Sports
The kid who came to Colombo to study law
by Rex Clementine
In late 1990s, there was a kid from Kandy who came to Colombo to pursue his studies in law. In 1980s, the universities had been closed due to the JVP insurrection and as a result there was a backlog in enrolling students to complete their degrees. The kid from Kandy had to wait for two years for his chance to enter university in a bid to become a lawyer going in the footsteps of his father. So with lot of spare time at his disposal, he decided to play some cricket and was employed by Informatics for a salary of Rs. 4000. Brendon Kuruppu was running cricket at Informatics.
Around the same time, the national cricket team fared so poorly in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1999 in England despite being defending champions. Captain, seniors, cricket board and the selectors were all sacked. President Chandrika Kumaratunga wanted change. The new selection panel headed by Sidath Wettimuny was looking for youth. Kuruppu was part of the selection committee and told his colleagues about this immensely talented kid from Kandy at Informatics. He was a hit with Sri Lanka ‘A’ and soon ended up in the senior side. The nation may have lost a successor to Romesh de Silva (PC) but cricket found someone who could fill the big shoes of Aravinda de Silva. Kumar Sangakkara is his name.
On Sunday night Sanga became just the second Sri Lankan to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. The Kandyans were having a field day on social media so proud of the fact that both inductees from Sri Lanka into that rare club are from Kandy. Muttiah Muralitharan was inducted in 2019 and two years later now Sanga has joined him.
Sanga’s first cricket coach was his father – Kshema Sangakkara, a leading lawyer in the Central province. As his son was growing up he hired Kandy’s best cricket coach – Sunil Fernando to tutor his son. A few years later, he raised the bar even further hiring of all people the legendary Bertie Wijesinghe.
Yet, young Sangakkara was nothing spectacular in school cricket. The standout performers in his age group were mostly Colombo based. There was little doubt that Mahela Jayawardene, Tilan Samaraweera, Avishka Gunawardene and even Upehka Fernando were going to represent Sri Lanka one day but Sangakkara was nowhere close.
But the basics of his game were rock solid thanks to some fine coaching. Success followed in international cricket after the selectors persevered with him patiently. Sanath Jayasuriya, Sangakkara’s first captain needs lot of credit for backing the young player under his charge and letting him express himself freely batting at prime number three slot.
Sangakkara would soon go onto become Sri Lanka’s most prolific batsman. He dominated bowling attacks in the world while his leadership skills were highly impressive. In his first assignment as captain, Sri Lanka reached the finals of the ICC World T-20 in 2009. In his next assignment, the team recorded their first series win against Pakistan at home.
There was more success as Sri Lanka won a first ever series in Australia under his leadership. His father Kshema remained unimpressed though. Even after he had smashed the most stunning double hundred against an attack that comprised Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akthar, Kshema Sangakkara would tell his son, ‘you batted like a donkey today’.
During a tour of Australia, Sanga had been woken up in the middle of the night by the hotel receptionist who informed him that he had received a fax from home. Bit worried as to what was happening back home he went to pick the copy of the fax. It was from his father. So what was in the fax? Dad had sent some batting tips from Sir Don Bradman’s book ‘The Art of Cricket’ and with that there was a message, ‘read it before you go out to bat tomorrow.’
Mumbai Indians (MI) sealed their fifth consecutive win in comfortable fashion this season to climb to 12 points in ten games. It was a near-perfect day for the hosts in front of 19,000 kids as they defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the first time in a league-stage fixture.
Half-centuries from Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav – who also became the third-fastest to 4000 IPL runs – helped them set 215 before Jasprit Bumrah‘s four-for and Trent Boult‘s three-for sealed a 54-run win.
Mayank Yadav was back in LSG colours for the first time this season. His pace had dropped but his slower ones were effective and took 2 for 40 in his four overs. Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran got starts but LSG’s middle order, including an out-of-sorts Rishabh Pant, crumbled again. The chase fizzled out with the their last six wickets falling for 26 runs.
The day began with Mayank being announced as Shardul Thakur’s replacement. He took the new ball and bowled in the mid 130-kph to early 140-kph range. The bumper he tried in the first over got spongy bounce and went above Rickelton’s head. But an overpitched ball next up was thumped down the ground.
In his next over, Mayank tested the middle of the pitch. Rohit Sharma hit two sixes with the pull, one in front of square and one behind. The response was a change in line, length and pace. It worked as Rohit reached out and sliced a slower length ball to short third.
Rickelton could’ve been run-out in the second over but Aiden Markram missed a direct hit from point. Rickelton showed his trust in the pitch as he slogged and pulled balls off a length. He drove a full toss down to take 15 off Prince Yadav’s first over. There were no other chances created in the 66-run powerplay.
