I am still the boss - Tillakaratne

Hashan Tillakaratne maintains he is still the manager of the Sri Lankan cricket team despite reports he was removed a day after he took over.

A report in the Daily Mirror said sports minister Gamini Lokuge refused to endorse Tillakaratne's appointment for political reasons. Tillakeratne is a member of the opposition United National Party.

But the left-handed batsman told reporters after the team's morning practice at the Sinhalese Sports Club: "As far as I am concerned, I am still the team's manager and there has been no letter to suggest that I am not."

He added: "I offered my services and it was accepted."

The former opening batsman replaced Shriyan Samararatne, who's term ended after the Asia Cup.

Tillakaratne's appointment has been ratified by Sri Lanka Cricket's Interim Committee, the governing body of the sport in the country.

However, his appointment needs to be ratified by the sports ministry, a step which is still pending.

Tillakaratne continues as manager until then.

Source: PA

Sri Lankans unsure of playing in next year's IPL

In a setback to Sri Lankan players, who want to play in next year's Indian Premier League at the expense of a Test series against England, Sri Lanka Cricket on Saturday said the Board has not yet accepted their demand.

"It is not correct to say that the crisis has been resolved and that Sri Lankan players can now go ahead to play in IPL league next year. The matter is still at a negotiating stage by the Interim Committee and the Players' Association," a SLC top source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

He said the SLC was still awaiting a response from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the proposal to reschedule the dates or any other alternative schedule of the tour.

ECB announced on Wednesday the dates of two-Tests home series against Sri Lanka starting May 7, which coincides with the IPL, scheduled between April 10 and May 29, 2009. This led to some Lankan players meeting President Mahinda Rajapakse to plead either to get the tour postponed or be played after the IPL.

On Friday, reports of SLC giving permission to players to play in the IPL instead of touring England after President Rajapakse's intervention provoked sharp criticism from the ICC with CEO Haroon Lorgat saying it might be the start of a dangerous trend.

"If we don't manage this situation we could be threatening the lifeblood of all member countries. International cricket generates revenue that is essential to our survival," Lorgat had said.

Source: rediff

Sri Lanka hike cricket players’ fees

Sri Lanka Cricket has agreed to raise players’ fees and perks as part of a deal to settle a long-running dispute over contracts, officials said yesterday.

SLC officials and player representatives thrashed out a deal over the last two days that ended four months of negotiations, amid growing resentment by the country’s top cricketers.

“The meetings ended amicably and they agreed to our request related to the annual fees, match payments and player welfare,” said Graeme Labrooy, the secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association.

The deal, which will be signed next Wednesday, raises the Test match fee from $3,500 to $5,000, while the fee for one-dayers and Twenty20s will increase from $1,800 to $3,000.

Under the new contracts, there is a freeze on annual retainers for senior team members, but substantial increases for junior players on the national squad and the A team.

“Sri Lanka Cricket was keen to give an increase to junior players and also encourage non-contracted players by making the match fees the same for all,” Labrooy said. Cricketers will be allowed to write articles and have media contracts, which will be regulated by an existing Code of Conduct for all players.

Annual player contracts were due to be finalised by March 31, but the national players have not been paid since the tour of Australia in February.

“Sri Lanka Cricket agreed to back-date the players’ contract payments from March 1, 2008. The contract runs till February 2009,” Labrooy said.

“The players will sign their contracts next week.”

Source: khaleejtimes

Lanka govt scraps controversial TV deal

The controversial multi-million dollar deal signed with TEN Sports rpt TEN Sports for telecast rights of the cricket matches in the island country by the previous Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) interim committee has been scrapped by the government.
"I have instructed SLC to cancel the television contract last evening after receiving the finding of a special three-member committee," Sri Lankan Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge told PTI today.

The investigation committee was headed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Sports and Public Recreation S Liyanagama.

The decision terminates the deal involving two new agreements signed for providing TV rights for home matches from 2009 to 2012.

The current agreement with Taj Entertainment Network (TEN) would expire by the end of this year.

