Sports

Marvan on spin and way forward for cricket

Published

5 years ago

2021/11/10

Rex Clementine in Dubai

There’s no better sight in cricket than Marvan Atapattu in full flow. Technically sound, naturally gifted but mindset bit unsettled; five ducks in six innings and all that at the start but he went onto end with more Test runs than his mentor Arjuna Ranatunga. Marvan can be a nervous starter. Wasim Akram sent him down tumbling to the ground with a vicious bouncer at Asgiriya in 2000. Marvan shook off the setback and went onto compile a stunning double hundred against Wasim and Waqar. He also had a successful stint as a coach and was Head Coach when Sri Lanka won their maiden Test series in England in 2014.

Marvan joined a group of journalists here in Dubai virtually from Colombo to discuss on various aspects of the sport and particularly playing spin bowling, Sri Lanka’s Achilees’ heel in recent times.

“I have seen guys like Arjuna and Aravinda murdering Abdul Qadir and Shane Warne. I remember when Warne came over to Sri Lanka for the first time, Arjuna telling the team meeting not to smash 16 runs off him in one over. Instead milk his bowling. That was his plan,” explained Marvan. In other words, don’t smash Warne all over the park as the opposition captain could take him off the bowling. Instead, pick four runs an over, give a false sense of security that the leggie has things under control and end up scoring big runs.

“I can tell a player this is how you play the sweep, where to get your head, where to get your body position, whether you come forward or go on the back foot. It is the players’ skills after sometime that enable him to succeed. The reverse sweep is not in the coaching manual but a stroke that’s quite unique and can produce runs. Warner plays the reverse sweep differently and Maxwell plays it differently. Nobody taught Dilshan to play the scoop. That’s the confidence he had. That’s ‘uncoachable’. But the important things about playing spin is to get your basics right.”

“You either go to the pitch of the ball or you go on the back foot, wait till the ball turns and then play. You can’t play spin half hearted. It’s a matter of time before you are exposed. Aravinda had an interesting theory. Don’t play the same spinner for six balls. If you take Arjuna, when he was struggling to play spin, very smartly he taps the ball to a vacant area and gets the single. Then if Sanath is in the other end, he will smash the next ball for a six to take the pressure off. Now the spinner has forgotten that he is bowling to a different batsman and he will be smashed all over. That is psychology. You have got to be street smart playing spin.”

Sri Lanka’s options against spin at times have been too risky; sweep. But is it a risk worth taking? “Waruna Waragoda is the best player of spin bowling I have seen. I have tapped into Waruna’s brains on playing spin. I actually asked him to come and help the team on how to play spin when I was coach. But he is a reserved kind of guy and he politely turned it down. He has some amazing tips on playing spin. He had learned the art from Mr. Stanley Jayasinghe. Basically, to play spin, you have to have good feet movement. What most players do right now is to sweep against spin. It’s a high risk shot. You don’t take a risk for one run. That’s what they taught me when I was small. These are basics of the game,” elaborated Marvan.

Sri Lanka performed creditably in the ICC T-20 World Cup and Marvan was pleased with the way the young team went about things. “Given the way we played; skill, attitude, passion and moral. I don’t think I have seen that from a Sri Lankan side for a long time. It started happening during the India series at home and then there was more improvement in the South African series that followed. That momentum continued for the World Cup. To be honest, even I was surprised by the way they performed in the World Cup.”

“I am bit old school; if you take Charith Asalanka and Pathum Nissanka they have very good foundation and technique. That’s the most important thing. Apart from that, they have the additional factor on how to improvise and innovate when it comes to T-20 cricket. They are smart lads especially Charith. The decisions he takes, which ball to hit which side to target, that’s pretty clever. Avishka Fernando was an opener and to drag him to number four maybe put some pressure on him. So Pathum came in as an opener instead of Avishka. He was able to find gaps, play the new ball well and he succeeded there but for Avishka it did not work. In a team game that can happen.”

