Category Archives: Lords cricket ground

April 17, 2017 · 2:03 pm

Indrajit Cooomaraswamy’s Harrow Innings at Lords

Sa’adi Thawfeeq, in Daily News, April 2017, where the title reads “Winning against Eton was the highlight of my career– Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy”

The rare honour of Rahul Wijeratne captaining the prestigious Harrow School at cricket during the 2017 English season has not gone unnoticed. S Skandakumar, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Australia writes to reveal that it is 50 years ago that the first Sri Lankan had the honour of captaining Harrow. He was none other than Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy, the present Central Bank Governor. Skandakumar writes: “What a fine achievement……FIFTY years after the first ever to do so! Our own Central Bank Governor Dr Indrajith Coomaraswamy! No surprise that we have such a straight Bat driving that revered Institution!!  SS”

 Indrajit seemingly stumped?

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April 13, 2017 · 3:37 pm

Ravi Wijeratne to captain Harrow in Elite School Match vs Eton

Sa’adi Thawfeeq, in Daily News. 12 April 2017 

Sri Lankan-born Rahul Wijeratne will be creating history when he leads Harrow this year in their traditional cricket match against Eton at the home of cricket – Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 24, a 55-overs-a-side contest. Rahul, son of Sri Lanka business tycoon Ravi Wijeratne has been appointed captain of Harrow School for the current English school cricket season.
Seldom has a Sri Lankan had the honour of leading such a prestigious institute which is over 400 years old and in the oldest of all cricket fixtures – Eton v Harrow which will be the 177th contest between the two schools this year. The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual fixture between Eton College and Harrow School and is one of the longest-running annual sporting fixtures in the world and, the only annual school cricket match still to be played at Lord’s.
   Indrajit Coomaraswamy stumped at 65 playing for Harrow — Getty images

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August 9, 2016 · 7:05 pm

Murali’s Testing Times …. Through Thick and Thin

Vithushan Ehantharaja, courtesy of The Cricket Monthly where the title is “When Murali bared his Soul”

Murali ++

There’s a sincerity to Mark Nicholas as he stares into the camera. He looks almost childlike in appearance: suit slightly oversized, top button done up and tie fastened yet not dovetailing. This isn’t the Mark Nicholas who prowls the pristine greens of Australia’s outfields with the manner of one on top of the food chain. Here he is sitting, shoulders flexed in. There’s uncertainty in the air and he can do little to hide it. The footage rolls.

It’s July 5, 2004, and Lord’s is preparing for an England-West Indies ODI. While most of the ground is a hub of noise, as cables are unreeled, fastened and taped, the Nursery Ground is still. Nicholas is in dark trousers and a cream shirt, with sleeves rolled up. Standing next to him, Muttiah Muralitharan is wearing a sleeveless Sri Lanka T-shirt. Continue reading →

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June 16, 2016 · 3:02 pm

Two Essays from MAHINDA on Two Moments in the Test Series in England

Mahinda Wijesinghe

396829-mathews-perera-tests-700 zeenews.india.com

ONE: The Sun smiled and the batsmen obliged at Chester-le Street … 31 May 2016

At the end of Day 3, in the second Test being played at Chester-le-Street, in Durham, the Sri Lankan batsmen, being sent for a follow-on, had so far made 310 for 5 at a pleasing 3.67 runs/over. For a team that had, during this series totaled a miserable 311 in 3 completed innings – or 30 wickets – this is indeed a remarkable turnaround.

The icing on the cake, after fighting half-centuries by Kaushal Silva (60) and skipper Angelo Mathews (80), is the unbroken 87-run partnership between Dinesh Chandimal (54*) and Milinda Siriwardena (35*). Currently, the tourists need to add another 88 runs to make England bat again. Maybe their skipper Cook, who has added a mere 36 runs in his last three Test innings, has an opportunity to complete 10,000 Test runs by scoring only 5 runs more. Continue reading →

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June 7, 2016 · 2:13 pm

From Tuk-Tuk to Lords Cricket Ground

Courtesy of The Island, 4 June 2016, where the title is different …… http://www.thepapare.com/kusal-mendis-feature-trishaw-drivers-son-set-to-conquer-lords/

