Sports
Gutless Sri Lankans suffer heaviest Test defeat
by Rex Clementine
If saving Test matches were an art, Hashan Tillakaratne was the Picasso of it. The solid number six rarely threw away his wicket. He’s not the only one to have produced back to the wall match saving knocks. Tilan Samaraweera and Asanka Gurusinha had come up with masterclass efforts over the years. They may not have the flamboyance of Aravinda de Silva or Mahela Jayawardene, but their over my dead body mentality had enabled Sri Lanka many a memorable draw.
The current side has much to learn from the stalwarts of yesteryear. What they played yesterday was not Test match cricket. It was schoolboy stuff. In fact, all this Test match their attitude, application and commitment has been found wanting.
Yesterday’s innings and 222 run loss inside four days is Sri Lanka’s biggest loss at home with the previous worst being the innings and 208 run defeat to South Africa in 1993 when Brett Schultz and Allan Donald blew us away.
There should be serious questions asked about Kusal Mendis’ place in the side. He threw away his wickets in the first innings and followed suit in the second essay experimenting an expensive inside out drive over extra cover but didn’t get to the pitch of the ball and ended up offering a simple catch to covers.
At a time when the team was desperately trying to stretch the game to day five, such exuberance was unbecoming of someone whom the selectors think is a captain in waiting. Woe be the day that happens.
Mendis isn’t the only one to be blamed for throwing away his wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva, who failed to clear mid-on and Ramesh Mendis, who was stumped, fell for loose shots. You expected more guts from the experienced seniors like Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne.
Batting collapses in four innings poses serious questions about the team. Has the time come to dismantle the Test side?
There was nothing extraordinary that Noman Ali, who finished with career best figures of seven for 70 did. Noman had accounted for the top seven Sri Lanka batters. He just pitched the ball at one spot and turned it away from the right-handers and Sri Lanka were happy to gift the wickets away to the left-arm spinner.
Naseem Shah though was a treat to watch. He reverse swung the older ball to deadly effect and the Sri Lankan tail were sitting ducks against him as he knocked off the last three batsmen, none of whom troubled the scorers.
The BCB has said that they will rely on the Bangladesh government’s directive before finalising their tour to Pakistan later this month. Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play five T20Is there from May 25 to June 3, but the PSLs schedule was revised following cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the revised fixtures, the PSL final will now be held on May 25, when Pakistan and Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play the first T20I.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB has sent a new schedule for the T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the first match now slotted for May 27, and the last on June 5.
BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said they will rely on information from government security agencies and the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad to take the final decision.
“Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues [of the tour], we will forward it to the government,” Rahman said. “The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter. If the government agencies and our embassy declare Pakistan safe for travel, only then will we proceed.
“In our previous meeting, we agreed that any such situation would be referred to the foreign and home ministries. Once we get clearance from all relevant bodies, we will finalise the tour. Security concerns were more significant in the past, but Pakistan has proven it can ensure safety. Still, given the current circumstances, we need to assess whether the situation across the country is stable before sending the team.”
Before playing Pakistan, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They were then supposed to fly to Lahore on May 21.
[Cricinfo]
Apna Perera won his third title of the 110th Colombo Championships as he partnered Dhilvan Herath to beat Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando in the open men’s doubles final.
Apna and Dhilvan registered 6-2, 6-2 win in the final.
Apna, the open men’s singles champion, was also the winner of the mixed doubles which was played according to round robin method. In the mixed doubles Apna partnered Inuki Jayaweera.
Results
Men’s doubles semi-finals
Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath beat Ashen Silva and Lithum Jayabandu 6-1, 6-2
Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando beat Methika Wickramasinghe and Vichinthya Nilaweera 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently carried out a Fast Bowling Talent Search program in the Polonnaruwa District as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and nurture emerging cricketing talent across the country.
The program, held at the Royal College Ground, Polonnaruwa, attracted over 60 promising young players—both boys and girls—including school cricketers of the district. Each participant underwent skill assessments to evaluate their fast bowling potential.
Following the evaluations, 20 talented bowlers were selected for further development.
The selected players will now receive structured training under the guidance of Provincial coaches of Sri Lanka Cricket, with a focus on refining their techniques and enhancing their overall performance.
Those who continue to demonstrate consistent improvement will be given the opportunity to join SLC’s district squads, thereby becoming part of the official National Pathway Program.
This initiative is a part of SLC’s ‘Cricket Gamata’, program which aims to find talent from rural areas across Sri Lanka.
The talent assessments were conducted by Lasantha Lakmin, SLC Talent Scout for the North Central and North Western Provinces; Lakshitha Herath, North Central Provincial Women’s Coach; and Saman Senanayake, North Central Provincial Fast Bowling Coach.
The event was organized by the North Central Provincial Cricket Association under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was managed by Krishan Anandakumar, Manager of the Center of Excellence, Dambulla.
-
Features3 days agoSAITM Graduates Overcome Adversity, Excel Despite Challenges
-
Business6 days agoJohn Keells Properties and MullenLowe unveil “Minutes Away”
-
News3 days agoDestined to be pope:Brother says Leo XIV always wanted to be a priest
-
Sports3 days agoASBC Asian U22 and Youth Boxing Championships from Monday
-
Foreign News4 days agoMexico sues Google over ‘Gulf of America’ name change
-
Opinion6 days agoRatmalana: An international airport without modern navigational and landing aids
-
Opinion3 days agoDrs. Navaratnam’s consultation fee three rupees NOT Rs. 300
-
Features2 days agoChampioning Geckos, Conservation, and Cross-Disciplinary Research in Sri Lanka