Vale: Dean Jones, A Straight-Talking, Hard-Hitting Aussie

Rex Clementine

The Aussies were in Galle for the first Test of the series in 2004 and Dean Jones joked in commentary. He said that it took him less than four hours from Singapore to Katunayake but five hours to get to Galle from Katunayake! He was driving home some pertinent points. Travel in Sri Lanka before the highway days was a nightmare. Sri Lanka Cricket did not raise objections with the television company that employed Jones nor did the Sports Ministry. His criticism was well taken by all and sundry. Jones didn’t mince any words. He was a bold critic. As The Island’s former Editor Mr. Gamini Weerakoon used to say, ‘A good journalist works with his resignation letter in the pocket.’

Still Batting in Life’s Ways: Old Cricketers’ Gathering

Tall Stories, True Stories ….. and Gahapan Machang … as they passed the arrack and beer around

Courtesy of Somasundaram Skandhakumar …. and presented here in memory of Michael De Zoysa

“Michael Holding is shooting blind” – Jof Archer

George Dobell, in ESPNcricinfo, 13 September 2020,

Jofra Archer has claimed Michael Holding “doesn’t know anything that is going on behind the scenes” after he criticised England and Australia for failing to take a knee during their limited-overs series.

Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, has been a vocal advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement in recent months. As well as providing impassioned testimony of his experiences on Sky and with ESPNcricinfo, he welcomed the decision of the England, West Indies and Ireland teams to register their respect for the movement by taking a knee ahead of their Test and ODI fixtures earlier this season.

 Jofra Archer, back in the light blue of England’s ODI team Getty Images

Azeem Rafiq’s Racist Travails at Yorkshire CC

George Dobell, in ESPNricinfo, 3 September 2020, where the title is “Azeem Rafiq was ‘on brik of sucide’ after experiencing racism at Yorkshire”

Azeem Rafiq has claimed his experiences of racism at Yorkshire left him on the brink of suicide. Rafiq, a former England U19 and Yorkshire captain, says he “lost faith in humanity” after his reports of racist behaviour were “ignored” by the club. Originally seen as a symbol of the club’s desire to embrace the ethnic diversity of the urban areas around its Leeds home, Rafiq came to believe that “institutional racism” at the club is “worse than it’s ever been”.

An Appreciation of PI Pieris …. Ian to Some, “PI” to Others

Mevan Pieris of S. Thomas College & SSC

Dear Michael, ……  Read with interest Gerry Suraweera’s appreciation of Ian Pieris. Indeed when Arpico beat Lever Brothers in the Mercantile A Division cricket Final in 1976, PI was really happy. I still carry happy memories of this match having captained the Arpico team that year. The whole team ended up at my home that night for drinks and to share a simple meal of bread, butter and meat curry.

A Love Affair with the Colombo Oval

S. Skandakumar, in The Sunday Island, 30 August 2020 where his chosen title is “The Colombo Oval and I”

The majestic Oval scoreboard clock showed ten minutes to three on a Sunday afternoon when our final wicket fell. We had conceded first innings points by a small margin to Moors in a P. Sara Trophy encounter. The year was 1973 and it was my first game for the club. The many Moors supporters hugged each other and left the venue to return to Braybrook Place to celebrate. With just half an hour left to tea, and two hours thereafter to the end of the game, their optimism was justified.

In our dressing room our skipper Benedictine Tony Appathurai had other ideas. “I want five by tea,” he thundered as he briskly led us back on to the field for that half an hour. I admired his arrogance!

Tharanga Paranavitana calls it A Day

ONE: ESPNcricnfo staff:

Tharanga Paranavitana, the 38-year old Sri Lanka batsman, has announced his retirement from international cricket. Known as an old-school opener, he played 32 Test matches for his country, scoring 1792 runs including two hundreds and 11 fifties.

“A Sri Lankan XI To Die For in My Time” — THILAN

Mohamed Isam with Thilan Samaraweera, in ESPNcricinfo and its CRICKET MONTHLY, August 2020, where the title is “My Best XI: The Lords of Sri Lanka’s Golden Age”

Thilan SamarawThe lords of Sri Lanka’s golden age”eera, who played 81 Tests with 12 centuries and two double-hundreds, was one of Sri Lanka’s middle-order mainstays. In a career spanning 12 years, he played alongside two generations of his country’s finest cricketers in five-day cricket – from among whom he picks an all-time XI.

Jayawardene, Sangakarra, Atapattu: that’s just short of 30,000 Test runs right there

Super Fightback Win by England in Test Match vs Pakistan

Valkerie Baynes, in ESPNcrickinfo, 8 August 2020, where the title runs thus “Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler lead England home in memorable fourth-innings chase”

England 219 (Pope 62, Yasir 4-66) and 277 for 7 (Woakes 84*, Buttler 75, Yasir 4-99) beat Pakistan 326 (Masood 156, Azam 69, Broad 3-54) and 169 (Yasir 33, Broad 3-37) by three wickets

A fighting century stand between Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler carried England to a stunning three-wicket victory over Pakistan in a thrilling opening match of their three-Test series. Buttler’s gutsy knock of 75 from 101 balls in the face of mounting criticism over his place in the side, combined with Woakes’ new-found form with the bat, handed England an unlikely victory and broke their run of five consecutive series in which they had lost the first match.

The Fighting Irish down England in High-Scoring ODI

Matt Roller, in ESPNCricinfo, August 2020, with this title “Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie set up famous chase as Ireland hunt down 329″

Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie shared a second-wicket partnership worth more than 200 runs PA Photos via Getty images

ireland 329 for 3 (Stirling 142, Balbirnie 113) beat England 328 (Morgan 106, Banton 58, Willey 51, Young 3-53) by seven wickets

Ireland pulled off their second win against England and their first ODI victory against major opposition since the 2015 World Cup, with Kevin O’Brien, the hero of Bangalore, hitting the winning run after centuries from Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie had laid the foundations.