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

Bangladesh Tour with Shortened Quarantine

Mohamed Islam, in ESPNcricinfo, 12 September 2020, ….https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/29866940/sl-v-bangladesh-2020-slc-says-bangladesh-need-one-week-quarantine-according-bcb-ceo

SLC has told the BCB that the Bangladesh contingent will have to be quarantined for a week on reaching Sri Lanka, before they can step out of their hotel to train, according to BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury. Initially there had been reports of the team perhaps not having to quarantine at all, and so travelling to Colombo on September 27 and hitting the nets the next day for the Test series that is scheduled to begin on October 23. Now, with the seven-day quarantine plan, the tour schedule could change to meet the directives of the local health authorities, which the BCB is happy to adhere to.

Lanka Premier League Shoot-Out Re-Jigged

Andrew Fidel Fernando in ESPNcricinfo, 2 Septmber 2020

Sri Lanka Cricket has announced fresh dates for the Lanka Premier League (LPL), which has now been scheduled between November 14 and December 6. However, government approval for a shorter quarantine period for players, officials and broadcast staff is yet to be secured; it is this hurdle that had forced the postponement of the LPL, originally slated to begin in late August. The SLC officials have asked that the quarantine period for those arriving in the country for this tournament be reduced to seven days, from the present 14-day period.

There is no known community spread of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka at present, but quarantine protocols have been incredibly strict PA Photos/Getty Images

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.

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.

Chandimal scores 354 runs in 390 balls

Dinesh Chandimal enjoyed a marathon innings of 354 runs in 390 balls [run rate being 90.53] as the SL Army cricket team piled up  642 runs dfor 8 wkts vs Saracens at the Katunayake grounds before declaring.

“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

Dhanasiri Weerasinghe passes away in Melbourne

ONE: Elmo Rodrigopulle in Daily News, 15 July 2020

The death of any outstanding personality in any form of life saddens many as was the passing away of Dhanasiri Weerasinghe a cricketer who in his own unique way and style contributed to make cricket what it is in the country today.

DHANASIRI WEERASINGHE passed away last week in Melbourne, Australia after an illness bravely borne. Cricketers of an era gone by – the 1950s and the 1960s – will mourn Weerasinghe who made his bat talk and his intelligent captaincy brain tick with great efficiency.

The University College Cricket Team 1938/39

Seated l-to-rt:  WA Wijesingha, CH Fernando (Vice-Capt), Professor Robert Marrs, E. Felix Dias Abeysingha (Capt), P. Roberts, M. Sivanathan

Standing l-to-rt: RJL Fernando, S. Coomaraswamy, L. Arndt, T Appadurai, B. La Brooy, D. Kannangara, MG Andree. R.joseph. A. Rajakaruna