Category Archives: politics and cricket

May 18, 2020 · 5:44 am

A Critical Appraisal of the Gentlemen’s Game of Cricket

Sarath Gamini De Silva, in Island, 6 June 2019 where the title was different**

I am an ardent cricket fan, being educated at a school giving pride of place to cricket. The annual “Big Match” was one of the most looked forward to events in the calendar. My own experience in the game was limited to playing with the soft ball in the backyard with my friends. Whenever time permits, I watch cricket on television but only occasionally do I go to see a match. I am overjoyed to see Sri Lanka winning matches, which unfortunately is a rarity now.

McGrath vs Sarwa Lara reprimands Waugh

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Filed under Australian cricket, child of empire, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricket governance, foul tactics, politics and cricket, taking the piss, verbal intimidation

May 2, 2020 · 7:02 am

Galle Cricket Stadium tops the Twitter Chart

Rex Clementine in Island, 1 May 2020 where the title reads “Galle voted world’s best cricket ground ahead of Lord’s”

Galle International Cricket Stadium has been voted as the best cricket ground in the world ahead of home of cricket – Lord’s and other leading international cricket grounds. In a survey conducted by cricket statistician Jarrod Kimber through twitter, an audience from all over the world voted and Galle earned the top price.

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Filed under Adelaide Oval, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketing icons, Lords cricket ground, memorable moments, performance, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, sanath jayasuriya, Sangakkara, Sri Lanka Cricket, unusual people, unusual statistics

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 · 3:28 pm

Kusal Mendis: Near a Milestone despite Recent Pitfalls

Rex Clementine, in Sunday Island, 2 February 2020, where the title is “Mendis on the verge of crucial milestone”

Young Kusal Mendis, who turned 25 today (Sunday) is on the brink of a crucial milestone. He is just five runs short to complete 3000 Test runs, a feat achieved by only 13 other Sri Lankans. He will also become the second youngest Sri Lankan to reach the milestone when England visit the island later next month. Mahela Jayawardene, who achieved the landmark at the age of 24 is the youngest and quickest Sri Lankan to get there (65 innings). If Kusal keeps his appetite for big runs like Mahela, there is little doubt that he would join the 10,000 club of which Mahela and Kumar Sangakkara are members.

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jayawardene, player selections, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sangakkara, unusual people

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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Filed under child of empire, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricket tamashas, cricketing icons, memorable moments, politics and cricket, unusual people, welfare through sport

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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Filed under cricket and life, cricket governance, financial scandal, performance, politics and cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, unusual people

January 6, 2020 · 1:14 pm

Angelo Mathews talks to Rex about the Immediate Tasks in 2020

Rex Clementine in Island, 4 January 2020, where the title is “Mathews Ready for Reversed Role”

When Angelo Mathews limped off the field in Indore with a hamstring injury during Sri Lanka’s tour of India in 2017, the recovery took months. At that point, the selectors made a call that in a bid to prolong his career, Mathews will only play as a batsman. But 18 months later, the decision has been reversed. Mathews was dropped from the T-20 squad in August 2018 and was told to get back to bowling in order to regain his place. Having fulfilled the requirement, the 32-year-old is back in India, the country where he won the admiration of adoring fans a decade ago.

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, unusual people

January 4, 2020 · 1:46 pm

Sri Lanka’s Cricket Schedule in Year 2020

Rex Clementine in Island, 3 January 2020,

The national cricket team has got a hectic schedule in 2020 where they will play nine Test matches, 12 ODIs and at least 16 T-20s. They will be playing more T-20s than the other two formats for the obvious reason that this year the World T-20 will be staged in Australia in late October. This is apart form the Asia Cup, also a T-20 tournament to be played in Pakistan.

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Filed under Lasith Malinga, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket

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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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketing icons, memorable moments, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the mickey, unusual people