Thanks to the impressive performances of youngsters, Sri Lanka were able to win two games in the second round and came close to beating South Africa and England. “T-20 is the format that gives you most surprises. It’s the format that creates more upsets. In Test cricket, we say that the team that wins most sessions wins the game. It doesn’t work like that way in T-20 cricket. It can go either way. Against South Africa, Lahiru Kumara, the lengths that he bowled weren’t the right lengths. I don’t think he wanted to bowl those lengths. If you ask him, he will say that. Mistakes can happen. More importantly, he will learn from that experience and when he is faced with a crunch situation, he will have better options. On the other hand, the batsman was very lucky. Had he missed or if one had gone high in the air, the tide would have turned in Sri Lanka’s favour. That’s cricket.”

Since the 2015 World Cup, Sri Lanka have been rebuilding and the process has not gone well for them with the country now forced to play qualifiers for ICC events and if they were to have a Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka would miss out as only the top eight teams qualify.

“I learned something from Arjuna and Aravinda. They always said that Sanath and Kalu can get us 90 runs in the first 15 overs, but once we lose wickets, we need to consolidate and need to keep wickets at hand to cash in the last ten overs. That’s the blueprint that we followed except against Pakistan. You can’t do that against Pakistan because you know Wasim and Waqar will bowl the last ten overs. You have to score as many runs as possible in the middle overs and then when it comes to death overs, you have got to play it safe. Against other teams, no matter how much you score earlier on, you have got to consolidate till the 40th over and then you have to break free. Up to the World Cup in 2015, we had some momentum. We tried to maintain the same tempo after the World Cup. We did not believe in building a team and building an innings and stuff like that. Once our seniors were out, we expected too much from our players and we panicked. So, we faced setbacks and we had to take desperate measures and we appointed too many coaches, too many captains and too many managers. We kept doing this and our downfall was steep. We did not look to rebuild on players who had a good base.”

Have we got things right at the moment? “What we saw during the T-20 World Cup, there were lots of positives. We have utility players, solid batsmen, good fielders and bowlers with a bit of mystery aspect. So, we have got most bases covered. But we have to be patient. Simply because we won five games in the World Cup, we are not going to win the next Test series, especially away from home. We need to categorize players. Who is going to play which format and on what conditions. We tend to pick players who do well in T-20 cricket to play Test cricket and vice-versa. It’s not fair on the player too for he will struggle to adjust. There are players who can do that, no doubt about it. But there are also players who need some time to settle in.”

Marvan’s three-year tenure as Sri Lanka captain from 2003 to 2006 was a landmark era. There were good results but more importantly, he had introduced a team culture where players were made to be mindful of the fact that they were ambassadors of their country. For example, in a Test match, all players had to wear their Test cap for the first session of the game like they used to do when they were schoolboys. Every Sri Lankan captain who followed continued the tradition until Dimuth Karunaratne broke it. Under Dimuth, there is a new culture now. Currently, you see a debutant in Praveen Jayawickrama on the field with his shirt not tucked in. These maybe minute things but is that an indication that discipline is eroding? Well, when your three premier players get banned for breaching bio-secure bubble that’s an indication that something is wrong.

“People might say that a cap doesn’t make a difference to your cricket. But these things, small things go a long way. We used to for example start off a game by spending a few quiet moments thinking of our faiths. These are things that I picked up from my former captains and dressing rooms that I was part of. I always believe that you need to know the history of something, whether it’s cricket, religion your grandparents or whatever. If you don’t then you lose your values. Young players should be taught that this is how we gained Test status. When did we win ICC Trophy? This is how much former players earned for a Test match. There’s no future without a past. We have to respect our past.”

“I am told Mahela Jayawardene wants a documentary done on how we started our Test cricket and what’s our past. If you ask the current players, some may not know that Bandula Warnapura was our first Test captain. I still have the HNB cap that was given for our inaugural Test match. I have the stamp that was issued to mark the occasion. My father got it for me and I cherish those things a lot.”

