November 6, 2016 · 7:08 am

AFP Report. Coroner’s Verdict on Phil Hughes’ Death: ‘Tiny Misjudgement’

AFP, 6 November 2016, http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/tiny-misjudgement-led-to-phil-hughes-unsurvivable-injury-coroner/story-QPQrHL4KG3AWBHtctD4anJ.html

Australian batsman Phillip Hughes made a “minuscule misjudgement” before he was fatally struck by a cricket ball, a coroner ruled on Friday, attaching no blame to the bowler, verbal abuse or the tactic of sending down short-pitched deliveries. Hughes, who played 26 Tests, died from bleeding on the brain in November 2014 after being hit on the neck by a rising ball from Sean Abbott while batting in a domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The death of the popular 25-year-old, who had risen through the ranks to play for his country, stunned Australia and the world cricket community, sparking an outpouring of grief.

cricket-aus-nzl-hughes-files_fea50f4a-a240-11e6-8b09-4d35dc1d77aaA photo of Phil Hughes is displayed on a scoreboard as a minute of silence is observed before play on the first day of the fourth Test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 6, 2015, less than two months after Hughes’ death. (AFP)

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November 6, 2016 · 6:03 am

Sledging dirties a Beautiful Game, says Coroner Barnes in Hughes’ Inquest Verdict

John Townsend and Daniel Mercer, in The West Australian, 5 November 2016, with the following title “Sledging in the spotlight after Hughes inquiry”

The coronial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes has raised questions around the culture of sledging in cricket. Hughes died in November 2014, two days after being struck by a ball in the back of the head while batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield game against NSW at the SCG. Although NSW Coroner Michael Barnes found no one was to blame, he took aim at what he said was an unhealthy culture of sledging by cricketers, who he urged to “reflect upon whether the practice … is worthy of its participants. An outsider is left to wonder why such a beautiful game would need such an ugly underside,” Mr Barnes said.

Phil Hughes poses for a portrait during a Cricket Australia player camp. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images Continue reading →

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November 6, 2016 · 4:37 am

A Miracle: Steve Smith Rapped on Knuckles for His Dissenting Reaction by Some Australian Commentators

Though Stuart Clark and some Australian commentators implied that Smith was hard done by, Robert Craddock, Ian Chappel and Wayne Smith were among those who upheld Aleem Dar’s decision and reprimanded Steve Smith for the character of his remonstrance. Also note Sangakakra’s decisive opinion on the issue of the Umpire’s cCall for lbw decision and DRS. Michael Roberts

ONE: Robert Craddock, in The Courier Mail, 6 November 2016. where the title is  “Steve Smith walking a perilous tight rope as he struggles to find his identity as a captain”

STEVE Smith is a captain is like a young Steve Waugh, a man searching to find himself but not there yet. It’s no crime for a young captain to have a formulative period where he works out who he is and what he stands for. Some leaders like Mark Taylor knew from the moment he was appointed who he was and what he wanted to do (it helps if you have Warne and McGrath). Taylor barely changed in the five years he had the job. Most leaders take more time. Steve Waugh struggled for a while, trying to be all things to all people before deciding “stuff this … I am just going to back my gut feeling and cop the consequences.’’

Steve Smith is facing a fine for his on-field outburst after being given out LBW. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

It is difficult for Smith to take this stance and be the person he wants to be because there are so many conflicting and confusing forces around him. He is walking on a perilous tight rope which has trouble either side of it. On one hand he senses his side is a quiet one and needs to find his voice and aggression. He wants Australia to get its marauding mojo back.  On the other hand he is aware that in the fallout of the Phil Hughes death, sledging is suddenly a dirty word. So he and his team need to be confident but not arrogant, aggressive but not offensive, loud but not obnoxious. Continue reading →

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November 6, 2016 · 1:30 am

Kumar Sangakkara’s Critique of the Umpire’s Call on LBWs

Kumar Sangakkara on Twitter as quoted recently by Wayne Smith in The Weekend Australian, 5/6th November 2016

“High time the ICC got rid of this umpire’s call. If the ball is hitting the stumsp, it should be out regardless of the umpire’s decision”

Note that Kumar was a law student at the University of Colombo before he discarded that career path for cricket’s roadways. .. and in Brian Scovell’s (of Surrrey) appraisal his Cowdrey Lecture was thee best Scovell has heard ever since it was initiated (recent emial note to Roberts).

aa-kumar

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November 6, 2016 · 1:05 am

Breaking News Today: 1996 World Cup Squad in Victory Jaunt in Australia … Marking a Golden Era

Boasting greater solidity and bodily weight today, the triumphant Sri Lankan cricket team of 1996 were hosted in celbratory manner in the land of the vanquished THEN— in Melbourne, the cricketing centre of the cricketing giants Australia,

aa-996-squad

Rex Clementine, in The Sunday Island, 6 November 2016, where the title runs ” Golden era of Sri Lankan cricket”

The World Cup winning Sri Lankan cricket team has just concluded a trip to Australia to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their triumph on that remarkable night of March 17th 1996 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Seeing images of the team touring Australia brought back nostalgic memories as it was the players of this particular team that formed the nucleus of the side that ushered in the golden era of Sri Lankan cricket. The four year period from 1995 to 1998 can easily be considered as the golden era of Sri Lankan cricket for their outstanding achievements and the fear they created in opposition. They were not as dominant as Clive Lloyd’s West Indies of the 1970s, but the exciting brand of cricket they played helped change the way the sport was played.

