From ESPNcricinfo
Kumar Sangakkara is congratulated by Virat Kohli, Sri Lanka v India, 1st Test, Galle, 4th day, August 15, 2015 ©Associated Press
Category Archives: technology and cricket
Saluting the other Kumar
Rex Wijewardena, in The Island, 11 May 2015, with title “Let’s salute the other Kumar”
Sri Lanka’s hopes in the ICC Cricket World Cup crashed at the hands of South Africa on that fateful day in Sydney. The much anticpated quarter-final clash ended in an anti climax with the Sri Lankans gifting a part-time spin bowler a hat-trick. While the Sri Lankans had lost interest in the rest of the tournament once their team crashed out, the elevation of our own Kumar Dharmasena to officiate the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup at MCG was truly a honour. Continue reading
A Lost Tour Resurrected: Richardson & Bradman’s Aussie Tour of America in 1932
Don Bradman’s North American tour opens up on film … ABC News (Australia) …. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijx14YGtLbE&feature=em-share_video_user…. recovered from some spot in Canada … and introduced and elaborated upon by Mike Sexton, Simon Smith, Don Beard Malcolm Knox and Ian Chappell. The Australian team was captained by Victor Richardson of South Australia and his grand-nephew Ian Chappell adds some insider insights. But perhaps the most informative comments come from Bradman’s close friend Don Beard of Adelaide (himself an institution in the state). 
Continue reading
Transparency at the Toss: Reforming the Protocols at Televised Cricket
Michael Roberts
Pic from www.ft.lk
At the World Cup Match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the SCG on the 8th March 2015 the designated home team captain, in this case Michael Clarke, tossed the coin by stepping away from the cluster so that the florin landed some distance away. The Match Referee, Jeff Crowe, walked over and indicated that Angelo Mathews had called wrong. So Clarke and Australia were able to bat first on what turned out to be “a gem of a batting pitch”[i] (undermining the pitch-readings of the several ‘experts’ as well as the hopes of the Sri Lankan team).
Once the match was done and dusted, however, one Sri Lankan chain-mail ‘blogger’ raised questions about the tossing result: claiming that Clarke’s move was a deliberate ploy designed to win a crucial call. Though not asserted explicitly, this outrageous allegation implied that Jeff Crowe was part of a conspiracy. Such accusations cannot be sustained. As Michael de Zoysa told me (on Skype, 7 April 2015), Jeff Crowe is a gentleman through and through, his rectitude impeccable. Continue reading
Mike Marqusee from his Grave: Reviewing the 2011 World Cup
Mike Marqusee ** originally published in The Hindu, 20 March 2011 and http://www.mikemarqusee.com/?p=1154 and then presented in cricketiue
At the outset of this World Cup, both the format and the event were on trial. Questions about its pre-eminence in the global game had been raised not only by the best forgotten 2007 instalment but even more by the rise of T20 and the IPL. While it’s too early to say, at the half way point the tournament seem to be answering these questions in the affirmative. At least that’s what it looks like sprawled in front of a TV screen in faraway London.
First, it’s clear, surely, that the 50 over format has plenty of life left in it and remains a much richer, more satisfying spectacle than T20. Fifty overs allows the batsman to build an innings; indeed, it demands it. It’s not just a question of the amount of time but how to use it effectively. Changing gears – which means having more than one or two gears to change through – is an art unique to cricket batting and it plays no role in T20. What’s more, to succeed over the longer duration batters need to play strokes all around the wicket, exploiting the full 360 degrees. It might be said that whereas T20 matches are won by the field placings thwarting the batsman, 50 over matches are won by the batsman thwarting the field placings.The new wrinkle of the batting “powerplay” (I wish they had thought up a less macho name) has proved unpredictable, tactically demanding and in some cases decisive. This moveable five over stretch has expanded the room for comebacks – real comebacks from a losing position that are much more convincing than the helter-skelter swings of the pendulum of T20.
Home Umpires favour Own Teams in Cricket Test Matches
The introduction of neutral umpires in Test cricket led to a drop in the number of LBW decisions going in favor of home teams, a study has revealed. The findings from research by economists, published by the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, come amidst renewed debate on whether neutral umpiring is still required in Test matches following the introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS). Continue reading
Without DRS Technology the Test Lottery spins away from India
Chloe Saltau, in the Sydney Morning Herald, 13 December 2014, where the title is “Absence of review allows umpiring shockers in first Test” … http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/absence-of-review-allows-umpiring-shockers-in-first-test-20141213-126j1s.html
Spinner Nathan Lyon produced a man-of-the-match performance in Australia’s first Test win at Adelaide Oval. India’s refusal to accept the decision review system in its current form meant four umpiring howlers of the kind the system was designed to eliminate went unchallenged on the tense final day of the Adelaide Test.
