Dinesh Chandimal, the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman, is expected to be fit for the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. Chandimal was struck on the right elbow during training on Sunday, was taken to the hospital for an x-ray and it was established that only had sustained bruising.
“It’s not too serious,” Anura Tennekoon, Sri Lanka team manager told ESPNcricinfo “We think we will be alright for the match and he will definitely bat in the nets tomorrow.”
Chandimal replaced Kaushal Silva behind the stumps for the second Test and had a bright debut in the Durban. He made 58 in the first innings of the Durban Test, adding 111 with Thilan Samaraweera for the seventh wicket, and followed up with 54 in the second, putting together 104 with Kumar Sangakkara.
He was praised by captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, who tipped him to be a future member of 10,000 Test runs club, former captain Sanath Jayasuriya and many of his team-mates. Mahela Jayawardene said Chandimal was a “big factor” in the Durban win, which was Sri Lanka’s first on South African soil.
(ESPN)
January 1, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Visitors to Sri Lanka including transit passengers will have to apply for travel authorization online prior to their travel to the country from today(1).
Except for visitors from Singapore and Maldives, the two countries that reciprocate the facility with Sri Lanka, the new system will scrap the previously implemented ‘on arrival visa’ at the ports of entry, the Immigration and Emigration Department of Sri Lanka said.
The Electronic Travel Authorization has been introduced to grant prior approval for visa via online for foreign nationals from 78 countries.
Controller of the Immigration and Emigration W.A.C. Perera says accordingly, foreign nationals visiting the country on purposes of tourism affairs, medical treatments, sports, cultural shows, business conferences and discussions, training programs and seminars can apply for the Electronic Travel Authorization via www.eta.gov.lk established in the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
(priu)
January 1, 2012 at 12:33 pm
South Africa’s Sun City resort will invest $800 million in a tourism project in Sri Lanka, the head of the island nation’s state-run Tourism Board said.
Sun City resort is run by South African gaming and hotels group Sun International Ltd.
It will be the largest ever investment in the country’s leisure sector, which is booming since the end of a 25-year war in May 2009.
“Sun City of South Africa is now going to make an $800 million investment in a 200-acre private property,” Nalaka Godahewa, head of the Tourism Board told Reuters in an interview.
The investment will be made on Sri Lanka’s hotel city in Katana, a coastal town located 15 km north of the commercial capital, Colombo, he said.
“That decision is finalized. That is one of the biggest investment.”
The government said in July it was expecting at least $1.5 billion in foreign investment in a proposed “tourist city” that includes four five-star hotels, shopping and a convention centre in Katana.
Sri Lanka has seen a remarkable rise in its post-war leisure industry with tourist arrivals expected hit a record 820,000 and revenue to rise to a record $800 million, jumping 25 percent and 39 percent from a year earlier, respectively.
“Next year, more than the number, we are concerned about the revenue. So the expectation is to hit $1 billion revenue and perhaps 950,000 arrivals,” Godahewa said.
He expects 1.3 million tourist arrivals in 2013 and 1.6 million in 2014, gradually reaching the country’s 2016 target of 2.5 million visitors with a target revenue of $1,000-$1,100 per tourist.
Godahewa also said the Tourism Board is seriously considering security issues after a British tourist was killed last week.
“We have asked the defence authorities and all the security establishments to be supportive in protecting tourists as it is going to be a $1 billion industry.”
In January Sri Lanka signed agreements with Hong Kong-based Shangri La Asia for a $500 million complex with high-end retail facilities, deluxe apartments and a 500-room luxury hotel in Colombo and a 300-room city resort on approximately 100 acres in Hambantota on the southern coast.
(Reuters)
December 31, 2011 at 8:52 am
‘Thane,’ the very severe cyclonic storm that crossed Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Friday, claimed 33 lives, and left behind a trail of destruction and human suffering.
Throwing life off course, the storm, which passed the coast north of Cuddalore at 6.30 a.m. at a speed of more than 125 km an hour, uprooted trees and electric posts, disrupted power supply and transport services and damaged homes and standing crops.
Twenty-six people were killed in Tamil Nadu and seven in Puducherry. Besides, hundreds were rendered homeless and forced into relief camps set up by the governments.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa released Rs. 150 crore towards immediate relief works.
While 21 persons died in Cuddalore district, two persons lost their lives in the neighbouring Villupuram district. One person each in Tiruvallur and Chennai were among the dead as strong wind and heavy rain lashed the coastal areas.
