Sports
Galle pitch could produce a stalemate
Rex Clementine
in Galle
West Indian legend Courtney Walsh featured in 132 Tests in a career spanning 17 years that started with Lloyd and ended with Lara. Despite that many games, he never made a half-century in Test match cricket and was the ideal last man averaging 7.54 with the bat. Even he would have fancied a half-century on this Galle pitch.
Ireland had been blown away on a typical Galle surface as the first Test ended inside three days but for the second Test they found a flat deck and it looked as if the Southern Expressway had been extended up to Galle Stadium.
Sri Lanka found success in the first over of the day as Vishwa Fernando cleaned up Lorcan Tucker bowling him through the gate. But from thereon, it was a toil.
Paul Stirling, who had retired after suffering from cramps on day one, then came onto bat and continued to entertain playing some lovely shots. His maiden Test hundred came in Sanath Jayasuriya fashion as he upper cut Asitha Fernando for six. Well, not quite Jayasuriyasque as the feet weren’t in the air.
In his next over, Asitha nicely set Stirling up tempting him to go for the hook but couldn’t clear fine-leg. His 103 came off 181 deliveries with nine fours and four sixes.
Dhananjaya took another terrific diving catch at slip to dismiss Curtis Campher, the other centurion. He had reached his hundred pulling Asitha for four and more importantly, did a superb job with the tail to take Ireland’s total close to 500 after the top order had fired.
There were signs of things to come as Dhananjaya was setting up the field and Dimuth Karunaratne was happy to play second fiddle. It’s been a tough rise to the top for Dhananjaya and the day he will be announced as the next Test captain should be a moment to celebrate.
You also wonder which school will take the credit for producing him for Dhananjaya has attended four schools – Athulathmudali MV, Richmond, Mahanama and Debarawewa Central.
Prabath Jayasuriya finished with a five-wicket haul, his sixth in seven Tests. He now needs two more wickets to become the quickest spinner in the world to complete 50 Test wickets.
Sri Lanka’s openers enjoyed the flat deck and scored at a rapid pace reaching 81 for no loss in 18.1 overs before the rain came down. A total of 15.5 overs were lost on day two.
England stagger to 146‑9 at the end of their 20 overs as they failed to build any sustained partnerships.
This might just be well short of a truly competitive total but they will hope the pitch does them some favours when they come out to bowl.
Brief score:
England 146/9 in 2o overs [Phil Salt 62, Harry Brook 14, Sam Curran 11,Will Jacks 21, Jamie Overton 10*; Dilshan Madushanka 2-25, Dunith Wellalage 3-26, Maheesh Theekshana 2-21, Dushmantha Chameera 1-34] vs England
Sri Lanka have opted to chase against England at Pallekele, hoping to replicate their dominance victory over Australia here to kickstart their Super Eight campaign.
It was six days ago that Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten 100 saw the hosts chase down Australia’s total of 181 with eight wickets and two overs to spare. And with home skipper Dasun Shanaka is looking to utilise that confidence in this Group 2 encounter.
“We’ve been chasing well in the past few occasions and happy to chase again,” said Shanaka at the toss. “The boys are very confident playing here.”
England skipper Harry Brook – on his 27th birthday – again called for bravery after his side stumbled into the second stage of this tournament. The two-time champions have gone in with an unchanged team for the fourth match in a row, with Jamie Overton retaining his place as the allrounder. Brook’s only slight worry is a cut to Jacob Bethell’s bowling hand (sustained during the match against West Indies), which is likely to prevent him from bowling due to the strapping on his finger.
Sri Lanka meanwhile make two changes to their XI, with Dushmantha Chameera returning in place of Pramod Madushan, having been rested for the defeat to Zimbabwe. Kamil Mishra comes back in for the man who replaced him, Kusal Perrera, as the hosts shuffle once more in an attempt to find a functional opening partnership.
These two squads know each other very well, having only concluded a three-match T20I series against one another at the start of the month, which took place entirely in Pallekele. England secured a 3-0 scoreline, capping things off with a professional 12run win in a low scoring encounter.
As for the outfield, both sides are primed for a different evening of ground-fielding on patchy grass. Heavy rains have punctuated the five das leading into this clash. Overnight precipitation has sodden the edges of the field, though the middle parts of the ground had been well-covered.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Dunith Wellelage, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
[Cricinfo]
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, Norway’s king of cross-country skiing, broke the record for the most gold medals won at a single Winter Olympics with his sixth of the Games.
Klaebo led a Norwegian sweep of the podium in the 50km mass start classic, with team-mates Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Emil Iversen taking silver and bronze respectively.
The 29-year-old finished the brutal distance in two hours six minutes 44.8 seconds, 8.9secs ahead of Nyenget who takes his third medal of the Games.
“It’s been crazy, it’s a dream come true,” Klaebo told BBC Sport.
“I really think this Olympics has been perfect. Being able to crown the Olympics with the 50km was unbelievable.”
Klaebo breaks the previous record of five golds from a single Games, held by American speed skater Eric Heiden since the Lake Placid Olympics of 1980.
It also extends his own record for most Winter Olympic golds to 11, while he becomes the first athlete to win all six cross-country events at one Games.
Only US swimming great Michael Phelps, who won 23 gold medals, has more Olympic titles to his name.
Born in Oslo, Klaebo moved to Trondheim – a haven of cross-country skiing trails – as a young child, a move that has seen him become the greatest to ever do the sport.
No other man, active or retired, comes close to his record of 116 World Cup wins, while he is also a 15-time world champion, winning all six titles at last year’s edition on home snow in Trondheim.
“After the world championships last year, we knew that it was possible, but to be able to do it, it’s hard to find the right words,” he told reporters.
“[There were] so many emotions when I’m crossing the finish line.”
His sixth Olympic gold at Milan-Cortina adds to the titles he had won earlier in the Games in the skiathlon, sprint classic, 10km interval start free, 4×7.5km relay and the team sprint.
[BBC]
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