But the absence of the contentious DRS from this series cut both ways. Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan was given out, caught behind, off his shoulder. And Nathan Lyon was denied the wicket of Dhawan’s opening partner Murali Vijay, despite the Eagle Eye ball-tracker showing the ball crashing into his stumps. Continue reading
A Freak BLOW at Unusual Spot ruptured an Artery … and spelt doom for Phil Hughes
Brydon Coverdale: “Hughes suffered extremely rare, freak injury to neck,” … http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/803763.html
Boycott on Cricketing Life before Helmets and Cricket AFTER
Geoff Boycott in The Daily Telegraph where the title is “Phil Hughes injury: Helmets have made batsmen feel impregnable” and where there are numerous comments
The young Boycott –www.cricket365.co.za 
The older Boycott – www.nigelfarndale.com
Most of my career I batted on uncovered pitches without a helmet. This taught me how important it was to have a good technique and courage against fast bowling. Why? Because you required judgment of what to leave, when to duck and when to play the ball. But you had to be even more careful about attempting to hook because at the back of your mind you knew that if you made a mistake you could get seriously hurt.
I once asked Len Hutton, a great iconic player, whether he hooked Ray Lindwall or Keith Miller. He said he once tried it at the Oval and he got halfway through the shot then cut it out because out of the corner of his eye he could see the hospital. That tells you everything.
Phil Hughes on the way down after freak hit — www.mirror.co.uk & Getty Continue reading
Sachithra Senanayake rehabilitation to be put to the test soon
S R Pathiravithana, in the Sunday Times, 9 November 2014, where the title is: “Senanayake will not be re-tested privately”
The Lankan off spinner Sachithra Senanayake who completed the rehabilitation of his bowling action will not be going in for a private screening
before being exposed to an ICC re-scrutiny. Earlier it was said that on the recommendations of the Max Academy coaching panel who worked with Senanayake in his comeback had opined that he be initially tested once again privately prior to his ICC re-scrutiny.
before being exposed to an ICC re-scrutiny. Earlier it was said that on the recommendations of the Max Academy coaching panel who worked with Senanayake in his comeback had opined that he be initially tested once again privately prior to his ICC re-scrutiny.Ashley de Silva Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket told the Sunday Times that the SLC does not intend sending the Lankan off spinner for a Private screening. He said “We will be requesting the ICC for a date soon to re-scrutinize Senanayake’s bowling action and we hope that we would get a date by the End of this month”.
When asked where they intend sending the bowler in question for the ICC study, de Silva said “We have no control over that. It is the ICC which will decide as to where Senanayake would be directed. “
Senanayake was reported about the illegalities in his bowling action by ICC officials and was sent to the Cardiff University, Wales for scrutiny. There the panel who tested his bowling action found the straightening of his elbow to be more than the ICC stipulated tolerance level of 15 degrees and banned him from bowling at competitive level.
Subsequently Senanayake was sent to the University of Western Australia for rehabilitation before the Max Academy experts had begun their work. Once the Max Academy panel was satisfied, Senanayake made a comeback to top level cricket during the ongoing Mercantile Premier League tournament.
Sangakkara receives a memento, and that is all from the presentation. That is all for now from us, you can also WATCH the highlights from this game (excluding Canada and Sri Lanka). Good bye
Angelo Mathews: “What a turnaround. I am speechless, Great effort. Was a poor batting performance in the first innings. but we came back. Chandimal was outstanding, he single-handedly got us to a fighting score. The wicket was pretty demanding, we were down and out for three and a half days. We have good quality spinners, just go out there and try to be positive, bowl in good areas. They had three spinners and the wicket was turning quite a lot. We had to play positively, we had to play our shots, sweeps, reverse sweeps.”
Virat Kohli: “We got no one to blame but ourselves (watch India’s collapse here). Credit to Angelo and his team. We failed to capitalise after taking the first five wickets (in the second innings), we should have finished the game in that session, one bad session and the game can turn, that is how Test cricket is. Rangana Herath is an outstanding bowler, he put our batsmen under pressure. It behaved strangely it looked hard on the frst morning. Angelo chose to bat, it started spinning, in our first innings it played nicely, we got a good total. We through it would get more difficult , the way Dinesh and the others batted, they kept Sri Lanka in the hunt.