Category Archives: patriotic excess

April 22, 2020 · 6:48 am

Sanath Jayasuriya’s Near-Misses … in Records

Anonymous, In Island, 20 April 2020, with this title “Jayasuriya on missed World Records”

In the space of three years, Sanath Jayasuriya came agonizingly close to break the two most important batting records in cricket. The highest score in Test and ODI cricket was there for the left-hander’s taking but he missed out on both milestones by a whisker. In 1997 at RPS, Jayasuriya missed out on Brian Lara’s highest individual score of 375 in Test cricket and in 2000, now captain of Sri Lanka, he missed Saeed Anwar’s highest score in ODIs by just five runs in Sharjah. Both efforts were against his favourite opponents – India.

Hero Sanath greeted by his mother

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Filed under cricket and life, cricketing icons, memorable moments, patriotic excess, performance, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual people, unusual statistics

March 17, 2020 · 6:17 pm

A Cricket Fanatic become Cricket Book Lover

Stephen Basso

Today’s post brought a book from England. My long-suffering wife smiled and inquired politely about it, knowing full well that it would be another book about cricket. More specifically, about players and officials, from anywhere on earth, who have had some fame or infamy in that great game that is a passion for so many of us.

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Filed under Australian cricket, baggy green, cricketing icons, fair play, patriotic excess, sportsmanship, unusual people

December 16, 2019 · 11:47 pm

Pissu Percy becomes a Book

Dhammika Ratnaweera, in Sunday Observer, 15 December 2019, with this title “Pioneer cheer leader Percy launches book”

The story of one-man cheer squad Percy Abeysekera titled ‘I‘am Percy Cricket Crazy’ was launched yesterday at the newly opened Chance Sports Grand Showroom at Baseline Road Borella. The veteran cheer leader’s biography written by Darrshini Parthepan notes Percy’s unforgettable stories out of the boundary line in this book and the first copy was handed over to 1996 World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga from the man himself at the simple ceremony organized by Sportsinfo and Trimo Media.

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Filed under child of empire, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricket tamashas, cricketing icons, memorable moments, patriotic excess, performance, sportsmanship, taking the mickey, tower of strength, unusual people, work ethic

October 11, 2019 · 6:50 am

Murali celebrated in Sri Lankan Musical Rhythms via Alston Koch

Murali the official music video & song

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Filed under child of empire, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricketing icons, cricketing records, murali, patriotic excess, performance, spinning art, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual people

October 11, 2019 · 2:16 am

Cricket Squads Feted in Colombo: Monies and Pictorials Galore

Pictures from Daily Mirror … and …. Daily News … where the headline = “Sri Lanka’s cricketing heroes rewarded with US$ 145,000″

Rumesh Ratnayake, Dasun Shanaka, Lahiru Tirimanne and Asantha De Mel with lesser lights

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Filed under cricket and life, cricket governance, cricket tamashas, memorable moments, patriotic excess, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, welfare through sport

September 7, 2019 · 4:22 am

Lankans castled by Astle and Kiwis ‘malinguered’ by MALINGA

Sri Lanka Innings

WIA Fernando…. b Astle …..6 ………..Over 6.4 bowled’m with a wrong’un! Avishka didn’t pick that up at all. It pitched around length outside off, turned in a fair bit and Avishka was on the back foot to steer it away after it turned away but it went the other way to knock over off stump 39/2
MD Gunathilaka ….. b Astle ………..30 …….Over 8.5 another wrong’un and another one beaten! ……This time it’s the well-set Gunathilaka. He pitched it nicely and slow with some flight on leg stump, Gunathilaka went back to defend it but the ball turned away and knocked over the stumps 50/3

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Filed under child of empire, close finsihes, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricketing icons, Lasith Malinga, New Zealand cricket, patriotic excess, performance, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual people, unusual statistics, violent intrusions

May 7, 2019 · 2:02 am

Kumar and Aravinda in Expressive Doubt!!

Ishara’s Catch, July 2010

Sri Lankan cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara (R) and chief selector Aravinda de Silva talk at a practice session at The Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on July 25, 2010, ahead of the second Test match againstn India scheduled to start July 26. India needs to win at least one of the two remaining Test matches if they are to retain their number one ranking status. Sri Lanka won the first Test at Galle by ten wickets. AFP PHOTO/Ishara S.KODIKARA

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Filed under Aravinda de Silva, cricket and life, cricketing icons, patriotic excess, performance, Sangakkara, taking the mickey, unusual people, work ethic

April 30, 2019 · 3:29 am

Full Monty: Jarrod Kimber reveals the Australian Species of Cricket

Jarrod Kimber, in CRICKET MONTHLY, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, April 2019, entitled “The ugly Australian: the evolution of a cricket species” …. How did Australian cricket come to be synonymous with hostility, gamesmanship and verbal abuse? A year on from Sandpapergate, we explore a thorny subject

He warms the cockles of Boof’s heart, Dave does © Getty Images

Something hit me in the chest, hard. Knocking me a step back. Why was this guy purposefully bumping into me? It wasn’t a normal under-14 game. This was a special event. The crowd was full of not just parents but senior players from the club. The one umpiring was a thickset middle-order batsman from the 1sts named Darren; most called him Dazza.

Mid-pitch I looked around to see if anyone had seen the bowler charge through, but no one had. So I went on batting until I ended up at Dazza’s end. He whispered: “If he does that again, hit him with the bat.” It would never have crossed my mind to do that. I grew up in a tough league where everyone played hard, aggressive cricket. But I was 13 and having fun. Cricket was the thing I loved the most, and as much as I wanted to win, it was still just a game.

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Filed under Australian cricket, confrontations on field, cricket and life, patriotic excess, performance, sportsmanship, unusual people

January 25, 2019 · 7:11 am

Lord Superior’s Lessons for the Patriotic Excess of Armchair Critics

Michael Roberts

The SL cricket team’s collapse at Brisbane has produced severe condemnation by patriots on Facebook –patriots who clearly do not know much about cricket. Well before the match commenced it was my expectation that Australia would win by an innings because Brisbane is a bouncy pacey pitch and because the pink ball is in use over day and night.

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Filed under Australian cricket, child of empire, cricketing icons, patriotic excess, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the mickey, taking the piss, West Indian Cricket

December 16, 2018 · 7:14 am

The Kohli Roar targeted by Justin Langer for Double Standards

Melinda Farrell, inESPNcrcicnof at Adeliade, where the title of the article is

Justin Langer believes if the Australia players were to react in the same manner Virat Kohli celebrated the wicket of Aaron Finch, they would be considered “the worst blokes in the world”. Langer also fended off criticism from Sachin Tendulkar over Australia’s slow batting in the first innings.

Langer’s comments showed the level of scrutiny that surrounds Australia on two distinct levels: their style of play and their on-field behaviour. Amid all the swirling fallout from the Newlands scandal, the question is hovering: can the Australian team win without resorting to the sort of behaviour that led to a widespread public backlash? When Fox Sports replayed Kohli’s celebration after Ishant Sharma bowled Aaron Finch, Langer’s answer suggested the team is still trying to find the right balance.

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Filed under Australian cricket, cricket in India, cricketing icons, cricketing rules, Indian cricket, patriotic excess, performance, politics and cricket