Sports

Arthur bemoans poor batting after second Test goes ‘horribly wrong’

Published

4 years ago

2021/01/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

Angelo Mathews was bowled attempting to sweep Dom Bess (SLC)

Sri Lanka “let it slip in one disastrous session”, says coach, after second Galle defeat

Sri Lanka threw it away. Their hyper-aggressive approach to the second innings wasn’t part of the plan. And their 126 all out ruined three days of good work.

These were Mickey Arthur’s takeaways after the dispiriting 2-0 loss against England. Sri Lanka had established a 37-run first-innings lead on the fourth morning, with England due to bat in the fourth innings. And yet, their batsmen crumbled to 66 for 6 before lunch – five of those players dismissed playing attacking shots. That phase of play essentially handed England the match, even if they eventually had to chase 164 for victory, thanks to a late 40 from No. 10 Lasith Embuldeniya.

“We fought and fought and fought for three days and got ourselves in a really good position, and in two hours we proceeded to throw it away,” Arthur said. “It was poor batting. It’s something I’m going to sit and talk with the players about now. When we lead the game, we’ve got to be able to put our foot on the neck of the opposition and we didn’t do that. That today just wasn’t good enough. We’ve got to learn to be ruthless.”

Such was Sri Lanka’s commitment to wanton aggression in this innings, that there were questions whether the team had agreed that all-out attack was their best way forward in this Test. Arthur said, however, that the plan had actually been to progress more gradually, and to bat time, as they had in the second innings of the first Test, when Sri Lanka made 359 in 136.5 overs.

“That was nowhere near our gameplan. Our gameplan this morning was to absorb pressure, grind away, and grind out a couple of sessions to make sure that we got ourselves into a very good position to push for the win tomorrow. That was our strategy. We had a long chat about that this morning. We used the blueprint of our second innings in the first Test match as something that we wanted to base our innings on. Somewhere it’s gone horribly wrong. That’s something I’m going to dig up and find tonight.”

The first Test was lost due to a similar collapse, in the first innings of the match that time. Sri Lanka were skittled for 135, again playing with extreme aggression.

“This isn’t the first time that it’s happened, and it’s something I need to look into with the team,” Arthur said. “We let it slip in one disastrous session. Much like in the first Test when we let slip in the first innings again. We can’t afford as a team to have those poor sessions. We’ve got to get our good and our bad closer together. The game was there for us to take and we didn’t take it. Extremely disappointed with that.”

Among the only bright spots for Sri Lanka for this series was the bowling of Embuldeniya, who took 10 for 210 in this Test, and also produced his best first-class score with the bat. Embuldeniya had not been selected for the Tests against South Africa several weeks earlier, but through the course of this series has presented a case for being considered Sri Lanka’s premier Test spinner.

“I was very excited for Lasith Embuldeniya,” Arthur said. “He works so hard at his game. When you get those rewards, in his ninth or tenth Test match, it’s unbelievable. I always tell him he’s got the gift of the fingers – he’s able to spin the ball. I think he’s got a wonderful future. He really is a very impressive young man and spin bowler. I’m very excited to be working with him in future, because I think he’s going to be very special.” (ESPN)

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Sports

Therapuththa National School Amabalanthota reach finals of Under 19 division III Tier B limited over cricket tournament

Published

3 hours ago

2025/04/14

Priyan

The Therapuththa National School Under 19 cricket team with offficials

Therapuththa National School Ambalanthota reached the final of the Under 19 division III Tier B limited over cricket tournament conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association

The Therapuththa team captained by N M Senura Daksitha was selected from P A Imanga Rashmika, M P Akash Udayanga, M B Senuth Daritha, J G Pramith Hasintha, A J A Senuth Kithmina, K G Pathum Dilshan, Jayasinghe Sathira, H W Ashan Chamika, U M Senuka Dineth Ransara, B G Didun Nethsara, J H Yasith Pinsara, A Y Rahal Lakkitha, U H Yashmin Ashinsana Kulathilaka, T H Malindu Prabashwara, O P Samudya Charunya, Nethindu Thamudina, P P G Sadeep Lakshan, and A L G Sanuth Sandera.

The team was coached by P A Leelananda Kumarasiri together with J M Kokum Induma and T G Kavindu Keshika.

As the Under 19 division III Tier B final between Therapuththta National School Ambalanthota and Nenamal Royal International School Kelaniya, which was to be played at the Army ground Diyagama on 10th April was abandoned without a toss due to rain, both teams were named joint champions. A total of 282 teams participated in this years Under 19 division III tournament

Sports

Mykolas Alekna shatters discus world record with 75.56m in Ramona

Published

4 hours ago

2025/04/14

Priyan

Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna improved his own discus world record by more than a metre with a sensational 75.56m [Subject to the usual ratification procedure] throw at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, in Ramona on Sunday (13).

