Sri Lanka have called up fast bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Dhammika Prasad to their Test squad for the remaining two matches against South Africa. Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan confirmed that the the pair will fly in to South Africa in “a couple of days” after competing in the knockout stages of the domestic tournament at home.
After being beaten by an innings and 81 runs in Centurion, Sri Lanka are searching for ways to come back into the series and beefing up the bowling department is one of them. Before the tour of South Africa, four seamers, including Prasad and Kulasekara were ruled out with injury and Sri Lanka lost another quick when Nuwan Pradeep broke down during the tour match against the South African Invitation XI. At the time, the selectors did not name a replacement because they were hopeful that some of the injured lot would recover in time for the series.
Prasad was injured last month in a Test match against Pakistan in Sharjah. He pulled a quad muscle after bowling four overs in the first innings and was ruled out of the one-day series which followed. He made his comeback in Sri Lanka’s domestic Premier Limited Over tournament on Wednesday, where he took 3 for 30 for Sinhalese Cricket Club. He also played in Saturday’s final, although he had little success and finished with figures of 10-1-59-0.
Kulasekara had not played any cricket since October but returned to action this week. He played in the semi-final of the fifty-over domestic tournament and made an impressive return with 2 for 37 in seven overs for Colts Cricket Club against Nondescripts. Colts were knocked out of the competition, meaning Kulasekara did not have any other match practice.
Meanwhile, Angelo Mathews is expected to recover from a groin strain which kept him off the field during the Test match. Matthews left the field midway through the second day and went for an MRI scan, which revealed that the injury was not serious. He returned to field and batted on the third day and will have eight days to recover before the second Test, which starts on December 26, in Durban.
(ESPN)
December 18, 2011 at 9:14 pm
South Africa overwhelmed a brittle Sri Lanka by an innings and 81 runs at Centurion with victory sealed before tea on the third day when Vernon Philander claimed his tenth wicket of the match. The home side’s bowlers needed just 39.1 overs to dismantle the opposition batting line-up for a second time to reinforce the pre-series predictions that this could be a very one-sided contest.
Sri Lanka’s cricket has taken a worrying nosedive since they finished runners up at the World Cup. Even then there were rumblings of discontent and now their on-field performances are suffering. This limp second innings followed previous collapses this year against England at Cardiff (82), Australia at Galle (105) and further problems in UAE against Pakistan. There is no shame in being beaten by South Africa at Centurion – this was their 13th victory in 17 Tests at the venue – but Sri Lanka barely put up a fight. Across two innings the batting lasted 86.5 overs; less than a day’s play.
Philander continued to pile up the records with match figures of 10 for 102 to make it four five-wicket hauls in six Test innings. Dale Steyn could easily have had a bagful himself with probing late swing at pace and he regularly beat the outside edge. Morne Morkel continued to be a concern with another erratic display but produced a rising delivery to remove Thilan Samaraweera which will have been a confidence booster. South Africa were also gifted Mahela Jayawardene’s wicket when he contrived to run himself out trying for a run that would have taken him to 10,000 in Test cricket. The confusion summed up Sri Lanka’s state of mind.
South Africa 411 (de Villiers 99, Boucher 65, Smith 61) beat Sri Lanka 180 (Philander 5-53, Steyn 4-18) and 150 (Philander 5-49) by an innings and 81 runs
(ESPN)
December 17, 2011 at 6:45 pm
It wasn’t all one-way traffic on the second day in Centurion but South Africa ended in a very commanding position, having built a lead of 209 with AB de Villiers’ 99 the cornerstone of their innings. He and Ashwell Prince added a crucial 97-run stand for the sixth wicket, which was supplemented by a useful hand from the under-pressure Mark Boucher, after Sri Lanka had hauled themselves back into the contest with a spirited display .
The difference in the quality of the attacks was on stark display because even though Sri Lanka had periods where they were on top, they couldn’t sustain pressure throughout. When Jacques Kallis, who had taken a nasty blow on the helmet from Dilhara Fernando before lunch, was caught at third slip South Africa were 173 for 5 and an even contest wasn’t far away. However, despite a number of near-misses the visitors couldn’t strike again until the lead was close to three figures and Boucher’s unbeaten 49 ensured there was no way back for Sri Lanka. By the close the last five wickets had added 216.
