Sports
Tough choices for Sri Lanka ahead of second Test
by Rex Clementine
There will be at least one debutant when Sri Lanka take the field in the second Test match against Pakistan staring in Galle on Sunday. There were similar scenes during the Australian series, after an embarrassing ten wicket loss in the first Test and with several players sidelined by Covid the selectors had to keep their pride aside and call up Prabath Jayasuriya, someone who had been sidelined on fitness grounds. Jayasuriya is a veteran in domestic cricket and this seasoned campaigner has embarrassed those who questioned his credentials. In two Test matches, he’s already taken 21 wickets.
Such has been the selectors fascination with Jayasuriya now that both the other left-arm spinners in the squad – Lasith Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama have been released. As Maheesh Theekshana ended up with a cut in his spinning finger he too was withdrawn and uncapped off-spinner Lakshitha Manasinghe has been added to the squad. He’s only played 17 First Class games and it remains to be seen how he performs in Test match cricket. Sri Lanka also have the option of Dunith Wellalage, who gives left arm spin option and batting depth but Sri Lanka have said from the start that they are reluctant to throw one of the finest young talents in the country to the deep end as yet.
The hosts problems have been compounded by the fact that Ramesh Mendis has struggled. The off-spinner has contributed some valuable runs being involved in crucial partnerships in both series but his bowling has been unimpressive. He bowled 33 overs in Pakistan’s second innings for just one wicket and his inability to keep up the dot ball pressure was worrisome as he failed to send down a single maiden over.
Asitha Fernando in all probability will take up the lone seamer’s slot having recovered from covid. Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka also has been added to the squad.
While Sri Lanka have brought in replacements, it’s a bit surprising that they have not brought in a wicketkeeper as cover. Niroshan Dickwella’s keeping has deteriorated at an alarming rate since the Australian series and his blunders have proved to be costly. He used to get into the team with selectors claiming that he’s the best keeper in the country. Well, not anymore. There was a warning sign when Dinesh Chandimal was named as reserve keeper for the Pakistan series. But, surely after all these years of struggles, suddenly when he has hit a purple patch, you are not going to disrupt him. The other option is to give the gloves to Kusal Mendis. But they do not seem to be keen to do that in Test match cricket. Mendis seems to be the best thing that happened to us since the great Aravinda de Silva. Honestly, there aren’t valid arguments for continuing with Dickwella. More than 50 Tests and no hundreds yet, horrendous reviewing costing the team dearly and ordinary behind the stumps. Dickwella has overstayed his welcome.
In a country where cricket runs through the veins like curry through rice, one club has stood tall like a seasoned umpire through rain, shine, and political no-balls. Yesterday, at their hallowed turf in Borella, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club — one of the elder statesmen of Sri Lankan cricket — officially bowled off celebrations to mark a magnificent 125 not out.
Founded way back in 1899, when Queen Victoria still ruled the roost and gentlemen played in flannels, Tamil Union has rubbed shoulders with the heavyweights of Sri Lankan cricket — SSC, NCC, CCC, Colts, and Malay CC — forming the old guard of the domestic game.
Over the years, the club has unearthed some priceless gems. None shinier than Muttiah Muralitharan, the world’s highest wicket-taker, whose doosras and off-breaks left batters groping like blindfolded men in a maze. Long before Murali, the baton was carried by Mahadevan Sathasivam, widely considered the finest Sri Lankan batsman of the pre-Test era — a man whose cover drive could melt glaciers.
The club’s fortress, the P. Sara Oval, is etched in cricketing folklore. It was here that Sri Lanka played their maiden Test in 1982 — a baby’s first steps on the world stage. Three years later, the venue saw the island nation notch their first Test win, a moment that made grown men cry into their Lion Lagers. In 2002, the Oval hosted the world’s first ever neutral Test, a rare event, when Pakistan locked horns with Australia.
And how’s this for a trivia teaser? It remains the only Asian ground to have hosted the one and only Sir Donald Bradman, during a whistle-stop tour in 1948. That’s right — the Don himself, strode onto this sacred strip. The ghosts of legends past still haunt the pavilion.
