Category Archives: Rex Clementine

December 7, 2017 · 3:24 pm

Grit At Last: Thawfeeq and Clementine on How Lanka drew Third Test on Day Five

Sa’adi Thawfeeq, in Daily News, 7 Dec 2017, with title “Sri Lanka batting displays gumption to draw final Test”

Wednesday: The Sri Lankan batting which has been spineless in the last five Tests against India finally displayed its true colours to bat out the entire fifth and final day and deny the number one ranked Test team victory in the third and final cricket Test played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Wednesday.

Dhannajaya & Roshen take a run

Set an improbable target of 410 to chase in the fourth innings, Sri Lanka finished on 299 for five wickets to earn an honourable draw. The match was called off in mutual consent between the two teams at the final drinks break at 4 pm. Continue reading →

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Filed under cricket and life, Indian cricket, performance, player selections, Rex Clementine, Sa'adi Thawfeeq, Sangakkara, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength

November 24, 2017 · 8:33 am

Peas in the Same Pod. Kohli blesses Dickwella

Rex Clementine, in The Island, 24 November 2017, where the title is “Kohli pays tribute to Dickwella”

Indian captain Virat Kohli told journalists that young Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella reminded him of himself in early days. Like Kohli used to get under the skin of the opposition as a young player, the 24-year-old Sri Lankan’s tactics of time wasting angered the Indian players, but the captain said that all was fine.

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Filed under confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketing icons, performance, Rex Clementine, sportsmanship, tower of strength, unusual people

November 23, 2017 · 2:48 am

The Kolkata Contretemps: Dickwella clarifies

Rex Clementine, in The Island, 23 November 2017, under title “Dickwella opens up on Calcutta antics”
Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella engages in an altercation with Indian captain Virat Kohli as the umpires try to intervene.

Sri Lanka’s young wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who was the talking point for his antics in the opening Test against India in Calcutta, revealed that he tried to get under the skin of the Indian players in a bid to kill time. Continue reading →

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, close finsihes, confrontations on field, cricket and life, cricket in India, Indian cricket, patriotic excess, performance, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, television commentary, tower of strength, verbal intimidation

November 19, 2017 · 1:31 pm

Cricketing Talents that were undermined from Within: Ceylon in the 1960s

Michael Roberts

Rex Clementine has done Lankan cricket fans a great favour by reminding us of the 0ccasion when the Ceylon team of yesteryear beat India at Ahmedabad at the tail-end of 1964. He tapped Michael Tissera for the central details. Typically, Michel did not dwell on his bold captaincy and the magnificent gamble of declaring their first innings closed when they had some wickets in hand in order to aim for an Indian batting collapse in their second innings and to then snatch a win. So it transpired.

Back row: TCT Edward, DP de Silva, Norton Fredrick, Ranjit Fernando, Lareef Idroos

Mid-Row: M. Devaraja, Neil Chnamugam, Mano Ponniah, Darrel Lieversz, Lasantha Rodrigo, Sylvester Dias, Danasiri Weerasinghe

Seated: Stanley Jayasinghe, Abu Fuard, Michael Tissera, HIK Fernando, Anuruddha Polonowita, Nisal Senaratne (Manager)

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Filed under cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketing icons, Indian cricket, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket

November 17, 2017 · 8:15 am

Questions for Armchair Critics at Eden Gardens

Michael Roberts ASKS: does not Lakmal’s beautiful spell in seaming conditions underline the failures of Gamage and Chandimal?

YES, Lahiru Gamage inserted a few sharp in-dippers without luck, But I wonder why Chandimal did not introduce either Shanaka or Matthews for the 8th and 10th overs? We could go further: seeing the conditions on the day of the match, why did the tour selectors not take a bold step: drop Gamage and choose another batsman? or replace him with the third paceman in the squad: Fernando?

YES the latter are bold thoughts. Yes, easier after the event and from an armchair. BUT the first suggestion was/is obvious> The thought arose as soon as the 5th/6th over when I saw Gamage’s trajectory and pitch-length. The scenario was/is BEDSER made not TRUEMAN-made.