"The deal for the next three years has been cancelled and the previous agreement that lapses this year end will stand," Lokuge said adding the new agreements had been entered into without a mandate.

An independent committee was appointed by Lokuge to conduct a detailed inquiry to find out whether the previous SLC interim committee, headed by Jayantha Dharmadasa, had entered the deal without legal authority.

The Review Committee was asked to probe circumstances in which the controversial agreements were signed.

According to the SLC officials the decision to cancel the decision would be informed to Taj Television after which fresh bids will be invited.

Taj will, however, be entitled to participate in any tender that would be floated by the SLC for future TV rights.

Source: PTI

England name Sri Lanka as Zimbabwe replacement

England will host Sri Lanka for two Tests and three ODIs in April and May next year. Sri Lanka's tour slots in the fixture gap caused by England's decision to suspend bilateral ties with Zimbabwe and the cancellation of their 2009 visit.

David Collier, the ECB chief executive, was pleased with Sri Lankan's willingness to step in and ensure England will have a competitive series ahead of the Ashes later in the summer.

"The strong and close relationship which we built up during our recent winter tours to Sri Lanka allowed the ECB, at short notice, to be able to approach Sri Lanka and confirm their availability for the international matches in the early part of next summer," he said.

The ECB cancelled Zimbabwe's tour last month, minutes after Gordon Brown, the prime minister, told the House of Commons that he wanted the tour scrapped. The ban on a team from Zimbabwe entering the country also put in doubt England's hosting of next year's World Twenty20 next year, but as of now the issue has been resolved with Zimbabwe pulling out of the event.

Sri Lanka play three three-day games ahead of the Tests series, followed by a warm-up one-dayer before the ODI series.

Source: cricinfo

ICC announces umpires and referees for Asia Cup

The International Cricket Council Thursday appointed Mike Procter and Alan Hurst of the Emirates Elite Panel as match referee for the Asia Cup cricket in Pakistan from June 24.

"Procter will oversee the matches staged in Lahore while Alan Hurst will supervise the matches to be played in Karachi," an ICC statement said.

Simon Taufel, Brian Jerling, Ian Gould and Tony Hill have been appointed as umpires for the series.

Asia Cup - Match referees: Mike Procter (Lahore) and Alan Hurst (Karachi)

24 June -- Bangladesh vs UAE, Lahore (Simon Taufel, Ian Gould); Pakistan v Hong Kong, Karachi (Tony Hill and Brian Jerling)

25 June - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Lahore (Simon Taufel, Ian Gould); India v Hong Kong, Karachi (ODI) (Tony Hill and Brian Jerling)

26 June - Sri Lanka v UAE, Lahore (ODI) (Simon Taufel, Ian Gould); Pakistan v India, Karachi (ODI) (Tony Hill and Brian Jerling).

Source: newkerala

Lanka agrees to play ODI series

Sri Lanka has agreed to play an unscheduled five-match one-day series in Pakistan from April 23 to May 5, official sources confirmed here on Thursday.

Pakistan invited Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to play bilateral one-day rubbers after security apprehensions prompted Australia to postpone its tour of the country for a full series which was due to start from March 29.

“Talks between the Chairmen of the Pakistan and Sri Lankan boards, Nasim Ashraf and Arjuna Ranatunga, were successful and the Lankans will tour from April 23 to May 5,” a Pakistan Cricket Board source said.

Bangladesh had earlier given its nod for a one-day series from April 6 to 22.

The PCB source said venues for the series against Sri Lanka had been decided and would be announced later

Source: hindu.com

Ranatunga wants Hair to umpire all matches

Controversial Australian Darrell Hair should be allowed to umpire all international matches, Sri Lankan Cricket Board chairman Arjuna Ranatunga said on Thursday.

Hair, who has fallen out with Sri Lanka and Pakistan during his career, was reinstated as a test and one-day umpire by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.

The 55-year-old had been dropped from the ICC's elite umpires' panel for his role in the Oval test between England and Pakistan in August 2006.

"At the ICC meeting (in Dubai this week) we mentioned our concerns about the Darrell Hair issue," former Sri Lanka captain Ranatunga told Geo television in Lahore.