Back at the meeting where he set his first world record of 74.35m last year, the Olympic silver medalist twice improved that mark – first setting a world record of 74.89m with his opening throw and then improving to 75.56m in the fourth round.

Australia’s Matt Denny, who threw 74.25m in Ramona on Thursday (10), also surpassed Alekna’s previous world record by launching the discus 74.78m.

In a competition of record depth, five athletes surpassed 70 metres and seven threw beyond 69 metres. USA’s Sam Mattis, who threw 70.08m to finish runner-up to Denny three days earlier, improved to 71.27m to finish third in Sunday’s contest and Germany’s Clemens Prufer threw 71.01m to finish fourth. Great Britain’s Lawrence Okoye finished fifth with 70.76m.

Alekna’s 74.35m in Ramona on 14 April last year had broken the longest standing men’s world record – that 74.08m having been achieved by Jurgen Schult in 1986, some 16 years before Alekna was born.

Now the 22-year-old has become the first athlete to surpass 75 metres.

The Alekna family has two of the top four men’s discus throwers in history, with two-time Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna – the father of Mykolas – now placed fourth on the world all-time list with his 73.88m from 2000.

Mykolas Alekna’s latest world record came the day after ValerieAllman threw a North American record of 73.52m in Ramona for the farthest women’s discus throw in the world since 1989.

[World Athletics]

Latest News

IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians survive Nair storm, snap Delhi Capital’s winning run in a thriller

Published

16 hours ago

2025/04/14

Priyan

The DC-MI fixture ended with three consecutive run-outs [BCCI]

Mumbai Indians snapped back to form with a thrilling 12-run win defending 205 against Delhi Capitals. Karun Nair’s 40-ball 89 had threatened to take the game away from MI after Tilak Varma’s 59 had headlined their innings. But the bowlers pulled things back dramatically in the second half of the defence to pocket a memorable win and clip the Capitals’ four-game winning start to IPL 2025

Where was the game won?

MI managed to keep their nerve even after the blistering assault upfront from Karun Nair. Through the second half of the innings, they kept striking in every over bar two to drag the game back in their favour. MI got the ball changed after the 13th over and it helped their two key architects of the win – Karn Sharma and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who picked four of the five wickets when Delhi collapsed from 119/1 to 160/6. They capped off that good work by three run outs in the penultimate over.

MUMBAI INDIANS

Powerplay – MI show intent but DC keep them in check
Phase Score – 59/1 (RR: 9.83; 4s/6s: 7/3)

A score of 59 was the result of a couple of big overs inside the PowerPlay for Mumbai Indians. Mitchell Starc, searching for swing, erred on the fuller lengths and was hit away for 30 runs in his first couple of overs by Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma. The former was adept at covering for the swing and launched a couple of eye-catching shots – a flick and a cover drive – to get going. Sharma, meanwhile, hit Starc through the offside and even attempted a lap which was a top-edge that went for a six. Mukesh Kumar, in comparison, was more difficult to put away from the hard lengths for MI and conceded 27 in his three overs in the PowerPlay. Additionally, legspinner Vipraj Nigam struck gold, getting Rohit Sharma LBW in his first over which went for just two. But Suryakumar Yadav, coming in at No 3 for this game, announced his intentions with a six off the first ball he faced complementing the aggressive Rickelton.

Middle overs – Tilak, Suryakumar keep MI going
Phase Score – 87/3 (RR:9.66; 4s/6s: 8/5)

Delhi threatened to come back into the game with the spinners coming into play. Kuldeep Yadav got the better of Rickelton with a googly, dismissing him for a 21-ball 45 soon after the PowerPlay was done. With the turn on offer, Delhi had a chance to squeeze MI more. But Tilak, like Suryakumar, got going with a boundary off his first ball. The duo managed to get at least one boundary in every over of their partnership – 60 off 33 balls. While Suryakumar struggled with the momentum initially, getting to 29 off 24 at one stage, he managed to up his strike-rate with a six and four off Nigam to get into the forties. But just as he was getting into the groove, Kuldeep Yadav hit back for Delhi getting Suryakumar caught at long off. Delhi had it even better when Nigam got Hardik Pandya similarly in the following over even as Tilak kept going strong at one end.

