The Colombo Oval or “P Sara” — a historic venue as England search for redemption

Adam Mountford, for the BBC

Jonathan Agnew began his podcast with Geoff Boycott on Thursday talking about how romantics were dreaming of an historic England victory. Well if those romantics did not get the result they wished for in the first Test, they should at least be pleased with the venue for the second because the P Sara Stadium is an enchanting location. To give it its full name, the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium is the oldest cricket ground in Sri Lanka and is home to the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club.

The ground was famous for having a female curator named Amravati who worked at the P Sara for 40 years. Although she is long retired, her sister Saroja continues to be involved.  It is a little rough around the edges and there is clearly a last-gasp effort to get things ready in time for Tuesday’s 10am start, but the ground has a wonderful aura of history.

Its most famous feature is the beautiful ivy-covered scoreboard – surely one of the most distinctive on any international ground. When I visited, the scoreboard was showing a team total of 631 and when I asked one of the current groundsman what the wicket was like he just looked at me and said “it’s for the batsman”. I asked him whether England should play two frontline spinners and he said “it doesn’t matter”!

Sri Lanka Kohlied, pulverized and pickled at Hobart

When Sri Lanka accumulated 321 runs after being put into bat at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Their followers would have been well-pleased, as indeed I was. But Sri Lanka had chased around 310 runs twice in South Africa and the wicket was clearly a feather-bed. Moreover, when Sangakkara was interviewed between innings,he remarked that Sanath and Tharanga had led a chase for some 325 runs in an ODI match in England and Sri Lanka had reached the target in 36 overs. This remark suggests that Sri Lanka were not complacent.

India reached the imposing target in just that — 36 overs. The Sri Lankan skipper and team were simply steamrollered and eviscerated by all the batsmen and by Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina in particular. It was a brilliant display, a set of gems for connoisseurs.

Any lessons? I broach one. On feather bed wickets pack your team with more spinners and/or bowlers with guile.

 Pic by Getty

A Statisical Summary with a Focus on Kohli, by Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan, courtesy of cricinfoESPN

• Kohli scored his ninth ODI century and his second against Sri Lanka. It is also his sixth century in ODI chases. Kohli’s strike rate of 154.65 is the third-highest for an Indian batsman in an ODI chase(centuries only) after Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Azharuddin.
• * The run-rate during the century stand between Kohli and Suresh Raina (13.56) is the highest ever for India for a 100-plus partnership in ODIs, and the highest against major Test teams. The highest overall is 17.73 during the 136-run stand between Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan against USA in 2004. *Gautam Gambhir and Kohli were involved in their fifth century stand in ODI chases. In the second innings (min. 1000 partnership runs), the pair averages the highest (75.33). *Lasith Malinga conceded over 90 runs for the first time in his ODI career. His economy rateof 12.52 is the highest in ODIs for a minimum of five overs.

Bradman’s Advice to Batsmen at the Bowler’s End

Mahinda Wijesinghe

Quite a furore was created in the current CBN series game between India and Sri Lanka played in Brisbane when Sri Lankan batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, at the non-striker’s end, was run out by Indian off-spinner Ashwin when the batsman was found to have left the crease before the ball had been delivered. In other words, Thirimanne was found to be taking a ‘foul start’. When Ashwin appealed to umpire Paul Reiffel – with Thirimanne well out of his crease – the latter without doing his avowed duty of giving his decision walked across to his partner Billy Bowden. After a three-way discussion, with Bowden and the Indian skipper Sehwag, Thirimanne was permitted to continue. Despite this let-off, Thirimanne still continued with his walkabouts. Something that confused most. Indeed the Laws of Cricket are very clear on this issue. Last year, to dispel any doubts on this vexed matter, the MCC reiterated and stated very clearly that “the bowler is permitted before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker.” Can it be any clearer?

