January 29, 2012 · 8:15 am

Sri Lankan Aussies and Greek Aussies celebrate Australia Day thru Cricket

Trevor Rodrigo reporting from Melbourne in Sunday Times

Athula Samarasekera led a spirited Sri Lanka team to a convincing 50-run win over a well balanced Greek side in an exciting T20 cricket encounter organised by Serendib News to mark Australia Day at Sheply Oval, Dandenong. The Sri Lankan side batting first lost quick wickets and at one stage were precariously placed at 54 for 4 with its stars, skipper Samarasekera and former Sri Lanka opening bat Michael Vandort dismissed cheaply. But a superb hustle by the middle order and some lucrative rear guard action saw them recover to make a par score of 141 in their allotted over’s. Greece, with some talented club cricketers in their ranks including Dandenong District cricketer D. Nanapolous, a top all-rounder, were behind the eight ball when they let their opponents off the hook after some tight bowling early, and then faced an imposing target set by the Lankans. Continue reading →

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Filed under Australian cricket, backyard cricket, unusual people

January 28, 2012 · 3:34 pm

Lampooning Indian Cricketers as Asylum-Seekers

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Filed under cricket and life, cricket in India, fair play, farewell game, foul tactics, performance, politics and cricket, Test rankings, unusual people, welfare through sport

January 28, 2012 · 2:37 pm

India: shredded in England, now pulped in Australia

Gideon Haigh, in The Weekend Australian, 28-29 January 2012, with different title:“Tourists have gone in circles rather than thinking in cycles”

RAHUL Dravid was widely and justly praised for his Bradman Oration last month. He has also proven prophetic. “Creaking terminators”: his droll, self-mocking description of India’s top order has turned out to be almost unimproveable. Yesterday at Adelaide Oval, they ground finally to a halt, and a remorseless Australian attack rolled right over the top of them.

 Pic from AFP

The visitors’ four mighty batsmen, weighty with honours and worth 45,000 Test runs, slouched towards the exits of their careers, the victims of good bowling, if not perhaps in each case of particularly good balls. They moved off pensively – in Virender Sehwag’s case at a meditative limp, holding the bat at its toe, analogous to a flag at half-mast.

Often times we talk of a player who has gone on a game too far. There is a case to be made that this Indian team has since its World Cup victory gone on a year too far, or at least gone in circles when it should have been thinking in cycles. Its reputation, shredded in England, has here been pulped. Continue reading →

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Filed under Australian cricket, cricket in India, Gideon Haigh, performance, Test rankings

January 28, 2012 · 2:26 pm

India, IPL and Twenty20 Vision

Michael Atherton, in The Weekend Australian, 28-29 January 2012

CRICKET writers these days think long and hard before they pass judgment on the Indian game. The Twittersphere is awash with examples of irate Indian “supporters” lashing out at perceived slights.  The language of debate is always unreasonable and often disgraceful, a reminder that out east, cricket is much more than a game.

So reader comments need to be understood in that context where Indian cricket is concerned, which made those underneath a recent piece on Cricinfo all the more interesting. “Way to go”, “decision to be applauded”, “positive step for the right reasons”, “good decision”, “fantastic move” were just some of the comments and then, revealingly, “it should always be your country first, and then the rest”. Continue reading →

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Filed under Australian cricket, cricket in India, cricket tamashas, IPL, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, T20 Cricket

January 28, 2012 · 2:09 pm

Clementine’s slashing criticism of Sri Lanka Cricket’s treatment of Marsh

Rex Clementine, in the Island, 23 Janaury 2012 with different title: “Greats retire hurt, jokers go places” …. see END for Web editor’s comment

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has not yet explained why it decided to  sack Head Coach Geoff Marsh. But, it is common knowledge he was removed due to  political reasons. We are in a position to confirm that the decision to replace  Marsh was taken even before the national team had lost the ODI series. The announcement from Graham Ford that he was quitting as coach  in Natal to achieve his dream of coaching an international side came prior to  the third ODI in Bloemfontein and the tourists had not lost the series by then.
  No disrespect to Ford, who has a proven track record, but  The Island learns that the new coach is a pet of certain influential  elements of Sri Lankan cricket with political clout and interesting times are  ahead with Sri Lanka scheduled to host country’s biggest sporting event ever;  the ICC World T-20 in September. Continue reading →

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Filed under cricket governance, cricketer politicians, performance, player selections, Sri Lanka Cricket

January 28, 2012 · 1:26 am

Dharmadasa defends overhaul in cricket team governance

R. K. Radhakrishnan, in The Hindu, with different title, viz., “SLC attempts damage control after stinging criticism”

Sri Lanka Cricket attempted some damage control late on Friday, stung by criticism over the manner in which it has handled the issue of changing its coach, and its revolving door policy on Captains and selectors.In an “urgent press release” issued on Friday afternoon, it assured “the Cricket loving public here in Sri Lanka and to our numerous fans that support Sri Lanka Cricket globally that we will reap the benefits of these changes in the fullness of time.”