Ms. Jayalalithaa announced a solatium of Rs. 2 lakh each to the families of the victims. Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said he had briefed Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on the situation.
Around 6,000 persons in Cuddalore, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts and Chennai and low-level areas were shifted to shelters.
Fifteen fishermen who put out to sea in Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts were reported missing. The samba crop grown on 1,700 hectares in Thanjavur district and 2,000 hectares in Tiruvarur district suffered damage.
(The Hindu)
December 31, 2011 at 8:07 am
As predicted the Durban Test was a one-sided affair, except that it was the no-hopers from Sri Lanka who were doing the dominating. A year that has gone rapidly downhill for Sri Lanka since their World Cup final appearance in April, including an interminable run of series defeats and a bankrupt board struggling to pay players, ended on the most unexpected of highs as they secured their first Test success in South Africa.
A Sri Lanka victory that will rank alongside the path-breaking one at The Oval 15 years ago as the greatest in their history was within reach as South Africa’s batting crumbled after lunch on the fourth day at Kingsmead. The parties in Sri Lanka were delayed by a long stand between AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn, who batted out most of the final session before Rangana Herath struck minutes before close to ease any anxiety building up. The final three wickets went down in four deliveries and a fantastic year for Test cricket ended with the biggest upset of 2011.
South Africa’s batting had been solid in the morning session as well, as they would have been satisfied with the start to their attempt at a world-record chase of 450 despite losing the wicket of Graeme Smith. With Hashim Amla in imperious form, South Africa had reached a reasonably comfortable 86 for 1 by lunch, but over the next hour they lost four wickets and even their flimsy hopes of ending their Durban jinx evaporated.
The collapse began in the first over after the break, when Jacques Rudolph’s resistance ended – and with it perhaps his recently-revived Test career, temporarily at least. As so often in his second coming at the Test level, he was caught in the slip cordon – this time nicking a wide delivery from Thisara Perera.
Jacques Kallis has been in patchy form recently, including a duck in the first innings, but his record in the second innings of Tests is unimpeachable. If South Africa were to salvage something from the Test, they needed another Kallis special. Unfortunately for him, there were no match-turning heroics as he top-edged a sweep on to his helmet to give short leg a catch. In his 149th Test, he bagged his first pair.
If that blow left South Africa unsteady, they were on the mat soon after as Amla, till then producing a masterclass in off-side strokeplay, was run out after attempting a kamikaze single. He punched the ball straight to mid-on and dashed across for the run though Ashwell Prince showed no interest, and stayed firmly at the non-striker’s end. Prince, with his Test career on the line, then had to face a lifter from Dilhara Fernando, that he could only glove towards slip. With South Africa at 116 for 5, the fans could start partying in Sri Lanka.
The Prince dismissal was an almost exact replica of Smith’s earlier in the day. Fernando, used as early as the ninth over this time after his delayed introduction in the first innings, started with his usual no-ball, raising snickers, but there was no laughing later in the over when he got a delivery to leap at Smith. The batsman attempted to ride the bounce, instead of dropping his hands and letting the ball through, and could only glove a catch to slip.
Besides Fernando, South Africa’s main worry was the left-arm spin of Herath. On Wednesday, South Africa had been given a glimpse of what was to come when two successive deliveries from Imran Tahir spun and kicked off a length to comfortably beat the batsman and the wicketkeeper. With the ball turning, Herath varied his flight and angle, to relentlessly probe the South African batsmen’s techniques. He was rewarded with the huge wicket of Kallis, and just before tea he added the scalp of Mark Boucher, another man whose place in the side is under scrutiny.
AB de Villiers gamely fought on, but there was little he could do to lift South Africa from their hopeless situation. He and Steyn defied the bowling for 34 overs – another reminder to the batting unit that failed twice in this match that the surface wasn’t unplayable.
Steyn had been central to South Africa’s promising start to the day as well. In the first innings, he had gone wicketless in a completed innings for the first time since 2008, and he responded second time round with his 17th Test five-for to bring a quick end to the Sri Lankan innings.
There was some classic tail-end batting from Sri Lanka in the morning but their resistance lasted only about half an hour. It didn’t matter much, given how far ahead Sri Lanka had already got ahead after the first three days of the Test.