Sri Lanka were convinced they had de Villiers caught behind on 69 – when the score was 273 for 6 – off Angelo Mathews, who had just removed Prince to offer a glimmer of hope. Tillakaratne Dilshan immediately asked for a review. There was a faint, and very short-lived, mark on the inside edge shown by Hot Spot but not enough conclusive evidence to overturn the on-field decision. Dilshan’s reaction suggested he thought otherwise.
By the time de Villiers was removed, slashing low to point one short of his 13th Test hundred, South Africa were forging ahead. de Villiers’ dismissal was notable, however, as the batsman took the fielder’s word that the ball had carried; it was the type of catch third umpires have often turned down.
Given that the pitch retained plenty of help for the pace bowlers it was an exceptional innings from de Villiers who reined in his natural instincts, with his fifty taking 91 balls. He gained some criticism for being over aggressive against Australia but judged the requirements perfectly on this occasion, yet never missed an opportunity to score whether through sweet straight driving or powerful pulling.
South Africa 389 for 9 (de Villiers 99, Boucher 49*, Tahir 24*) lead Sri Lanka 180 by 209 runs
(ESPN)
December 16, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Predicting Test cricket in recent weeks has been a fool’s game, but the opening day at Centurion went largely according to expectations as Sri Lanka struggled to handle the home side’s bowling attack on a helpful pitch. Vernon Philander continued his prolific emergence with his third five-wicket haul in three matches – making him just the fifth bowler to achieve the feat – as Sri Lanka crumbled to 180. Although Graeme Smith fell moments before the close it was emphatically South Africa’s day and they are on course for a handsome lead.
As they had against Australia, Philander and Dale Steyn combined to do much of the damage with nine wickets between them which ensured a poor day for Morne Morkel didn’t seriously cost the home side. After being inserted on a green pitch there were low expectations for Sri Lanka so three down at lunch represented a decent morning’s work and then during the afternoon 156 for 4 was the basis for a competitive total. However, Sri Lanka have dealt in some serious collapses this year and here they registered a demise of 6 for 24 in five overs with Philander and Steyn both claiming two wickets in two balls.
South Africa 90 for 1 (Rudolph 27, Steyn 0*) trail Sri Lanka 180 (Mathews 38, Philander 5-53, Steyn 4-18) by 90 runs
(ESPN)
December 15, 2011 at 10:10 pm
One of the reasons for the setbacks Sri Lankan cricket team has suffered is the politics within the game of cricket, Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage has said. “It’s worse than our politics”, Minister Aluthgamage told the parliament at the debate held on the vote on account of the Ministry of Sports today(14).
“Sri Lankan cricket team should not have suffer continuous defeats against Pakistan team, since it has the capabilities to counter them. Therefore, I am not willing to accept those defeats” , he said. However, the Minister said all the problems within the team were discussed and have been solved.
“The team went to South Africa with much expectations. If the current team does not deliver, then I am ready to prepare a team for the next World Cup using the players of Sri Lanka ‘A’ team”, the Minister emphasized.
(JNW)
December 14, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Stern laws will be introduced to prevent sports personnel using banned substances, Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage said. Accordingly, they will be imposed with a life ban for sports if found guilty of using them, he told the parliament today(14).
(JNW)
December 14, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Kumar Sangakkara is a doubt for the opening Test against South Africa after splitting the webbing on his right hand during the warm-up match against an Invitational XI in Benoni. His concerns added to Sri Lanka’s problems as they ended the rain-hit three-day match in a more wounded state than when they began having also watched Nuwan Pradeep tear his right hamstring.
Pradeep suffered his injury after bowling ten deliveries on the second day and, while he was not immediately ruled out of the tour, it seems likely he’ll soon fly home . Sri Lanka were already without four injured quicks who didn’t make the original squad. Sangakkara, meanwhile, faces a tight timeframe to be ready for the first Test at Centurion on Thursday after tearing webbing between the first and second fingers on his right hand while fielding at point and did not bat on the final day.
He has had three stitches in the wound and hopes “it will settle over the next three to four days.” However, although the injury was played down by team manager Anura Tenekoon, Sangakkara himself was cautious about his prospects. “We just have to keep an eye on it and see how we go,” he said. “That’s the annoying thing about these little injuries. We can’t say for certain.”
(ESPN)
December 12, 2011 at 12:01 am
Sri Lanka’s top three were able to spend much-needed time in the middle on the third day of their tour match against the South African Invitational XI. Tharanga Paranavitana was dropped twice on his way to a century before retiring, Tillakaratne Dilshan scored an aggressive, almost run-a-ball 74 while Mahela Jayawardene battled for his 26.
