Sports
Madushani finishes outside the best eight
by Reemus Fernando
Long jumper Madushani Herath suffered her first defeat in two years at her debut international competition, the Asian Youth Athletics Championships being held in Kuwait where she was considered one of the favourites to win a medal. The athlete from Nannapurawa MV, Bibila carried the country’s best hopes as she reached the Youth (U18) Asian event with a recent personal best of 6.09 metres, a distance no single female athlete in the entire junior category (U20) in Sri Lanka had ever cleared.
It was also the second-best performance by an athlete of her age in Asia this year. But hopes of winning a medal evaporated during her first three jumps as she failed to reach the best eight in a competition where the gold, silver and bronze went to feats of 6.06m, 5.91m and 5.81 m respectively. Herath’s best effort was a distance of 5.47 metres. It placed her in the ninth position.
“She was not in her usual rhythm during the entire competition. She is devastated that she could not live up to expectations. I am helping her to recover fast so that she can bounce back at the next local competition,” said M.G.K. Kumara in an interview with The Island. Kumara is in Kuwait as the team coach. It was Herath’s first defeat in more than two years as she had remained unbeaten in local competitions during the last two years. Uzbekistan’s Sharifa Davronova who only had a seasonal best of 5.96 metres went on to produce the only jump of over six metres to win gold. India’s Mubssina Mohammed settled for silver, Hong Kong’s Wai Yin JIA won the bronze.
On day two, Sri Lanka team were banking on Thrustan College sprinter Salamuthu Jayathilaka and Sir John Kothalawala College, Kurunegala athlete Theminda Rajapaksa for their first medals. The duo produced the fastest times in the heats on day one to qualify for the boys’ 400 metres finals. The event was yet to be conducted when this edition went to press. Meanwhile, in the other events, Sethuli Adithya was scheduled to compete in the girls’ high jump in the evening yesterday.
Little over an hour into the Ashes finale at SCG, another truncated Test appeared to be in motion and looked set to punctuate a whirlwind series that has left a rather hollow feeling for many. But England recovered from 57 for 3 as batting became easier on a surface that offered seam movement with the new ball.
Joe Root and Harry Brook combined for an unbroken 154-run stand – the second highest partnership of the series for either side – to ensure England reached stumps in a decent position after just 45 overs were bowled due to rain and lightning.
The measured batting of Root and Brook combined with Sydney’s annual sketchy weather means, surely, that this match will last considerably longer than the two-day Tests in Perth and Melbourne.
With so much pressure on SCG curator Adam Lewis, having grimly watched his counterpart Matt Page face a public grilling after the Boxing Day Test, he left just 5mm of grass on the pitch – half the length of the maligned furry MCG surface.
Lewis appears set to escape scrutiny, with the spotlight likely to shine on Australia’s selectors after deciding not to select offspinner Todd Murphy. With seam-bowling allrounder Beau Webster replacing quick Jhye Richardson, Australia stepped on the SCG field without a specialist spinner for the first time since 1888.
The ground’s characteristics have changed notably in recent seasons, moving away from its spin-friendly traditions. But by the afternoon, with Root and Brook in complete control, skipper Steven Smith probably wished he could deploy Murphy with Australia’s attack lacking variety.
The trio of frontline quicks each picked up a wicket but allrounder Cameron Green, whose place in the team was under major scrutiny, struggled to hit the right length and finished with 0 for 57 from eight overs.
Brook was mostly circumspect by his standards, but did counter-attack when Green resorted to a short-ball tactic, while Root played in trademark style by scoring heavily behind square on the off side.
England, of course, will have hoped their two lead batters could have mustered such a partnership earlier in the series, but the tourists have started their quest for a second consecutive consolation victory brightly.
Amid sunny and humid morning conditions, a relief with grim weather on the radar, skipper Ben Stokes elected to bat after the coin again fell in his favour. It was perhaps another curious decision given his penchant for bowling first before this tour, which had been the catalyst for England’s victory at the MCG.
His mood would have soured after England’s top-order struggled with the seam movement on a green-tinged surface, losing 3 for 18 by the middle of the first session.
Before the collapse, opener Ben Duckett had feasted on unusually ragged bowling from nemesis Mitchell Starc, who he whacked for five boundaries in less than four overs.
After a hapless series on-field and some embarrassing shenanigans off it, Duckett appeared to be carrying over the momentum from his invaluable second-innings cameo at the MCG. He hit Starc for consecutive boundaries to roll to 27 in 23 balls as he and Zak Crawley appeared on the way towards a blossoming partnership that had never previously reached the eighth over in the series.
But Starc finally found the right length and Duckett could not help himself, tamely prodding to a flying Alex Carey. Having impressed in his Ashes debut at the MCG, Jacob Bethell was once again calm and watchful against occasional rampant seam movement from Scott Boland. 
Bethell did not open his account until his 15th ball when he cut Starc through backward point for a boundary, but it was respite amid familiar woe for England’s batters.
After swatting a short ball to the fence, Crawley’s latest teaser ended when he fell lbw to a full delivery from Michael Neser before Bethell nicked off to Boland, who had moved over the wicket.
At this juncture, there were fears of another frantic innings with Cricket Australia’s hierarchy no doubt watching on nervously. But Root and Brook batted sensibly to ensure England stabilised by lunch.
While he removed the monkey on his back after his brilliant ton in Brisbane, Root’s troubles in Australia have mostly remained this series. But this was a golden opportunity to settle in for the long haul despite him almost nicking off on the first delivery.
He nailed his next attempt at his trademark cover drive to get him going, while Brook’s first boundary was unsurprisingly less orthodox after top-edging Boland over the slips.