The biggest monkey on the back in the game, if measured by column inches, would be Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international hundred, but the bigger one is Sri Lanka failing to win a Test for nearly a year-and-a-half since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan. They have got that off their backs – in style and on a great stage – setting up a tantalising decider in Cape Town.
Sri Lanka 338 (Samaraweera 102, Chandimal 58, de Lange 7-81) and 279 (Sangakkara 108, Chandimal 54, Steyn 5-73) beat South Africa 168 (Amla 54, Welegedara 5-52, Herath 4-49) and 241 (de Villiers 69, Amla 51, Herath 5-79)
December 29, 2011 at 9:18 pm
8 Police teams have been deployed to investigate the murder of UK born Red Cross worker in Tangalle, Acting Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. “The government is committed to take action against all guilty”, the Minister emphasized addressing a media briefing held in Colombo today(29).
(JNW)
December 29, 2011 at 4:50 pm
In what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011. There were no signs of Durban’s famed Green Mamba – tides which are rumoured to make the Kingsmead track juicy – but that didn’t prevent South Africa from being knocked over for their lowest total against Sri Lanka. While the lower order had to deal with some sharp spin, the specialist batsmen didn’t have to face any snorters, which makes the collapse more baffling.
An assured stand of 76 for the fourth wicket between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers showed how few gremlins there were in the surface, but collapses on either side of that partnership had South Africa scrambling to avert the follow-on. Their tail managed to achieve that, before Welegedara completed his five-for and ended the innings by getting Marchant de Lange to edge to the keeper. de Lange’s 7 for 81 had limited Sri Lanka to 338 in the morning, but instead of a well-earned rest after becoming the eighth debutant to take a five-wicket haul this year, he had to bat in the gloom towards the end of the day.
The substantial lead of 170 did not seem likely even after Thilan Samaraweera became only the second Sri Lanka batsman to make a Test century in South Africa. de Lange had ripped out the final three batsmen for three runs, but unfortunately for the home fans the wickets continued to tumble even when South Africa were batting.
Two overs after lunch, Jacques Rudolph continued the trend of batsmen throwing away their wickets, by helping a short ball on leg stump to deep-backward square leg. Graeme Smith followed minutes later, as he fished without footwork at a Chanaka Welegedara delivery to give wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal his first Test catch. It got a lot worse in Welegedara’s next over as Jacques Kallis edged to slip to collect a rare Test duck, leaving South Africa at 27 for 3.
South Africa still had two of their most bankable batsmen in the middle – Amla and de Villiers – and they revived the home side by comfortably playing out the rest of the session. de Villiers was subdued, but Amla showed his wide range of whiplash shots through the off side. There were several punches through cover for four and the point boundary was peppered as he pounced on the wide deliveries offered. Dilhara Fernando, regarded as the spearhead of the Sri Lankan attack, was only brought on as the fourth-change bowler, but even his introduction didn’t stop Amla, who lashed three fours in one over to cruise towards another half-century.
If South Africa were breathing easier at tea, when they were 100 for 3, they were left gasping by what followed after the break. de Villiers chased a half-volley so wide that he ended up on his knees as he edged the ball to second slip. Welegedara had his fourth important wicket two overs later when Amla was caught behind pushing at a delivery angling across.
That put Sri Lanka in charge, and two players whose places in the South Africa side are under scrutiny were left to launch a rescue effort. Questions over Mark Boucher’s batting ability will intensify after his poke to gully off Rangana Herath for 3, but there will be even more pressure on Ashwell Prince after his botched reverse-sweep against the spin, that too when South Africa were 119 for 6. With Herath proving too good for Morne Morkel, South Africa had lost five for 16.
Dale Steyn didn’t get a wicket in a completed Test innings for the first time since 2008, but he still made a crucial contribution as he shepherded South Africa past the follow-on mark. The final two wickets put on 49, again showing that this wasn’t a pitch impossible to bat on.
(ESPN)
December 27, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Sri Lanka have been bowled out for 338 runs in their first innings of the second Test match against South Africa played at Durban. Thilan Samaraweera top scored with 102 runs for Sri Lanka while debutant Dinesh Chandimal gave him a good support by scoring 58 runs.
Marchant de Lange who is also playing his first international match took 7 wickets 81 runs, which also the best bowling spell by a debutant in year 2011.
(JNW)
December 27, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Sri Lankan Army has a big role to play in maintaining peace and security in the region, Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has said. He pointed out they are also entrusted with the responsibility of apprehending rackets in human trafficking and battling sea pirates and illegal fishing activities. The Maldivian President stated this while attending the year end passing out ceremony of trained cadet officers at Diyathalawa Military Academy today(27).