"But the important factor is if he is eligible to umpire I think he should do all matches featuring India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, otherwise he won't be tested."

Hair called Sri Lanka's record breaking off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for "throwing" in 1995.

Pakistan became the first team to forfeit a test when they refused to return to the field after tea on the fourth day of the fourth test at the Oval because they had been penalised five runs for alleged ball tampering.

"I just hope the ICC realises the potentially explosive situation it could create by posting Hair for any matches involving Pakistan," Shaharyar Khan, head of the Pakistan Cricket Board at the time of the Oval test, told Reuters.

Source: Reuters

Sri Lanka to play Pakistan

Sri Lanka have agreed to play a five-match one-day series in Pakistan to help fill the gap created by the postponement of Australia's tour over security fears, officials said on Thursday.

"We are thankful to the Sri Lankan board, who have agreed to tour for a series of five one-day internationals on our invitation," Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf told reporters.

The series is likely to take place after Mahela Jayawardene's Sri Lankan team ends a tour of the West Indies on April 15. The only hitch could be the Indian Premier League for which top Sri Lankan players have signed up.

The inaugural IPL is due to be held from April 18 until June 1.

Pakistan have already convinced Bangladesh to take part in a tour that includes a five-match one-day series and a Twenty20 international from April 7 to 22.

The two unscheduled tours will fill the gap created by Australia, who were due to be in the country between March 27 and April 29.

Cricket Sri Lanka chairman Arjuna Ranatunga praised Pakistan's support for his country and said he was ready to send his team.

"India and Pakistan have always supported us in our needs like big brothers so I am ready to send my team whenever Pakistan want," Ranatunga said.

The PCB said dates of the series will be finalised shortly.

Source: sport.iafrica.com

Twenty20 like `three-minute Maggie noodles': Ranatunga

Sri Lankan World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga thinks Indian selectors are right in axing Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from One-Day Internationals (ODI).

He says the young Indian team "did extremely well", gave the Australians back in sledging to win the triangular series and are now top contenders for the next World Cup.

To Ranatunga, president of the Sri Lankan cricket board, Indian ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been a revelation and Sachin Tendulkar can play till the next World Cup if he is "protected properly".

According to the Sri Lankan southpaw, Muttiah Muralitharan is on track to capture 1,000 Test wickets.

Ranatunga calls Twenty20 "three-minute Maggie noodles" and no cricket. Though the stocky Sri Lankan justifies the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in organizing the Indian Premier League (IPL) to earn money, he says the concept will harm the sport in the long run.

Ranatunga, who was in Toronto on a personal visit and felicitated by Canadian Cricket Association CEO Atul Ahuja Saturday, spoke at length with IANS.

Excerpts from interview:

Q: What do you think about India's just concluded controversial tour to Australia and their victory over the world champions in one-dayers?

A: I think the young Indian side did extremely well. They are a promising lot and can win the next World Cup. I am very impressed with Dhoni's attitude. He has turned out to be a good ODI captain. Frankly, I never expected him to do so well. He has become a different man, and people see that difference. He has cut his hair short and looks stylish (laughs).

Q: Do you think it was right to drop Ganguly and Rahul from one-dayers?

I think the Indian board made the right decision. They picked up the young team and made them play against the Aussies in Australia. Now that is not easy. But these young Indians have done so well.

Though I think Ganguly is still a great player, but he and Rahul have to go. The Indians are planning for the next World Cup and these two players don't fit in that plan.

In fact, we in Sri Lanka want to follow the same approach. Selections will be made keeping the next World Cup in mind.

Q: Do you justify Sachin Tendulkar's retention in the ODI team?

A: Sachin is a special case. He is totally different, and he can play till the next World Cup if he is protected properly. I think he should be played selectively.

Q: What are your views on the Harbhajan-Symonds controversy and the sledging in cricket?

A: Sledging should stop now. It has gone too far. I don't know whether they (the Australians) still overdo it, but they were the first to start it. Now that others have started giving them back, they are disturbed. But they should remember that it is a different world now.

