Sri Lanka’s Golden Oldies of the 1970s

Sankaran Krishna, in ESPNcricinfo, December 2016 where the title is  “Sri Lanka’s pre-Test glory days”

Of late, it seems India play Sri Lanka in some form of cricket just about every other month. These matches, especially one-dayers, have little charm and no one really remembers anything much about them. Sri Lankan cricketers have suffered from over-exposure in India, which is such a pity when you think of the soft caress of Mahela Jayawardene’s strokeplay or the elegance of Kumar Sangakkara, to mention just two of their finest.

  Sunil Wettimuny bats against Australia in the 1975 World Cup, before he was forced to retire hurt, courtesy Thommo © Getty Images

There was a time, back in the 1970s, when cricketers from Sri Lanka were exotic and rare creatures, who created quite an impact on schoolboys like me in Madras. We caught a glimpse of them during the annual MJ Gopalan Trophy (thankfully now revived after a long hiatus), which pitted the Sri Lankans against the Tamil Nadu state team. The matches were three-day affairs and often keenly contested. And there was the unofficial two-Test series between a near-full-strength Indian team in its pomp and the Sri Lankans in early 1974. Though India won 1-0, the home team more than held their own.

India Squeezes Lanka in Under 19 Final of Asia Cup

Report in ESPNcrcifo

Half-centuries from opener Himanshu Rana and No. 3 Shubman Gill provided India Under-19s with a total of 273, which they were able to defend successfully thanks a middle-overs squeeze by their spinners Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Chahar. In the end, hosts Sri Lanka were beaten by 34 runs. At one point though, that result had seemed unlikely. With the momentum of picking up six wickets in the last 11 overs fuelling them, Sri Lanka went after the target with great vigour. Captain Kamindu Mendis and R Kelly struck fifties each to take the score to 158 for 2 in the 31st over. That brought the equation down to 116 off 118 balls with eight wickets in hand. 

Murali chats with Ishara about his Life in Cricket

Ishara Jayawardane, in  Daily News, 22 December 2016, with the title “A spin with the spin master”

Modest yet amazing, and humble yet incredible. A man of very few words but mighty deeds. Outstanding Personalities features spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan who is regarded as the greatest bowler in the history of test cricket. Muralitharan holds the world record for the most number of wickets in both test and one-day cricket.

Q. Murali, you are the greatest bowler in test cricket and one day internationals claiming the highest number of wickets; 800 in test cricket and 534 in one-day international cricket. How do you evaluate your career?

A. I had a great career. I am very happy about what I have achieved. And I became the highest wicket taker in both forms of the game. So I am very happy about it.

 

Seeing DOUBLE: Mohammad Shahzad …. b Mohammad Shahzad

Mohammad Shahzad†

c Amjad Gul b Mohammad Shahzad

38

29

5

0

131.03

Pic by Chris Whiteoak/whiteoakpictures
Cricket: UAE v Afghanistan, ICC Cricket Academy, Dubai. Afghanistan receive the trophy
© Picture Copyright >> Christopher Whiteoak >> 0558117530

Lanka’s Durban Heroics in 2011

Rex Clementine, in Sunday Island, 18 December 2016, where the title is “The Durban drubbing” … The highlighting emphasis is by The Editor, Cricketique.

With Sri Lanka’s cricketers touring South Africa, supporters reminisce the team’s stunning success in that country five years ago when Tillekeratne Dilshan’s side surprised many by recording their first ever Test win on South Africa soil. South Africa is perhaps the hardest place for Asian teams as conditions heavily favour the host country’s fast bowlers. All three sub-continent teams have poor records in South Africa and Sri Lanka has the worst. Prior to the 2011 series, Sri Lanka had played seven Tests in South Africa and had lost six games, three of them by an innings. Very few gave the tourists a chance. The first Test at Centurion was an absolute nightmare as the hosts completed an innings win inside three days.

 Star batsman Kumar Sangakkara is all fired up after his sensational century set up Sri Lanka’s maiden Test win on South African soil in 2011.

Red-Letter Angelo outdoes Chaminda Vaas

Full name Appu Jayasinghe Arachchige Don Dineth Lakshan Angelo Jayasinghe

Born January 25, 1993

Current age 23 years 326 days

Major teams Sinhalese Sports Club, Sri Lanka Under-19s

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Legbreak

England Lions Squads for Sri Lanka in February-March 2017

ESPNcricinfo, 

Days after making a century on Test debut, Keaton Jennings has been named captain of England Lions for their tour of Sri Lanka next year. Jennings will be joined in the four-day squad by the man he replaced in the Test side, as Haseeb Hameed works back to full fitness after suffering a broken finger in India. Another man to have opened the batting alongside Alastair Cook in recent weeks, Ben Duckett, is also named in the Lions party, although only for the one-day fixtures. The Lions will play two four-day games followed by a five-match 50-over series in February and March 2017.

 Keaton Jennings  Hameed

Bloody Awesome Bats! ##**!!**

Barry’s expression says it All! … courtesy of ESPNcricinfo, 7 December 2016

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 27: Former South African Batsman Barry Richards poses with the bat he made 325 in a single day at the Adelaide Oval and with the bat of David Warner of Australia during day one of the Third Test match between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide Oval on November 27, 2015 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)

Cricket Luv’ly Cricket in November in Zimbabwe Tri Series

Michael Roberts

 Lord Superior, the epitome of Caribbean flair and calypso rythm- FOR CRICKET 

In the cricketing world of Australia and the dominant nations the Triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe between Zimbabwe, West indies and Sri Lanka passed without notice. Such partialities in the world are par for the course. But the course of that series was hardly, well, par – hardly sedate. Apart from rain interference and no result matches, there were three tight matches – very tight in fact because the result was not known till the last over.

The West Indians sustained their recent reputation for unpredictability. In recent years they have revealed a capacity to win T20 matches from nowhere with remarkable batting in the death overs. But, in Zimbabwe, they managed to  snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the 6^th Match after previously ending up tying a game which had seemed in their bag – again with Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe batsman Sikanda Raza Butt (C) celebrates a wicket during the sixth match in the Blue Mountain Achilleion tri-series played between West Indies and hosts Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, November 25, 2016. / AFP / Jekesai Njikizana (Photo credit should read JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)

Zimbabwe’s wicket keeper Peter Moor (R) shakes hands with West Indies batsman Shai Hope after Zimbabwe defeated West Indies during the third tri-nation One Day International (ODI) cricket match between Zimbabwe and West Indies at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on November 19, 2016. / AFP / Jekesai Njikizana (Photo credit should read JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)

A Swedish Sobers. On Sand. On Beach. Will Tan …. and Swipe Sixers

Nicholas Hogg, at ESPNcricinfo,com, where the title is

Sweden isn’t known for its cricketers. Or even its baseball players. It’s a proud Scandinavian nation that gave the world Vikings, Abba, Volvo cars, and flat pack furniture. Not willow bats and leather balls. So the mystery deepens as to how a Swedish holidaymaker walked into a game of beach cricket in Sri Lanka, and started launching the local bowlers into the hotel pool.

 The locals enjoy themselves at Negombo beach, unaware of the spectacle they will soon witness © Nicholas Hogg