Sports
Dickwella – a monster the selectors created
by Rex Clementine
There was knee jerk reaction from the national selection panel following Sri Lanka’s heart-breaking last ball defeat to New Zealand in Christchurch. Rather than addressing burning issues and long-standing problems, they were blaming Niroshan Dickwella for the defeat after the wicketkeeper had a poor game dropping Kane Williamson and making a little contribution with the bat.
The current selection panel is quick to take credit when things go right but when things go wrong, they waste no time in finding scapegoats. They have conveniently forgotten that Niroshan Dickwella is a monster they created.
When Dickwella was on suspension, instead of grooming the nation’s next wicketkeeper, the selectors adopted temporary measures by giving the gloves to Dinesh Chandimal for the home series against West Indies.
Then they recalled Dickwella back into the squad soon after his suspension ended. That was in Mohali last year. The side was in trouble but Dickwella being Dickwella wasted no time in sweeping Ravindra Jadeja taking on the two men placed square of the wicket for the top edge and he was dismissed cheaply.
This is not a lack of game awareness. This is pure stubbornness and not playing for the team’s cause. A strong selection panel would have axed Dickwella for the next Test in Bangalore.
Even now when they have finally decided to axe him the keeping gloves will again go to Chandimal, who has been one of the team’s best batters in the last couple of years. Keeping duties will diminish his effectiveness as a batsman and you wonder why the selectors have failed to groom a replacement for Dickwella. Is he indispensable in their books?
Dickwella experiment has ended after 54 Tests and he’s got only himself to blame for that. Despite the costly fumble of Williamson, you’ve got to accept the fact that Dickwella is Sri Lanka’s best keeper. He may not be in the class of Prasanna Jayawardene but among the current keepers, he’s the best. It’s all the drama that he does behind the stumps that’s crap. The problem is not with the drama but his inability to convert starts and throwing his wicket away after being well set. Lessons should have been taught long before he ended up playing 50 Tests.
One dropped catch seems pretty harsh for someone to be axed but that’s how the game goes. You’ve got away with too many soft dismissals and when your dropped catch has cost the side a game and probably a place in the World Test Championship final, your mistakes are magnified.
If Dickwella doesn’t make a comeback it will be a crying shame. He was one of the brightest prospects to emerge when he first came onto the scene almost ten years ago. Like so many before him, he’s faded away without fulfilling the promises.
An ODI between Canada and Netherlamds in King City Toronto on Tuesday was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. The fixture was part of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 competition, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The match was abandoned just 4.1 overs into the Netherlands innings after they had chosen to bat. They were 15 for 1, with Max O’Dowd the batter dismissed for a duck in the second over. The pitch had uneven bounce and the batters were struck several times during the short passage of play.
On June 12, four days before the abandoned match, the ICC had issued a statement saying the pitch at King City that was used for an ODI between USA and the Netherlands on June 8 had been given an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point.
“This was a pitch that fell below the standard expected for this level of cricket,” match referee Phil Thompson had said about the surface for the USA-Netherlands match. “Both captains expressed disappointment with how it turned out, and the match officials assessed it as ‘very poor’. The inconsistent bounce created challenging and potentially unsafe playing conditions. Taking all factors into consideration, I believe the pitch merits an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.”
According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches that get an “unsatisfactory” rating will be given one demerit point, while an “unfit” pitch rating will result in three demerit points for the venue. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, and an accumulation of six demerit points will result in the venue being suspended from hosting international matches for 12 months (12 demerit points will lead to a 24-month ban).
(Cricinfo)
Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.
Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands
The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.
“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”
West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.
West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka
Ireland Women 118/9 in 20 overs (Alana Dalzelle 14, Orla Prendergast 26, Leah Paul 10, Alice Tector 10, Louise Little 26*; Lauren Bell 1-39, Linsey Smith 1-20, Sophie Ecclestone 3-22, Charlie Dean 2-11, Dani Gibson 2-10) lost to England Women 119/6 in 17.3 overs (Dani Wyatt Hodge 16, Nat Sciver-Brunt 48, Heather Knight 26; Aimee Maguire 2-23, Orla Prendergast 2-17) by 4 wickets
Hundreds of cats stolen for food in Vietnam rescued by police, welfare group says
Canada-Netherlands ODI abandoned due to dangerous pitch in Toronto
Da Silva and Jangoo earn recalls for West Indies’ Tests against Sri Lanka
Spinners make it two in two for England
Messi hat-trick fires holders Argentina to win over Algeria at World Cup
UNDP, Central Bank deepen financial literacy drive to build economic resilience
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News5 days agoCIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme
-
Sports2 days agoTharanga set for high-profile javelin clash in Ostrava
-
News5 days agoJustice Minister responds to social media claims he represented Easter Sunday ringleader
-
Features3 days agoPolitics of protected species
-
News4 days agoCommonwealth lawyers urge Lanka to uphold rule of law
-
News2 days agoRelease of 2025 O/L results likely to be delayed
-
News2 days agoTheft of USD 2.5 mn from Treasury: CoPF accused of complicity in NPP cover-up
-
News1 day agoBeijing Capital Airlines to resume flights to Colombo signalling boost to tourism