Indian scientist Dr. Abdul Kalam told youngsters to dream. He went on to add, “Dream is not what you see in sleep. Dream is something which doesn’t let you sleep. In Sri Lankan cricketer Kusal Mendis, millions of youngsters have a role model to look up to and chase their own dreams. The eldest son of trishaw driver, Mendis pursued his cricketing talents amidst many hardships.

kusal mendis

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May 8, 2016 · 5:42 am

Life after Mahela and Sanga: Tough Times Ahead in England for Sri Lankan Squad

Rex Clementine,  in the Sunday Island, 8 May 2016, where the title reads “When Sri Lanka had a bone to pick with England”

Sri Lanka’s two-month long tour of United Kingdom gets underway today as the national cricket team will take the 30 minute bus drive from London to North West in Chelmsford where they will play a three day warm-up game against Essex. Following the disappointments of Asia Cup and the World T-20, where the defending champions of both events crashed out early, there have been several initiatives made to put the performance of the national team back on track.

ANGELLOgraham-ford-angelo-mathews

After the disastrous recent campaigns in Bangladesh and India, a high demand has been placed on players’ fitness. Sri Lanka’s cricketers have been made to work so hard that the day before their departure to London, skipper Angelo Mathews and deputy Dinesh Chandimal had to visit the gym for fitness work. Continue reading →

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May 8, 2016 · 5:25 am

Dramatic Moments On and Off Field: The Tour of England 2015

 Rex Clementine,  in the Sunday Island, 8 May 2016, where the title reads “When Sri Lanka had a bone to pick with England”

On Wednesday as the national cricket team took wings to England for a two month tour, captain Angelo Mathews speaking to journalists remembered with fondness the team’s last tour to England, two years ago. The last day of that tour saw much jubilation as Sri Lanka created history by winning their first Test series in England. Arjuna Ranatunga’s superheroes prior to that had won a one off Test series in 1998.Mathews said that he will remember the series ‘for the rest of his life’. It will be the same for several other players as well. And the fans celebrated that series win as if that were the country’s greatest win in sport. The players and fans had been angered by what had preceded prior to the series. They had a bone to pick with England.

AA-Headingly Win 2015 Sri Lanka complete a dramatic win at Leeds in the penultimate ball of the game to record their first ever Test series win in England in 2014.

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July 17, 2015 · 3:16 pm

Sri Lanka at Lords in 1984

sSRI LANKA at Lords in 1984 Pic from Getty Images

Seated: Ashantha de Mel, Ranjan Madugalle, Duleep Mendis (captain), the late Neil Chanmugan (Manager), Roy Dias (vice-Captain), DS de Silva, M. Rajasingham, Sidath Wettimuny

Standing: Marlon von Hagt, Arjuna Ranatunga,  Anusha Samaranayake, Vinodhan John, Ravi Ratnayake, Brendan Kuruppu, Mumtaz Yusuf,  Amal Silva, Don Arunasiri, Aradvinda de Silva

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February 1, 2015 · 2:27 pm

Sri Lanka and the World Cup in 1975: Striking Images

The photographs are reproduced in reverse temporal order.

98508_Oval Demo one -ESPN 1. Tamil demonstrators invade the field during the World Cup match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Lords 11 June 1975  and lie down in protest — Pic from Fazals photostream in http:www.Flickr.com/photos/

Tamil demo LORDs  2. Ground staff seem to have been the first to intervene … before the bobbies were called in (Pic 3). … obviously we were in an era without heavy security within the grounds. Continue reading →

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June 17, 2014 · 11:06 am

Pistol-Packing Paul Reiffel

Mahinda Wijesinghe, whose favours this  title for his article “The Umpire who said ‘HURRAH! We won’,”

PAULREIFFEL 11Those famous (or infamous?) words have been attributed to a prejudiced village umpire as he incorrectly ruled the last man out to give his favoured side a win! This memory was rekindled when Australian umpire (who was incidentally a member of the losing member of the 1996 World Cup team under Mark Taylor) ruled out last man Nuwan Pradeep lbw when there was an obvious snick, that was even spotted by the commentators. However, DRS saved Sri Lanka unlike the unfortunate village team of yore. Continue reading →

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