Sports
Plucky Sri Lanka leave India on the brink of elimination
Sri Lanka produced a spirited performance with both ball and bat to put one foot into the 2022 Asia Cup Final. Their victory over India, chasing 173, with a ball and six wickets to spare despite a middle-overs stutter that saw them lose 4 for 13 left the holders on the brink of elimination.
A target of 174 could have proved tricky without a good start and Sri Lanka had the pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis to thank for a 97-run opening stand. The duo did well to take their time at the start of the chase with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh getting a hint of swing. Thereafter, on a pitch that had improved from the time Dasun Shanaka opted to bowl, the pair found it in them to hit through the line and over the in-fields.
Arshdeep Singh found that slower balls were no longer stopping on the batters as they had been for parts of the Indian innings and was taken apart for 18 in the fifth over. Yuzvendra Chahal bowled the last over of the PowerPlay and was crashed through the covers by Nissanka and lofted over his head for a six by Mendis. Sri Lanka had 57 in the PowerPlay and after another six each off Chahal and R. Ashwin, they had crept up effortlessly to 89 at the end of 10 overs with Nissanka completing a 33-ball half-century and Mendis on his way to reaching the milestone off the exact same number of deliveries.
From 97/0 at the end of 11 overs and a position of complete control, Sri Lanka lost 4 for 13 as Chahal brought India storming back into the contest. The procession began when Nissanka reverse-swept the legspinner straight to backward point. In the same over, Charith Asalanka miscued a slog-sweep and holed out. Ashwin had Danushka Gunathilaka caught at long off before Chahal trapped Mendis in front of his stumps with a slider.
Mendis’s dismissal left Sri Lanka needing 64 off 35 deliveries and 11 of those were to be bowled by Ashwin and Chahal. Bhanuka Rajapaksa hit two off them for sixes – a slog sweep off Chahal and a step-out-and-swing off Ashwin. Those two hits brought the equation down to a more gettable 42 off 24. India had an over of Hardik Pandya to bowl in the final three and Rohit chose him to bowl the 18th. Shanaka found an outside edge for four and then nailed a pull over fine-leg for six. Bhuvneshwar was once again entrusted to bowl the 19th and couldn’t nail his wide yorkers and his 14-run over left Arshdeep to defend seven. The young left-arm seamer did well to take the game to the penultimate ball, unfurling a slew of yorkers but an overthrow saw Sri Lanka over the line.
Left-arm pace and spin proved to be India’s undoing in the last T20 World Cup on these shores and so it proved again when they were put into bat. Dasun Shanaka used both these varieties to start the innings and offie Maheesh Theekshana struck in the second over when he drifted one into an advancing KL Rahul and hit him full on the boot. DRS upheld the umpire’s call despite inconclusive evidence of a possible bat-on-ball situation.
India were then reduced to 13/2 in the next over when Virat Kohli fell for a four-ball duck. He was setup well by the left-armer Dilshan Madushanka who stationed two slips, left mid-wicket open and bowled one that came in with the angle. Kohli’s attempts at a swipe across the line connected with thin air and his stumps were re-arranged.
India recovered thanks to Rohit Sharma staying true to the batting doctrine he and the management has imposed on the team. A pulled six and a cut four of Asita Fernando in a 14-run fifth over got India going. Another heave past backward square leg off Theekshana gave India a respectable 44/2 after 6 overs.
The excellence of Rohit’s innings was down to how he allowed Suryakumar Yadav to get into his innings without that costing the team runs in the middle. He targeted the inexperienced seamer Asita Fernando, who conceded 28 off his two overs. Rohit also took on Wanindu Hasaranga, who matches up positively against him, and hit him for a pair of sixes and a four in the 12th over.
From 110/3 at the time of Rohit’s dismissal for a 41-ball 72, India lost their way somewhat thanks in large parts to good Sri Lankan bowling. Shanaka filling in for the struggling Asita’s two overs dismissed Suryakumar (34 off 29) with a slower bouncer and then had Hardik Pandya caught in the deep with a whip-flick. Despite scoring 38 from the final four overs, the pair of Madushanka and Chamika Karunaratne kept India to a score that was about 15-20 short of where they were headed. India have a game against Afghanistan but will officially stand eliminated if Pakistan beat Afghanistan tomorrow.
Brief scores:
India 173/8 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 72, Suryakumar Yadav 34; Dilshan Madushanka 3-24, Chamika Karunaratne 2-27) lost to Sri Lanka 174/4 in 19.5 overs (Kusal Mendis 57, Pathum Nissanka 52; Yuzvendra Chahal 3-34) by six wickets.