Speaking further he acknowledged the support given by the Sri Lankan army to train Maldivian military officers.
A Maldivian was also among the 194 cadet officers who passed out today(27).
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya were also present at this occassion.
(JNW)
December 27, 2011 at 10:30 am
Much awaited G.C.E. Advanced Level results were issued a short while ago. Results can now be obtained from the Examination Department’s website, www.doenets.lk. Result sheets of all schools are expected to issued from tomorrow morning(26).
294,000 students sat for this year’s exam which was held from August 8 to September 3.
Issuing of results was delayed on number of occassions, as the educational authorities were unable to determine on how to issue a common z-score for the results of students who faced the examination under old and new syllabuses. Therefore, a five member committee comprised of university professors, was appointed to determine on how to issue z-scores without causing injustice to any student.
However, it was only after the President intervened to the matter, a date was announced for the releasing of results. Although Commissioner General Anura Edirisinghe stated yesterday(24) that the results will be released this morning, the candidates had to wait again till 11.00 p.m. to view their results.
(JNW)
December 25, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Candidates who sat for the Advanced Level examination 2011, will be able to obtain their results by browsing the Examination Department’s website this evening(25). A spokesman of the Department told JNW, results will be available on the website www.doenets.lk after 6 p.m.
(JNW)
December 25, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Pope Benedict XVI has attacked the commercialisation of Christmas as he held the traditional Christmas Eve Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In his homily, he urged worshippers to “see through the superficial glitter of this season and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem”.
Benedict, 84, used a moving platform to cater for his mobility issues.
The pontiff will deliver his annual Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) speech in a few hours.
Meanwhile, Christian pilgrims and tourists from around the world last night converged on Bethlehem for Christmas.
Celebrations culminated in Midnight Mass at the 1,700-year-old Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where it is believed Jesus was born.
About 120,000 visitors were in the Palestinian West Bank town, 30% up on last year, officials said.
(BBC)
December 25, 2011 at 8:00 am
Results of the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination 2011, will be issued tomorrow(24), Commissioner General of Examinations Anura Edirisinghe said. Results will be able to view from the Department’s website www.doenets.lk from tomorrow morning (24), he added.
Principals of the schools of Colombo and Sri Jayawardenapura educational zones will be able to obtain Advanced Level result sheets from 10 am tomorrow(24). Result sheets of other schools will also be posted tomorrow(24).
(JNW)
December 24, 2011 at 4:06 pm
There are very few places in South Africa that Sri Lanka have pleasant memories of but Durban is one of them. It was at Kingsmead where, 11 years ago, Sri Lanka managed to stave off defeat in a Test match – the only time they have done so in this country – and salvage a draw. It was also at Kingsmead where they knocked South Africa out of the 2003 World Cup, in a rain-affected encounter that saw the host crash out of the tournament in the first-round.
Sri Lanka will need more than just stories of times gone by to mount a suitable challenge for a dangerous South African side. Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan admitted as much. “We batted for a few overs to save the game, Russel [Arnold] and I. But that’s few years ago and things have changed,” he said. “We need to be ready to face this challenge.”
This Test will be the final opportunity for Sri Lanka to win a Test this year, after series losses to England, Australia and Pakistan and their only chance to save the series. After being hit by a spate of injuries, most of them to the fast-bowlers, Sri Lanka called up Dhammika Prasad and the uncapped Kanishka Alvitigala. Prasad is likely to play on Monday, possibly replacing Thisara Perera and it’s expected that he will be able to make good use of a seamer-friendly pitch.
Another change to the starting XI could come behind the stumps, as Dinesh Chandimal is tipped to make his Test debut. Kaushal Silva, who played in Sri Lanka’s last three Tests without much success, may have to watch from the sidelines as Sri Lanka hope Chandimal can take his good form this year – which has included a ODI century at Lord’s – into the Test arena.
“He [Chandimal] is one of the brightest prospects we have got,” Dilshan said. He has scored a couple of hundreds in ODI cricket. It will be a good test and experience for him to play against such an opposition and in such conditions. Personally I feel good that we have been able to groom another young cricketer.”