Death overs – Naman Dhir provides the finishing touches
Phase Score – 59/1 (RR: 11.8; 4s/6s: 6/2)

Kuldeep finished with exceptional figures of 4-0-23-2 and started the last five overs with a tight one giving away only eight. But Tilak got to his fifty – his eighth in the IPL – off just 26 balls and looked set to shift gears. However, it was his partner Naman Dhir that proved to be the biggest thorn in Delhi’s flesh. In a 62-run stand with Tilak, Naman Dhir was the aggressor hitting a 17-ball 38 that took MI past the 200-run mark. The young batter used the angles well, picking up useful boundaries with the lap shot as well to provide MI a good finish.

DELHI CAPITALS

Powerplay – Karun Nair makes a stunning appearance
Phase Score – 72/1 (RR: 12; 4s/6s: 10/2)

Playing the match as an Impact Sub after Faf du Plessis’ injury, Karun Nair, who had not played an IPL game since 2022, was required to come in just after the first ball of the innings. Jake Fraser-McGurk had chipped the first ball from Deepak Chahar straight to cover and Nair had to dig out a big inswinging yorker from Chahar first-up. He dealt with that and then proceeded to unleash a stunning attack on Mumbai’s No. 1 bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Nair got to a 22-ball fifty hitting eight fours and two sixes. 26 off his first 50 runs had come off just Bumrah whom he toyed with on both sides of the pitch. He started off getting three fours off Trent Boult, but the assault on Bumrah turned the PowerPlay on its head and left MI scampering.

Middle Overs – Nair explodes but MI’s spinners hit back
Phase Score: 86/4 (RR: 9.55; 4s/6s: 8/4)

Abhishek Porel provided an ideal foil, but he was only second-fiddle to Nair who found answers in boundaries to every question posed by Mumbai Indians. Against the spinners who came into play in the middle overs, Nair brought out a variety of sweeps to keep the momentum going in the chase. The 119-run stand for the second wicket appeared to have turned the game decisively in DC’s favour. They had notched up half of the target in half the overs with plenty of wickets in hand still. But Karn Sharma, MI’s Impact Sub, brought an end to it when he had Porel caught in the deep going for a second consecutive six. Inbetween, Nair continued to keep the heat on, hitting Karn for back-to-back boundaries and picking one of Mitchell Santner in the following over. However, against the run of play, Santner got one to turn big and past Nair’s bat ending a sensational 40-ball 89. Axar Patel got going with a couple of boundaries but he got a leading edge off Bumrah to give MI their third wicket in as many overs. It turned out to be four in four as Sharma got Stubbs to get a top-edge in the following over. Despite the clump of wickets, DC were still in the chase needing 47 from the last five overs with the in-form KL Rahul still in the middle.

Death Overs – Hat-trick of run-outs seal thriller
Phase Score: 35/5 (RR 8.75, 4s/6s: 3/1)

Karn Sharma had an outing to remember finishing with 4-0-36-3 with the last of those wickets being the big one of Rahul in the 16th over. Rahul top-edged a slog-sweep offering a simple return catch to Karn, who had now turned the game back on its head, leaving a tight chase for DC’s finishers against MI’s experienced attack. Trent Boult backed this up with six yorkers in the 17th over giving away only three runs leaving DC needing 39 off 18. DC managed 16 off the next over with Vipraj Nigam striking Santner for a six first ball. But the spinner hit back, getting the batter stumped to keep DC in check. The penultimate over bowled by Bumrah started off on a good note with Ashutosh Sharma squeezing two boundaries off Bumrah. But in a desperate attempt to keep strike, Ashutosh was run out going for the second run. Similar desperation for a second saw Kuldeep Yadav too run out off the next ball. MI capped this off with Santner’s glorious pick-up and throw from mid wicket off the final ball to have three run outs in as many balls and clinch MI a come-from-behind win.

Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians 205/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 59, Ryan Rickelton 41, Rohit Sharma 18, Suryakumar Yadav 40, Naman Dhir 38*; Mukesh Kumar 1-38, Vipraj Nigam 2-41, Kuldeep Yadav 2-23) beat Delhi Capitals 193 in 19 overs (Abhishek Porel 33, Karun Nair 89, KL Rahul 15, Ashutosh Sharma 17, Vipraj Nigam 14; Deepak Chahar 1-24, Jasprit Bumrah 1-44, Mitchell Santner 2-43, Karn Sharma 3-36) by 12 runs

What next?

Mumbai Indians have a three-day gap after this game before they host the imperious Sunrisers Hyderabad while Delhi Capitals host Rajasthan Royals a day earlier on April 16.

[Cricbuzz]