Sports
Second ODI on a knife edge
Charith Asalanka top scored with 65 runs as Sri Lanka posted 275 in the second ODI against India at RPS yesterday.
By Rex Clementine
The second ODI between Sri Lanka and India was on a knife edge with the tourists needing 112 runs in 132 deliveries with four wickets in hand to wrap up the series 2-0 when this edition went to print yesterday. Set a target of 276 to win, India had reached 164 for six at the end of 28 overs at RPS.
Despite some sloppy fielding efforts and bowling displays, Sri Lanka put India under pressure thanks to some clever bowling by Wanindu Hasaranga.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka boldly introduced the leg-spin of Hasaranga in the third over of the game and Prithvi Shaw was castled for 13 after he had hammered three boundaries off the first over of the innings bowled by Kasun Rajitha.
Rajitha replaced Hasaranga after just one over and accounted for Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper batsman dragged one onto his stumps.
Hasaranga then trapped Shikhar Dhawan leg before wicket for 29 to reduce India to 65 for three.
A 50 run partnership followed between Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav before Shanaka produced a run out with Pandey backing up too far. In the same over, Shanaka dismissed the dangerous Hardik Pandya, who was caught at short mid-wicket by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Despite impressing in patches, Sri Lanka were horrible on the field with Rajitha constantly misfielding. He wasn’t the only sloppy fielder with Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Lakshan Sandakan not living up to international standards.
Sandakan was awful with his line serving full tosses that Indian batsmen were quick to dispatch to the boundary. He did claim the big wicket of Suryakumar Yadav when he trapped the batsman leg before wicket but continued to bowl too many wides.
A maiden half-century by Charith Asalanka was the highlight of the Sri Lankan innings. Avishka Fernando and Minod Bhanuka added 77 runs for the first wicket in 80 deliveries. Fernando threw away his wicket soon after completing the half-century.
Bhankua Rajapaksa was dismissed for a first ball duck and Sri Lanka’s middle order did not give the team a solid platform.
However, Asalanka teamed up with the lower middle order to help reach a decent total of 275. He added 50 runs for the seventh wicket with Chamika Karunaratne, who has been impressive with the bat this series.
Karunaratne, who had posted an unbeaten 43 in the first ODI, was 44 not out yesterday. Apart from a sensible knock, he showed lot of character as well on the field and while bowling. He could be someone who needs to be persevered with.
Salman Ali Agha said that he would have done things ‘differently”, after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran him out in controversial circumstances in the second ODI in Dhaka.
Agha, who made 64 from 62 balls, had been backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards him. He was still out of his ground as Mehidy swooped round behind him in an attempt to gather, and Agha had appeared ready to pass the ball back to the bowler before Mehidy reached down to grab it first and throw down the stumps.
Agha reacted furiously to the dismissal, throwing his gloves and helmet down in disgust at the decision. However, he later came to the post-match press conference, ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and player of the match Maaz Sadaqat, to clear the air.
“I think sportsman spirit has to be there,” Agha said. “What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven’t done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well.”
Agha explained that he had been trying to pick up the ball to give to Miraz, thinking it was likely to have been called dead. “Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat.
“I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out].”
Agha however regretted his angry reaction. “It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff,” he said. “If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment.”
He was also involved in a robust exchange with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das, though he didn’t divulge many of the details.
“I can’t remember what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying,” he said. “I’m sure I wasn’t saying nice things, and I’m sure he wasn’t saying nice stuff as well. But it was just heat of the moment, so we are fine.
Asked if he had patched things up with Mehidy, Agha said: “I haven’t yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him.”
Pakistan won the match by 128 runs via the DLS method.
[Cricinfo]
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.
A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.
Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.
Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.
The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend.
Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.
But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee.
The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.
(BBC)
Royal College made steady progress in reply to their arch rivals’ first innings total as skipper Rehan Peiris and Ramiru Perera guided them to 175 for four wickets at stumps on day two of the 147th Battle of the Blues at the SSC ground on Friday.
Royal needed only 51 overs to reach their end-of-day total after S. Thomas’ College had earlier adopted a cautious approach before being bowled out for 302 runs.
Royal suffered an early setback when open batsman Hirun Liyanarachchi was dismissed for naught in the very first over, caught behind by Aaron Kodituwakku off the bowling of Gimhan Mendis.
Skipper Rehan Peiris then steadied the innings, repairing the early damage with two useful partnerships. He first added 41 runs for the second wicket with Udantha Gangewatta and followed it up with a 34-run stand for the third wicket alongside Sri Lanka Under-19 skipper Vimath Dinsara.
Dinsara struggled to find fluency during his stay at the crease, managing 11 runs off 30 balls before being trapped leg-before by Gimhan Mendis, who finished the day with two wickets.
Rehan continued to anchor the innings and produced the most productive stand of the Royal innings when he combined with Ramiru Perera for a vital 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The Royal skipper’s determined knock finally ended on 63 when he was dismissed by Ludeesha Matarage.
From there, Ramiru Perera and Yasindu Dissanayake ensured there were no further setbacks, batting cautiously until bad light forced the umpires to call off play.
Perera remained unbeaten on 70, an attractive innings that included ten boundaries, while Dissanayake provided solid support at the other end as Royal closed the day strongly.
Earlier in the day, resuming from their overnight score, the Thomians continued with their ultra-cautious approach, scoring at just over two runs per over. Reshon Solomon top-scored with 66 runs, while Ludeesha Matarage and Raphael Hettige chipped in with useful contributions in the twenties.
S. Thomas’ were eventually bowled out for 302 just before the lunch interval on the second day, having consumed 124 overs during their four-session first innings.
Gagan Gamage was the pick of the Royal bowlers with impressive figures of four wickets for 49 runs. He received good support from Sehandu Sooriyaarachchi, who claimed three wickets for 64 runs, while Himaru Deshan picked up two wickets for 43. Ramiru Perera also chipped in with a wicket to complete the Thomian innings.
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