralitharan was, without qualification, the finest cricketer on the planet last year and, by implication, is one of the best cricketers that have ever played the game.

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Filed under bowling average, Bradman, child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing icons, cricketing records, cricketing rules, ICC, Mahela Jayawardene, memorable moments, murali, performance, politics and cricket, spinning art, technology and cricket, tower of strength, unusual statistics, work ethic

June 16, 2020 · 12:27 pm

Stanley Jayasinghe: Nalandian Schoolboy Prodigy and Outstanding Cricketing Man

Mahinda Wijesinghe, in Sunday Times, 14 June 2020, with this title “A Schoolboy who made the grade and played for the National team”

Stanley Jayasinghe (born 1931) was a household name in cricket in the 1950’s. Educated at Nalanda College Colombo, he captained his school in 1951. He was an outstanding right-hand batsman and a part-time off-spinner as well. He had the distinction of playing for Ceylon – whilst in school.

Stanley playing for Leicester

Two of his team-mates, opening batsmen Carl Obeyesekera and Ashley de Silva were also national players, the latter being a twelfth man. What an honour for the school. Just imagine having three schoolboys who were simultaneously national players. This indicates the standard of school cricket in that era. No wonder there were spectators galore including many a schoolboy who used to ‘cut’ school to watch their heroes in action.

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June 13, 2020 · 6:22 pm

Gamini Goonesena in Pictorial Mode

Photographs to complement Rohan Wijeyaratna’s classic account in Thuppahi = https://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2020/06/13/gamini-goonesena-leading-cambridge-to-victory-in-1957/

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Filed under Australian cricket, child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing icons, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual people

May 26, 2020 · 7:19 am

Cumulous Clouds over the Cricket Scenario

News Item in ISLAND, 26 May 2020 …. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=222751

The coronavirus may have struck shortly before the English cricket season was due to start, but it threatens to have major implications for the game worldwide. English officials still believe they can fit a full international programme of three-Test series against both the West Indies and Pakistan, as well as one-day internationals with Australia and Ireland, into a season that won’t start until 1 July at the earliest.

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