Sports

Cricket’s finest gentleman Michael Tissera

Published

4 years ago

2021/11/28

Michael Tissera and Sir Garry Sobers give away the trophy named after them to Angelo Mathews as Sri Lanka won the maiden

by Rex Clementine

Next week, as the second Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies comes to a conclusion, Michael Tissera will be in Galle to give away Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne a trophy that bears his name and that of West Indies legend Sir Garry Sobers. Irrespective of the result of the second Test, Sri Lanka will retain the Sobers-Tissera Trophy having won the first Test. West Indies can only square the series and as the holders of the trophy, Sri Lanka will retain the title.

Sri Lanka’s current cricketers will do well to pick the brains of Tissera, an iconic figure in our game. He played the game at a time when the sport had no money and the perks that the current generation is enjoying, because of men like Tissera, Anura Tennekoon and many others of their generation who laid a solid foundation for the sport. Built on that strong foundation is the brand name called Sri Lankan cricket.

Tissera respects the game and he has taken the values of cricket to his personal life and to his business. That’s why he is so successful. These are factors that are missing in some young players for whom cricket is their profession and nothing beyond. Not just players, but there are many of us who make a living out of cricket, but do we take values of the game beyond our working spaces? That’s the best thing that we can learn from Tissera – respect the game, value it and stay humble.

Talent itself is a great blessing and it is important to respect that. That’s why Tissera is an exceptional role model.

A disciplined man, he has set the standards and others have simply followed. His unquestionable integrity as Chairman of Selectors ensured fair-play in team selections and politicians dare not challenge him.

When Tissera took over as Chairman of Selectors in 2002, Aravinda de Silva had faded away. His cricket was over. He was heavily focusing on his business. But having realized that Aravinda still had much to offer the game, he threw down a challenge to Aravinda. If you are interested, the number four position of the national cricket team is all yours. But on one condition. ‘You are overweight and you need to get fitter.’ Aravinda loves those challenges. He knew he had cricket in him and apparently in two months he lost 15 kilos. A lot of running around Independence Square and no fancy stuff like lamb, pork sausages, cakes and of course his favourite Kandos.

On his comeback, he was a revelation. Aravinda produced a double hundred in his last Test match, he was the star as Sri Lanka reached the finals of the Champions Trophy in 2002 beating Australia in the semis. Basically he carried the team on his shoulders during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Making runs on those bouncy tracks was child’s play for Aravinda. And Tissera knew the man better than many others. Some of those knocks were out of this world. They are the stuff that you dream of. All that was possible because of Tissera. He gave Aravinda a second chance. Every young man deserves a second chance. Had Tissera been managing the Sri Lankan cricket team, Kusal Mendis would have been like Babar Azam of Pakistan leading Sri Lanka not serving a suspension.

Tissera’s two year tenure as the Manager of the national cricket team was highly successful. Tom Moody was the Head Coach and the team reached new heights. England were thrashed 5-0 in their own backyard in 2006 and the team won many Test matches overseas. It all culminated with Sri Lanka reaching the finals of the 2007 World Cup.

That team had some tricky customers. Tissera’s brilliant man management skills saw there was smooth sailing. Moody can be ruthless, like a typical Aussie. You needed the calm head of Tissera to ensure that things did not get out of hand. Well, they did get out of hand at certain points, but no one spilled the beans. What happened on tour, stayed on tour. None dared leaking information.

Tissera is tough when he needs to be, but he is also a father figure when players need support. Straight out of school when Sanath Jayasuriya from Matara ended up at CCC it is people like Tissera who looked after him. He has done much more to help up and coming players. All silently though.

Good on Sidath Wettimuny as President of Sri Lanka Cricket for naming this trophy after one of the iconic figures of our game. It takes one great man to respect another.

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Sports

Sri Sumangala cruise to semis after Kumarasiri heroics

Published

1 hour ago

2026/03/28

Thilina Walpola

Sri Sumangala College, Panadura secured a convincing five-wicket victory over Sri Dharmaloka College, Kelaniya in their Under-19 Division I Tier ‘B’ cricket quarter-final at Kuruvita on Friday, sealing a place in the semi-finals with two sessions to spare.