Hence, the Indian bowler Ashwin was not doing any act that even bordered on questionable sportsmanship. That question should be posed to the Sri Lanka batsman who was wittingly or otherwise taking an unfair advantage by taking a foul start. Remember, just one run could quite easily make the difference between victory and/or defeat, and more so in the shortened version of the game.

Hollow vision embodied in ‘cricketainment’

Gideon Haigh, in the Weekend Australian 17-18 December 2011

“KFC T20 Big Bash League is the most talked about event in the country. Fans love their teams and families and kids of all ages pack grounds around the country. Dressed in their team’s colours, they come every week to watch the best T20 players on earth.”  “The Vision” for the Big Bash League, Cricket Australia’s new-fashioned domestic T20 tournament which began at the SCG last night, reads like rather a lot to do with the BBL, as though composed in half a minute by someone carrying on two telephone conversations at the same time (“Mate, have you done that ‘Vision’ yet?” “Sorry mate, I’ve been flat out. I’ll bash some crap out now.”)

 

It does, though, encapsulate CA’s sky-high hopes for what in a cricket sense is really old fast food in a new wrapper: more or less the same players as in the old domestic T20 tournament spread a little more thinly among eight city-based rather than six state-based teams, albeit sprinkled, like Colonel Sanders’ herbs and spices, with New Improved Warnie.

Cricket Australia establishes Multicultural Cricket Reference Group

Media Release, 21 October 2011

Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Senator Kate Lundy today addressed the inaugural meeting of Cricket Australia’s (CA) Multicultural Cricket Reference Group (MCRG) in Melbourne. The MCRG will provide advice about meeting the diverse needs of Australia’s population as part of CA’s objective of ensuring cricket is a sport for all Australians. It includes prominent members of Australia’s multicultural communities as well as CA representatives.

 Senator Lundy provided the MCRG with an insight into Federal Government multicultural policy recommendations and emphasised the deep alignment between sport and multicultural policy.  MCRG member and CA General Manager Game Development Damien de Bohun said CA is committed to serving the diverse needs of Australia’s population.  “Australia’s diversity is one of our country’s great strengths and our aim is to ensure that people from all communities have the opportunity to play cricket and enjoy its associated health and social benefits,” Mr de Bohun said. “The MCRG enables us to hear the voices of members of the communities we are dedicated to serving and this provides invaluable guidance for Cricket Australia as we continue our drive to ensure that cricket is a sport for all Australians.”

 Multicultural Cricket Reference Group Members: Trevor O’Hoy (Chairman) (CA Director), Waleed Aly (Academic), Pino Migliorino – (Chair, Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia (FECCA)), Paula Ward (Know the Game), Hass Dellal (Executive Director, Australian Multicultural Foundation), Ravi Bhatia (former CEO, iPrimus), Sam Almaliki (President, Sydney Junior Winter Cricket), Damien de Bohun – (CA) and Juhi McInerney (CA).

 

The Argus Review: Axe falls for the men who sacked Katich

Courtesy of The Weekend Australian, 20-21 August 2011, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/axe-falls-for-the-men-who-sacked-simon-katich/story-e6frg7rx-1226118423719 ……Its come too late to save the Ashes or Simon Katich, but the men who axed the prolific opener two months ago have lost their jobs as part of the wide ranging Australian Cricket Review released yesterday.  Chairman Andrew Hilditch and talent development manager Greg Chappell are both gone from that selection panel and the last man on the panel, Jamie Cox, is no certainty to keep his job. Head coach Tim Nielsen is also left to consider his future after his job was redefined and he was told he could reapply for it.’s

Pic from AFP

Chair of the review, Don Argus, claimed yesterday that it “was not a witch hunt” and chairman of Cricket Australia Jack Clarke insisted that “it should not be seen as scapegoating”, but the report has clearly taken aim at the roles of selectors. The players, coaches and elite performance structures, however, do not escape blame for the failures of Australian cricket. Under the new selection set-up, which CA says it aims to establish soon, there will be a five-man panel with a full-time chairman.