Rex Clementine in Galle

Having taken an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, Australia fear they might be walking into a spin trap for the second Test, which gets underway in Galle today.

Australia blew Sri Lanka out of the water in the opening contest, winning by an innings and 242 runs – the heaviest defeat Sri Lanka has suffered in Test cricket. That game, also played in Galle, was on a good batting deck, but the pitch for the second Test looks a different beast altogether.

“This looks like a very dry surface. Dare say it’s going to turn square,” Australia skipper Steve Smith said at the pre-match media briefing.

“We’re not naming a team just yet. We’ll take a call in the morning, once we have a better read on the conditions,” he added.

With the Warne-Murali Trophy already in the bag and a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final secured, Australia could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas. But Smith has no intention of taking the foot off the pedal and wants a 2-0 sweep.

“It would be brilliant for this group if we can finish 2-0. I thought we played really well last week, controlling the game from the outset. We didn’t do that last time we were here, so it would be a great achievement to win 2-0,” Smith added.

Australia have sent young opening batsman Sam Konstas back home to play Sheffield Shield cricket, reinforcing their focus on preparing for the long haul.

Sri Lanka, licking their wounds after the crushing defeat, are expected to shuffle the pack for the second Test. Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka is set to return, having recovered from a groin injury, and will replace Oshada Fernando. Meanwhile, off-spinner Ramesh Mendis is likely to come back into the XI in place of Jeffrey Vandersay. Lahiu Kumara will replace Asitha Fernando.

“Pathum has been declared fit and he will play. But we haven’t finalized our bowling combination yet,” Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva revealed.

Reflecting on the opening Test, de Silva admitted that Sri Lanka let themselves down with the bat.

“It wasn’t the typical Galle wicket last time around. It was a disappointing Test match because we should have batted much better than that. Too many guys got starts but failed to kick on. We know where things went wrong, and we’re looking to correct those mistakes,” de Silva added.

Australia (Probable XI)

Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (Captain), Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (Wicketkeeper), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy.

Sri Lanka (Probable XI)

Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis,  Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Kusal Mendis (Wicketkeeper), Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris and Lahiru Kumara.

Umpires:

Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Joel Wilson (WI)

Third Umpire:

Adrian Holdstock (RSA)

Match Referee:

Jeff Crowe (NZL)

Rex Clementine in Galle

Dimuth Karunaratne, one of Sri Lanka’s most reliable openers, has announced that he will hang up his boots after the second Test against Australia in Galle – his 100th Test match. The 36-year-old will walk away from the game as Sri Lanka’s most prolific opening batsman, amassing 7,172 runs, the fourth-highest tally by a Sri Lankan in Test cricket.

A run machine in his prime, Karunaratne was the rock at the top of the order for over a decade. However, his recent form suggested that Father Time was beginning to bowl a few unplayable deliveries. He has gone 25 innings without a century, managing just five half-centuries in that stretch – an uncharacteristic lean patch for someone known for his consistency.

“As a kid, my only dream was to play just one Test match. Reaching 100 Tests is something truly special. But as you may have heard, this will also be my last,” Karunaratne told journalists on the eve of the Test match.

“To be honest, I initially wanted to play the two Test matches against Bangladesh later this year before making a decision. But when you are part of the World Test Championship cycle, you have to take stock of things and make a call at the right time. I’m at peace with my decision,” he added.

Renowned for his cool-headed approach and affable nature, Karunaratne also proved to be a shrewd leader. Taking over the captaincy at a turbulent time in 2019, he steadied the ship and led Sri Lanka for three years, with the crowning jewel of his tenure being the historic series win in South Africa. To this day, Sri Lanka remain the only Asian team to conquer the Proteas in their own backyard – a feather in Karunaratne’s cap.

“You always set goals in life, and the beauty of the game is that you chase your dreams, though you may not achieve all of them. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my career – it’s been a fantastic journey. Now, it’s time to pass the baton to the next generation. There are so many talented young players waiting in the wings,” Karunaratne remarked.

“Back in 2017, when I hit a rich vein of form, I thought I could push towards 10,000 Test runs. But then came COVID, and in recent years the opportunities to play Test cricket became scarce. That’s something that I regret,” he admitted.

Karunaratne isn’t planning to step away from the game entirely. Instead, he has already started his second innings – as a coach.

