Sports
Mahela pleased with Mumbai’s positive start in IPL 2020
Mahela said the problem of slow starts had been addressed © IPL
Half-way through the tournament, Mumbai Indians find themselves with five wins to their credit — and a place at the top of the points table (which was later usurped by Delhi Capitals after their eighth match). Only twice in all these years have they had a better start to an IPL season. It’s almost an alien territory for Mumbai Indians to be in. Mahela Jayawardene, the team’s head coach, said that this was a problem identified, addressed and worked upon coming into the 2020 season.
“As a coach, you will never be at ease in such a tournament,” Jayawardene admitted despite his side getting off to a good start. “But it [the issue of starting slow] was something we were conscious about at the start of the tournament, where we always start slow and then we claw our way into the tournament. So it was something we spoke about.
“We knew the guys going into the tournament were in good form, they had prepared well but it’s all about getting into that awareness, the intelligence for the situations out there. Trying to get them to understand the situations quickly enough and adapt, that’s where we came back strongly after the first few games where we learnt a lot very quickly, how to play in Abu Dhabi, which is going to be our main venue, having to play eight games there. That has been the key, players understanding how we need to adapt to the change. That whole identification as well, whether they are batters or bowlers – what are the situations they are going to be in and winning those little battles out there with the oppositions. So far, I’m very happy the way the guys have responded to that.”
A good reason for Mumbai Indians’s success so far has been due to the high-performing pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and James Pattinson. However, with the pitches in UAE turning slower and aiding slower bowlers, a few teams have already benefited with the performances of their spinners. However, Jayawardene doesn’t feel a need to change the combination that has been winning them games just as yet.
“Last year as well, we made that adjustment at the backend of the tournament when we played in pitches that suited the spinners,” he said. “So far, the fast bowlers have had a bigger role to play in the tournament, whether it is the powerplay, the middle overs or the back end. We’re trying to keep that balance. As long as they are making the contributions and they are penetrating the opposition batting line-ups, it doesn’t matter what kind of surfaces we play on. The quality of the fast bowling line-up that we have, they are always going to create opportunities.
“We have a couple of good spinners operating right now in the playing XI. And there are a couple of guys who are in the wings, who we might look at depending on the opposition and match-ups. Depending on the conditions, we might, but right now I’m happy with the combination that we have, seeing the way we have operated.”
Even though the tournament is past its half-way mark, Mumbai Indians remain possibly the only side with a settled XI. It’s a core they have continued with from their last year’s title-winning run. With all the players hitting form and making match-winning contributions at some point or the other already, there isn’t a lot to cover with the on-field battles. However, they are also a team that hasn’t tested its bench too much, and that brings with it, its own set of headaches of dropping motivations within the team. However, Jayawardene is confident that the team culture is strong enough to make the receive players feel important in the setup.
“It’s about creating a culture within the group where everyone understands that there are players who are going to go out in the middle but the other guys are also as important as anyone else in that group,” he said. “They are the ones who keep the guys on the field on their toes because these are very good players who we have got on our bench. At any time, they are ready to go out on the field and perform. It makes a healthy rivalry within the group. Everybody is focussed, they are prepared for each and every game.
“If we feel they (the players in the XI) are physically not capable or whether they are not mentally fresh. We will make sure we manage those workloads. So that is one of the things for which we have got a lot of good players on the bench to make sure they are ready to go at any given time. It’s a great headache to have but it’s also a good, healthy competition that we’ve created. What we try and do is try to keep them fresh and prepared, not push them too much but not let them relax too much either. It’s a two-month tournament, it’s not too much of an ask from these professionals. We just have to make sure they are at the top of their game. It’s also communication between the management and the players, trying to figure out issues and resolve it before it can be a problem for the two.”
(Cricbuzz )
In a country where cricket runs through the veins like curry through rice, one club has stood tall like a seasoned umpire through rain, shine, and political no-balls. Yesterday, at their hallowed turf in Borella, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club — one of the elder statesmen of Sri Lankan cricket — officially bowled off celebrations to mark a magnificent 125 not out.
Founded way back in 1899, when Queen Victoria still ruled the roost and gentlemen played in flannels, Tamil Union has rubbed shoulders with the heavyweights of Sri Lankan cricket — SSC, NCC, CCC, Colts, and Malay CC — forming the old guard of the domestic game.
Over the years, the club has unearthed some priceless gems. None shinier than Muttiah Muralitharan, the world’s highest wicket-taker, whose doosras and off-breaks left batters groping like blindfolded men in a maze. Long before Murali, the baton was carried by Mahadevan Sathasivam, widely considered the finest Sri Lankan batsman of the pre-Test era — a man whose cover drive could melt glaciers.