Digvesh Rathi came in having not conceded a single six in the powerplay, but Rickelton slog swept him twice for two sixes over midwicket before reaching a 25-ball fifty. Rathi changed ends and bowled quicker and straighter on return. Rickelton’s tried to capitalise on the googly when it was tossed up outside off, but ended up slicing straight to point in the ninth over. He made 58.
Mayank was brought back with Suryakumar new at the crease. That didn’t work as Suryakumar launched him over his head. Jacks then got a couple of boundaries behind square both sides of the wicket. The slower balls, though, did keep the batters down and MI moved to 105 for 2 in 10 overs.
Prince’s reverse-swinging yorker then knocked Jacks over for 29. Suryakumar kept MI’s tempo going by hitting Bishnoi for a four and two sixes in the 13th over, but the 16-run over also saw the dismissal of Tilak Varma.
Suryakumar brought up his 4000th run in the IPL with a ramp off Avesh Khan and got another six off Prince over fine leg again. At 157 for 5 in 15 overs, MI were ready to launch but Mayank set them back when he dislodged Hardik’s leg stump and gave away just five runs in the 16th over. Suryakumar was then dismissed for 54 off 28 balls, but MI kept finding the boundaries.
Rathi’s off-day continued at the death as LSG continued with just five bowlers. The over started with an edged reverse sweep that went for four. It finished with 19 runs as Naman Dhir and Corbin Bosch got under the ball and launched sixes over the leg side. MI soared past 200 with an over to go. Four full tosses from Avesh in the 20th over helped MI post 215.
Aiden Markram was able to slash Boult, who started from around the wicket, through the off side for a couple of fours. Marsh then launched a flick over square leg off Deepak Chahar that nearly went out of the ground.
Bumrah was slightly lucky to get Markram as hi middled flick went straight into the hands of deep-backward square. Pooran got hold of Chahar in his third powerplay over, scything two wide yorkers for six before pulling a short ball for one more as LSG posted to 60 for 1 in six.
With Mitchell Santner out due to a finger niggle and a left-hander on the tear, Jacks was brought on ahead of Karn Sharma and he struck twice. The first ball was lobbed up in the slot but Pooran mistimed a lofted drive to long-off, where Suryakumar took a good catch.
Pant was back at No. 4 but endured another short stay at the crease. He edged a cut for four through third before miscuing a premeditated reverse sweep to Karn at short third. The wicket led to the two overs following the powerplay going for just 13 runs.
Ayush Badoni got off to a watchful start. He was on seven off seven balls before making room and and slashing Karn for two fours and a six. Marsh hit two fours off Hardik Pandya’s sole over but slowed down from 31 off 17 to 34 off 24. Hardik rang in the changes as five different bowlers were used between the eighth and 13th overs.
The asking rate rose close to 12 when Boult, on return, got Marsh with a slower ball and reduce LSG to 110 for 4. Badoni and David Miller continued the trend of the earlier partnership with Miller, the new batter, getting off to a quick start (21 off 13) while the set batter slowed down.
Badoni got away with an undetected edge in the 14th over but fell to a slower ball from Boult to end with 35 off 22 after being 30 off 15.
Bishnoi was able to launch a couple of sixes, the second of which was off Bumrah and brought out smiles and fist-pumps, but Bosch and Boult cleaned up the tail and completed MI’s 150th IPL win comprehensively.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 215 for 7 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 58, Rohit Sharma 12, Will Jacks 29, Suryakumar Yadav 54, Naman Dhir 25*, Corbin Bosch 20*; Mayank Yadav 2-40, Prince Yadav 1-44, Digvesh Rathi 1-48, Ravi Bishnoi 1-41, Avesh Khan 2-42) beat Lucknow Super Giants 161 in 20 overs (Ayush Badoni 35, Mitchell Marsh 34, Nicholas Pooran 27,David Miller 24, Ravi Bishnoi 13*; Jasprit Bumrah 4-22, Trent Boult 3-20, Will Jacks 2-18, Corbin Bosch 1-26) by 54 runs
[Cricinfo]
A tight Sneh Rana spell put in motion a collapse Sri Lanka did not recover from, losing their last nine wickets for 93 runs.
This match had been shortened to 39-overs-a-side due to morning rains, but even so, a target of 148 was never really going to test a strong India batting order. Their top three hunted efficiently, Pratika Rawal holding the chase together with 50 not out off 62 balls after Smriti Mandhana had provided a brisk start. India cruised home with nine wickets and 9.2 overs to spare.