‎All-rounder Mevindu Kumarasiri played a decisive role in the win, following up his outstanding bowling performance with a vital knock of 44 runs to guide his team to the target of 157.

‎Sri Sumangala’s run chase was anchored by Kumarasiri and Neksha Iddamalgoda, who shared a crucial 85-run partnership for the fourth wicket after the early setbacks. The stand effectively put the Panadura side on course for victory.

‎Kumarasiri’s brisk 44 came at just under a run-a-ball and included five boundaries, while Iddamalgoda top-scored with 49, striking seven fours in a fluent innings. Although both batsmen were dismissed before the target was reached, their partnership had already taken the sting out of the chase.

‎Bihanga Silva and Sadika Damyuru then completed the formalities, steering Sri Sumangala past the target to wrap up an impressive victory.

‎The win was particularly remarkable considering Sri Sumangala had been bowled out for 144 in their first innings. However, Kumarasiri turned the game dramatically in their favour with a superb six-wicket haul that dismantled Sri Dharmaloka for just 89 in the second innings.

‎His match-winning all-round performance proved to be the turning point as Sri

Sumangala capitalised on the opportunity to book their place in the tournament’s semi-finals.

‎Scores

‎Sri Dharmaloka 211 all out in 76.3 overs

(Kaveen Deneth 106, Senuka Pehesara 29, Koshitha Adithya 19; Mevindu Kumarasiri 5/82) and 89 all out in 35 overs (Tharusha Mihiranga 24; Mevindu Kumarasiri 6/41, Methum Fernando 4/42)

‎Sri Sumangala 144 all out in 48.4 overs

(Neksha Iddamalgoda 47, Bihanga Silva 36, Mavindu Kumarasiri 21; Tishan Nipun 4/43, Sathindu Prabhoda 3/44, Koshitha Adithya 2/27) and 160 for 5 in 34.3 overs (Vidura Basuru 33, Sandeep Wijerathna 19, Neksha Iddamalgoda 49, Mevindu Kumarasiri 44; Koshitha Adithya 4/64) (RF)

Latest News

PSL 2026: Teams allowed to submit two XIs and pick one after toss

Published

14 hours ago

2026/03/27

Priyan

Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne warms up [PSL]

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Marnus Labuschagne, captains of Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen, walked out with two team sheets each for the toss ahead of the opening matchof PSL 2026 and selected their final XIs based on which way the coin fell.

This was in accordance with a new regulation in the PSL playing conditions, which permits the captains to submit two team sheets to the match referee before the toss and finalise one of the submitted line-ups after the toss.

The clause 1.2.1 in the “Nomination and Replacement of Players” section reads: “Before the toss, each captain may submit two (2) different XI lineups in writing to the PSL Match Referee. Each lineup must include 11 players and a maximum of 4 substitute fielders (subject to Clause 1.2.5). After the toss, each captain must finalise one of the two submitted lineups by signing the selected team sheet. Once the final lineup has been nominated, no player listed in the selected playing eleven may be changed before the start of the match without the consent of the opposing captain.”

Tosses can play a significant role in this part of the world in night matches as a result of dew. The ball often gets wet and difficult to grip for the spinners, making them ineffective in the second innings. This change in the playing conditions is expected to provide a level playing field – a team batting first can add a fast bowler instead of a spinner while a team batting second can look to add depth to their batting.

There were no signs of dew in the first match of the season however because of the wind throughout the day and cloud cover.

[Cricinfo]

Latest News

Japan Premier League [JPL], building cricket from the ground up

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/27

Priyan

Japan has been taking cricket seriously and starting to make a bit of an impression [Cricinfo]

The Japan Premier League (JPL) T20 competition is cricket’s unlikely outpost – a self-sustaining though struggling-to-survive tournament far away from cricket’s traditional centres. It’s on a growth path just over a decade into its existence, starting to connect local players to those outside, and looking to create a cricketing community in the country.

