Sports

The Special One

Published

4 years ago

2021/08/2

by Rex Clementine

When Jose Mourinho arrived in London from Portugal to take over as Chelsea’s Manager, he sat on that press conference chair at Stamford Bridge and told the reporters, ‘I am the Special One’. True to form Mourinho turned Chelsea’s fortunes. We too have a Special One. Not that he has turned around our cricketing fortunes. But every time he gets into trouble, he has some big shot waiting to bail him out; Danushka Gunathilaka is his name.

It is never easy when a sportsman is handed a lengthy suspension. But given Danushka Gunathilaka’s history, Colombo’s cricket circles was of the view that he deserved it; incorrigible.

A five member committee had recommended that along with Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis who had breached the bio-secure bubble should be banned for two years while Niroshan Dickwella suspended for 18 months. A reduced sentence for Dickwella as he had no previous record. A fine of US$ 25,000 also had been recommended but that was increased to US$ 50,000. But fines you are not too sure whether will drive home the point.

Gunathilaka is a serial offender, the two year suspension on him at least should have remained.

This is also not the first time he has been bailed out.

In 2017, he was suspended on the recommendations of the team management but then Board President Thilanga Sumathipala, a man who wasn’t afraid to take on Lasith Malinga during his peak, gave in reducing Gunathilaka’s suspension by half.

Chandika Hathurusinghe arrived in Colombo in 2018 with a reputation as a no-nonsense coach. After all, he had taken on Bangladesh’s star performer Shakib-al-Hasan. But he treated Gunathilaka with kid’s gloves. During the home series against South Africa in 2018, he was suspended for misconduct. Hathurusinghe decided on the punishment that should be meted out to his opening batsman and very cleverly he suspended him for the remaining white ball matches against Proteas and made sure he would be available for the tour of New Zealand that followed.

The current administration now has bailed him out. Why is that everyone fearing Gunathilaka like the plague? Is it his SSC connections? Can not be as in the first place why the board appointed an independent panel was because they wanted this issue seriously dealt with. Then why show leniency is a question in everyone’s mind.

The panel that sanctioned a two year suspension comprised some brilliant lawyers. The committee was headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. Apparently, they were going to hand out one year suspensions only, but they were not all that impressed by Gunathilaka’s conduct.

To start with, Gunathilaka lied to the panel. He had claimed that he returned to the team hotel by 11pm. But upon checking CCTV footage, the committee found out this to be false. This claim has been denied by Gunathilaka’s management team who say that he had pleaded guilty for breaking team curfew.

There was another thing that upset the panel; Gunathilaka’s dress code. He had walked in with his shirt out, wearing deck shoes. The inquiry panel observed lack of remorse. That could be a key point.

Gunathilaka is one of the finest young batsmen we have and there’s no doubt about it. That’s why the likes of Sumathipala, Hathurusinghe and the current administration have tolerated him. But the point is, he is never learning.

Nobody should think he is indispensable. After all, USA basketball team won the Olympic gold in 1992 without Isiah Thomas. Australia won the 2003 World Cup having sent Shane Warne home on the eve of their first game. England turned around their cricketing fortunes having sacked Kevin Pietersen. No one is bigger than the game.

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Salman Agha 105*, Hussain Talat half-century set Sri Lanka 300

Published

2 hours ago

2025/11/11

Priyan

Salman Agha scored his second ODI century[Cricinfo]

A century from Salman Agha and a maiden ODI fifty from Hussain Talat helped revive a flagging Pakistan innings, as their 138-run fifth-wicket stand saw the hosts post 299 for 5 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.

The pair came together at 95 for 4 in the 24th over, but by the time their partnership came to an end, they had taken Pakistan to 233 for 5 midway through the 44th over.

Agha then turned on the afterburners alongside Mohammad Nawaz, as Pakistan managed 104 runs off the last 10 overs to set Sri Lanka a 300-run target, which, if achieved, would be the second highest successful chase at the Rawalpindi Stadium.

Agha brought up his second ODI ton with a gentle dab behind point for a single off his 83rd delivery, but the ball prior to that highlighted the confidence with which he was batting – sweeping an attempted Dushmantha Chameera yorker for four. That Chameera over, the 48th of the innings, would end up going for 20 – the most expensive of the innings – as Nawaz, who had entered following the fall of Talat, also began to find his range in a cameo worth 36 not out off 23; their partnership of 66 came off just 40 deliveries.

Prior to Agha and Talat’s intervention, however, Sri Lanka had choked the Pakistan innings for large parts. Miserly opening spells from Asitha Fernando and Chameera ensured just 28 runs were scored inside the opening powerplay, and while just one wicket fell in that period the introduction of Wanidu Hasaranga saw wickets fall at a canter. He ended up with figures of 3 for 54, with Asitha and Maheesh Theekshana the only other wicket-takers.

Introduced into the attack in the 14th over, it wasn’t until his third over that Hasaranga was able to make his first breakthrough. Fakhar Zaman, who had earlier in the over skipped out and belted one over long-on for a six, was looking to break out of his early shell, but in attempting to repeat the trick he missed a wide one and found himself duly stumped for a 55-ball 32.

New batter Mohammed Rizwan was Hasaranga’s next victim, trapped lbw by a googly. A couple of overs later Hasaranga got the prize scalp of Babar Azam. It was his trademark googly doing the damage, as Babar sought to drive a floated one outside off only to see it sneak through his bat and pad.