“Grooming a player is not about developing his skill. We should develop his confidence, should develop him socially. We should not only look to develop his batting, bowling and fielding. We should look to develop his social etiquettes, how to handle media, table etiquettes, what to do when they fly overseas. When you teach players those things that gives them lot of confidence. Then only you get a well-roundedplayer. We don’t follow certain protocols. When we are desperate, we look for quick results. We are not methodical. When I was Head Coach, I gave SLC these plans. I took them from England Lions program. But it was not executed. Sad!”

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Brook, Buttler, Baker star as Sri Lanka slump to 119-run rout

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/16

Priyan

Harry Brook starred with a 42-ball century (Cricinfo)

Harry Brook led from the front with his second and fastest T20I century as England sent Sri Lanka swirling down the Utilita Bowl with victory by 119 runs in the first T20I.

The limited-overs skipper’s 42-ball effort – quicker than every Englishman bar Phil Salt’s 39 baller almost a year ago to the day against South Africa – took England to 254 for 4, compelling former Test captain Ben Stokes to wax lyrical on social media.

Stokes’ post sounded as confused as Sri Lanka’s bowling plans. But the underlying sentiment was that Brook’s unbeaten 114 showed he possesses more genius than Kevin Pietersen.

It is a sketchy claim. But perhaps tonight, England’s new mentor will happily cede to the 27-year old after his third white-ball century of the year, and second in T20Is after his maiden effort against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. In reply, Sri Lanka mustered just 21 more than Brook’s new career-best between them, bowled out for 135 with an over to spare.

England’s first innings fell three runs short of the total they made in their last T20I against India on this very ground. The similarities between this evening and that July afternoon included the opposition skipper – on this occasion, Charith Asalanka – inserting England after winning the toss.

Shreyas Iyer had made that mistake two months earlier, and likewise, he was also made to pay by Brook and Jos Buttler, who this time had to settle for 80 from 44 deliveries, rather than consecutive hundreds.

Captain and former captain combined in a stand of 128 from 60 deliveries, the first part of which included England’s second-highest powerplay of 90 for 1. That was kicked off by a breezy 12 from 5 for debutant Aneurin Donald, who became the first Glamorgan product to feature for England since Simon Jones in 2005.

Things were getting away from Sri Lanka as early as the fifth over when Dunith Wellalage was taken for 30 by Brook. And when Buttler was dropped on 45 three overs later, by Eshan Malinga – over-running a sliced heave down the ground at long off – it was clear, not even a quarter of the way through, that this match was only going one way.

England’s superior power and fitness was never going to be matched. More impressive than their total of 19 fours and 12 sixes were the number of twos. Brook did most of the running; nine of his own along with 12 for his three partners.

Sri Lanka’s chase began with a maiden, bowled by Sonny Baker who went on to take 3 for 12. After struggling on debut across all three formats – including a Test bow earlier this summer against New Zealand – the 23-year old polished his overall numbers with his first limited-overs dismissals at his home ground.

The Hampshire quick got off the mark with a 90mph rasper that beat opener Kamil Mishara, before adding Lahiru Udara four deliveries later when the right-hander’s attempted scoop found Adil Rashid at short backward square. A return from the Pavilion End then saw a 92mph delivery nip away and knock back Theekshana’s off stump.

All six of England’s bowlers registered in the wicket column, feasting on a line-up that – barring Wellalage’s 33 from 21 at No.8 – were all utterly woeful.

In Aneurin Donald, England may well have their answer to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi when it comes to monster strike-rates. Perhaps the quirkiest aspect about that is Donald, as the follower, is technically old enough to be Sooryavanshi’s father.

The 14-year age gap speaks to a difference of cultural attitudes towards the game, particularly in the T20 format: more venerated in India, reluctantly accepted over here. At the age of 29, Donald is England’s oldest T20I debutant in nine years, and was playing his first international match after 112 regular T20s.