Q: Do you think the Indians are right in having two captains - Dhoni for one-dayers, and Kumble for Tests?

A: As I said, the Indians are making the right moves. They entrusted the Test captaincy to Anil Kumble who is a senior player and respected in world cricket for his achievements. And Dhoni has come good in ODIs.

Q: With Shane Warne retired and Anil Kumble and Mutthiah Murlitharan at the end of their careers, do you see any great spinners on the horizon?

A: No. I cannot see a single proper spinner playing now, apart from Kumble and Murali.

Q: How long can Murali go?

A: He can play for the next four years. I am sure he will take 1,000 wickets easily if he doesn't get injured. He is a special case - he is like Tendulkar in batting. He is totally different and his commitment to cricket is huge. When he gets a ball, he can bowl for at least two hours without any problem. We will try to protect him till the next World Cup - he may play only a few games till then.

Q: What do you think about the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Twenty20 cricket?

A: I don't dispute that the Indian board has every right to earn revenue. After all, they have to pay for running the sport. My worry is not that the board is making lots of money; my problem is about players.

Yes, the seniors may not be a problem because they have gone through it. But why should a young player be bothered to play for his country if he can make so much money in just one or two months in IPL?

That's the issue. If players are given wrong values, the game will go to pieces. With IPL offering huge amounts of money, players' attitude to the game will change.

It may not be a major issue now, but it can become a big problem in two years' time.

You have to decide whether cricket is business or sport.

Q: So you don't agree with Twenty20 cricket?

A: It is like three-minute Maggie noodle. Bang, bang, and it is over. For me, it is not cricket. It is raw power. How can any great players fit in it?

Take Kumara Sangakkara. He is the greatest batsman in cricket now. But how will you judge him in Twenty20? ODIs are okay, but Test cricket is real cricket.

Q: Looking back, when you started your career in 1982, Sri Lanka were the minnows of world cricket. How did you transform within a decade to become world-beaters?

A: We changed our mind-set and commitment to the game. We became totally committed to the sport. Like when I took over, it was clear to everyone that they have to give me their 100 percent. Or they could walk away. I told them that I would be proud if they showed 100 percent commitment even if we lost the game.

So, total commitment to cricket was our first step.

The second step was transformation of our attitude. We have a problem in our Asian culture. We are taught to be submissive. We are not taught to hit back. But we decided that we would give back (to our opponents) as much we got. We went to Australia and started giving them back. The Aussies were unsettled as they have been against the Indians recently. Our philosophy was: don't leave an opponent when you are on top. Don't pull the knives out, but turn it around in your victim.

The third step was self-belief. We stared believing that we are better than our opponents, and it worked. I would tell myself that I am better than Wasim Akram or Sachin. That's how we transformed ourselves.

Q: And that's how you won the 1996 World Cup?

A: Here I think the turning point came when we lost the first Test within three days during the 1995-96 Pakistan tour. We vowed to win the next matches and immediately went to practice. We won the next two Tests and made history. That led us to the World Cup victory.

Source: hindustantimes.com

No need to panic, says Sri Lanka captain

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said Monday there was no need to panic following the team's repeated batting failures in recent one-day internationals.

"What we have to remember is that all these guys have made a lot of runs in the past," said Jayawardene.

"Everyone takes responsibility for the failure and it is now a question of making right decisions."

World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka lost 3-2 to England in a home one-day series in October, and last month failed to qualify for the finals of a triangular tournament in Australia won by India.

Jayawardene said the batsmen had been working hard to regain form and there was no need to make major changes ahead of the upcoming tour of the West Indies.

Sri Lanka will play two Tests and three one-day internationals on the tour starting on March 17.

Sri Lanka Cricket chief Arjuna Ranatunga echoed those sentiments, saying the he was not "too much worried" about the team's performance in Australia.

"We should move on and have the team ready for the next World Cup," said Ranatunga, captain of the 1996 World Cup-winning squad.

The next World Cup will be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2011.

