Category Archives: Sri Lanka Cricket

March 8, 2015 · 7:49 am

Kumar to leave the Test Arena in August 2015

Sa’adi Thawfeeq, in The Nation, 8 March 2015

The great Kumar Sangakkara, easily the best batsman/wicket-keeper produced by Sri Lanka, has finally decided to end his glorious international cricket career in August. Sangakkara is due to retire from one-day international cricket at the end of the ongoing cricket World Cup along with his long time buddy Mahela Jayawardene, but had left a window open in Test cricket allowing for plenty of chitchat amongst cricket fans about his final retirement. “There are Test matches in June and July and I will be done by the end of August. A series or two in June and in August and that’s it,” Sangakkara told The Nation.

kumar square drivesIt is very likely that Sangakkara, 37 will play his farewell Test match during the three-Test series against India in August. Pakistan are due for a three-Test series in June-July.

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Filed under cricket and life, cricketing icons, reconciliation through sport, Sangakkara, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual people

February 17, 2015 · 12:57 am

Too Many Captains & Serious Shortcomings ruin Lanka

Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, courtesy of Sunday Leader, 15 February 2015, where the title is “Too Many Cooks Spoil the Christchurch Soup”

Sri Lanka has broken new ground in cricket. They have introduced a novelty – captaincy by committee.  Though Angelo Mathews is the official captain, the two aiyas (elder brothers) Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene openly set the field. Lasith Malinga, the Twenty20 captain, and TM Dilshan provide their two cents worth. Lahiru Thirimanne, the official vice captain, can just as well be the twelfth man.

Today, they proved that ”too many cooks spoil the soup”. The committee made some shocking blunders. The reliance on seam bowlers was inexplicable. There was hardly any movement for the aging seamers. Jeevan Mendis’s horizontal leg-spin was under bowled, despite a fine spell. Continue reading →

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Filed under Mahela Jayawardene, performance, player selections, Sangakkara, Sri Lanka Cricket, unusual people, world cup squad

February 13, 2015 · 10:06 am

Sri Lanka’s “Near Allrounders” in Comparative Statistical Focus

Michael Roberts. courtesy of http://www.islandcricket.lk/

On the cusp of the World Cup’s inauguration I am venturing bold and surveying Lanka’s stock of potential allrounders in support of Matthews and Dilshan. I also have one eye on the future. The category “allrounder” is classified here in an expansive and tendentious manner to include bits-and-pieces players and those who can be injected into the upper order as pinch-hitters (for e.g. Seekkuge Prasanna now and Dilhara Lokuhettige in the past). In the present XV Thisara Perera would be classed as an allrounder, while Jeevan Mendis would be a batting allrounder; while Nuwan Kulasekera may, with some reservations, be termed a bowling allrounder. In brief, the brief I have constructed encompasses “near-allrounders” as well as those in the Matthews- Sanath Jayasuriya-Shane Watson category. Continue reading →

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Filed under performance, player selections, Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual statistics, world cup squad

February 13, 2015 · 6:00 am

Meeting Rideegammānagedera — Benaud’s Nightmare!

 Michael Roberts

aanil r 22 Anil Rideegammānagedera runs into Benaud -richie-benaud

From time to time the TV commentators from the western world have stumbled across Sri Lankan names which simply stumped them. This scenario has varied: ranging from bemusement at the number of initials accompanying the name of Vaas to the phonetic obstacle course they have been forced to negotiate.

Yes, Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas is quite a mouthful — even when it is simply WPUJC Vaas. Vaas may have been a unique bowler, but his ‘battery’ of initials is not, as most Sri Lankans know, not unique. Thus in today’s World Cup squad of XV we have, among other,

Narangoda Liyanaarachchilage Thisara Chirantha Perera

Balapuwaduge Manukulasuriya Amith Jeevan Mendis

 Hettige Don Rumesh Lahiru Thirimanne

 Ranasinghe Arachchige Suranga Lakmal

Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara 

 Kulasekara Mudiyanselage Dinesh Nuwan Kulasekara

Senanayake Mudiyanselage Sachithra Madhushanka Senanayake Continue reading →

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Filed under Australian cricket, backyard cricket, cricket and life, cricketing icons, Sri Lanka Cricket, taking the mickey

February 11, 2015 · 11:10 pm

An Amateur Cricket Lover’s Recipe for a Lankan Cakewalk at the World Cup 2015

A Cricket Lover, from The Island, 12 February 2015

There is a lot of cricket talent in Sri Lanka and they are being coached and guided well at school and at Club levels. But once they progress to the national level most of them lose track simply because they are mismanaged by the authorities. The reason for this is that there is no sound programme to carefully nurture them up to the expected level and sustain them there. As a result, SL has lost so many talented players in the past. They have come and gone. The authorities, in the past and present, are solely responsible for the downfall of these talented players.