With Phil Salt out injured, Donald had big boots to fill, but Brendon McCullum believed he had found the right understudy when watching Donald carve a remarkable 31 from eight deliveries for England Lions at Chelmsford in Sri Lanka’s first warm-up.

The man who capped his assault then – Wellalage – did so here for a more contained 12 off 5. Donald, though, had done his job in his first four balls, closing the the first over of the match by smashing Maheesh Theekshana’s offspin over the midwicket fence, then through cover, and setting England on course for a mammoth score.

The Utilita Bowl is the most criticised of England’s international venues, and it has come under greater scrutiny with the “hows” and “whys” of its allocation of an Ashes Test next year at the expense of Headingley (or anywhere else north of Nottingham).

It is not the easiest ground to get to. And visiting players note how quickly it has aged since opening in 2001. But if there is anyone who will espouse its virtues, it is Buttler.

Following his 131 against India, Buttler now has 211 runs across his last two T20I innings, both in Southampton. By comparison, he had managed a grand total of 212 runs across his first 14 innings in the format at the start of the year.

That run included a torturous T20 World Cup campaign, the kind that made many wonder if we were in the end days for one of English cricket’s most gifted batters.

This time, Buttler was closed to his devastating best. The four boundaries off Dushmantha Chameera to end the second over – the usual stride-and-thwacks over the bowlers’ heads and the trademark wristy, top-spin carve through cover off wide yorkers – were all very familiar.

Buttler turned 36 this time last week. But, as the team around him continues to push the envelope, the chance to focus on his own game, at his own pace – which today meant bringing up 50 from 29 deliveries as the anchor! – should ensure he and England get the most out of what time he has left.

Sri Lanka lacking Plan B

Everyone’s got a plan until they get Brook-ed and Buttler-ed in the face. And unfortunately for Sri Lanka, the plan thumped out of them was leaning on Theekshana to close out a chaotic innings

Few bowlers, let alone slow ones, take as much pride as Theekshana in their thankless tasks in the powerplay and at the death. But after Donald got hold of his first over, and then Buttler found 13 from his second, Asalanka seemingly forgot about the 26-year-old.

You could understand why the stand-in captain would look beyond someone conceding 13.5 an over. The problem, however, was his attempt to make up the difference proved more expensive. Wellalage’s last over (the 14th) went for 16, and Dasun Shanaka’s (17th) 19.

Wellalage looked particularly wayward, his slowness through the air – whether deliberate or not – left him exposed on an ugly surface that skidded rather than gripped. His economy rate of 17 from three overs was comfortably the worst of his career.

Scores:
England 254 for 4 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 80, Aneurin Donald 12, Harry Brook 114*, Tom Banton 10, Will Jacks 21; Dushmantha Chameera 1-53, Dunith Wellalage 1-51, Eshan Malinga 1-41, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-34) beat Sri Lanka 135 in 19 overs (Pathum Nissanka 12, Kamil Mishara 10, Charith Asalanka 10, Dasun Shanaka 24, Dunith Wellalage 33, Eshan Malinga 13*; Sonny Baker 3-12, Josh Tongue 1-25, Will Jacks 1-21, Liam Dawson 2-23, Adil Rashid 1-31, Jamie Overton 2-20) by 119 runs

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Support in galore for Sri Lanka’s first millionaire track and field athlete

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/16

Sahan Weerasooriya

Budapest glory to airport heartbreak

by Reemus Fernando

‎
Champion javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga has received plethora of support from the Sports Ministry to leading businessmen to replace the competition javelins damaged during his retun flight following his historic triumph at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

‎While the Sports Ministry has moved swiftly to provide him with a new set of high-quality competition javelins to ensure that the unfortunate incident does not disrupt his preparations for forthcoming Asian Games, social media was abuzz with call for support moments after Tharanga revealed that the javelins he used for a series of victories abroad have been damaged.