Source: AFP

Sri Lankans upset by egg incident

The Sri Lankan cricket board have called for security measures to be stepped up after team management had an egg thrown at them this week.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening while the group, including Muttiah Muralitharan, were walking from a restaurant to the team hotel. The egg hit the back of one of the selectors.

K Madivanan, secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee, said: "It is a disgraceful act by whoever did it as Muralitharan is a sporting ambassador and a good human being.

"He is here as a great cricketer to represent his country and this act is condemned by everybody.

"However, we still want to believe that Muralitharan was not the target. Having said that, we know that Cricket Australia has done their best so far and we have requested them to beef up the security even further to avoid such shameful acts in the future."

Muralitharan - the world's leading Test wicket-taker - has often been heckled in Australia since his action was no-balled over a decade ago. The spinner refused to tour Down Under in 2004 but took part in last year's series.

The Sri Lankans are currently in Australia for the triangular one-day series also involving the hosts and India. Sri Lanka begin their participation against India in Sydney on Tuesday.

Source: Foxsports

Cash-less Sri Lanka banks on India, says Ranatunga

Sri Lanka's new cricket chief and former captain Arjuna Ranatunga has revealed his board has no money left and is banking on financial support from India to stay afloat.

Ranatunga, who was appointed head of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) by the country's President Mahinda Rajapakse earlier this month, said the board was surviving on bank borrowings.

"There is no money left," Ranatunga told AFP in an interview this week at the SLC headquarters overlooking the Sinhalese Sports Club in the capital.

"We are now surviving on a six-million dollar bank overdraft. We also plan to ask for a short-term loan from the Indian cricket board to be set off against some of our future tour revenues."

Allegations of graft and kickbacks have dogged the island's cricket administration for years and Ranatunga, 44, has asked a team of auditors to investigate the board's finances.

Sri Lanka's cricket had not been short of sponsors after the island won its only World Cup under Ranatunga's captaincy in 1996, but the kitty has been running dry in recent times.

Most of the money that the SLC earns these days is through prize money won by the national team that includes the world's leading Test wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan.

Ranatunga, however, was confident he will meet his target to streamline the administration and nurture new talent.

"I promised the president that I will put things right," said the nation's legendary captain who quit international cricket in 2000 after playing 93 Tests and 269 one-dayers and is now a ruling party lawmaker.

Ranatunga said he looked forward to India's Test and one-day tour of Sri Lanka in July-August to help boost his organisation's finances.

India may not be the number one team in the world, but it has enormous commercial appeal, and less affluent countries like Sri Lanka cash in on it.

"India visits us this year and we are looking towards the Indian tour to earn some money," he said.

"India has financial muscle due to the massive captive (domestic) television audience. They have also helped us financially.

"While we work closely with other countries, India plays a strong role in keeping our finances afloat."

Ranatunga, a strong campaigner for a radical shake up in the nation's domestic cricket, fears that there may not be enough money to spend on developing younger players.

The previous administration, headed by businessman Jayantha Dharmadasa, had said it could raise 30 million dollars in worldwide sponsorships within the next five-years by way of commercial rights for television.

But Ranatunga was dismissive of the claim.

"I don't know where those figures came from," he said, adding he was also reviewing the current deal with Dubai-based satellite broadcaster, Ten Sports, for home internationals.

Ten Sports' 50-million dollar deal ends in 2009 and there were allegations that the previous administration had extended it till 2012 without a proper bidding process.

Source: AFP

Australia legend Gilchrist to retire

World record-breaking wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has announced he will retire from cricket at the end of the Australian summer.

The 36-year-old chose Australia Day to make his decision public, coming at the end of the third day of the fourth and final Test against India in Adelaide.

Gilchrist said he would retire from Tests at the end of the current match, and then hang up his gloves in one-day internationals after the upcoming tri-series with Sri Lanka and India.

"It is with great pride and happiness that I make the decision to retire from Tests and one-day internationals," he said in a statement on Saturday. "I've come to the decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me.

"My family and I have been fortunate to have had an amazing journey full of rich experiences throughout my career and are sincerely grateful to all who have helped make this stage of our lives so fulfilling.