At 22, there has been some concern over the responsibility that will be placed on Chandimal’s young shoulders, but Dilshan brushed them off, saying Chandimal’s role in the middle-order will not cripple him. “It’s not a case of him batting at No.3 and keeping wicket,” Dilshan said. “He will be batting at No.6 or seven and that’s okay.”
Sri Lanka’s batting was a major weakness after they were crushed by an innings in Centurion, managing scores of just 180 and 150. The batsmen were unable to contend with the pace and bounce of South African pitches and were stunned by the SuperSport Park strip. “In my entire career I have not played on a track like that,” Dilshan said, indicating that conditions got the better of the batting group.
Still, with two players, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, close to 10,000 Test runs each, and a fair amount of experience in their ranks, Dilshan expects more of his top six. “Our batting unit needs to stand out and get runs. We have experience, we need to apply,” he said. “We are preparing extremely hard and we need to produce results. We are not asking for big totals, but 250 or 300 could be a good total if we are playing on green tops.”
(ESPN)
December 24, 2011 at 6:36 am
Cut off marks required to enter popular schools based on Grade 5 scholarship results have been issued, the Ministry of Education has announced. The cutoff marks for admission to Royal College,Colombo are at 182 while marks required to enter Dharmaraja College,Kandy and Ananda College,Colombo are 180 and 178 respectively. Futhermore, 178 marks are needed to gain admission to Maliyadeva College,Kurunegala. 177 marks are required to enter for Kingswood College,Kandy and Richmond College,Galle.
The cutoff marks for Nalanda College,Colombo and St. Ann’s College,Kurunegala are at 176 and 175 marks respectively. 174 marks are needed to gain admission to D.S. Senanayake College,Colombo and Rahula College, Matara.
For girls’ schools the highest cutoff mark of 184 is needed for Visaka Vidyalaya, Colombo. The cutoff marks for Devi Balika and Maha Maya Girls’ School are at 180 and 179 respectively. Among the mixed schools the cutoff marks of 170 is required for Dharmapala Vidyalaya,Pannipitiya, Thakshila Central College, Horana and North-Western Royal College Kurunegala.
For the Tamil section of the Royal College Colombo, the cutoff mark is at 185. For, the Colombo Muslim Ladies College, the cutoff mark is at 171.
(JNW)
December 23, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Sri Lanka’s domestic first-class Premier Tier A and B league matches, which were to begin on Wednesday, have been indefinitely postponed. This is the latest twist to the troubles afflicting Sri Lankan cricket, and the clubs and national board have offered conflicting reasons for the postponement.
SLC’s head of cricket operations, Ashley de Silva, told ESPNcricinfo that the clubs requested a postponement on the grounds that there would be “too much cricket following the end of the Premier limited-overs tournament”. The tournament, he said, would be rescheduled only after the elections on January 3, when a new tournament committee would be appointed.
On the other hand, the clubs handed over a signed statement of their problems and demands to Udaya Seneviratne, the authority appointed by the Minister of Sports to administer the SLC until elections are held. The four services teams were exempted from signing the petition.
Club co-ordinator Ranjan Paranavitana said that the clubs were protesting against outstanding payments and the ad hoc manner in which the matches have been scheduled.
“We have to play a [three-day] match every three days and this is not feasible,” Paranavitana said. “A lot of players face problems taking leave from work, and the players also risk burnout and injuries with no proper break between matches.”
The clubs were paid 30% of their dues for the Premier limited-overs tournament which concluded on Saturday, and have said that unless at least 60% of the balance is paid, they would find it difficult to play the first-class matches.
(ESPN)
December 22, 2011 at 6:00 am
The ICC paid 46% of the fees due to Sri Lanka’s cricketers for the World Cup, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The payment of US$2 million was made directly into the players’ bank accounts, instead of routing it through Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), on December 16.
The Sri Lankan players, who had not been paid since the tournament ended in April, were owed a total of $4.3 million (25% of the country’s participation fee).
While the money was paid directly, it was arranged with assistance from SLC, who told the ICC of the amounts owed to each player and provided their respective bank account details, a person with knowledge of the payments said. Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South African Players Association, said that arrangement to pay the players was negotiated between the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA) and the Sri Lankan Players Association (SLCA).
Earlier this month the Sri Lanka sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, said the ICC had agreed to pay US$2 million to SLC and that the coach and players would be paid out of those funds. The SLCA had also contacted FICA for assistance over the delay in the cricketers’ salaries for series following the World Cup this year.
(ESPN)
December 20, 2011 at 9:45 pm
