Sports

The talent is in outstations

Published

5 years ago

2021/05/4

Young spinners Praveen Jayawickrama and Ramesh Mendis shared 17 wickets between them to give Sri Lanka their first Test win in more than a year at Pallekele yesterday.

Rex Clementine at Pallekele

Sometimes you wonder whether Arjuna Ranatunga has lost it. Even now, he keeps saying that the talent is in outstation and it is where we should invest. He’s old fashioned, you think. But then, with performances like yesterday’s, the old fox is proved right, again.

It was two boys from outstations who spun Sri Lanka to their first Test win in 16 months.

Praveen Jayawickrama, a left-arm spinner is from Kalutara and Ramesh Mendis, an offie is from Ambalangoda. Together they took 17 wickets in the game to give Sri Lanka a 209 run win and with that the series.

But not much has been invested in outstations. The school that produced Suranga Lakmal and Dhananjaya de Silva, Debarawewa Central nearly stopped cricket. Ambalangoda, one of our leading talent bases doesn’t have a proper cricket ground. Money is not invested there because that’s not where the cricket vote is.

Sri Lanka needed five wickets to win the game when play resumed yesterday morning. There was a bit of urgency as well with rain expected after lunch. Praveen was on the money from the start. He set up Liton Das nicely, sending down a delivery that spun away and then slipped in the arm ball that went straight on. The Batsman was playing for turn when there was none and he was a dead duck. He reviewed more in hope than any conviction.

Spinners to succeed obviously need skill. More importantly, they need to be shrewd as well. That Praveen has although he’s not quite across the Bentara river. There is an old Sinhala saying not to bring even a kitten beyond Bentara River.

But the guy who is actually across the Bentara river is Ramesh, a product of Dharmasoka. He tied one end up and was quite happy to play second fiddle; not a trait that we often see in southerners. All ten wickets to fall went to spinners. While the two rookies claimed nine victims, Dhananjaya de Silva chipped in with the wicket of Taijul Islam. Praveen finished with 11 for 178, the tenth best figures by a debutant in Test cricket. It’s also the second time in this millennium a bowler has finished with a match bag of ten wickets or more with Australia’s Jason Krejza being the other.

Praveen was named Man of the Match. It’s hard to think of another Sri Lankan bowler who has impressed so much on debut. There’s a problem though. You won’t see young Praveen in action at least until November again. Why? Sri Lanka do not have any Teat matches until then. By the way, this was supposed to be a three match series. But SLC cut down a Test match because this wasn’t a ‘profitable’ series. Hell with Praveen, Ramesh and Test cricket. Let’s play the LPL, that’s where the money is. Who wants this boring Test cricket? That’s not what we are saying. That’s what the Silvas are thinking; Shammi and Ashley.

All News Advertisement

Latest News

Spin in focus again as high-flying England eye Pakistan scalp

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/23

Priyan

England picked up a convincing win over co-hosts Sri Lanka [Cricbuzz]

England gear up for their second game in Pallekele with early control of Group 2 in the Super Eights after their commanding win over Sri Lanka. Pakistan, meanwhile, have a solitary point following the washout against New Zealand and will be searching for more to boost their chances of a semifinal push. The table, though still young, already places a bit of an urgency on Pakistan, who cannot afford to drift. England, by contrast, have momentum but not necessarily complete clarity in all departments.

History has largely favoured England. They lead the overall T20I head-to-head 21-9 and have won all three previous meetings against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, including the 2022 final. In Pallekele, where surfaces have consistently brought spin into the contest, adaptability will again be tested. England hold a slight advantage in that regard, having already played the bilateral series here against Sri Lanka as well as their first Super 8 fixture, while this will be Pakistan’s first outing at the venue in the competition.

If there is one area England will want sharper returns from, it is the top order. Despite Phil Salt’s fine knock of 62 against Sri Lanka, England’s openers have produced the lowest aggregate amongst all teams in the Super Eights. They have just one 50-plus stand in ten innings and have failed to bat beyond the fourth over together in any game. That fragility at the top becomes particularly relevant against a Pakistan attack that has traditionally thrived when early pressure is created. Will Jacks has come to the rescue plenty of times for England in this World Cup, but the 2022 champions would prefer a firmer cushion from their top order.

The broader concern for England is their record against spin in this edition. They have already lost 21 wickets to spin, the most by any side in the tournament, with their average against slower bowlers sitting below 23. With both teams having relied heavily on spin at different stages of the innings, Tuesday’s contest could well hinge on which batting unit negotiates spin with greater control.

Pakistan, meanwhile, have their own points of focus. Sahibzada Farhan’s prolific run in T20 cricket since the start of 2025, including five hundreds in that period, offers them a game-changer at the top. However, while Farhan’s form is a major positive, the rest of Pakistan’s batting order is yet to make a significant mark. All average below 30 in this tournament and none has registered a fifty-plus score, placing added pressure on Farhan to provide strong starts. Against an England attack that did well to defend 146 against Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s batters could have their work cut out.

Having been under covers for long periods, the surface showed some stickiness in the previous Super Eights game here, making run-scoring far from straightforward. However, with no rain around now, the pitch has had time to settle, which could aid better batting compared to the England-Sri Lanka game. That said, spin is still expected to play a major role. On the weather front, there is no rain forecast for Tuesday.

Harry Brook’s side has remained unchanged for a while and are likely to stick with the same combination. Meanwhile, it is still unclear whether Jacob Bethell will be able to bowl after injuring his finger earlier in the competition.