Defending the choice of Mahela Jayewardene, 35, to lead the team for an ODI series – when his own form has been poor – SLC said, he was appointed “taking into consideration his capabilities, skill level coupled with his authoritative and modest personality as a leader, who will guide our youngsters and the team to greater heights. This change will also help Dilshan to concentrate more on his game, to play his Cricket with a free mind by not taking the burden of Captaincy on his shoulder. We strongly believe Dilshan’s contribution will be much more if he is relived of additional responsibility. This will help the teams overhaul performance.” Continue reading →

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January 24, 2012 · 12:33 pm

India as Cricketing Goliath that is yet Dinosaur

Quote of the day from Ramesh Thakur: “In rejecting the use of the best available technology to assist umpires and rectify the few mistakes they make, the BCCI has also shown itself to be a dinosaur. In effect, the BCCI position is: technology cannot guarantee 100 per cent accuracy, so we will stay with 80 per cent accuracy rather than move to 90 per cent.”

Web Editor: I have welcomed the DRS system from its first inception and cannot understand the argument sof such dinosaurs as bRad Hoog who pine for the return of the ‘human element” –their euphemism for retatingin old ways — in this particualr sphere. Again, my evaluation of Sachin Tendulkar as cricketing great will be severely constrained by the fact that he is said to be one of the forces who have resisted the DRS in the Indian cricketing world view (grapevine information).

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January 24, 2012 · 12:20 pm

India’s Cricket Debacle mirrors India’s Poor Governance

Ramesh Thakur, in The Australian, 16 January 2011

THE sense of let-down from Team India’s Test performance results from the yawning gap between reputation and results.  The humiliation could yet be channelled constructively to address clusters of failures at three levels. Most critical commentary has highlighted individual failures, technical deficiencies and flaws: dependence on ageing superstars, repeated failures by newcomers to stand and deliver, substandard fielding, a casual approach to training and practice, the absence of strike bowlers, etc.

The positions of captain and coach need urgent attention, including splitting between long and short formats. M.S. Dhoni has been brilliant in the one day international format, where the task is to restrict the opposition and blast a big score amid fielding and bowling restrictions. In the Test arena, with the requirement to bowl out opponents twice and build an innings amid testing conditions, he is ultra-defensive and lacks creative flair. Continue reading →

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Filed under cricket governance, cricket in India, financial scandal, IPL, performance, politics and cricket, work ethic

January 23, 2012 · 1:24 pm

Sri Lanka A Squad yearning for England A Stoush — Two Notices

Match schedule:
January 27: 1st ODI at Rangiri Dambulla ICS
January 29: 2nd ODI at Rangiri Dambulla ICS
January 31: 3rd ODI at Welagedara Stadium, Kurunegala
February 3: 4th ODI at R. Premadasa ICS, Colombo
February 6: 5th ODI at R. Premadasa ICS, Colombo

“Kandambi’s army itching to prove a point” — by Naushad Amit in Sunday Times, 22 January 2012

Sri Lanka ‘A’ coach, Romesh Kaluwitharana speaking to the Sunday Times on the forthcoming series against England ‘A’ emphasised the need of exposure for the players who are expected to fit into the national side. He said while preparing the Sri Lanka ‘A’ side which is relatively stronger than before with a batch of 10 national players will take on England ‘A’ in a bilateral ODI series consisting five matches beginning from January 27.

“This series is played on home soil and much will be anticipated from the local cricket fans as we play at three different venues in the country. We have always made it a point to plan the games aiming to win as end of the day it’s an encounter. But from another aspect Sri Lanka ‘A’ is all about grooming players to the national team,” Kaluwitharana said. Continue reading →

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Filed under BBC sinhala service, performance, player selections

January 23, 2012 · 1:15 pm

Asantha De Mel considers Sri Lanka’s Cricket Selections

BBC Sandeshaya Service

The Sri Lankan cricket team do have enough talent and it is for the players to enhance their performances, says the newly appointed chief selector. Asantha de Mel, who replaced Duleep Mendis as the head of selection committee, said the new selectors will discuss the issues related to the recent poor performance of the team when the squad is back in Sri Lanka after their current tour of South Africa. Sri Lanka has only secured a single Test win, a historic win against South Africa in South Africa, since spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan retired from Test cricket, last year.

The team has also failed to secure a single series since Tillekaratne Dilshan’s took over the reigns from Kumar Sangakkara, at the end of cricket World Cup co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Continue reading →

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Filed under patriotic excess, player selections, politics and cricket, Test rankings