I would go further. Given the 1eleven on the field, I would have asked Herath to emulate Underwood. Controlled bowling is more effective than that less controlled and too short-pitched. Having witnessed Vanderputt and Nizam open bowling with slow left-arm in-dippers plus[lus for St. Aloysius in the 1950s, I step forth boldly thus.

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Filed under cricket in India, player selections, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket

November 8, 2017 · 9:49 am

Sri Lankan Team heads for India

Rex Clementine, in Island, 8 October 2017

The national cricket team will fly off to Calcutta today morning for a seven week long tour in which they will play three Tests, three ODIs and three T-20 Internationals. It will be Sri Lanka’s first Test tour to India in eight years. Since touring India in 2009, Sri Lanka were scheduled to make a visit to the neighboring country in 2015, but that series was converted into a home series after a request by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to come out of a financial crisis.

Opener Dimuth Karunaratne has been in good nick in the last few series and needs 60 more runs to complete 1000 runs in the calender year. Continue reading →

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October 30, 2017 · 3:36 pm

Rex guillotines Sumathipala as Source of Sri Lankan Cricket’s Cancer

Rex Clementine, in Island, 30 October 2017, where the title is striking: Ä fish rots from the head”

Sri Lanka have succumbed to yet another series defeat this year. Friday’s loss in the second T-20 in Abu Dhabi was a bitter pill to swallow. To point at numbers will be a tedious task so we refrain from doing so, but to put it bluntly, it was Sri Lanka’s 15th defeat in a row in limited overs cricket. There doesn’t seem to be a way out of the mess. And the World Cup is less than two years away. Our administrators keep giving us the assurance that everything will be tickety-boo by the time the injured trio of Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne and Kusal Perera return. But the reality is far from that. Here’s why.

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October 30, 2017 · 10:40 am

Huge Welcome and Massive Security swamps Sri Lankan Team in Lahore

Rex Clementine reporting from Lahore, Island, 29 October 2017, with title “Huge welcome and massive security awaits Sri Lankan team”

When Thisara Perera lands in Lahore, he will be stunned at the hospitality awaiting him. He is a star here. His billboards are all over Lahore. Posters of his players also are seen all over the road with Punjab Government in Lahore set to put up a great show as the Sri Lankan cricket team brings international cricket back to the country. Continue reading →

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Filed under cricket and life, cricket governance, cricket tamashas, patriotic excess, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, terrorist intrusions, unusual people

October 11, 2017 · 2:43 am

Several Hands fashion Sri Lanka’s Defeat of Pakistan in 2nd Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando, courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, 3 October 2017, where the title runs “Dilruwan’s five-for seals memorable series sweep

Dilruwan celebrates a wicket

Sri Lanka 482 (Karunaratne 196, Yasir 6-184) and 96 (Wahab 4-41, Haris 3-1) beat Pakistan 262 (Azhar 59, Haris 56, Dilruwan 3-72, Herath 3-84) and 248 (Shafiq 112, Dilruwan 5-98) by 68 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Like waves breaking upon a cliff, Sri Lanka’s bowlers kept coming at Pakistan, until eventually, the hosts fractured and tumbled into the sea. So tantalisingly had the match been poised overnight, perhaps the ending was even a little anticlimactic. Sri Lanka’s margin of victory was 68 runs – a comfortable win by most standards. Though Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq had begun confidently, the visitors needed only 5.5 overs to break that partnership, and about 90 minutes in all to wipe out the lower half of the Pakistan innings. The series had been swept, completely unexpectedly, 2-0. Continue reading →

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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, cricket and life, cricketing icons, performance, player selections, Rangana Herath, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket

October 6, 2017 · 1:34 am

Lakmal’s Lahore!!! A Permanent Splinter in Leg

Rex Clementine, in Island, 6 October 2017, where the title runs “Lakmal recalls Lahore attack”

Fast bowler Suranga Lakmal is one of the two internationally active cricketers who was in the Sri Lankan team bus when terrorists opened fire at the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. Lakmal and Chamara Kapugedera are the only players who are still playing international cricket from the 15-member squad. Eight years after the attack Lakmal has emerged as Sri Lanka’s leading fast bowler. He recalled the painful memories of the attack and the difficulties he goes through.

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