It was founded in 2015 with four regions – North, South, East and West Kanto (Tokyo region) – in the fray, with games held at the home venues of each of the teams. That model was scrapped owing to low turnouts, and the tournament has since been played at one or the other venue, while Kansai (Osaka region) has come in as the fifth team.

In 2026, the JPL will be a three-day competition – May 2 to 4 – with 12 games at the Sano International Cricket Ground. All the buzz in the lead-up is about the participation of former Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, BBL winner Josh Brown, and Nepal allrounder Karan KC.

“A major goal,” Alan Curr, the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) chief operations officer, says, “is to showcase a good standard of cricket for Japanese fans so that they can really see and understand what the sport looks like.”

The challenge there is that despite being played in Japan since 1863, cricket hasn’t found a niche. There has been some systemic progress, with the formation of the JCA in the 1980s, five-year plans running up to 2032, and the presence of men and women’s leagues for juniors and seniors – including the JPL, which struggled to find traction early on.

One of the reasons for excitement recently was that a significant majority of the 15 players in Japan’s squad at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup came through the Cricket Blast, the junior participation programme. However, that’s not translated to mass acceptance or participation.

“Often, for us, cricket in itself isn’t enough to attract people to the ground,” Curr says. “We have to be creative and come up with other things – dance, music, food, drinks and Japanese commentary. But the hope is that if they see the game, it’s of a high standard because when fans see players doing special things, it’s easier to be impressed.”

When it comes to the players, not everyone is too ambitious. Those that are have rewards to aim for as the JPL can have a significant effect on selection for the national side. Having said that, those in the national side are not professionals – they are students or are employed – and use their annual leaves for international assignments. Making time can be a challenge.

“A lot of the players here play recreationally,” Curr says. “Cricket is a recreational hobby to them rather than a high-performance pursuit. For us, concentrating the talent, getting players together at once to give local players the opportunity to play at a higher standard, and going overseas and playing cricket isn’t a feasible option. [So] to be able to bring high-level cricket here is really important.”

“At the moment, we are relying heavily on the goodwill of people, who are happy to come out and play for no payment and out of the kindness of their heart. We know that’s not sustainable. If we can get financial backing, getting a sponsor on board will really make a big difference”

Alan Curr, the COO of the Japan Cricket Association

The last bit is why Brown, especially, coming to JPL in 2024 was critical. Brown is a “pro player” – each team gets one – and will be returning for his third year in a row.

“He signed up quite a long time in advance – that year he had a breakthrough year in the Big Bash,” Curr says. “He scored 140 off 57 balls against Adelaide Strikers. We had him locked in when he did that, but we hadn’t announced it. Then his profile went up, and he started playing leagues around the world. Fair play to him, he still came.

“That year, people were pretty excited when we made that announcement, and people did come and the live-streaming certainly got up. It was the first time we had someone of genuine stature coming over and being involved.”

Other than pro players, the 14-player squads have four retained from the previous year’s teams. All of them find their teams in a draft – this year’s draft took place on March 24.

Where do these players come from, and how do they make their way? “Inside Japan is through domestic performances and trials at the start of the year for any new players,” Curr says. “The overseas talent right now comes from our own contacts as we want to make sure we get players who really understand what the tournament is about. It’s a development league; there’s no salary for these players. We just cover their costs.”

As for the future, there are different avenues for expansion. One is getting more pro players into teams, which, according to Curr, could squeeze out local players, making it a less-than-ideal option. Having more teams is more appealing, as is the prospect of having a nine-day tournament than one only over a long weekend.

“All of those things require funding. At the moment, we are relying heavily on the goodwill of people, who are happy to come out and play for no payment and out of the kindness of their heart,” Curr says. “We know that’s not sustainable. If we can get financial backing, getting a sponsor on board will really make a big difference.”

So far, cricket in Japan made news when the national team did anything of note, like qualifying for the 2020 and 2026 men’s Under 19 World Cups. If the JPL can take the next steps towards becoming bigger and better, maybe it will start attracting interest from other parts of the world in a more significant way. And that in turn could mean the next step for cricket in Japan as a whole.

[Cricinfo]