Critiquing Cricket

February 18, 2020 · 9:30 am

Massacre! Sri Lankan Women annihilate England Women in Warm-Up Match

Michael Roberts ….. and I was present!

Excellent catching and smart work supported a good bowling performance with Sashikala Siriwardene snaring 4 wkts and Chamari Atapattu getting three wkts, and two run-outs being effected, saw England restricted to 122 runs for 9 wkts in their twenty overs.

Chamari Hasini Sashikala

The lefties Chamari Atapattu (78 n.o. in 59 balls) and Hasini Perera (29 n. o.) then hammered 123 runs in 12.3 overs to overhaul one of the top-rated Elevens in the T20 competition in the warm/up match at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide. Chamari’s tally included five sixes.

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Filed under Sri Lanka Cricket, T20 Cricket, womens' cricket

February 11, 2020 · 10:27 am

Naveed Nawaz: Sri Lankan Coach with All-Conquering Bangladesh U19 Squad

Bipin Dani, in bdcricktime, 11 February 2010 where the title is “Sri Lanka hand in Bangladesh U-19 win”

Read the full story here https://www.bdcrictime.com/sri-lanka-hand-in-bangladesh-u-19-win/

Bangladesh’s triumph in the U-19 World Cup has a Sri Lanka connection to it. Former middle order batsman Naveed Nawaz, who played one Test and 3 ODIs’ under Sanath Jayasuriya is the head coach of the victorious Bangla team. Speaking exclusively over telephone from South Africa a day after the Tigers won the U-19 World Cup against India, he said, “Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) invested heavily on these boys. I saw these boys become mature and learn fast. Changing habits and being positive to change was the main slogan I used along with my staff.”

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Filed under Bangladesh cricket, child of empire, cricket and life, cricket tamashas, memorable moments, performance, Under 19 cricket, unusual people

February 10, 2020 · 4:14 am

India’s Rise to Superpower Status in Cricket

Gideon Haigh, in The Australian, 24 January 2020 with this title

In December 2011, Rahul Dravid delivered a justly celebrated speech at the Australian War Memorial, the Bradman Oration, lyrically evoking the plurality and diversity of cricket in the subcontinent. “The Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm,” he said, describing a dressing room drawn from every corner of the country that spoke 15 different languages and stood “not just for sport, but possibility, hope, opportunities”.

The All-India cricket team prior to their match against Sussex at Hove in 1911.

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February 10, 2020 · 3:02 am

Bangla Under 19 Lift World Cup in Sturdy Display

Playing away from Asian conditions Bangladesh Under 19 Squad revealed heir prowess against such teams as South Africa (home side) and Australia and yesterday took on the mighty Indian team low-scoring match on a difficult wicket and eked out a fighting win … The Player of that match was their captain Akbar Ali; while the player of the tournament was Yashasvi Jaiswal …….. Michael Roberts

POTCHEFSTROOM, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 09: Mohammad Akbar Ali of Bangladesh sweeps the ball towards the boundary, as Dhruv Jurel of India looks on during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Super League Final match between India and Bangladesh at JB Marks Oval on February 09, 2020 in Potchefstroom, South Africa. (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

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Filed under Indian cricket, performance, spinning art, Under 19 cricket, unusual people, unusual statistics

February 5, 2020 · 3:12 am

The Kusal Perera Saga: Ashantha’s Comprehensive Dissection

Sa’adi Thawfeeq in Daily News 5 February 2020, with this title “The Kusal Perera saga”

Many opinions has been expressed and many words written on the exclusion of Kusal Perera from the Test squad to Zimbabwe. Perera as you may remember played one of the greatest match-winning innings in Test cricket against South Africa guiding his team to an epic one-wicket win at Durban hitting an unbeaten 153 as Sri Lanka chased down 304.

But since then Perera’s scores in Test cricket have been 20, 1, 23, 0 and 0. However the selectors persisted with him and took him to Pakistan but with the return of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal both of whom missed the South African series, he lost his place in the Test team and was pushed to the rank of reserves.

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, cricket and life, cricket governance, memorable moments, performance, player selections, politics and cricket, Sa'adi Thawfeeq, Sri Lanka Cricket

February 4, 2020 · 1:32 pm

Bright Under 19 Prospects for Stardom?

ESPNcricinfostaff compendium

Between them, Ian Bishop and Tom Moody have watched many Under-19 World Cups, through their time as respected broadcasters. Moody is also a widely respected coach around the world, most recently on the franchise T20 circuit. ESPNcricinfo caught up with them on the latest Stump Mic podcast, where they looked at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup so far, explained why only a few youth cricketers graduate to the senior level in international cricket, and the importance of the “eye test” – how talent-spotting at this level goes beyond statistics, and is a craft perfected over years of experience.

Haider Ali’s balance and cover-driving reminds Ian Bishop of Babar Azam Getty Images

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February 3, 2020 · 3:28 pm

Kusal Mendis: Near a Milestone despite Recent Pitfalls

Rex Clementine, in Sunday Island, 2 February 2020, where the title is “Mendis on the verge of crucial milestone”

Young Kusal Mendis, who turned 25 today (Sunday) is on the brink of a crucial milestone. He is just five runs short to complete 3000 Test runs, a feat achieved by only 13 other Sri Lankans. He will also become the second youngest Sri Lankan to reach the milestone when England visit the island later next month. Mahela Jayawardene, who achieved the landmark at the age of 24 is the youngest and quickest Sri Lankan to get there (65 innings). If Kusal keeps his appetite for big runs like Mahela, there is little doubt that he would join the 10,000 club of which Mahela and Kumar Sangakkara are members.

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Filed under Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jayawardene, player selections, politics and cricket, Rex Clementine, Sangakkara, unusual people

February 3, 2020 · 7:24 am

Bradman’s Last Hurrah! A Duck!

Dan Coliasimone, in ABCnet, 1 February 2020, where the title runs “The inside story of Don Bradman’s final innings duck”

“Out from the pavilion came the short, slight, little figure whose name will still be in bright lights as long as cricket is played.” This is how a contemporary newspaper report set the scene for Sir Donald Bradman’s last innings.

Bradman b. Hollies… 00 — Photo supplied by State Library of South Australia

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Filed under Ashes Tests, Australian cricket, baggy green, Bradman, child of empire, cricket and life, cricketing records, English cricket, farewell game, performance, sportsmanship, unusual people, unusual statistics

January 30, 2020 · 9:30 pm

Testing Times for Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe

Madushka Balasuriya for ESPNcricinfo, January 2020

Zimbabwe 406 and 241 for 7 (Taylor 67, Wiliams 47*, Fernando 2-43) lead Sri Lanka 293 (Mathews 64, Raza 7-113) by 354 runs

A tenth Test fifty from Brendan Taylor, and handy contributions from Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, had ballooned Zimbabwe’s lead to 354 at stumps on a rain-interrupted fourth day in Harare. But despite the hosts dominating the day’s proceedings, Sri Lanka will fancy their chances to save the Tests after bad light, followed by rain, brought forced an early close.

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January 30, 2020 · 12:48 pm

Monkey-Come, Monkey-Scratch! Fraser-McGurk Go!

ESPNcricinfoo News Item = “Jake Fraser-McGurk to return home after being scratched by a monkey,”…. https://www.espncricinfo F.com/story/_/id/28589265/jake-fraser-mcgurk-return-home-being-scratched-monkey

Jake Fraser-McGurk will not take any further part at the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa and will return home instead as a precautionary measure after being scratched on the face by a monkey at a nature reserve while on a team outing in Kimberley.