Wesley Hall steaming in like a freight train, Rohan Kanhai falling over to play those sweeps, Keith Miller with his golden arm and Colin Cowdrey wielding his willow with aristocratic grace.
Back in the day, when ocean liners were the norm and air travel a luxury, English and Australian sides would dock at the Colombo port and stretch their legs — and arms — at P. Sara. Those matches weren’t just exhibitions; they were a taste of the world game, served on Ceylonese turf.
“Tamil Union has a proud history of spotting diamonds in the rough,” said Rev. Ramesh Schaffter, the club’s President, who addressed the press. “We brought promising 18-year-olds to Colombo, giving them a platform to chase their cricketing dreams. Muttiah Muralitharan, Suranga Lakmal, Upul Chandana — they all started here, still in school uniform, dreaming of bigger stages.”
When quizzed about the possibility of the ground hosting a Test in this milestone year, Schaffter played it with a straight bat. “It’s true we haven’t hosted a Test since 2019, but post-COVID, the game changed. With bio-bubbles and logistical curveballs, matches were restricted to fewer venues. Galle became the go-to ground, riding the tourism wave in the south. And frankly, with Sri Lanka playing fewer Tests these days, the opportunities have been few and far between. We were offered a Test a couple of years ago but had to decline due to drainage issues. Thankfully, SLC came through with a generous Rs. 35 million grant to upgrade our system. We’re in a better place now.”
Dr. Rajan Saravanamuttu, Vice President of the club, lifted the lid on ambitious plans for the future — including upgrading facilities to seat 18,000 spectators. “Currently, we host only Tests and a fair bit of women’s cricket — especially after our 10-year partnership with SLC. But we’re gearing up for a second wind,” he said, eyes set on the horizon.
As part of the festivities, the club plans a grand gala dinner, the release of a coffee table book chronicling its storied past and an exhibition match that promises to bring back the golden oldies — names that still echo through the annals of local cricket.
Also in attendance at the briefing was the club’s Patron, Mr. Chandra Schaffter — a towering figure who spoke with heartfelt emotion about the club’s journey through thick and thin. “There have been challenging times,” he admitted, “but like a good batsman weathering a storm, we dug in, played with a straight bat, and never threw in the towel.”
by Rex Clementine
(Telecom Asia Sport )
Before the match, many expected Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to post the first 300-plus total in the IPL. There were reasons to speculate that. SRH had posted 286 for 6 in their previous game, also in Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were without at least two of their first-choice bowlers.
Forget 300, SRH could not even score 200. They managed only 190 for 9 with Shardul Thakur picking up 4 for 34, his best figures in the IPL.
Still, 190 was not a small total, but Nicholas Pooran made it look minuscule. He smashed 70 off just 26 balls, hitting six fours and as many sixes on the way. By the time Pat Cummins had him lbw, LSG needed only 71 from 68 balls.
Mitchell Marsh, who was playing second fiddle to Pooran, also scored a fifty before Abdul Samad applied the finishing touches.
LSG chasing down their target with 23 balls and five wickets to spare was giving SRH a taste of their own medicine. Last season, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had taken just 9.4 overs to chase down LSG’s 165 at this very venue.
LSG knew the only way to stop the marauding SRH batting unit was to take early wickets. Shardul went in search of swing in the first over but did not find success. But in his next over, he dismissed Abhishek and Ishan Kishan off successive balls. Abhishek pulled a short ball into the hands of deep square leg, and Kishan was caught down the leg side.
Head went after the returning Avesh Khan, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the fourth over. Two overs later, he tried to take on Ravi Bishnoi but ended up skying a slog sweep. Pooran, though, put the chance down at long-on. Four balls later, Bishnoi failed to latch on to a tough return catch.
