Harry Solomons, the Aloysian Australian Invincible, in Australian colours…. the same combination as his alma mater, St, Aloysius, Galle …. playing for Australia’s Over Seventies against New Zealand this February 2020 –where, he says, “we beat NZ in our only 70s International on tour…… [and] I played the full 6 matches on tour”. Harry then presents snapshots of the “emotional cap ceremony.”
Andrew Fidel Fernando, in ESPNcricinfo 26 February 2020
Sri Lanka 345 for 8 (Fernando 127, Mendis 119, Cottrell 4-67, Joseph 3-57) beat West Indies 184 (Hope 51, Hasaranga 3-30, Sandakan 3-57) by 161 runs
Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando dovetailed beautifully through the middle overs, producing an effortless 239-run third-wicket partnership that became the bedrock of Sri Lanka’s 345 for 8, and by extension, their series-sealing 161-run victory over West Indies. Mendis hit a run-a-ball 119 and Fernando made 127 off 123 deliveries, as they punished West Indies’ indiscipline with the ball and sloppiness in the field, rescuing Sri Lanka from a scoreline of 9 for 2 in the third over.
Michael Roberts
I was in Sri Lanka in mid-1997 on research work but took time off to watch an ODI match between the Indian XI led by Sachin Tendulkar and the Sri Lankan side led by Arjuna Ranatunga on July 18th. One distinct memory is that of a relatively unknown player named Lanka de Silva batting in an uncomplicated, neat manner to support Arjuna and finalize Sri Lanka’s charge to victory.
Andrew Fidel Fernando talks to Mickey Arthur, ESPNcricinfo, 21 February 2020 – where the title is “
On Wednesday, ahead of his first ODI series as Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur spoke about players being handed down well-defined roles within the team. On Friday, on the eve of the first one-dayer against West Indies, he went into a little more detail about what those roles were.
When Nandasiri Jasentuliyana led the Southern Province Schools Team against the Australian Schoolboy Team in 1958
Nicholas Brookes at https://wisdenblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/06/notes-from-a-small-island/ …. with this chosen title “Play to the Whistle” … with highlighting added and Pix illustrative and not always from such moments
Until 1982 Sri Lanka were stranded on the fringes of international cricket: a small island, marooned. Life on the outside wasn’t easy, but Sri Lanka still had something to make most of the cricketing world envious. You might call it a geographical blessing.
In the days before planes, the only way to get between England and Australia was by boat. It was an arduous journey that could take up to three months and required a stopover. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Ceylon (as it was called until 1972) emerged as the natural point of transit.
Daily News Report, 19 February 2020
Australia and India tuned up for Friday’s blockbuster ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 opener with hard-fought warm-up victories over South Africa and West Indies respectively. But by far the biggest shock of the day was Sri Lanka’s 10-wicket victory over England as Shashikala Siriwardana snaffled four wickets and Chamari Atapattu starred with bat and ball to earn an unlikely triumph.
Atapattu in full flight
Michael Roberts ….. and I was present!
Excellent catching and smart work supported a good bowling performance with Sashikala Siriwardene snaring 4 wkts and Chamari Atapattu getting three wkts, and two run-outs being effected, saw England restricted to 122 runs for 9 wkts in their twenty overs.
Chamari 
Hasini 
Sashikala
The lefties Chamari Atapattu (78 n.o. in 59 balls) and Hasini Perera (29 n. o.) then hammered 123 runs in 12.3 overs to overhaul one of the top-rated Elevens in the T20 competition in the warm/up match at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide. Chamari’s tally included five sixes.
Filed under Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, womens' cricket
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.
Madushka Balasuriya for ESPNcricinfo, January 2020
Zimbabwe 406 and 241 for 7 (Taylor 67, Wiliams 47*, Fernando 2-43) lead Sri Lanka 293 (Mathews 64, Raza 7-113) by 354 runs
A tenth Test fifty from Brendan Taylor, and handy contributions from Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, had ballooned Zimbabwe’s lead to 354 at stumps on a rain-interrupted fourth day in Harare. But despite the hosts dominating the day’s proceedings, Sri Lanka will fancy their chances to save the Tests after bad light, followed by rain, brought forced an early close.
Filed under performance, player selections, Sri Lanka Cricket
