Category Archives: Rex Clementine

October 5, 2017 · 1:39 pm

Sanga for Ranga! And Rangaiyya for Us All

Rex Clementine, in Island, 4 October 2017, with title “How Sanga backed Herath when he was out of the radar”

article_image Kumar Sangakkara jokes with Rangana Herath during a Test match. Sangakkara was responsible for bringing Herath back into Test cricket at a time he had fallen off the radar.
It is a shame that Kumar Sangakkara’s captaincy lasted for less than two years. However, in that short period, Sanga introduced a new culture into the team. With firm backing from coach Trevor Bayliss, he supported those who were committed to the team’s cause and in the meantime kicked out those who lacked focus. The results were stunning as Sri Lanka recorded a maiden series win in Australia and recorded first ever home series wins – Tests and ODIs – against Pakistan. Into the bargain, there were also two ICC finals – 2009 World T-20 final and 2011 World Cup final. Continue reading →

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Filed under cricket governance, cricketing icons, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Rangana Herath, Rex Clementine, Sangakkara, Sri Lanka Cricket

September 2, 2017 · 10:52 am

Lasith Malinga pondering His Future Ooptions

ONE: Sa’adi Thawfeeq, “Malinga to take a call on retirement,” Daily News, 2 September 2017

Slinga Malinga said that he will take a call on whether he should continue playing for his country or quit depending on the form he is in.“I’m playing after 19 months following a leg injury. In the Zimbabwe and India series I couldn’t play well. I’ll see where I’m at after this series, and evaluate how long I can play given the way my body is,” said the 34-year-old Malinga.“No matter how experienced I am – if I can’t win a match for the team and do what the team needs, there’s no point in me being here. I’ll see if I can make up for that 19 months and regain that form over the next three or four months.

 Lasith Malinga celebrating his 300th ODI wicket. AFP 

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Filed under cricket and life, cricketing icons, Lasith Malinga, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual people

August 31, 2017 · 3:16 am

The Media Personnel at the Cricket in Lanka, mid-2017

Scenes from the Galle Media Desks

Rex and Sa’adi

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Filed under child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing icons, performance, Rex Clementine, Sidharth Monga, Sri Lanka Cricket

July 31, 2017 · 4:32 am

The Galle Test Match: Assorted Reflections

ONE > Rex Clementine: “Kohli praises Dimuth and PradeeP”, July 30, 2017,

Indian captain Virat Kohli praised the efforts of opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne and fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep after his team completed a comprehensive 304-run win in the first Test between the countries in Galle on Saturday. Karunaratne was dismissed after a well-compiled 97 runs while Pradeep took career-best figures of six for 132.

 Indians as happy chappies-ESPNcricinfo

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, cricket and life, cricketing icons, Indian cricket, player selections, Rangana Herath, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, Test rankings

July 30, 2017 · 4:53 pm

Mukund as Spingboard for Slashing Criticism of Sri Lankan Players

Rex Clementine, in the Sunday Island, 30 July 2017, where the title is “What Sri Lankans can learn from Abhinav Mukund”

Sri Lanka’s fielding has been something that has been discussed at length over the last 12 months or so. Fielding has cost the team heavily; for instance during the first ever Test defeat to Bangladesh at P. Sara Oval in March, during the virtual quarter-final clash against Pakistan in Champions Trophy in June and more recently against Zimbabwe in the bilateral ODI series. During that painful defeat to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka dropped as many as nine catches in five games, three tough catches and six that should have been taken. Once easily the best fielding team in Asia, today Sri Lanka has become the worst. Something has gone wrong somewhere.

 Mukhund batting

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May 15, 2017 · 7:29 am

SL Cricket in Humpty-Dumpty Condition

Rex Clementine:, in The Island, 14 May 2017, with title “The price people pay for their arrogance”

The moment Hitler had France under his control, he had the whole of Western Europe at his beck and call. It gave him a massive adrenaline rush and he thought he could do just about anything. Instead of consolidating in Western Europe, Hitler invaded Russia. That proved to be a fatal mistake. The price people pay for their arrogance!

 Sri Lanka go into Champions Trophy as the worst fielding team in the competition. They have been hard at work in Kandy to lift their fielding standards.Picture credit Sameera Pieiris/ The Papare.com.