Even though Shaheen Afridi spent a fair amount of time bowling in the practice session on the eve of the game, it appears unlikely that the left-armer will return to the XI, with Salman Mirza set to retain his place. Pakistan brought back Fakhar Zaman into the mix against New Zealand in place of Khawaja Nafay. With the game getting washed out, they would want to stick to their call and give the experienced Zaman a go.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see where Babar Azam bats for Pakistan. Against Namibia, he did not come out to bat, with Khawaja Nafay and Shadab Khan sent ahead of him. “We got to the 12th over mark and at that point, Babar Azam is not the best person to come in,” said head coach Mike Hesson. He added: “I think he’s well aware his strike rate in the Powerplay in World Cups is less than 100 in T20s. So clearly, that’s not a role that we think we need here.”

In that scenario, Babar’s role could be limited to that of a stabiliser at No. 4 in case of early wickets.

England Probable XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

Pakistan Probable XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

[Cricbuzz]

Latest News

All-round Sune Luus hands South Africa series lead against Pakistan

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/23

Priyan

Sune Luus made an unbeaten 93 off just 78 balls [Cricket South Africa]

A blistering 93 not out from Sune Luus, and an all-round bowling display from the South Africa bowlers overpowered Pakistan in a rain affected first ODI in Bloemfontein. A weather delay meant the contest had been reduced to 41 overs-a-side at the Manguang Oval. Put in to bat first, South Africa lost two early wickets but were steadied by skipper Laura Wolvaardt. She had reached 43 when she fell to Nashra Sandhu, leaving South Africa at 84 for 3 after 17 overs.

Luus then staged a recovery through the middle overs in the company of Annerie Dercksen: for the fourth wicket, they stitched together a partnership of 80 in just 12.2 overs. However, the acceleration was halted when Dercksen fell for a 37-ball 31 to Syeda Aroob Shah. It was the first of three wickets to fall in a clump: South Africa lost 3 for 6 at one point.

Luus ensured that no further wickets were lost in the remaining nine overs of the innings. She laced eight fours and one six on her way to an unbeaten 76-ball 93. But the finishing kick came from the keeper-batter Sinalo Jafta, who made a career-best 57 not out off 38 deliveries. Her strike rate of 150 would end up being the best from either side, and launched South Africa to a total of 260 for 6.

Requiring more than a run-a-ball from the get go, Pakistan struggled in their chase. They were reduced to 5 for 2 within their first four overs, with strikes from Ayanda Hlubi (1 for 22) and Nadine de Klerk (2 for 36). Sidra Amin (68) and Ayesha Zafar (81) stitched together a 116-run partnership for the third wicket to keep Pakistan in the contest, though they went just below six an over during these 20.3 overs.

By the time Amin had been ripped out by Luus – who finished with 2 for 31 from six overs – the required rate had risen above seven. Pakistan huffed and puffed, with Aliya Riaz’s quickfire 26-ball 31 keeping them interested. But when she was stumped off Nonkululeko Mlaba’s left-arm spin, Pakistan had been held down to 217 for 8.

Three overs remained, and they needed an improbable 44 runs off them.Tumi Sekhukhune was at the front of the mop-up job with a lower order that did not come close to threatening this equation. She picked up the remaining two wickets to finish on figures of 3 for 50, and Pakistan were bowled out for 223 to hand South Africa a 1-0 lead.

Brief scores:
South Africa Women 260 for 6 in 41 overs (Sune Luus 93*, Laira Wolvaardt 43, Sinalo Jaffa 57*; Nashra Sandhu 2-45) beat Pakistan Women 223 in 38.5 overs (Ayesha Zafar 81, Sidra Amin 68; Nadine de Klerk 2-36, Tumi Sekhukhune 3-50, Sune Luus 2-31) by 37 runs

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Dottin out obstructing the field as Sri Lanka clinch series

Published

8 hours ago

2026/02/23

Priyan

Vishmi Gunaratne top scored for Sri Lanka (file photo)

Deandra Dottin was given out obstructing the field as West Indies suffered their second narrow defeat as Sri Lanka clinched the ODI series 2-0.

In the 30th over, Dottin went for a sweep against Chamari Athapaththu, the ball slipped down the leg side and was called wide. But it ballooned off the pads of wicketkeeper Kaushini Nuthyangana back towards Dottin who tapped it away with her bat then caught the ball. Umpires Candace la Borde and Vrinda Rathi conferred and Dottin was given out.

It left West Indies 116 for 6 chasing 209 and they fell further to 146 for 8. However, Janiellea Glasgow nearly hauled them over the line with her second half-century in consecutive matches. She added 45 for the ninth wicket with Afy Fletcher, before she was last player dismissed, brilliantly held on the rebound at cover by Kavisha Dilhari.

Sri Lanka had produced some impressive pieces of fielding throughout the innings with Hasini Perera taking a sharp catch at slip to remove Chinelle Henry and Nilakshika Silva taking a brilliant catch at long-off from Shawnisha Hector’s lofted drive.

Vishmi Guneratne’s half-century had been the main contribution of Sri Lanka’s innings. A series of useful top-order partnerships had taken them to 166 for 4 in the 36th over before the last six wickets fell for 42 as Karishma Ramharack finished with 3 for 26.

Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 208 in 47.1 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 32, Harshitha Samarawickrema 35, Vishmi Gunaratne 58, Nilakshika Silva 29; Hayley Matthews 2-44, Karishma Ramharack 3-26, Afy Fletcher 2-40) beat West Indies Women 194 in 48 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 30, Stefanie Taylor 27, Jannillea Glasgow 50, Afy Fletcher 20; Inoka Ranaweera 3-44, Sugandika Kumari 3-38, Dewmi Vihanga 2-33, ) by 14 runs

[Cricinfo]