(Cricbuzz)
by Rex Clementine
A match saving hundred by Sonal Dinusha helped Sri Lanka salvage a draw in the second Test against India at the SSC yesterday. India won the series 1-0, having claimed the opening Test in Galle by 165 runs.
Sri Lanka were 429 for nine in their second innings, with Dinusha unbeaten on 133, when the teams shook hands and called off the game with the 15 mandatory overs about to begin.
Sri Lanka, who were forced to follow on after conceding a first innings deficit of 213 runs, began the final day staring down the barrel at 229 for six, leading by just 16 runs with three sessions to survive.
In young Sonal Dinusha, however, the hosts seem to have unearthed a gem. He batted superbly under pressure to ensure Sri Lanka earned a draw and picked up some valuable points in the World Test Championship.
Dinusha had been Sri Lanka’s standout performer throughout the series, having made 100 and 84 in the first Test in Galle before following it up with 103 in the first innings at the SSC and an unbeaten 133 in the second essay to finish the series with 420 runs.
It was only the fifth Test for the 25-year-old, but he batted with authority and showed remarkable composure in a back to the wall effort.
India threw everything at him, including the second new ball, but Dinusha remained unmoved as he became only the eighth Sri Lankan to score hundreds in both innings of a Test, joining an exclusive list comprising Duleep Mendis, Asanka Gurusinha, Aravinda de Silva, T.M. Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.
The match saving hundred was Dinusha’s third in Test cricket and also his career-best score.
Dinusha could not have done it all by himself, however, as he received excellent support from Sri Lanka’s lower order.
He added 112 runs from 246 deliveries for the seventh wicket with Keshara Nuwantha as Sri Lanka batted through the entire morning session without losing a wicket.
India finally found the breakthrough in the first over after lunch when Nuwantha departed for a well compiled 46.
Dinusha then added 25 runs for the eighth wicket from 74 balls with Prabath Jayasuriya to keep Sri Lanka afloat. After Jayasuriya’s dismissal, Lahiru Kumara joined Dinusha and the pair added 47 runs for the ninth wicket from 170 deliveries, keeping India in the field for even longer and eating further into the time available for the tourists to force a victory.
Questions will be asked of India’s bowling attack after they were unable to run through Sri Lanka’s lower order on a fifth day pitch despite having the hosts six wickets down at the start of play.
Six-a-side school cricket is set to make a high-profile return to Moratuwa when the Old Boys’ Association of Prince of Wales’ College stages the Prince of Wales’ College 150th Anniversary Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament on August 29 and 30 at the De Soysa Stadium.
The two-day tournament is one of the major sporting attractions of the College’s historic 150th anniversary celebrations and
will bring together 16 leading school cricket teams for a knockout competition.
The tournament is aimed at reviving the excitement of six-a-side cricket, a format renowned for its fast pace and spectator-friendly nature, which has not featured regularly in major inter-school competitions in recent years.
The Old Boys’ Association believes the 150th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to bring the format back to the forefront while celebrating Moratuwa’s deep-rooted passion for cricket.
Cricket has long held a special place in the hearts of Moratuwa’s residents, while Prince of Wales’ College boasts a proud cricketing tradition that has produced several outstanding players who have gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
The organizers expect more than 5,000 cricket enthusiasts from Moratuwa and surrounding areas to witness the tournament over the two days, turning the event into a major festival of school cricket.
The opening ceremony on August 29 is scheduled to be attended by Kusal Mendis, one of the leading cricketers produced by Prince of Wales’ College and a member of the Sri Lankan national team.
The tournament will feature 16 schools, including Royal College Colombo, St. Joseph’s College Darley Road, Thurstan College Colombo, S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Richmond College Galle, Mahanama College Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Wesley College Colombo, Ananda College Colombo and Mahanama College Panadura.
With the competition being played on a knockout basis, the compact format is expected to produce plenty of attacking cricket and give emerging players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
Apart from the competitive aspect, the tournament is also intended to promote sportsmanship, friendship and fellowship among the participating schools.
The tournament will conclude on August 30 with a ceremonial awards presentation, with the participation of Eran Wickramaratne, distinguished invitees, representatives of participating schools, past pupils and members of the cricketing community.
The Old Boys’ Association has also expressed its appreciation to the corporate sector and event sponsors whose support has helped make the tournament possible.
Their contribution, according to the organizers, reflects the continuing partnership between Prince of Wales’ College, its alumni and the corporate community in supporting educational, sporting and development initiatives.
The six-a-side tournament is therefore expected to provide not only two days of entertaining school cricket, but also a fitting sporting celebration of 150 years of Prince of Wales’ College.
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
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