In cricket, the West Indies thought that they would continue to produce world class players. Natural talent was enough to dominate world cricket they believed. Australia shook them up by using sports science to good effect. Other teams soon took a leaf out of the Aussies’ book by setting up Centres for Excellence and world class cricket academies. It took a while for the West Indies to realize that the times were fast changing and they needed to embrace technology. Despite the brilliance of Brian Lara, West Indies struggled. Since Lara they are no more world class. No Champions Trophy for them and they might even get kicked out from making it to the 2019 World Cup. The price people pay for their arrogance! Continue reading →

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Filed under chaminda vaas, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketer politicians, International Cricket Council, performance, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, West Indian Cricket

May 9, 2017 · 2:56 pm

Training Camp at Pallekele as Prep for Champions Trophy in England

Rex Clementine, in The Island, 7 May 2017, with title “Sri Lanka begin preparations for Champions Trophy”

The national cricket team will head to Kandy today to begin a week long residential training camp at the Pallekele International Stadium as preparation for Champions Trophy tournament, that will be played in England and Wales next month. Captain Angelo Mathews is expected to join the team on Tuesday from India having completed his IPL duties. Sri Lanka Cricket will also open a new indoor cricket facility at Pallekele on Tuesday to help the training.

“Our Head Coach Graham Ford has focused a lot on fielding during the last few days. The residential camp at Pallekele will help us keep the team together and we will do lot of planning ahead of the Champions Trophy,” Sri Lanka’s Cricket Manager Asanka Gurusinha told The Island. Continue reading →

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April 13, 2017 · 11:20 pm

Chandika Hathurusinghe: A Temptestuous and Triumphant Journey

Rex Clementine… in a wide-ranging review which slashes the SLC cricket administration … Island, 9 April 2017

Sri Lanka’s ‘A’ team made a huge impact when they toured South Africa in 2009. No Sri Lankan team has done so well in South Africa. The fast and bouncy wickets in that country has always proved to be the undoing of batsmen who had been brought up on low and slow surfaces. The man who guided Sri Lanka to that unprecedented success was Chandika Hathurusinghe. That team was captained by Thilina Kandamby and included players like Angelo Mathews, Suranga Lakmal and Tharanga Paranavithana.

 

Kumar Sangakkara was the captain of the national team at that stage. Sanga took immediate note and requested the Board to relieve Hathurusinhe of ‘A’ team duties and allow him to work with the national team.
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Filed under Bangladesh cricket, cricket and life, cricket governance, cricketer politicians, cricketing icons, Mahela Jayawardene, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, sanath jayasuriya, Sangakkara, SL Premier League, Sri Lanka Cricket, unusual people

March 12, 2017 · 8:15 am

Fernando and Clementine Wrap-up the Galle Test Match

I. Andrew Fidel Fernando: “Herath a fourth innings force of nature”  in ESPNcricinfo, 10 March 2017,

Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers imposed their familiar chokehold over another fourth innings of a home Test match, uprooting batsmen as early as the second ball of the day, before sending the Test hurtling to its conclusion by the middle of the afternoon session.
Sri Lanka 494 (Mendis 194, Mehedi 4-112) and 274 for 6 declared (Tharanga 115, Mehedi 2-77) beat Bangladesh 312 (Mushfiqur 85, Perera 3-53) and 197 (Liton 35, Mushfiqur 34, Herath 6-59) by 259 runs.

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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, performance, player selections, Rangana Herath, Rex Clementine, Sri Lanka Cricket, work ethic

March 12, 2017 · 7:57 am

Ford and Clementine in Praise of Kusal Mendis

Rex Clementine in The Sunday Island, 16 March 2017

The Galle International Cricket Stadium has witnessed some remarkable moments in Test cricket. Chris Gayle hitting sixes to the Galle bus stand on his way to a remarkable  333, Muttiah Muralitharan picking up a wicket in his last ball in Test cricket to complete 800 Test wickets, Kumar Sangakkara being left stranded on 199 having run out of partners, Brian  Lara’s stunning 178 in 2001, Nathan Lyon taking five  wickets on debut  are all firmly etched in the memories of  cricket fans. Earlier this week, young Kusal Mendis gave everyone another moment to relish with his stunning 194 that contained some of the finest cricket shots that you will ever witness.

 Sri Lankan cricketer Kusal Mendis raises his bat and helmet celebrating his century during the first day of the opening Test cricket match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle on March 7, 2017

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