Sri Lanka had at one point been 54 for 1, before Rana’s spell and some poor running sent the innings into a nosedive. Hasini Perera, opening the batting in place of Vishmi Gunaratne – who was not playing this game – top-scored with 30 runs. But with wickets falling frequently to the India spinners – who took seven in total – Sri Lanka never appeared to be headed to a competitive score.
Rana took 3 for 32 from her eight overs, with Deepti Sharma taking two wickets as well. Left-arm spinner N Sree Charani also struck twice in her first international match. There were four debutants in this match – two from each side – and Charani fared the best of them, the other three failing to take wickets.
It was the lbw of Hasini that kickstarted the collapse. Rana slid one into her pads, the ball likely going on to hit middle. Soon after that, a running mix-up cost Harshitha Samarawickrama her wicket, and Sri Lanka’s extremely shaky middle order was exposed.
Rana kept striking, taking two excellent return catches. The simpler of these was against Hansima Karunaratne who had come down the track only to hit the ball back to Rana who took a sharp chance at thigh height. Four overs later, she also took a low, dying chance to dismiss Nilakshika de Silva. Charani’s wickets both came from catches in the infield. Her maiden wicket, that of Kavisha Dilhari, came from a top-edged sweep.
India were dominant from the outset, with the bat. Mandhana was timing the ball particularly well, especially against Sri Lanka’s seamers. She favoured the legside in this innings, judging length quickly on a slow Khettarama deck, to pounce on the short ones. So dominant was she early on that although the score was 54 when she gave Inoka Ranaweera a return catch, she had scored 43 herself, off 46 balls.
Rawal was slower through the opening partnership, but confident nonetheless, as several of her drives suggested. Her fourth ODI half-century featured six fours, the prettiest of which was a cover drive off Dilhari in the ninth over.
Harleen Deol added another excellent score to her body of work at No. 3, where she has been batting of late. She was not out on 48 off 71 when India cruised home.
Brief scores:
India Women 149 for 1 in 29.4 overs (Pratika Rawal 50*, Harleen Deol 48*, Smriti Mandhana 43) beat Sri Lanka Women 147 in 38.1 overs (Hasini Perera 30, Kavisha Dilhari 25, Anushka Sanjeewani 22; Sneh Rana 3-31, Deepti Sharma 2-22, Shree Charani 2-26) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
Punjab Kings [PBKS] had to settle with just one point despite scoring 201 on a slow pitch as late-evening thunders showers washed out the chase in Kolkata. They will be disappointed for they had done the hard work on a pitch whose consensus reading was “very, very slow”. The one point moved PBKS to No. 4 on the points table while the lagging Kolkata Knight Riders rose to No. 7 with seven points from nine matches.
Outside the frustration of not getting the win, PBKS will be pleased with their openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimrn Singhe, whose half-centuries took them to the daunting total in tough conditions. Especially how they scored the runs. They were almost obsessed with not over-hitting, holding their shape and relying more on their timing, adding 120 for the first wicket, PBKS’ only century stand this IPL. Arya scored 69 off 35, Prabhsimran 83 off 49, and even though the last six overs produced only 42, PBKS were confident they had scored an above-par total.
On the slow track with grip available for those bowling into the pitch, PBKS took 74 off the eight overs of spin between Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. Even Harshit Rana, KKR’s slower-ball specialist, was allowed to bowl only two overs for 27 runs.
Arya, in particular, was clever in his targeting of the bowlers. He took 50 off 20 balls of pace, and just 19 off 15 balls of spin. Prabhsimran took the spinners on, taking 41 off 22 balls bowled by them. Both of them were measured in the first couple of overs, getting used to the pace in the pitch, before targeting the pace bowlers. Arya preferred timing – his first four fours were driven between mid-off and cover – and Prabshimran struggled early, getting to only 34 off 32 at one point.
With an audacious switch-hit six off Narine, Prabhsimran turned his innings around, in the process consigning Narine to a 22-run over. His worst has been 23 in all T20 cricket. Prabhsimran scored 49 off the last 17 balls he faced; Shreyas Iyer managed only five in a 40-run stand with him.
That the death overs were not easy to hit only encouraged PBKS. Andre Russell managed reverse-swing, Narine and Varun conceded just 13 in their final overs, and Vaibhav Arora drew purchase when he bowled slower balls. PBKS were confident there wouldn’t be much dew either, but we never could find out.
Scores:
Punjab Kings 201 for 4 (Prabhsimran Singhe 83, Priyansh Arya 69, Vaibhav Arora 2-34, Varun Chakravarthy 1-39, Andre Russel 1-27) vs Kolkata Knight Riders 7 for 0 in 1 over Match abandoned
[Cricinfo]
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