Category Archives: West Indian Cricket

May 10, 2017 · 2:49 am

Brian Lara to deliver Cowdrey Lecture in 2017

West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara will deliver the 2017 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s on Monday 4 September.

Lara is set to become the second West Indian to give the Lecture, after Clive Lloyd imparted the keynote address in 2006. Following the speech, a question and answer session with Lara and a selected panel of cricketers, hosted by Mark Nicholas, will discuss topics arising from the Lecture and other cricketing issues.

The MCC Spirit of Cricket Lecture has become a notable feature in the cricketing calendar, provoking debate and discussion on the major issues facing the game today. This year’s Lecture will take place in the week of the Investec Test Match between England and West Indies at Lord’s. Previous speakers at the event include the Most Reverend Dr Desmond Tutu (2008), Kumar Sangakkara (2011) and Sir Ian Botham (2014). The inaugural address was delivered in 2001 by the late Richie Benaud.

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April 24, 2017 · 8:48 am

Ranjan Mellawa’s Pursuit of Cricket Luv’ly Cricket

Elmo Jayawardena, with the title Winds Behind The Willows – The Full Monty to Cricket

One has to know something about cricket to enjoy this magnificent book. Suited me ideally as I do not know much about cricket matters but like almost all Sri Lankans I too am connected umbilically to international cricket and especially when the home country is at the crease. Let me try and express my views on author Ranjan Mellawa writing a book. I can categorically state that if not the bull’s eye, he certainly has hit pretty close to it as a new author in his maiden venture on cricket journalism.

The man has managed to vagabond his way to be present at six World Cup finals. That alone gives him credentials to be somewhat an expert on the international scene from a spectator’s point of view. Ranjan has been an ardent cricket fan. He’s played too, starting with a plastic bat as a kid to rustic cricket in neighborhood tennis-ball matches. From there he graduated to club level domestic league. Hence, his story begins at grass-root level and then blossoms and spreads wild and wide taking him to the world of international cricket as a die-hard knowledgeable fan. Continue reading →

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February 18, 2017 · 1:35 am

Wow! A Legendary Barbadian XI that would rule the Cricketing World

ESPNCRIClNFO STAFF: An All-time Barbados XI ……. http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/1069883.htm

Barbados is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence. Is this selection of Bajan players from over the years better than most Test teams?

Gordon Greenidge: First-class record
Innings: 889
Runs: 37,354
Average: 45.88

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December 3, 2016 · 9:28 am

Cricket Luv’ly Cricket in November in Zimbabwe Tri Series

Michael Roberts

Lord Superior, the epitome of Caribbean flair and calypso rythm- FOR CRICKET

In the cricketing world of Australia and the dominant nations the Triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe between Zimbabwe, West indies and Sri Lanka passed without notice. Such partialities in the world are par for the course. But the course of that series was hardly, well, par – hardly sedate. Apart from rain interference and no result matches, there were three tight matches – very tight in fact because the result was not known till the last over.

The West Indians sustained their recent reputation for unpredictability. In recent years they have revealed a capacity to win T20 matches from nowhere with remarkable batting in the death overs. But, in Zimbabwe, they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the 6^th Match after previously ending up tying a game which had seemed in their bag – again with Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe batsman Sikanda Raza Butt (C) celebrates a wicket during the sixth match in the Blue Mountain Achilleion tri-series played between West Indies and hosts Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, November 25, 2016. / AFP / Jekesai Njikizana (Photo credit should read JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)

Zimbabwe’s wicket keeper Peter Moor (R) shakes hands with West Indies batsman Shai Hope after Zimbabwe defeated West Indies during the third tri-nation One Day International (ODI) cricket match between Zimbabwe and West Indies at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on November 19, 2016. / AFP / Jekesai Njikizana (Photo credit should read JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)

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October 25, 2016 · 2:01 pm

Windies A Team mauls Sri Lankan A in First ODI

ESPN Cricinf

West Indies A 267/6 (50 ov)

Sri Lanka A 102 (32.3 ov)

West Indies A won by 165 runs

West Indies A in Sri Lanka unofficial ODI Series – 1st unofficial ODI

List A match | 2016/17 season

Played at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium

24,25 October 2016 (50-over match)

West Indies A innings (50 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
CAK Walton†	c Milantha b Rajitha	16	12	2	1	133.33
4.5 caught Milantha 40/1
KA Hope	b Aponso	81	112	8	0	72.32
39.5 bowled 174/4
AB Fudadin	c Shanaka b Aponso	14	10	2	1	140.00
7.6 caught Shanaka 63/2
ADS Fletcher	c Shanaka b Siriwardana	26	59	2	0	44.06
25.3 caught Shanaka 111/3
JN Mohammed*	c Asalanka b Fernando	58	71	5	0	81.69
49.2 caught Asalanka 263/5
R Powell	c Siriwardana b Fernando	55	35	3	3	157.14
49.4 caught Siriwardana 265/6
KR Mayers	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00

V Permaul	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00

Extras	(lb 1, w 9, nb 5)	15
Total	(6 wickets; 50 overs)	267	(5.34 runs per over)

