Category Archives: Sri Lanka Cricket

February 5, 2019 · 8:53 am

Kota Uda: “Our Cricket in Deep Dungeon” says Marvan

News Item in Times Now Digital, 4 February 2019,  “Former captain Marvan Atapattu doesn’t see ‘any light at the end of tunnel’ for Sri Lankan cricket”

Sri Lankan Cricket has been in a rut for the past two years. Series after series, Sri Lanka have found themselves on the losing side. Even the lowly Zimbabwe have managed to trump the once-mighty Islanders. Their recent performance hasn’t been much to talk about as they suffered a two-Test defeat in Australia which follows a 1-0 loss to New Zealand in a two-Test series and defeats in all four limited-overs matches on that tour.

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January 31, 2019 · 1:14 pm

Ejected. Hathurasingha no longer a Tour Selector

News Item, Mid-day Com, 31 January 2019, where the title is “Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha removed as selector-on-tour”

Curtailing the role of coach Chandika Hathurusingha in team selection, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has removed him from the position of selector-on-tour in order to form ‘an effective and transparent selection mechanism.'”The decision came in the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s poor performance in their recently concluded series against India, England and New Zealand. Sri Lanka have already lost the first of their current two-match Test series against Australia.  The playing eleven for Sri Lanka will now be finalized by the team manager and captain in consultation with the national selection committee. ‘SLC wishes to announce that the team selection; while the team is on tour shall be made by a Committee comprising of Team Manager and Captain in Consultation with the National Selection Committee. The majority decision of the Manager; Captain and members of the Selection Committee shall prevail on any selection made thereof,’ an SLC statement read.

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January 31, 2019 · 9:41 am

Facing Up to Test Match at Manuka Oval Canberra

Andrew McGlashan in ESPNcricinfo, 30 January 2019, with this title “Australia hunt Test solace against crisis-hit Sri Lanka”

A new Test ground – Australia’s 11th and the second to host its first match this season – brings the international summer to a close with the home side aiming to secure a 2-0 victory and finish a difficult campaign on a high. Sri Lanka, while still clinging to that dream of their first Test victory in the country, would probably take being competitive as a success after their thrashing in Brisbane.

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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

January 25, 2019 · 1:59 am

No Surprise! Sri Lanka Struggle on Pacey-Bouncy Brisbane Pitch

Andrew Fidel Fernando, at ESPNcricinfo, 24 January 2019

Having been three for 58 at the end of the first session, Sri Lanka nosedived in the second, losing five wickets for 64 runs, before eventually crashing to a sub-par 144 not out. In response, Marcus Harris put together a 40 not out, surviving for 25 overs, as Australia scored exactly half of Sri Lanka’s runs for the loss of two wickets, before stumps.

  Jhye Richardson punches the air after picking up his first Test wicket Getty Images

The only man to cross fifty on day one was Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, without whose 64 off 78 balls, the visitors’ predicament would have been even more pathetic. For Australia, Pat Cummins picked up 4 for 39, but debutant Jhye Richardson was arguably even more impressive, claiming 3 for 26 fom his 14 overs. Among Richardson’s wickets were those of Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis – two key batsmen in the Sri Lanka top order. The ball to dismiss Mendis was perhaps the best of the day, that delivery angled in to the right hander, before leaving him off the pitch, to beat his outside edge and then rattle off stump.

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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, Australian cricket, cricketing icons, memorable moments, performance, player selections, Russel Arnold, Sri Lanka Cricket

January 24, 2019 · 9:00 am

Before the Brisbane Test Match: Clementine

Rex Clementine in Brisbane for Island,

The national cricket team has gone through some tough times in the last ten weeks and despite all the hard times, they head into the opening Test against Australia here at the Gabba knowing too well that they could make history here. Sri Lanka have never won a Test match in Australia and with the opposition in shambles, following the ball tampering fiasco, this is seen as the perfect opportunity to record the elusive win.

Captains Dinesh Chandimal (R) and Tim Paine pose with the Warne-Murali Test trophy at The Gabba in Brisbane on January 23, 2019, ahead of the first day-night Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka on January 24. ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP

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January 22, 2019 · 9:25 am

Evaluating Sri Lanka’s Prospects in Australian Test Matches

Andrew MCGlashan, in ESPNcricinfo, 22 January 2019

Sri Lanka have never won a Test in Australia, losing 11 of their 13 encounters and many by a considerable margin. On this tour they are without the experience of Angelo Mathews while still adjusting to life after Rangana Herath. However, they may never have a better chance of success down under and here are three reasons why.

Kusal Mendis reaches century at Wellington

The better batting line-up?

Sri Lanka have toured Australia with stronger batting line-ups than this squad – in 2012 their No. 2 to 5 read Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera and Mathews – but the difference this time is that you could argue what they have is stronger than what the Australians can offer. Even without the injured Mathews there is proven quality in the top order. Kusal Mendis (second) and Dimuth Karunaratne (sixth) were both in the top 10 run-scorers last year and both were above Australia’s only entrant Usman Khawaja (seventh). You would go past two further Sri Lankans (Mathews and Roshen Silva) before reaching Australia’s next-best run-scorer in captain Tim Paine. Continue reading →

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January 16, 2019 · 9:34 am

Cricket Team’s Problems in Selectors’ Gunsights

Rex Clementine, in Island, 14 January 2019, where the title is “De Mel urges SLC to stamp out indiscipline”

Chairman of Selectors Ashantha De Mel has urged Sri Lanka Cricket to not to tolerate indiscipline after two senior players were involved in a public spat last week while on tour in New Zealand. ODI captain Lasith Malinga and ex-skipper Thisara Perera were settling scores through social media bringing the game into disrepute.

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January 14, 2019 · 2:51 pm

Gamini Goonesena’s Brilliant Journey through the Green Fields of Cricket

Mahinda Wijesinghe, in Sunday Times, December 2019 where the title is “A ‘net’ bowler storms the cricket world”

Royal College right-arm leg-spinner Gamini Goonesena (1931–2011) first made a dramatic appearance in the 1947 ‘big match’ against S.Thomas’s – and thereby hangs a tale. A bare two weeks earlier, Goonesena had celebrated his 16th birthday and was merely considered a ‘net’ bowler for the first team, and was hard at practice in the final week preceding the annual Royal-Thomian cricket encounter.

Conducting practices on that fateful day was Coach F.C.de Saram. Watching Goonesena bowl, wily de Saram insisted that the leg-spinner be picked for the ‘Big-Match’ despite the fact that the leg-spinner has not been played in a single first XI game previously – a tradition that has not been broken since this encounter began in 1879. Obviously this move must have upset many in this tradition steeped school. Continue reading →

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January 14, 2019 · 1:04 pm

ICC Team Rankings … Early 2019

From ESPNcricinfo

ICC rankings for Tests, ODIs, Twenty20 & Women’s ODI and T20

ICC Test Championship

07 January 2019
Team Matches Points Rating
India 43 5007 116
England 49 5310 108
New Zealand 30 3213 107
South Africa 35 3712 106
Australia 41 4143 101
Pakistan 28 2579 92
Sri Lanka 45 4103 91
West Indies 35 2463 70
Bangladesh 25 1727 69
Zimbabwe 11 138 13

 

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