‎Tharanga discovered the damage to his equipment after arriving at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

‎The 23-year-old was returning with two trophies following his triump at the Diamong League Series final (Brussels) and the Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

‎The Sri Lanka Airforce athlete created history by winning the men’s javelin title with a 91.09m effort at the World Athletics newly formed global event the Ultimate Championship on Sunday. It was just a week after the world number one clinched the Diamond League title.

‎The victories he achieved during the Diamond League series, the final and the Ultimate Championship has elevated him to a position where no other Sri Lankan track and field athlete has ever dreamt of reaching and has also earned him a lucrative price bag. He has arguably become the richest track and field athlete in Sri Lanka during his breakthrough season, in which he has established himself as the leading javelin thrower and the number one ranked thrower in the world.

‎The damaged equipment reportedly included javelins used for his outstanding performances beyond the 90-metre mark, including his winning throw in Budapest and his 92.07m effort in Zurich.

‎The damage has been estimated to be more than Rs. 2 million.

‎According to reports Tharanga has lodged a complaint over the incident, while steps are also expected to be taken to seek compensation from the airline responsible for handling the equipment during the journey.

‎The Sports Ministry’s decision to immediately replace the damaged equipment will ensure that the incident does not interfere with his training ahead of the Asian Games which starts later this week.

‎Tharanga’s success under coach Tony Prasanna has elevated Sri Lanka’s profile in world athletics, making the protection and provision of proper competition equipment an increasingly important part of his international campaign.

‎His recent success at international stage has kept the social media abuzz and the reaction to the news of his damaged javelins was overwhelming with pledges of support coming from leading businessmen in the caliber of Dudley Sirisena to general uses of different platforms. A far cry from the days when he had little backing on his journey to the World Junior Championships.

Sports

MAS Holdings, official clothing sponsor of Sri Lanka team at Aichi–Nagoya 2026 Asian Games

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/16

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka's athletes are set to compete in a number of sport including Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cricket, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Squash, Surfing, Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Hockey, Basketball, Wushu and Kabaddi at the Asian Games.

MAS Holdings, the official clothing sponsor for Team Sri Lanka, unveiled and handed over the national contingent’s official kit ahead of the 20th Asian Games, Aichi–Nagoya 2026 last week.

‎The Games will be held from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan. Developed in partnership with the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC Sri Lanka), the kits were presented at a press event held last week at the Duncan White Auditorium, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in Colombo.

‎As the official clothing sponsor, MAS will outfit Team Sri Lanka’s athletes across a wide range of disciplines at the Games, including Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cricket, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Squash, Surfing, Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Hockey, Basketball, Wushu and Kabaddi.

‎”Each discipline places different demands on movement, fit and comfort, and the kits were developed with these varying performance requirements in mind, while maintaining a consistent Team Sri Lanka identity across the collection,” a statement from the sponsors said.

‎The full collection spans four kit types: Casual, Podium, Travel, and sport specific performance kits covering everything from the team’s travel to Japan and training days to competition and podium appearances.

‎The design draws inspiration from the ocean currents that move around Sri Lanka. The continuous movement and energy of the waves reflect the drive, resilience and momentum of Sri Lankan athletes.

‎”Our design and innovation teams have worked closely with the NOC to build a range of garments that perform well while displaying a strong sense of Sri Lankan identity,” said Arosh Fernando, Director – Product Innovation at Bodywear, MAS Holdings. “The energy of the ocean currents that surround our island felt like a fitting expression of the momentum and resilience our athletes carry into these Games, and we are honored to stand behind them as they represent the country.”

‎As one of the world’s leading sportswear manufacturers, over the years, MAS has extended its expertise to national teams across several sporting disciplines.

‎”Yes, it is about manufacturing capability and expertise, but for us it is also about passion and commitment,” said Rajiv Dharmendra, Chief Executive Officer at Bodywear, MAS Holdings. “As an organisation, we are determined to support local athletes to compete at their best on the international stage. Clothing and performance garments should be an enabler in their achievements, and we are grateful for the opportunity to offer that.”