Did not batJL Jaggesar, DE Johnson, RR Beaton

Fall of wickets 1-40 (Walton, 4.5 ov), 2-63 (Fudadin, 7.6 ov), 3-111 (Fletcher, 25.3 ov), 4-174 (Hope, 39.5 ov), 5-263 (Mohammed, 49.2 ov), 6-265 (Powell, 49.4 ov)

Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
CAK Rajitha	7	0	54	1	7.71	(1nb, 1w)
4.5 to Walton, caught Milantha 40/1
B Fernando	7	0	45	2	6.42	(2w)
49.2 to Mohammed, caught Asalanka 263/5 49.4 to Powell, caught Siriwardana 265/6
MA Aponso	10	0	44	2	4.40	(1w)
7.6 to Fudadin, caught Shanaka 63/2 39.5 to Hope, bowled 174/4
MD Shanaka	5	0	21	0	4.20	(1w)

DSNFG Jayasuriya	9	0	45	0	5.00	(2w)

TAM Siriwardana	10	1	47	1	4.70	(1w)
25.3 to Fletcher, caught Shanaka 111/3
KIC Asalanka	2	0	10	0	5.00

Sri Lanka A innings (target: 268 runs from 50 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
DS Weerakkody	c †Walton b Johnson	3	6	0	0	50.00
1.2 caught †Walton 5/1
MD Gunathilaka	c Hope b Beaton	20	15	4	0	133.33
6.1 caught Hope 26/3
BKEL Milantha	c †Walton b Johnson	2	14	0	0	14.28
5.4 caught †Walton 26/2
M Bhanuka†	c & b Jaggesar	15	22	3	0	68.18
14.3 caught & 49/5
TAM Siriwardana*	c Fletcher b Beaton	0	3	0	0	0.00
6.4 caught Fletcher 26/4
KIC Asalanka	c Mayers b Jaggesar	17	41	2	0	41.46
18.3 caught Mayers 64/6
MD Shanaka	st †Walton b Jaggesar	10	23	1	0	43.47
22.4 stumped †Walton 75/7
DSNFG Jayasuriya	c Mayers b Beaton	24	49	1	1	48.97
32.3 caught Mayers 102/10
B Fernando	b Jaggesar	0	1	0	0	0.00
22.5 bowled 75/8
MA Aponso	lbw b Permaul	5	14	0	0	35.71
27.6 lbw 84/9
CAK Rajitha	not out	1	7	0	0	14.28

Extras	(b 1, w 4)	5
Total	(all out; 32.3 overs)	102	(3.13 runs per over)

Fall of wickets 1-5 (Weerakkody, 1.2 ov), 2-26 (Milantha, 5.4 ov), 3-26 (Gunathilaka, 6.1 ov), 4-26 (Siriwardana, 6.4 ov), 5-49 (Bhanuka, 14.3 ov), 6-64 (Asalanka, 18.3 ov), 7-75 (Shanaka, 22.4 ov), 8-75 (Fernando, 22.5 ov), 9-84 (Aponso, 27.6 ov), 10-102 (Jayasuriya, 32.3 ov)

Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
RR Beaton	6.3	1	26	3	4.00	(2w)
6.1 to Gunathilaka, caught Hope 26/3 6.4 to Siriwardana, caught Fletcher 26/4 32.3 to Jayasuriya, caught Mayers 102/10
DE Johnson	4	0	19	2	4.75
1.2 to Weerakkody, caught †Walton 5/1 5.4 to Milantha, caught †Walton 26/2
KR Mayers	7	2	19	0	2.71

JL Jaggesar	10	2	29	4	2.90	(1w)
14.3 to Bhanuka, caught & 49/5 18.3 to Asalanka, caught Mayers 64/6 22.4 to Shanaka, stumped †Walton 75/7 22.5 to Fernando, bowled 75/8
V Permaul	5	1	8	1	1.60
27.6 to Aponso, lbw 84/9

Match details

Toss – West Indies A
Series – West Indies A led the 3-match series 1-0

Umpires – RMPJ Rambukwella and PN Udawatta
Match referee – U Warnapura
Reserve umpire – ID Gunawardene

Close of play

Mon, 24 Oct – day 1 – West Indies A 69/2 (KA Hope 28*, ADS Fletcher 7*, 12.5 ov)
Tue, 25 Oct – day 2 – Sri Lanka A 102 (32.3 ov) – end of match

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October 23, 2016 · 2:06 am

Enter Jeffrey Vandersay. In the Footsteps of Warne? Yeah … and Nay., Nay

Rex Clementine, in The Sunday Island, 23 October 2016, where the title reads ” Fate has forced Vandersay to wait patiently”

With the exit of Shane Warne, for a few years, leg-spin looked a dying art. But Pakistan’s Yasir Shah has kept cricket’s most difficult art alive. Last year, as Pakistan won in Sri Lanka after nine years, the leg-spinner took 24 wickets. He became the quickest Pakistani to take 50 wickets in Tests and became the first leg-spinner since Warne to be ranked as world’s number one bowler. He is following on the footsteps of other remarkable Pakistani leg-spinners such as Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed.

Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay was out of cricket for more than six months and on Friday spun Sri Lanka ‘A’ to a series win over West Indies ‘A’ taking six wickets in the second innings at Dambulla.

But Yasir, unlike Warne, heavily depends on his stock delivery. Warne was outstanding because he had excellent control over his variations like the googly (one that turns the opposite way), the top spinner (one that doesn’t turn but dips sharpy and bounces higher), the flipper (one that skids through and keeps low), the slider (the faster one). Sri Lanka could provide the answer for the complete package of Warne as there’s a leg-spinner who is obsessed with Warne. Jeffrey Vandersay is his name. Continue reading →

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October 22, 2016 · 10:38 am

Several Stars in Sri Lanka’s A Team’s Defeat of the Windies A in Third Test

ESPNcricinfo Staff, where the title is “Jeffrey Vandersay’s six-for headlines Sri Lanka A’s series win”

Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay took 6 for 47 in the final innings to lead Sri Lanka A to victory in Dambulla. West Indies A were set a target of 333 but with no one even managing a fifty, the hosts wrapped up a 138-run victory, and with it the series 2-1.The chase had begun positively with Kieran Powell, who had briefly flirted with a career in baseball, back at the top of the order and kicking things off with a 41-ball 44. West Indies A were 124 for 3 – chugging along at a run-rate just under four – when Vandersay blitzed through their middle order to bowl them out for 194. He took two wickets in the 48th over, including that of captain and top-scorer Shamarh Brooks for 46, handed the opposition five of their six single-digit scores and completed his ninth five-for in 29 first-class matches.

Sri Lanka’s Jeffrey Vandersay drops a catch off South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis during the World T20 cricket tournament match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at The Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Ground in New Delhi on March 28, 2016. / AFP / PRAKASH SINGH (Photo credit should read PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images)

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October 7, 2016 · 10:08 am

Sri Lanka A beat Windies A

from ESPNcricinfo

West Indies A 276 & 175

Sri Lanka A 386 & 67/3 (20.3 ov)

Sri Lanka A won by 7 wickets

West Indies A in Sri Lanka unofficial Test Series – 1st unofficial Test

First-class match | 2016/17 season

Played at Khettarama Stadium, Colombo

4,5,6,7 October 2016 (4-day match)

West Indies A 1st innings		R	B	4s	6s	SR
R Chandrika	lbw b Kumara	5	6	0	0	83.33
KOA Powell	c Thirimanne b SANJ Fernando	36	48	4	0	75.00
JD Campbell	c †Dickwella b Gunaratne	12	35	1	0	34.28
SSJ Brooks*	lbw b Gunaratne	65	107	9	0	60.74
VA Singh	c Thirimanne b Asalanka	96	187	9	0	51.33
RRS Cornwall	c Thirimanne b Sandakan	1	7	0	0	14.28
JN Hamilton†	c Thirimanne b Gunaratne	0	2	0	0	0.00
KAJ Roach	not out	45	116	3	2	38.79
G Moti-Kanhai	lbw b Asalanka	3	12	0	0	25.00
K Joseph	b AM Fernando	0	6	0	0	0.00
RH Leveridge	lbw b AM Fernando	0	1	0	0	0.00
Extras	(b 4, w 2, nb 7)	13
Total	(all out; 86.4 overs)	276	(3.18 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-7 (Chandrika, 1.1 ov), 2-56 (Campbell, 13.6 ov), 3-56 (Powell, 14.2 ov), 4-181 (Brooks, 49.5 ov), 5-182 (Cornwall, 50.6 ov), 6-185 (Hamilton, 51.3 ov), 7-251 (Singh, 79.1 ov), 8-261 (Moti-Kanhai, 81.6 ov), 9-276 (Joseph, 86.3 ov), 10-276 (Leveridge, 86.4 ov)

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August 28, 2016 · 9:09 am

Appreciating Sr Garfield Sobers … as he reaches four score years

Thc Cricket Monthly on “The man who could do everything”

The greatest all-round cricketer that ever was and may ever be. As a tribute on his 80th birthday we invited his team-mates, opponents and observers to share their memories of Garry Sobers. Bottom line: he was a genius like no other (and loads of fun too)……

The Moment of Knghthood

Everton Weekes, former West Indies batsman
I have seen Garry Sobers since he was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Barbados. I had only started playing for West Indies then. Soon after that he joined us in the West Indies dressing room as a 17-year-old youngster. I remember him saying he was more nervous sitting in the dressing room than running around the field because of seeing himself sit next to the name players.

We never had to teach him anything. He taught himself. He started making runs, taking wickets and holding catches to overcome that nervousness.

The only thing I once told him is when we were batting together in England. Frank Tyson, who was supposed to be the fastest bowler in the world at the time, was bowling to Garry, who had a very high backlift. I told him to be careful otherwise Tyson could get him with a yorker. Oh yes, he survived.

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August 1, 2016 · 4:22 pm