But Brook was then uncharacteristically restrained in a notable contrast to his madcap 41 in the first-innings at the MCG. Australia’s attack tried to bait him by settling into a length outside off stump but Brook mostly kept his aggressive instincts in check.
He had his eyes set on a belated conversion having made starts in each of his first innings this series and found himself in a nice groove with Root, who after lunch reached 40 for just the second time in the series.
Australia lacked inspiration on a slowing surface and they resorted to a short-ball tactic in the hope that Brook would lose his patience. It almost went to plan when Brook on 45 top-edged Starc into a gap on the leg side before he regrouped to whack Webster for a boundary to bring up a 63-ball half-century.
It followed Root’s half-century off 65 balls as the pair appeared set to bat through the session until the thick clouds started to close in on the ground. Play was halted due to bad light before the weather deteriorated – although it did eventually clear up but stumps was instead called.
England opted against selecting Shoaib Bashir, meaning their first-choice spinner of recent years did not feature in the entire series. Seamer Matthew Potts is making his series debut after replacing Gus Atkinson, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up in the fourth Test.
Brief scores: [Day 1 Stumps]
England 211 for 3 in 45 overs (Harry Brook 78*, Joe Root 72*; Mitchell Starc 1-53, Michael Neser 1-36, Scott Boland 1-48) vs Australia
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka Cricket is laying the groundwork for a new chapter in the island’s cricketing history, with plans to stage day-night Test matches at the historic Sinhalese Sports Club ground.
The installation of floodlights at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) has now been completed and SLC Treasurer Sujeewa Godaliyadda said the project goes well beyond the immediate demands of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
SLC funded the floodlight project at a cost of Rs. 1.8 billion, with SSC set to host five matches of the showpiece event. The other venues for the tournament will be the Pallekele International Stadium and the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Speaking to journalists during a media tour to unveil the project, Godaliyadda said the long-term vision was for SSC to one day host day-night Test matches. While pink-ball Tests have gained traction globally in recent years, Sri Lanka are yet to stage one at home and the indication is that SSC will be the venue for the country’s first-ever day-night Test.
SSC ground will be leased for a certain amount of days a year to SLC for conducting training and games. It is part of the agreement that the board undertook to develop the ground.
Beyond the floodlights, the first phase of development also included upgraded dressing rooms and a new VIP viewing area. A second phase, scheduled to begin after the World Cup, will focus on expanding the venue’s capacity. SLC plans to upgrade SSC into a 30,000-seat stadium, a move the board believes will strengthen Sri Lanka’s case when bidding for future ICC events, including women’s and Under-19 tournaments.
SSC celebrated its 125th anniversary last year and has been the stage for many of Sri Lankan cricket’s defining moments. The ground hosted matches during the 1996 World Cup and was the scene of the world-record partnership of 624 runs between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene against South Africa in 2006.
Alongside SSC, the Colombo Cricket Club Ground, just across the road and the P. Sara Oval are also undergoing upgrades.
SLC is meanwhile pressing ahead with plans to build a new international-standard cricket ground in Jaffna and has identified several other locations for future venues, as demand for international facilities continues to grow.
With the T20 World Cup around the corner, Sri Lanka are getting their act together with some last moment preparations. A three-match home series against Pakistan next week in Dambulla is an opportunity to find answers to some nagging questions.
Over the past 24 months, Sri Lanka have been on a steady upward curve, rebuilding brick by brick. The only loose tile has been the T20 format. A home World Cup, though, offers the perfect chance to paper over the cracks.
At present, too much seems to rest on the broad shoulders of Pathum Nissanka. The opener has been motoring smoothly across formats and last September added another feather to his cap by becoming only the fourth Sri Lankan to score a T20I hundred. That it came against world champions India spoke volumes, a knock that virtually fast-tracked him to an IPL deal. When Nissanka fires, Sri Lanka purr; when he doesn’t, the engine splutters.
Kusal Mendis has struck up a productive opening partnership with Nissanka, giving Sri Lanka brisk starts. It is the middle order, however, that has repeatedly failed to carry the baton. Kusal Janith Perera, with a truckload of experience, remains the lynchpin. His recent dismissals have tested patience, but he is still the side’s leading batter and in a couple of overs can flip a game on its head.
Charith Asalanka endured a lean patch in T20 cricket, despite being prolific in the 50-over format. Relieved of captaincy duties, he now has the luxury of focusing solely on his batting.
Dasun Shanaka has been handed the captaincy and he has to justify his place in the side as a player. Batting where he does, Shanaka’s brief is clear: less about compiling scores and more about providing the late-innings punch, the kind of death-overs fireworks that can swing momentum in a hurry.
The selectors have also rolled the dice by drafting in Dhananjaya de Silva, hoping he can bat through the innings. Slotted in at number three, a role previously trialled, his adaptability will be closely watched. His off-spin adds another string to the bow, though Sri Lanka are hardly short of part-time options in that department.
Bowling, whether pace or spin, has largely held firm. It is the batting that has repeatedly let the side down, leaving bowlers to defend modest totals with little margin for error.
This three-match series, then, is Sri Lanka’s chance to shuffle the pack, experiment with combinations and get their balance right. The squad has had a handful of warm-up games in Colombo before heading to Dambulla on Friday evening to begin full training. The opening match is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by games on Friday and Sunday.
In a welcome off-field gesture, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced that profits from the series will be channelled towards rebuilding the lives of those affected by the recent cyclone. A three-match T20 series against India in August has also been announced for the same cause.
by Rex Clementine ✍️
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