Category Archives: cricket and life

February 10, 2020 · 4:14 am

India’s Rise to Superpower Status in Cricket

Gideon Haigh, in The Australian, 24 January 2020 with this title

In December 2011, Rahul Dravid delivered a justly celebrated speech at the Australian War Memorial, the Bradman Oration, lyrically evoking the plurality and diversity of cricket in the subcontinent. “The Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm,” he said, describing a dressing room drawn from every corner of the country that spoke 15 different languages and stood “not just for sport, but possibility, hope, opportunities”.

The All-India cricket team prior to their match against Sussex at Hove in 1911.
The All-India cricket team prior to their match against Sussex at Hove in 1911.

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Filed under child of empire, cricket and life, cricket in India

February 5, 2020 · 3:12 am

The Kusal Perera Saga: Ashantha’s Comprehensive Dissection

Sa’adi Thawfeeq in Daily News 5 February 2020, with this title “The Kusal Perera saga”

Many opinions has been expressed and many words written on the exclusion of Kusal Perera from the Test squad to Zimbabwe. Perera as you may remember played one of the greatest match-winning innings in Test cricket against South Africa guiding his team to an epic one-wicket win at Durban hitting an unbeaten 153 as Sri Lanka chased down 304.

But since then Perera’s scores in Test cricket have been 20, 1, 23, 0 and 0. However the selectors persisted with him and took him to Pakistan but with the return of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal both of whom missed the South African series, he lost his place in the Test team and was pushed to the rank of reserves.

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, cricket and life, cricket governance, memorable moments, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Sa'adi Thawfeeq, Sri Lanka Cricket

February 3, 2020 · 7:24 am

Bradman’s Last Hurrah! A Duck!

Dan Coliasimone, in ABCnet, 1 February 2020, where the title runs “The inside story of Don Bradman’s final innings duck”

“Out from the pavilion came the short, slight, little figure whose name will still be in bright lights as long as cricket is played.” This is how a contemporary newspaper report set the scene for Sir Donald Bradman’s last innings.

Bradman b. Hollies… 00 — Photo supplied by State Library of South Australia

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Filed under Ashes Tests, Australian cricket, baggy green, Bradman, child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing records, English cricket, farewell game, performance, sportsmanship, unusual people, unusual statistics

January 30, 2020 · 12:48 pm

Monkey-Come, Monkey-Scratch! Fraser-McGurk Go!

ESPNcricinfoo News Item = “Jake Fraser-McGurk to return home after being scratched by a monkey,”…. https://www.espncricinfo F.com/story/_/id/28589265/jake-fraser-mcgurk-return-home-being-scratched-monkey

Jake Fraser-McGurk will not take any further part at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa and will return home instead as a precautionary measure after being scratched on the face by a monkey at a nature reserve while on a team outing in Kimberley.

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Filed under cricket and life, cricket tamashas, taking the mickey, Under 19 cricket, unusual people, violent intrusions

January 27, 2020 · 4:25 am

Princely Flutters to World Super Power in Cricket: India’s Story by Prashant Kidambi

Gideon Haigh in Weekend Australian, 24 January 2020, where the title runs

In December 2011, Rahul Dravid delivered a justly celebrated speech at the Australian War Memorial, the Bradman Oration, lyrically evoking the plurality and diversity of cricket in the subcontinent. “The Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm,” he said, describing a dressing room drawn from every corner of the country that spoke 15 different languages and stood “not just for sport, but possibility, hope, opportunities”.

 

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January 27, 2020 · 3:24 am

Japan penetrates Cricketing Terrain via Under 19 World Cup

Kartik celebrates:

Brilliant story put forward by @sreshthx from #U19WorldCup. It’s so good to know about how Japan are doing about the growth of the game. World Cup adventure only the tip of Japan’s cricket iceberg.

ESPNcricinfo News Item,

Marcus Thurgate, the wicket-keeper batsman, will lead Japan in the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup 2020 in South Africa. This will be Japan’s first appearance in any cricket world cup. They made it through to the U19 tournament as winners of the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, which they hosted.

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January 19, 2020 · 3:35 am

Sumathipala’s Shenanigans and ICC Condemnation

N Krishnamurthy in Cricket Age, 10 January 2019 …. https://www.cricketage.in/2020/01/10/exclusive-full-icc-report-on-banned-former-slc-president-thilanga-sumathipala/

Exclusive! Full ICC Report On ‘Banned’ Former SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala

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January 17, 2020 · 4:32 am

Sri Lankan Test Squad for Zimbabwe Tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando in ESPNcricinfo, https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28481452/lakmal-returns-kusal-perera-dropped-sri-lanka-test-squad

Suranga Lakmal returned to Sri Lanka’s Test squad after missing the tour of Pakistan due to dengue fever, while Kusal Perera has been dropped.

Suranga Lakmal of Sri Lanka celebrates after taking the wicket of Travis Head of Australia during day two of the First Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka at The Gabba on January 25, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

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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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