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, patriotic excess, performance, player selections, Sri Lanka Cricket, world cup squad

February 11, 2015 · 1:14 pm

Sri Lanka’s Potential ODI Allrounders in the Camera’s Glare

Michael Roberts

The focus in this article is on those whose spot in the Sri Lankan Fifteen can be questioned by attention to potential challengers. There is no questioning of Angelo Matthews’ place as a genuine allrounder and captain. Nor can one challenge Tillekeratne Dilshan’s spot as a batting allrounder. While Nuwan Kulasekera’s selection was in doubt after the recent bowling performances in India and Sri Lanka, the Selectors wisely chose to adhere to his potential qualities in the climatic and pitch conditions in New Zealand.

Australia v Sri Lanka - Twenty20: Game 2 Jeevan THISARA PERERA Thisara Prasanna 22 Prasanna maharoof 33Maharoof

Since this investigation will be pursued in a separate posting, I introduce the descriptions and images of certain players that have been compiled by ESPNcricinfo. This enables us to have fun as well: by asking how Ritchie Benaud would have coped with a name such as Narangoda Liyanaarachchilage Thisara Chirantha Perera or, for that matter, with a surname such as Ridigammanagedera.  Benaud will not be gracing the commentary box, but this is an opportunity for Russell Arnold and Andrew Fidel Fernando to explore the capacities of their mates in TV box and Reporters’ Corner. Chaminda Vaas is not an isolated case. These names are among the ones they can play with

Full name Narangoda Liyanaarachchilage Thisara Chirantha Perera

Full name Balapuwaduge Manukulasuriya Amith Jeevan Mendis Continue reading →

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, performance, player selections, Sri Lanka Cricket, world cup squad

February 9, 2015 · 1:34 pm

In Appreciation: Joe Hoad … a Barbadian Promoter of Sri Lankan Cricket

Michael Roberts **

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Hoad with Pissu Percy in Galle

Islanders, they say, have affinities. They hang out together. Joe Hoad is a Caribbean islander, or, as the street poets in those isles would say,

Joe’s no Imran Khan,

He’s just a plain Bajan man, man.

Joe is also a well-known raconteur. So let’s reflect on his powers of speech the Bajan (pronounced “Beyjun”) way.

You see Joe,

Da man could talk

Boy, how he could talk

That man know how to walk the talk, and even how to talk the walk. Continue reading →

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Filed under child of empire, sportsmanship, Sri Lanka Cricket, unusual people, West Indian Cricket, work ethic

February 2, 2015 · 1:11 pm

England send four players to Sri Lanka to experience Asian Conditions

ESPN Staff

England  has sent four players to Sri Lanka either side of Christmas in the latest example of their desire to expose their young cricketers to Asian conditions. Scott Borthwick, from Durham, Essex’s Tom Westley, Ben Foakes, now at Surrey, and Will Tavare of Gloucestershire will play for clubs in Sri Lanka in the coming months having been identified by Graham Thorpe, the England Performance Programme (EPP) lead batting coach, and Peter Such, the lead spin bowling coach, as cricketers who would benefit from the experience. Continue reading →

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February 2, 2015 · 10:49 am

In Appreciation of Kumar Sangakkara as he moves elegantly into his Twilight Years

 

JANAKA MALWATTAJanaka Malwatta, courtesy of ESPNcricnfo, where the title is “The last of Sanga”

Kumar Sangakkara‘s stellar ODI career is approaching its final denouement. He has already played his last ODI in Sri Lanka. It is very much hoped that he will continue to grace Test cricket yet a while, but after the current tour of New Zealand and the small matter of a World Cup, his ODI adventure will be over.

kumar square drivesKUMAR TALKS unity cup hires-48-2 Kumar’s classical square drive and his encouragement of young cricketers during Unity Cup in Singapore

It has been quite some ride. As Sangakkara has grown into his game, his performances have reached stratospheric levels. The statistics are mind-boggling. In 2014, he scored 2868 runs across the three formats of international cricket, beating Ricky Ponting’s record for runs scored in a calendar year. He has scored over 1000 runs in ODIs in a calendar year for the last four years running, and has done so six times in total. He has accumulated 13,580 ODI runs, which puts him third on the all-time list. He has 20 ODI hundreds and a staggering 93 ODI fifties. He has 472 ODI dismissals to his name, 376 as wicketkeeper, including 96 stumpings. He has won, among others, the ICC’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award in 2011 and 2013, and the Man of the Match in the 2014 World T20 final. Continue reading →

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Filed under Andrew Fidel Fernando, cricket and life, cricketing icons, cricketing records, English cricket, Mahela Jayawardene, performance, reconciliation through sport, Sangakkara, sportsmanship, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, unusual people, welfare through sport, work ethic

February 1, 2015 · 2:27 pm

Sri Lanka and the World Cup in 1975: Striking Images

The photographs are reproduced in reverse temporal order.

98508_Oval Demo one -ESPN 1. Tamil demonstrators invade the field during the World Cup match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Lords 11 June 1975  and lie down in protest — Pic from Fazals photostream in http:www.Flickr.com/photos/

Tamil demo LORDs  2. Ground staff seem to have been the first to intervene … before the bobbies were called in (Pic 3). … obviously we were in an era without heavy security within the grounds. Continue reading →

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Filed under Australian cricket, cricketing icons, Lords cricket ground, Sri Lanka Cricket, tower of strength, violent intrusions, world cup squad