 

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November 4, 2016 · 6:34 am

Coroner Barnes exonerates Australian Cricketing Philosophy in Verdict on Hughes’ Incident

Brydon Coverdale in ESPNcricinfo, 5 November 2016, where the title is “Players, umpires cleared of fault in Hughes’ death,”

scales-of-justice  The death of Phillip Hughes was a tragic accident arising from a “minuscule misjudgement” from the batsman and no players or umpires were at fault, according to the New South Wales coroner Michael Barnes.  Mr Barnes on Friday released his findings from the coronial inquest into the death of Hughes, who was struck on the neck by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG in November 2014. Although the coroner determined that Hughes had been targeted by bouncers during his innings, he found that no laws of the game had been breached, and Hughes was well-equipped to deal with such bowling.

“Phillip was targeted by short-pitched balls bowled at or over leg stump or middle stump that placed him in greater danger of being struck,” Mr Barnes said. “Of the 23 bouncers bowled on that day, 20 were bowled to him. However, in view of the evidence of the other players, the presiding umpires, and Mr Taufel [former umpire Simon Taufel], that Phillip was, because of his high level of skill and confidence, comfortably dealing with the short-pitched balls, I conclude that no failure to enforce the laws of the game contributed to his death. The death of  Continue reading →

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November 3, 2016 · 1:12 am

Sri Lanka extract a Win in First Test in Zimbabwe

Detvarayan Muthu, for ESPNcricinfo, with the title reading “Sri Lanka overcome Zimbabwe’s resistance in last-hour win”

Sri Lanka 537 (Kusal Perera 110, Tharanga 110, Cremer 4-142) and 247 for 6 dec. (Karunaratne 110, de Silva 64, Mumba 4-50) beat Zimbabwe 373 (Cremer 102, Moor 79, Lakmal 3-69, Herath 3-97) and 186 (Cremer 43, Dilruwan 3-34, Herath 3-38) by 225 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Graeme Cremer followed his hundred in the first innings with a dogged 43 © Associated Press

Graeme Cremer soaked up 175 balls and 121 dots to lead another lower-order rally and raise Zimbabwe’s hopes of saving their 100th Test, but Sri Lanka dug deep into their reserves to secure a hard-earned victory with 45 balls to spare.When the last hour began, Zimbabwe needed to bat out 15 overs with Cremer on 41 and No. 10 Carl Mumba on 3. Both batsmen played close to their bodies with a straight bat, blocking single-mindedly, and leaving Sri Lanka on the tenterhooks. They negotiated four more overs before Cremer jumped out of the crease and attempted an injudicious flick against the turn, off Rangana Herath, and was stumped for 43. He had faced 351 balls across both innings, the second-most by a No. 8 in a Test behind Wasim Akram’s 363, which incidentally came against Zimbabwe in 1996.

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October 31, 2016 · 1:07 pm

Enter Captain Herath: A Rare Instance of a Spinning Captain

Rex Clementine, in the Island, 24 October 2016, where the title runs “King Herath leads Sri Lanka”
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has been bestowed with the rare honour of leading Sri Lanka in Test cricket after captain Angelo Mathews was ruled out of the tour of Zimbabwe with a calf strain yesterday. Herath, the 38-year-old 73 Test veteran is the most experienced cricketer in international cricket. He is also the only current international cricketer to have made his Test debut in the last millennium. He will become the 14th man to lead Sri Lanka in Test cricket and only the second spinner after D.S. de Silva.

rangana-herath-008 Pic from Guardian

“I am absolutely delighted with this honour,” Herath told The Island. “Chairman of Selectors Sanath Jayasuriya called me up today and informed that Angelo has been ruled out of the series and that I will have to step in as captain,” Herath added. “Having said that, these are difficult circumstances having lost two of our leading players. Both Angelo and Chandi have done remarkably well for us over the years,” Herath further said. Continue reading →

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October 31, 2016 · 6:31 am

A Profound Requeim for Peter Roebuck from Jim Maxwell

Jim Maxwell, in The Weekend Australian 29 October 2016, where the title is  “The Pain of Losing My Mate Roebers,”... with emphasis added by the Editor, Thuppahi,

I have lost count of how many times I have cleared my throat and welcomed people to a Test match, but that morning at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg I struggled. It was the most difficult broadcast of my life. I can turn on a microphone and talk for hours when the covers are on and the rain is falling, but this was a situation I had never encountered.

peter-2 I’d lost one of my best friends. Colleague and commentator Peter Roebuck was gone. He’d jumped out the window of our Cape Town hotel a few days before. Jumped just moments after I had left his room.

I was doing OK, but it was a battle. I tried to shut out emotion and concentrate on the job at hand. He’d have scoffed at me for being so maudlin. I got on with the show.

Ever the internationalist, he disliked nationalism and cheerleading. He was judgmental and decisive in making a point. He took up Australian citizenship. I remember asking what it was like being an Australian. He said: “Being Australian is sitting up the front of the taxi cab, never taking the back seat.” He saw Australia as a country that was striving, vibrant and challenging. Continue reading →

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October 30, 2016 · 1:02 pm

Bangladesh and England Toe-to-Toe in Two Coruscating Test Matches

Cricket at Its Best ! Close  fought Encounters swinging This Way and That Way!  Making nonsense of the Two-Tier Plans of the Mighty!

England beat Bangladesh by just 22 runs in the First Test at  CHIITAGONG earlier 20-24th October

Bangladesh beat England by 108 runs in the Second Test at Mirpur — a difference that was not developed till late in the day because England were 99 for no wickets at one point and the game was in the balance THEN.

Mehedi Hasan Mirza was Man of the Match after taking  6 for 82 at in innings one (at 2.92) and 6 for 77 (at. 3.58) in innings two  

bangla-s-celebrate cook-m-rahim

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