Kumar Sangakkara was moved down the order after he split the webbing between fingers on his right hand while fielding on Saturday. He did not bat but is expected to recover in the next day or two and team manager Anura Tenekoon said the injury was “not serious.”
Sri Lankans 207 for 3 (Paranavitana 100, Dilshan 74) drew with South African Invitation XI 357 (Elgar 78, Fernando 4-76)
(ESPN)
December 11, 2011 at 11:21 pm
The Sri Lankan bowlers struggled through their first opportunity to play on South African pitches and conceded heavily on the second day of their warm-up match. No play was possible on the first day due to persistent rain and a wet outfield. On the second, South Africa’s Invitation XI opted to bat first, denying the Sri Lankan batsmen time to adjust to local conditions. They capitalised on a pedestrian Sri Lankan attack and each of the top four scored half-centuries.
The Sri Lankans lost Nuwan Pradeep to a hamstring injury after he had bowled just 10 deliveries. Dilhara Fernando got better as the day went on while Angelo Matthews’ first overs in a first-class match for more than a year went fairly well. In the spin department, Ajantha Mendis bowled the bulk of the overs and was worryingly inconsistent; Thilan Samaraweera and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan were acceptable as part-timers; and Rangana Herath was, by some distance, the team’s best bowler.
For the Invitation XI, Dean Elgar showed both class and temperament and was the likeliest candidate to go on to record a century. Reeza Hendricks partnered him with aplomb, in an opening stand of 148, before Stiaan van Zyl and Rilee Rossouw built a 95-run partnership. When wickets fell, they did in clusters but the Invitation XI’s batting was dominant for most of the day.
South African Invitation XI 323 for 6 (Elgar 78, Herath 2-44) v Sri Lankans
(ESPN)
December 10, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Sri Lanka Army has emerged victorious at the “Tour De Sri Lanka Youth”, inaugural National Cycling Competition, by grabbing the top three spots of the event. The tournament, which was organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development together with National Youth Services Council reached to an end at the Matara, Sanath Jayasuriya grounds today(10).
Lakshman Wijeratne, Dileepa Prabath and Sameera Chathuranga of Sri Lanka Army won the first, second and third places respectively, while Sudeera Nilanga of Sri Lanka Police was fourth to end the competition. Fifth place of the tournament was won by Kumara Abeysinghe of Sri Lanka Air Force.
The event which began from Batticaloa on December 08 covered a distance of 366 km. Minister Dallas Alahapperuma and Chairman of National Youth Services Council Attorney-at-law Lalith Piyum Perera were present at the Matara, Sanath Jayasuriya grounds today(10) to witness the finish of the competition.
The prize giving ceremony of the tournament will be held at the Sports Ministry grounds in Colombo tomorrow(11) under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapakse. Winner of the tournament will receive a luxury car and a cash prize worth Rs.4 million.
(JNW)
December 10, 2011 at 5:45 pm
It took nearly four decades for a batsman to score the first double-century in one-day international cricket but less than two years for the second. Virender Sehwag, the batsman most touted to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the highest individual ODI score, didn’t merely break it – he shattered it and raised the bar so high that it’s hard to imagine anyone, apart from Sehwag himself, raising it higher.
Unlike Tendulkar in Gwalior, Sehwag wasn’t running out of time as he raced towards 200 in Indore. He got there in the 44th over and had made 219 off 149 balls by the time he was dismissed in the 47th. And in one of cricket’s stranger coincidences, both ODI double-centuries were scored in the same Indian state – Madhya Pradesh – at venues less than 500 kilometres apart.
Sehwag’s performance led India to 418 for 5, their highest ODI total, and sealed victory in the five-match series against West Indies. It was an innings characteristic of Sehwag’s approach to batting. He hit his second ball for four and simply did not stop. He took plenty of risks too, surviving two run-out chances and two dropped catches, but thundered on, ensuring India’s run-rate stayed above seven after the 15th over. Sehwag’s only out-of-character moment came in the 20th over, when he dived to avoid being run out. Sehwag never dives. It was a sign that he was determined to stay the course. He went to 50 off 41 balls, to 100 off 69 balls, to 150 off 112 and past 200 off 140. The record was broken with a withering cut that sped to the backward-point boundary, and he celebrated with an aggressive fist-pump before breaking into a smile.
Before this game, and after each of the previous three, Sehwag had admitted that the top-order failures, which he contributed to, were the reason India had struggled in their chases. Sehwag had made a duck in the previous match in Ahmedabad, where India lost, but led by example today.