Hasaranga might have had another to close out the over after he had Talat rapped on the front knee-roll only for the umpire to turn down the appeal. Ball-tracking showed it would have crashed into leg stump, but Sri Lanka had burnt both their reviews early on – both for lbw appeals where the ball pitched outside leg.

That proved to be a sliding doors moment of sorts as Pakistan’s fortunes gradually began to shift, and it was also some much-needed luck for Talat in particular, whose place in the side had come under increasing scrutiny of late – his six innings in ODIs leading up to this game had seen him score 107 runs with a high score of 41.

But with Pakistan in need of resuscitation, he and Agha set about rebuilding. Boundaries weren’t the aim, rather the focus was on running between the wickets. Thirty-two of Talat’s 62 runs came in either ones of twos; Agha was alongside him in lockstep having run 40 singles and 13 twos by the end of the innings.

The plan was clear at this point: keep wickets intact for the final overs and then launch. And in this instance the execution was perfect. Sri Lanka, who might have regretted their decision to not go with a genuine fifth bowling option, were left requiring Janith Liyanage to bowl eight overs of his part-time seam after Charith Asalanka was taken for 18 in his two solitary overs.

Liyanage, to his credit, gave away 48 runs during his efforts, though with Sri Lanka in the ascendancy at the halfway point of the innings, their need to get through the their fifth bowler quota allowed Talat and Agha to settle in nicely.

And while Talat was unable to see the innings to its close, Agha ensured he remained unbeaten to get his side to a competitive total after they were asked to bat first. Whether that will be enough on an ostensibly good batting track, one where dew is expected to come to the fore later on, remains to be seen.

Brief scores:
Pakistan 299 for 5 in 50 overs (Fakhar Zaman 32, Salman Agha 105*, Hussain Talat 62, Mohammed Nawaz 36*; Wanidu Hasaranga 3-54) vs Sri Lanka

[Cricinfo]

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Sri Lanka bowl first in ODI series opener; Mishara on debut

Published

7 hours ago

2025/11/11

Priyan

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first ODI in Rawalpindi. This will be Sri Lanka’s first bilateral series in Pakistan since 2019, with Pakistan holding an 18-12 win-loss record on home soil.

Charith Asalanka the possibility of dew later on was a driving factor in his decision to bowl first, while Shaheen Shah Afridi said he would also liked to have bowled first adding that he’s expecting a high-scoring game.

In team news, one change for the hosts from the side that won their last ODI against South Africa, with Abrar Ahmed missing out due to illness and Naseem Shah replacing him. Sri Lanka meanwhile have handed out an ODI debut to Kamil Mishara, while Wanindu Hasaranga also comes in. Making way are Janith Liyanage and the injured Dilshan Madushanka.

As mentioned earlier, the pitch at Rawalpindi is expected to be high-scoring, with chasing sides coming out victorious in the past three games; a score in excess of 300 will likely be needed for the side batting first, particularly with dew expected under lights. The over head conditions are bright and warm.

Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando

Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayu, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Sri Lanka eye fresh challenge as Pakistan series gets underway

Published

17 hours ago

2025/11/11

Sahan Weerasooriya

Pavan Rathnayake a prolific run scorer in domestic cricket is set to make his debut during the tour of Pakistan.

Time was when a tour of Pakistan was something cricketers eagerly looked forward to — a chance to criss cross a country where the warmth of its people matched the spice of its biryani and masala chai. Those were days when cities like Multan, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Karachi rolled out the red carpet for visiting sides. Not this time. For the three-week assignment, Sri Lanka will shuttle only between Lahore and Rawalpindi, missing out on the rest of that cricket-mad nation.

‎‎The first of the three ODIs bowls off today in Rawalpindi, barely half an hour’s drive from the capital, Islamabad. The city will also host Sri Lanka’s curtain-raiser in the tri-nation series involving Zimbabwe before the caravan moves to Lahore for the remaining fixtures.

‎‎The series is no dead rubber. Both teams have plenty riding on it. Sri Lanka sit pretty at number four in the ICC ODI rankings — a hard-earned position after series triumphs over India and Australia — but any slip-up could see them tumble to fifth, with Pakistan ready to leapfrog them.‎

‎Pakistan arrive in buoyant mood, having recently downed South Africa 2-1 in their backyard. Their trump card remains leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed, whose whirring wrist-spin tormented the Lankans during the recent Asia Cup in the UAE. Add to that a fiery pace attack led by skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and the irrepressible Naseem Shah with the new ball, and the hosts have enough firepower to rattle even the best.

‎‎Pakistan’s ‘three-captain’ experiment continues, with Shaheen donning the ODI armband this time. On their day, his seamers can make the white ball talk and if early breakthroughs come, they’ll have the visitors on the back foot before drinks.

‎‎Sri Lanka, though, have found their sweet spot in the 50-over game. Pathum Nissanka’s counter-punching at the top of the order has given them the perfect launchpad, while his chemistry with Kusal Mendis has blossomed into the opening pair the island had long yearned for. Captain Charith Asalanka — cool under pressure and clever in the middle overs — has been the glue in the batting line-up, sitting a proud seventh in the global batting charts.

‎‎All eyes will also be on young Pavan Rathnayake, prolific in domestic cricket and itching to make his international debut. His inclusion adds fresh legs and youthful verve to a side already brimming with confidence.

‎‎In the bowling department, Sri Lanka have been dealt a late blow with left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka pulling out due to a knee injury. Eshan Malinga has been drafted in as replacement.

‎‎Pakistan (from): Shaheen Shah Afridi (C), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha.

‎‎Sri Lanka (from): Charith Asalanka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan and Eshan Malinga.