The club’s fortress, the P. Sara Oval, is etched in cricketing folklore. It was here that Sri Lanka played their maiden Test in 1982 — a baby’s first steps on the world stage. Three years later, the venue saw the island nation notch their first Test win, a moment that made grown men cry into their Lion Lagers. In 2002, the Oval hosted the world’s first ever neutral Test, a rare event, when Pakistan locked horns with Australia.
And how’s this for a trivia teaser? It remains the only Asian ground to have hosted the one and only Sir Donald Bradman, during a whistle-stop tour in 1948. That’s right — the Don himself, strode onto this sacred strip. The ghosts of legends past still haunt the pavilion.
Wesley Hall steaming in like a freight train, Rohan Kanhai falling over to play those sweeps, Keith Miller with his golden arm and Colin Cowdrey wielding his willow with aristocratic grace.
Back in the day, when ocean liners were the norm and air travel a luxury, English and Australian sides would dock at the Colombo port and stretch their legs — and arms — at P. Sara. Those matches weren’t just exhibitions; they were a taste of the world game, served on Ceylonese turf.
“Tamil Union has a proud history of spotting diamonds in the rough,” said Rev. Ramesh Schaffter, the club’s President, who addressed the press. “We brought promising 18-year-olds to Colombo, giving them a platform to chase their cricketing dreams. Muttiah Muralitharan, Suranga Lakmal, Upul Chandana — they all started here, still in school uniform, dreaming of bigger stages.”
When quizzed about the possibility of the ground hosting a Test in this milestone year, Schaffter played it with a straight bat. “It’s true we haven’t hosted a Test since 2019, but post-COVID, the game changed. With bio-bubbles and logistical curveballs, matches were restricted to fewer venues. Galle became the go-to ground, riding the tourism wave in the south. And frankly, with Sri Lanka playing fewer Tests these days, the opportunities have been few and far between. We were offered a Test a couple of years ago but had to decline due to drainage issues. Thankfully, SLC came through with a generous Rs. 35 million grant to upgrade our system. We’re in a better place now.”
Dr. Rajan Saravanamuttu, Vice President of the club, lifted the lid on ambitious plans for the future — including upgrading facilities to seat 18,000 spectators. “Currently, we host only Tests and a fair bit of women’s cricket — especially after our 10-year partnership with SLC. But we’re gearing up for a second wind,” he said, eyes set on the horizon.
As part of the festivities, the club plans a grand gala dinner, the release of a coffee table book chronicling its storied past and an exhibition match that promises to bring back the golden oldies — names that still echo through the annals of local cricket.
Also in attendance at the briefing was the club’s Patron, Mr. Chandra Schaffter — a towering figure who spoke with heartfelt emotion about the club’s journey through thick and thin. “There have been challenging times,” he admitted, “but like a good batsman weathering a storm, we dug in, played with a straight bat, and never threw in the towel.”
by Rex Clementine
(Telecom Asia Sport )
Before the match, many expected Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to post the first 300-plus total in the IPL. There were reasons to speculate that. SRH had posted 286 for 6 in their previous game, also in Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were without at least two of their first-choice bowlers.
Forget 300, SRH could not even score 200. They managed only 190 for 9 with Shardul Thakur picking up 4 for 34, his best figures in the IPL.
Still, 190 was not a small total, but Nicholas Pooran made it look minuscule. He smashed 70 off just 26 balls, hitting six fours and as many sixes on the way. By the time Pat Cummins had him lbw, LSG needed only 71 from 68 balls.
Mitchell Marsh, who was playing second fiddle to Pooran, also scored a fifty before Abdul Samad applied the finishing touches.
LSG chasing down their target with 23 balls and five wickets to spare was giving SRH a taste of their own medicine. Last season, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had taken just 9.4 overs to chase down LSG’s 165 at this very venue.
LSG knew the only way to stop the marauding SRH batting unit was to take early wickets. Shardul went in search of swing in the first over but did not find success. But in his next over, he dismissed Abhishek and Ishan Kishan off successive balls. Abhishek pulled a short ball into the hands of deep square leg, and Kishan was caught down the leg side.
Head went after the returning Avesh Khan, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the fourth over. Two overs later, he tried to take on Ravi Bishnoi but ended up skying a slog sweep. Pooran, though, put the chance down at long-on. Four balls later, Bishnoi failed to latch on to a tough return catch.
Head was on 35 at the time of the first drop but it cost LSG only 12 as Prince Yadav made a mess of Head’s stumps for his first wicket in the IPL.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen took SRH past 100 in the 11th over before Klaasen was run out in a bizarre fashion. Nitish hit a full toss from Prince to the bowler’s left. Prince failed to hold on to the catch but the ball found a way to ricochet onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Klaasen well outside his crease. Soon after, Bishnoi castled Nitish for 32 off 28, leaving SRH in a spot of bother.