India 418 for 5 (Sehwag 219, Gambhir 67, Raina 55) beat West Indies 265 (Ramdin 96, Jadeja 3-34, Rahul Sharma 3-43) by 153 runs
December 8, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Opening batsman Alviro Petersen has been recalled to South Africa’s 13-man squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka. Uncapped Titans seamer Marchant de Lange has also been included although he is unlikely to play because of a dislocated thumb. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, JP Duminy and Paul Harris have been dropped.
Petersen lost his place for last month’s two-Test series against Australia after Jacques Rudolph was recalled to open the batting with captain Graeme Smith. Rudolph did not replicate the form he had shown in the SuperSport Series – where he topped the batting charts last season and scored 592 runs in four matches in this season – and only managed a top score of 30 in four innings.
While Rudolph has failed to live up to the hype, Petersen has made a strong case for a recall. He is second on the first-class batting rankings, with 441 runs at an average of 55.12 and scored 186 in the opening fixture of the season. He also made a fighting 103, on a seamer-friendly pitch, against the touring Australians in a warm-up match last month in Potchefstroom.
Petersen and Smith shared in nine opening stands of at least 50 in the nine Tests they played and there is some suggestion that Petersen will open the batting once again, with Rudolph likely to move down into the middle order, increasing pressure on Ashwell Prince. In his nine Tests Petersen has scored 572 runs at 33.64 with a best of 100.
De Lange is fast emerging as South Africa’s Pat Cummins, having been elevated to the Test squad after just 14 first-class matches and while still playing in his first season. He caught the eye with an explosive 5 for 56 against the Australians in Potchefstroom and has impressed with his pace. Batsmen from the Knights, who played against de Lange’s Titans earlier in the season, said he was “faster than Morne Morkel,” after facing them both.
The bowling attack will be the same as the one which played against Australia, spearheaded by Dale Steyn, who will likely share the new ball with Vernon Philander. Morne Morkel will have time to settle into a different role as first change while Imran Tahir is the sole spinner in the squad.
(ESPN)
December 7, 2011 at 8:57 am
Sri Lanka Cricket is to receive $2 million from the International Cricket Council in the next few days, Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage told the parliament today(6). Therefore, 65% of the salaries of the Sri Lankan cricketers will be paid by next week, he said. Rest of the amount would be paid in January, the Minister added.
(JNW)
December 6, 2011 at 7:05 pm
The sports minister in Sri Lanka has pledged to resolve the issue over non-payment of player salaries by next week. Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told BBC Sinhala service that he expected half of the outstanding salaries to be initially paid.
“There has always been a delay in of 4-5 months in paying their salaries. We admit that the players are to be paid 347 million rupees for the last seven months until September,” he said.
The payment will be possible as the ICC has pledged to release part of the outstanding $6.4 million owed to SLC for co-hosting the World cup together with India and Bangladesh, he said.
Head of ICC media, Colin Gibson, told BBC Sinhala service that the delay in paying the hosting fee was due to the late submission of audited accounts by the SLC.
“Yes there has been a delay. But now the accounts have been submitted,” was the response by Minister Aluthgamage.
He also confirmed that the cabinet of ministers refused to grant one billion rupees to bail out the cash-strapped Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that the cabinet only granted 50 million rupees, instead.
(BBC Sinhala)
December 5, 2011 at 9:37 am
Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka batsman, has said his side will enjoy bearing the underdog tag on their tour of South Africa because they have exceeded expectations before. Jayawardene pointed to the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, saying Sri Lanka were not favourites in those tournaments but managed to reach the finals in both editions.
“When you are playing away from home and with the unit we have, we will be tagged as underdogs,” he said. “I think it’s a good way to go to South Africa. Expectations of us are going to be lower after the way we performed in the last three Tests [against Pakistan in the UAE].
“Even when we went into the last two World Cups [2007 and 2011] we were not the clear favourites. We came from behind and did what needed to be done.”
Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test this year and have lost three series – away to England, at home to Australia and against Pakistan in the UAE – by the same scoreline: 0-1. Their poor run prompted Kepler Wessels, the former South Africa captain, to say a South Africa A side would beat Sri Lanka on present form. Jayawardene said the only way Sri Lanka could respond to that statement was through their on-field performances.
“The only way we can react is by performing and showing him what a good side we are. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. The statement is great ammunition for us to motivate ourselves and send a clear message to the players that this is how they are thinking about us so let’s try to change their mind.”
