Category Archives: player selections

Sri Lanka’s Crazy Unimaginable Performances

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo, where the title reads 

I = The Test series win in South Africa

Kusal Perera, who had only made one previous century against Zimbabwe, produced one of the most spectacular Test innings of all time as Sri Lanka chased down 304 for victory. But as ridiculous as that innings from this player was, the remainder of that series was no less outlandish. Dimuth Karunaratne had been thrown the captaincy just days before the Durban Test, following Sri Lanka’s nightmare tour of Australia, in which a small hospital’s worth of Sri Lanka players were injured. Thanks to those injuries, Sri Lanka’s frontline attack consisted of a spinner on debut, and two fast bowlers who had played fewer than five Tests. Sri Lanka’s most reliable batsman, Angelo Mathews, was also missing thanks to injury. Continue reading →

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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, Angelo Mathews, cricket and life, Hathurusingha, Lasith Malinga, memorable moments, performance, player selections, Sri Lanka Cricket, unusual people, unusual statistics

 Selection Headaches for T20 Tour of Australia

Michael Roberts

There are some headaches that one welcomes. The magnificent performances generated by a raw Sri Lankan T20 squad in Pakistan this month is one such headache. Ashantha De Mel and Co are to be congratulated for their selections and for expanding the problems by giving fresh faces the chance to impress in the third ODI.

   

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Filed under Adelaide Oval, Angelo Mathews, Australian cricket, cricket and life, memorable moments, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, unusual statistics

Oshada and Wanindu star in Sri Lanka’s Third Win

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo, October 10 October 2019, with this title “

Sri Lanka 147 for 7 (Fernando 78*, Amir 3-27) beat Pakistan 134 for 6 (Sohail 52, Hasaranga 3-21) by 13 runs

Sri Lanka’s crazy 2019 got even weirder on Wednesday, when they made five changes to the team that had won the first two T20Is against Pakistan, but still managed to pull off a whitewash – debutant Oshada Fernando producing the defining innings, before legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga took three wickets in his second successive match. Oshada hit 78 not out off 48 balls, overseeing Sri Lanka’s recovery from 30 for 3 after five overs, then 58 for 4 after eight. Very much the talisman in the innings – no other batsman made even 15 – he guided Sri Lanka to 147 for 7 on a slow Lahore surface.

Oshada thanks the gods

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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, cricket and life, memorable moments, performance, player selections, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket

Bhanuka Shines: News Reports on Second T 20 at Lahore

News Item in Daily News, 10 October 2019

Sri Lanka’s match-winner in their series clinching second T20I win against Pakistan at Lahore on Monday, Bhanuka Rajapaksa praised the coaches for helping the team beat the no. 1 ranked side in the world. ”Not an easy task to come to Pakistan and beat the No. 1 side but the confidence from the coaches helped a lot,” said Rajapaksa after winning the man of the match award for his exhilarating knock of 77 off 48 balls. “Beating the No. 1 side, I would take it any day. It means a lot to me,” he said.

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Sri Lanka’s T20 Shortcomings in Pakistan 2019

Michael Roberts

Sri Lanka’s convincing victories in the two T20 matches at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore should not obscure the serious shortcomings displayed in the field. I list them in point-form.

ONE: The running between the wicket was appalling and on occasions suicidal. If Pakistani’s fielders (Shadab Khan excepted) had not been equally appalling the results would have been worse. For instance, Bhanuka Rajapaksa would have been out 1/4th of the way through his scintillating innings in ODI Two. Better fielding sides such as Australia will dent SL’s batting severely if such crazy running is pursued.

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Second-string Lankan XI demolishes Pakistan

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo, 5 October 2019

Sri Lanka 165 for 6 (Gunathilaka 57, Hasnain 3-37) beat Pakistan 101 (Udana 3-11, Pradeep 3-21) by 64 runs ………………Sri Lanka rode to 165 for 5 on Danushka Gunathilaka‘s rapid fifty, before the bowlers shut Pakistan down in unexpectedly ruthless fashion, taking three early wickets, before wiping out the remainder of the batting order through the middle overs.

Against the No. 1-ranked T20 side in the world, Sri Lanka’s 64-run victory was a substantial upset. The attack did not have the skill nor leadership of Lasith Malinga, and yet produced a supreme team performance, Nuwan Pradeep and Isuru Udana taking three wickets apiece, Wanindu Hasaranga claiming two, and Kasun Rajitha one. Even Lakshan Sandakan, who went wicketless, played an important role in Sri Lanka’s defence, conceding no more than 24 from his four overs.

Danuska glides

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Attenuated Sri Lankan Squads for Pakistan Tour …. with Blessings from the PIRIT NULA

ONE: Sri Lankan Squad leave for Pakistan with Prot

Sri Lanka’s depleted national cricket squad left for Pakistan on Tuesday expressing confidence in security promises by the hosts despite reports that the team could be targeted by militants. The Sri Lanka team were attacked in Lahore in 2009. Since then most international teams have refused to tour the South Asian country, leaving Pakistan to play nearly all their “home” games in the United Arab Emirates.

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Thirimanne and Shanaka to captain SL Squads in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo News Item, 11 September 2019 …. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27592241/lahiru-thirimanne-dasun-shanaka-lead-sri-lanka-pakistan

Lahiru Thirimanne and Dasun Shanaka have named Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I captains respectively for the limited-overs tour of Pakistan. The announcement comes two days after Dimuth Karunaratne and Lasith Malinga, the incumbents, informed the Sri Lanka Cricket of their unwillingness to tour Pakistan, along with eight others, citing security concerns.

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Meet The Pakistani Squad that will meet the Sri Lankans

Item in The Deccan Chronicle, 21 September 2019, …. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/210919/pakistan-announce-16-man-squad-for-sri-lanka-series.html

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced 16-man squad for a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. The head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq said that they have put together the best possible squad. “After thorough discussions with the members of the selection committee and meticulous planning, I feel we have put together the best possible squad,” PCB’s official website quoted Misbah-ul-Haq as saying.”These are the only 50-over matches we have this season and we want to make their optimum use. Over the course of my cricketing career, I have realised there are no easy games and there are no easy opponents in cricket.

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Afghan Mountain Men bury the Bangla Deltaic Men

Result
Only Test, Afghanistan tour of Bangladesh at Chattogram, Sep 5-9 2019

Mohammed Isam, in ESPNcricnof,  9 September 2019, .”Afghanistan showcase benefits of long-term planning and fortitude,”  ,,, https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27579972/afghanistan-showcase-benefits-long-term-planning-fortitude

If a team has just performed poorly at a World Cup, a structural overhaul of some kind is usually in order. With Afghanistan, there was a sudden change in captaincy just prior to the event, which hadn’t gone down well with some of the senior players. But, as they crashed out after losing all their nine games, other issues came to the fore, and even the players’ temperament was called into question. Changes were inevitable. In the period since, the ACB handed the captaincy reins to Rashid Khan, and when Phil Simmons left as head coach, they put Andy Moles, the chief selector, in his place on a temporary basis.

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