"I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life which will, of paramount importance, include much more time with my family."

Gilchrist broke the world record for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in Tests with 414 on Friday, overtaking South Africa's Mark Boucher in his 96th outing in the five-day game.

Boucher, by comparison, played in 109 Tests.

Gilchrist took over the gloves from Ian Healy -- third on the list with 395 dismissals from 119 Tests -- in November 1999, and went on to establish himself both as a wicketkeeper and as a batsman of brutal hitting capabilities.

He has scored 5,556 runs to date, at an average of 47.89, with a highest score of 204 not out and having made 17 centuries.

He has been similarly prolific in 277 one-dayers, scoring 9,297 runs at an average of 36 and reaching three figures 15 times.

Gilchrist's revelation came as Australia put themselves in a strong position to win the series against the touring Indians, reaching 322-3 at stumps.

Captain Ricky Pointing, whose team lead 2-1, was unbeaten on 79 after adding an unbroken 81 for the fourth wicket with Michael Clarke (37).

Resuming the day on 62-0 in reply to India's imposing first innings of 526, Matthew Hayden and Phil Jaques took their opening stand to 159.

Jaques was the first to fall, bowled by India captain Anil Kumble for a patient 60 off 159 deliveries.

Hayden, on his return after missing the defeat in Perth due to a hamstring injury, reached his 30th Test century before being bowled by 19-year-old seamer Ishant Sharma for 103 off 200 balls.

Ponting, who came in at first drop, added another 55 with Mike Hussey before the left-hander was also castled by fast bowler Irfan Pathan for 22 to leave the home side teetering a little at 241-3.

But Ponting, who has struggled for form so far in the series, ground out his 40th half-century in Tests and Clarke provided able support to take Australia through to the close of play with no further loss of wickets.

Source: CNN

SLC bans Atapattu and two others for participating in ICL

Colombo, Jan 17 (UNI) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has banned former captain Marvan Atapattu along with two others from all international and domestic cricket matches for participating in the rebel Indian Cricket Leagues' (ICL) Twenty20 tournament.

''We had warned the players about the consequences and we'll stick to the guidelines,'' Chief Executive of Sri Lanka Cricket, Duleep Mendis said.

Russel Arnold and Upul Chandana are the other players who have been banned by the SLC.

SLC has sent letters to SSC and NCC (the clubs of the three players) stating that the players should not be considered for any national or domestic tournaments sanctioned by it.

Source: deepikaglobal.com

Kumble joins Muralitharan and Warne by passing 600

PERTH, Jan 17 (Reuters) India captain Anil Kumble joined one of cricket's most exclusive clubs when he captured his 600th test wicket during the third Test against Australia today.

Kumble joined fellow spinners Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Australia's Shane Warne as the only players to take more than 600 test scalps when he had Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds caught at slip by Rahul Dravid.

Kumble, who picked up another wicket for good measure to finish off the Australian innings, said he was humbled by the achievement.

''It means a lot, you never think when you first start off that you will reach that milestone, but having played this long you keep crossing landmarks and milestones,'' he told a news conference.

''When you first start off, people don't even think you will last two test matches, so it means a lot. You have the belief and you have the faith.'' Despite being the third greatest wicket-taker in cricket history, Kumble has rarely received the same recognition as Muralitharan and Warne.

A tall wrist-spinner who has often been criticised for not turning the ball a lot, Kumble has long silenced his doubters over a distinguished 18-year career, achieving several feats that neither Muralitharan or Warne have managed.

Along with England's Jim Laker, Kumble is one of only two bowlers to have taken 10 wickets in a test innings, which he achieved against Pakistan in 1998/99.

He achieved the distinction of scoring a century against England last year and was awarded the captaincy the same season, at the ripe old age of 37 after shoulder injuries had briefly stalled his career when he was younger.

Kumble is also one of the most respected players in the game.

Australia's vice-captain Adam Gilchrist rang Kumble when he captured his 500th wicket and was batting at the non-strikers end when Kumble grabbed his 600th.

''I've always found him a real pleasure to play against,'' Gilchrist said of Kumble.