Sri Lanka have lost six of the seven Tests they have played in South Africa, and Jayawardene expected this tour to be difficult too. “We have to be realistic in knowing what challenges face us. We know what the conditions are and what the attack is going to be, therefore it’s important to prepare.”
Jayawardene missed the fifth ODI and Twenty20 against Pakistan with a knee injury but says he expects to be 100% fit by the first Test against South Africa at Centurion, which starts December 15. “Right now I am feeling much better with the injury but I haven’t started running yet; I’ve only batted in the nets. It’s been only two weeks since the last game I played. With the progress I have made in the last two weeks I am quite positive that I should be more-or-less 100% fit by the first Test.” Sri Lanka have brought in Thilan Samaraweera as cover for Jayawardene.
During the ODI series against Pakistan, Jayawardene became the second Sri Lanka batsman to reach 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, and he is just 46 runs away from reaching the mark in Tests too. Jayawardene said that getting 10,000 runs in both formats was a goal he had set himself for 2011. “I focused on that double after the 2007 World Cup and I had a target of achieving them by this year. Getting to 10,000 ODI runs is a personal achievement I am very proud of. There will be arguments that I could have done better but given the roles that I have had to play in the team I feel I’ve managed to win matches for the team rather than just play for personal achievements. In that process to get 10,000 ODI runs I am quite happy.
“These are things that motivate me to be a better cricketer. Only five guys have done the 10,000-run double in the history of the game [Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Brian Lara]. I will be really thrilled if I am the first Sri Lankan to do that.”
(ESPN)
December 4, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Former Brazil captain Socrates has died at the age of 57. He had been in a critical condition with an intestinal infection since being admitted to intensive care on Friday at a hospital in Sao Paulo.
Socrates, who was widely regarded as one of the greatest ever midfielders, was moved onto a life support machine on Saturday.
He played in two World Cups, won 60 caps for his country between 1979 and 1986 and scored 22 goals.
The former Corinthians player, whose full name was Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Sousa Vieira de Oliveira, was taken to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo with food poisoning on Friday, according to his wife.
A hospital statement said on Saturday that the former footballer was “in a critical condition due to a septic shock of intestinal origin”.
It added he was breathing with a ventilator and using a dialysis machine.
(BBC)
December 4, 2011 at 5:34 pm
South Africa’s cricketers have lent their support to the Sri Lanka players, who have not been paid their salaries for eight months, saying it was a credit to the Sri Lanka team that they had kept going but the issue needed to be resolved soon. South Africa are set to host Sri Lanka for three Tests and five ODIs, but Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers, the Test and ODI captain respectively, chose to speak out against the Sri Lankan board, who have withheld their players’ salaries due to a severe financial crunch.
”We want to show our support for Tillakaratne Dilshan and our fellow professional cricketers from Sri Lanka on this issue,” Smith said in a South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) release. “It is far from ideal that the Sri Lankan team is about to start a tough Test series and ODI series here in South Africa without having been paid any of their remuneration for the last eight months.”
Sri Lanka Cricket is waiting on payments of around US$ 4.3 million from the ICC for co-hosting the World Cup, but that will only arrive after the ICC complete their audit and the ICC have said it is SLC’s responsibility to pay their players. “In this age of professionalism in cricket this kind of thing should not be happening,” de Villiers said. “It’s a credit to the players that they’ve kept playing for their country since March despite all of this. We hope it gets sorted out soon.”
The Sri Lankan Cricketers’ Association (SLCA) has contacted the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) to seek assistance on what can be done to ensure the players are paid, and SACA’s chief-executive Tony Irish said he hoped for positive progress before Sri Lanka started their tour game against South Africa A on December 9. “It’s difficult to understand how a board which has just co-hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup can find itself in such a desperate financial situation that it can’t pay its national team of fully contracted professionals for months on end”, Irish said. “We know that the players association in Sri Lanka is doing what it can to sort this out for the players and we hope for some positive progress before the first match of the tour starts against.”
SLC has been in a financial crisis following the construction of new stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and the renovation of the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for the World Cup.
Upali Dharmadasa, the chairman of SLC’s interim committee, was critical of the previous administration for spending expansively on those stadiums. He had said he was hopeful the players would be paid soon as he understood that the ICC audit had been completed and SLC would receive the remainder of the World Cup payment due to them.
(ESPN)
December 4, 2011 at 9:42 am