“I’ve begun my coaching journey, and once this series is over, I’ll head to Australia to complete my Level II and Level III coaching certifications. Then, I want to come back and contribute to Sri Lankan  cricket as a coach,” he revealed.

By A Special Sports Correspondent 

The Inter-club league rugby tournament will culminate with the all important clash between Kandy SC and CR&FC (Scheduled for this weekend in Colombo) regardless of who is leading the points table at the end of eight weeks of high-octane rugby.

CR suffered a morale denting defeat against Havies last week before this all important game, which will eventually decide who finishes on top of the points table after the first round of matches. Interestingly Havelocks Sports Club, which is heading the points table with seven bonus points, would wish Kandy SC loses which would then secure their position as leaders of the points table. The players from Havelocks would be passive observers during the week which schedules the Kandy-CR game because the Park Club gets a week ‘off’ from rugby.  Havelocks Sports Club exploded with a telling performance on the field last week and downed CR 53-42; this crunch game ending CR’s unbeaten run this season.

Kandy SC led by full back Srinath Sooriyabandara have lifted their game from where they finished last season. After a somewhat disappointing second place finish in the league tournament last year, Kandy SC has improved by leaps and bounds, with the larger share of progress seen in their scrums and line outs. The Kandy SC pack has gone from strength to strength this season with the inclusion of players in the like of Dilshan Fareed, Wewala Panditha, Thilina Bandara, Chathura Soysa and Dahan Wickremaarachchi. Former Isipatana College third row forward Wickremaarachchi showed what a devastating player he can be last week in the game against Police. The side from Nittawela rattled their opponents scoring seven tries at will. At present Kandy SC are placed second in the points table ahead of CR, who are placed third.

CR will have to do everything to stop the try-hungry back division of Kandy SC which comprises players in the likes of Nigel Ratwatte, Tharinda Ratwatte, Dhanushka Ranjan, Kavindu Perera, Dinal Ekanayake, skipper Srinath Sooriyabandara and new entrant to the side Shahid Zumri who has shown so much promise already in the club rugby circuit. Last season CR beat Kandy SC twice in the league tournament; 38-26 in the first round and 33-25 in the super round.

The Red Shirts have had a great season this year under centre three quarter Gemunu Chethiya despite suffering one defeat. Some of the talented players in the side to watch this season are Venura Kodagoda, Shenal Adikaram, Adeesha Weerathunga, Raveen de Silva, Omalka Guneratne, Viduna Amneth, Thenuka Nanayakkara, Aaron Corea, Silva brothers Randy and Rinesh and dazzling full back and place kicker Musheed Doray. CR was on a high till they met Havies last week and saw the floor cracking under them in that game. That high scoring game last week underscored one thing and that was that CR’s defence was pretty bad. CR must take note that the moment Kandy gets a sniff that a team’s defence is thin, the latter has the men and technique to open the flood gates. If CR is to make this game count they must revolve their game around defence and take maximum advantage of playing on home turf.

The match schedule for week nine in the domestic league rugby tournament are: CH vs Navy at Race Course, Army vs Air Force SC at Panagoda (both matches on February 8), Police vs Sri Lions at Police Park, CR&FC vs Kandy SC at Longden Place (both matches on February 9)

The teams: 

CR&FC

from: J.Dilshan, Venura Kodagoda, T.Jayaweera, Navin Marasinghe, Shenal Adhikaram, Adeesha Weerathunga, Raveen de Silva, L.Karunathilake, R. Bandaranayake, Thenuka Nanayakkara, C. Muthunayake, Manilka Ruberu, Gemunu Chethiya (Captain), A. Corea, Musheed Doray, S. Perera, A.Akram, J.Weerabangsa, Omalka Guneratne, Suhiru Anthony, Viduna Amneth, I. Ariyapala, Randy Silva, Rinesh Silva

Kandy SC

: M.Wijesundara, Dilshan Fareed, M.Weerasinghe, Chathura Soysa, N. Premanath, Wewala Panditha, C. Kudalige, Thilina Bandara, Dahan Wickremaarachchi, H.Jansen, Nigel Ratwatte, Dinal Ekanayake, Tharinda Ratwatte, Dhanushka Ranjan, Kavindu Perera, Srinath Sooriyabandara (Captain), Schneider Loos Ethan, N.Athukorala, V. Kolombaarachchi, F.Wajid, Shahid Zumri, A.Senewirathne, D.Dange.