In keeping with the team ethos, the SRH batters kept attacking. But while they kept hitting sixes, they also kept getting out. Aniket Verma smashed Bishnoi for two back-to-back sixes and repeated it against Digvesh Rathi in the following over before getting out for 36 off 13 balls. Cummins walked in at No. 8, hit the first three balls he faced for three sixes, and was out on the fourth. That took SRH to 180 for 8 after 18 overs. However, only ten runs came from the last two.
Mohammed Shami removed Aiden Markram in the second over of the chase but Pooran took the attack to the opposition. His first boundary came via a misfield before he smoked Simarjeet Singh over deep midwicket twice in two balls.
Bringing on a left-arm orthodox spinner with Pooran in the middle is always risky. But Cummins took that gamble with Abhishek. Pooran faced only two balls from him and slog-swept both for sixes. He has now hit seven sixes off nine balls against Abhishek in T20 cricket.
He didn’t spare Adam Zampa either, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the seventh over. Off the first 20 balls he faced, he hit five fours and six sixes.
Marsh was on 37 off 22 balls when Pooran got out. He had hit Shami for two straight sixes in the powerplay. In the 11th over, he hit Cummins for back-to-back fours to bring up his fifty off 29 balls. Cummins had him caught at long-on soon after but it was too late.
At the end of 11 overs, LSG needed only 53. They did lose Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni along the way but their victory was never in doubt. Samad, a former SRH player, smashed an unbeaten 22 off eight balls to complete the formalities.
Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 193 for 5 in 16.1 overs (Nicholas Pooran 70, Mitchell Marsh 52, Rishabh Punt 15, David Miler 13*, Abdul Samad 22*; Mohammed Shami 1-37, Pat Cummins 2-29, Adam Zampa 1-46, Harshal Patel 1-48) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 190 for 9 in 20 overs (Travis Head 47, Aniket Verma 36, Nitish Kumar Reddy 32, Heinrich Klassen 26, Pat Cummins 18, Harshal Patel 12*; Shardul Thakur 4-34, Avesh Khan 1-45, Digvesh Rathi 1-40, Ravi Bishnoi 1-42, Prince Yadav 1-29) by five wickets
[Cricinfo]
Rahula College Matara will encounter Dharmapala College Pannipitiya in the 14th edition of the Battle of the Golden Lions big match today and tomorrow at the P Sara Oval. Rahula take the field under the captaincy of Sadew Gamage after achieving notable success in the Under 19 Division II Tier ‘A’ tournament.
Dharmapala did well under the captaincy of Nethmina Nirmal this season in the Division II Tier ‘A’ tournament, though they could not reach the quarter-final stage. In contrast, Rahula reached the business end of the tournament by finishing fourth in the Tier ‘A’ points table.
DHARMAPALA COLLEGE Front row from left: Nethmina Nirmal (Captain), Sameen Kadanaarachchi (Coach), Charith Lorensuhewa (Master In Charge), Dhammika Manawadu (Assistant Principal), Maheshika Rupasinghe (Principal), Dulip Dushmantha (Prefect of Games), Yasindu Yulantha (Assistant Coach), Menusha Pabasara (Vice Captain) Back row from left: Nimnath Vinsara , Yomal Daniel, Sithika Katugampola, Ramiru Mandeepa, Sanuga Dulmika, Vihanga Nimsara, Dinura Nethvindu, Bisara Anjana, Anuhas Mihiran, Nisal Adeepa, Viruna Wathmira, Udula Wishwajith, Shamin Yashoda, Praveen Ranhiru, Nisalitha Sandiw, Tharusha Sonal, Thimath Thenuja
Canada PM Mark Carney says old relationship with US ‘is over’
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Uva provinces and in Nuwara-Eliya district after 2.00 p.m
Gender inequality is not a women’s issue, it is a societal issue that demands attitudinal and behavioural transformation. – Prime Minister
-
News5 days agoSeniors welcome three percent increase in deposit rates
-
Features5 days agoThe US, Israel, Palestine, and Mahmoud Khalil
-
News5 days agoScholarships for children of estate workers now open
-
News6 days agoDefence Ministry of Japan Delegation visits Pathfinder Foundation
-
News5 days agoJapanese Defence Delegation visits Pathfinder
-
Foreign News4 days agoBuddhism’s holiest site erupts in protests over Hindu ‘control’ of shrine
-
Editorial6 days agoWhen promises boomerang
-
News6 days agoBan on altar girls upsets nuns, stirs talk on women’s church roles