''He's got very clever with his experience and those subtle changes in flight, his position on the crease.

''He's just trying to create a little bit of doubt in the batsmen's mind and he's doing that in an effective fashion.

''It's a real credit to him to get that achievement.''

Source: deepikaglobal.com

India paying back Australia in their own coin: Ranatunga

Former skipper and head of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Arjuna Ranatunga, cannot hide his happiness as Team India gives Australia a taste of their own medicine.

"I think this is the first time after I gave it back that Australia is now being paid back in their own coin," Ranatunga said.

Ranatunga said over the last decade, there have been issues with the Australian cricket team, but he advised India not to get distracted by their on-field antics and leave it to the boards of both the countries to resolve contentious matters.

He also said that the Sri Lankan team is looking forward to join India in the upcoming tri-series in Australia.

The former Sri Lankan skipper said he was hopeful the tour would continue smoothly as the island nation was confident of victory.

"So far it's going on a smooth way. I hope the tour will continue because the Sri Lankan will be joining Australia and India for the one day series and it is a good opportunity for the Lankans to win this tournament," he told reporters at the launch of a 45-minute film titled 'Ramayana Trails' in New Delhi.

Sri Lanka has picked six fast bowlers in a 15-man squad for next month's tri-series in Australia, which also involves India.

Sri Lanka leaves for Australia on January 24 and will play two warm-up games against the Prime Minister's XI on January 30 and against Tasmania on February 2. (ANI)

Source: thecheers.org

Selectors opt for six pacies Kapu in Bandara out of Australia tour

Young middle order batsman Chamara Kapugedara forced himself back into the national side as the selectors named him in the 15 man squad that will take on Australia and India in the up-coming tri-nation series in Australia, now renamed as Commonwealth Bank Series (earlier Victoria Bitter).

Sri Lanka leaves Colombo on January 24, and will play their first game on February 5, at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Kapugedara (20), hit the limelight on Sri Lanka’s previous tour to Australia, where he made his debut in Perth and scored 22 runs in 25 balls. He has represented the country in six Tests and 22 ODIs and was dropped after the home series against Bangladesh this year.

"Chamara obviously has talent and has done well in the opportunities he got in the last few months. His ability to bowl a bit of seam too comes in handy," Ashantha de Mel, Chairman of Cricket Selectors, told ‘The Island’ on Monday.

All-rounder Dilruwan Perera (25), who made his debut in October against England has also been named in the side and de Mel said that the selectors are looking at him as back up to openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga.

The selectors have named six fast bowlers in the side, while there’s only room for a solitary specialist spinner in Muttiah Muralitharan, which means, leg-spinner Malinga Bandara gets the chop.

While Farveez Maharoof has returned from an ankle injury, Ishara Amarasinghe and Chanaka Welagedara, both of whom won their national caps this year, have been named in the side alongside Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara.

Dilhara Fernando is recovering from injury and is not expected to be fit even for Sri Lanka’s tour of West Indies, scheduled for March.

"When you have Murali in the side and when there are others like Dilshan and Sanath to chip in with the ball for a few overs, we didn’t feel there was need for an additional specialist spinner," de Mel explained.

With the Australian authorities deciding to scrap the annual tri-nation cricket series, Sri Lanka along with India and the hosts will be one of the last teams to play this tri-nation competition that was started almost three decades back with novelties such as coloured clothing and day-night games. Benson&Hedges were the sponsors of the event for close to two decades, before a ban on tobacco advertising on sports promoted them to pull out and later VB, a popular beer in Australia took over the sponsorship.

Sri Lanka last played in the tournament in 2005-2006 and reached the final and even beat Australia in the first of three finals in Adelaide before going down to Australia in the remaining two.

Sri Lanka Squad: Mahela Jayawardene (Capt), Kumar Sangakkara (V. Capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, T. M. Dilshan, Dilruwan Perera, M. Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Chanaka Welagedera and Ishara Amarasinghe.

Standbys: Mahela Udawatte, Malinga Bandara and Thilina Thushara.

Source: Island