Head was on 35 at the time of the first drop but it cost LSG only 12 as Prince Yadav made a mess of Head’s stumps for his first wicket in the IPL.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen took SRH past 100 in the 11th over before Klaasen was run out in a bizarre fashion. Nitish hit a full toss from Prince to the bowler’s left. Prince failed to hold on to the catch but the ball found a way to ricochet onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Klaasen well outside his crease. Soon after, Bishnoi castled Nitish for 32 off 28, leaving SRH in a spot of bother.
In keeping with the team ethos, the SRH batters kept attacking. But while they kept hitting sixes, they also kept getting out. Aniket Verma smashed Bishnoi for two back-to-back sixes and repeated it against Digvesh Rathi in the following over before getting out for 36 off 13 balls. Cummins walked in at No. 8, hit the first three balls he faced for three sixes, and was out on the fourth. That took SRH to 180 for 8 after 18 overs. However, only ten runs came from the last two.
Mohammed Shami removed Aiden Markram in the second over of the chase but Pooran took the attack to the opposition. His first boundary came via a misfield before he smoked Simarjeet Singh over deep midwicket twice in two balls.
Bringing on a left-arm orthodox spinner with Pooran in the middle is always risky. But Cummins took that gamble with Abhishek. Pooran faced only two balls from him and slog-swept both for sixes. He has now hit seven sixes off nine balls against Abhishek in T20 cricket.
He didn’t spare Adam Zampa either, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the seventh over. Off the first 20 balls he faced, he hit five fours and six sixes.
Marsh was on 37 off 22 balls when Pooran got out. He had hit Shami for two straight sixes in the powerplay. In the 11th over, he hit Cummins for back-to-back fours to bring up his fifty off 29 balls. Cummins had him caught at long-on soon after but it was too late.
At the end of 11 overs, LSG needed only 53. They did lose Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni along the way but their victory was never in doubt. Samad, a former SRH player, smashed an unbeaten 22 off eight balls to complete the formalities.
Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 193 for 5 in 16.1 overs (Nicholas Pooran 70, Mitchell Marsh 52, Rishabh Punt 15, David Miler 13*, Abdul Samad 22*; Mohammed Shami 1-37, Pat Cummins 2-29, Adam Zampa 1-46, Harshal Patel 1-48) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 190 for 9 in 20 overs (Travis Head 47, Aniket Verma 36, Nitish Kumar Reddy 32, Heinrich Klassen 26, Pat Cummins 18, Harshal Patel 12*; Shardul Thakur 4-34, Avesh Khan 1-45, Digvesh Rathi 1-40, Ravi Bishnoi 1-42, Prince Yadav 1-29) by five wickets
[Cricinfo]
Rahula College Matara will encounter Dharmapala College Pannipitiya in the 14th edition of the Battle of the Golden Lions big match today and tomorrow at the P Sara Oval. Rahula take the field under the captaincy of Sadew Gamage after achieving notable success in the Under 19 Division II Tier ‘A’ tournament.
Dharmapala did well under the captaincy of Nethmina Nirmal this season in the Division II Tier ‘A’ tournament, though they could not reach the quarter-final stage. In contrast, Rahula reached the business end of the tournament by finishing fourth in the Tier ‘A’ points table.
DHARMAPALA COLLEGE Front row from left: Nethmina Nirmal (Captain), Sameen Kadanaarachchi (Coach), Charith Lorensuhewa (Master In Charge), Dhammika Manawadu (Assistant Principal), Maheshika Rupasinghe (Principal), Dulip Dushmantha (Prefect of Games), Yasindu Yulantha (Assistant Coach), Menusha Pabasara (Vice Captain) Back row from left: Nimnath Vinsara , Yomal Daniel, Sithika Katugampola, Ramiru Mandeepa, Sanuga Dulmika, Vihanga Nimsara, Dinura Nethvindu, Bisara Anjana, Anuhas Mihiran, Nisal Adeepa, Viruna Wathmira, Udula Wishwajith, Shamin Yashoda, Praveen Ranhiru, Nisalitha Sandiw, Tharusha Sonal, Thimath Thenuja
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