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March 9, 2008
Posted on 03/09/2008 in Sri Lankan cricket
In Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror Neil Wijeratne gets nostalgic on the fixtures between St Josephs and St Peters, one of the traditional schools cricket rivalries in Sri Lanka.
Wijeratne waxes eloquent while recalling a time of grandeur, of charismatic school captains, blue and white flags blowing in the breeze, and a most interesting thriller in 1962.
Once upon a time, it all began near the College gate when we were about to enter the school premises. As usual there were pavement hawkers selling American comic books, toffees and lollypops; hot milk tea, pineapple and mangoes and many more things. But on this particular day, I noticed something different. There was a man selling small “Blue and White” flags. It attracted me. After all it’s our college colours and our college flag. Like many other college boys, I too wanted to own one of those flags. I begged with Marthinamma, the old maid who accompanied me to school, carrying my suitcase filled with school books in one hand and a huge lunch container on the other. Instantly she refused my request. But I was keen to possess a small, lovely “Blue and White” flag and to wave it shouting aloud “Come on Joes”. A lengthy pleading with Marthinamma, resulted in having a small “Blue and white” flag in my hand.
Do read on ....
Meanwhile, the Sunday Times carries a tale of bailas, verses and boundary-line heroes who ungrudgingly served the cause of Royal Cricket.
February 14, 2008
Posted on 02/14/2008 in Sri Lankan cricket
There are 480 letters, 59 words, 15 members and one team, writes GS Vivek in the Indian Express. With an average of 32 letters per name, this team is the longest named international cricket team, which contains 23 of the 26 alphabets in the English dictionary except q, x and z.
Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanka Welegedera is the cricketer with the longest initials in world cricket and has one more than existing record holder Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas.
December 24, 2007
Posted on 12/24/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
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Julian Ayer’s widow, Harriet, and her son, Spencer Crawley, at the ground in Galle
© The Daily Telegraph
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| A cricket tour by Harrow School ended in tragedy when they were caught up in the 2004 tsunami, and Julian Ayers, one of the players’ fathers, was among those who died. As a result, the Harrow Tsunami Relief Fund raised more than £475,000, a large part of which was spent rebuilding a local school, Vidyaloka College. The Daily Telegraph reports on how some of that side returned to Galle for the Test.
"It was a very emotional moment. After all that destruction and loss of life, to see England as the first Test team to play on the ground really brought a lump to my throat."
Click here for details on the Harrow Tsunami Relief Fund
December 17, 2007
Posted on 12/17/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Stepping into Sanath Jayasuriya's shoes is a big ask for any man but Michael Vandort has filled the breach with minimum fuss, writes Aravinda de Silva in the London-based Observer.
At 6ft 5in, he is by far the tallest batsman to play for Sri Lanka and he is going to have to find a way to play with authority on the back foot, for, although the game has become much more front-foot friendly compared to 10 years ago, let alone 20, there will be times he is going to come up against Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Shane Bond and he's not going to want to be a liability to the team. But I back him to succeed. He has always been a fighter.
Mike Selvey, writing in the Guardian, talks of the importance of the Test match at Galle.
The Daily Telegraph's Simon Hughes travels with the England cricketers on their Tsunami trip, talking about how it put cricket in perspective.
December 15, 2007
Posted on 12/15/2007 in English cricket
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Geoff Boycott has called for the inclusion of Graeme Swann
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It won't take much, Derek Pringle tells us in today's Telegraph, for the Galle Test to be washed out as heavy and prolonged rains are forecast.
So it is a huge shame that torrential rain and a squabble over building regulations threaten to ruin the Galle Test, due to start on Tuesday, which many feel could provide symbolic closure for a region so badly afflicted on that fateful Boxing Day three years ago.
Tropical rain tends to be as heavy as the tropical sun is hot, though when one follows the other, a balance is struck. Not so yesterday morning in Galle, where a prolonged downpour, but no sun, left the outer third of the outfield several inches under water. Mobile pumps had reduced this by late afternoon, but with more rain forecast, it would not take much for the opening day to be abandoned, which would be a huge blow to England's chances of levelling the series.
In the same paper Geoff Boycott demands Graeme Swann is given his chance at the expense of Ravi Bopara ("a nice lad").
Meanwhile, Alastair Cook rates his 81 in the first innings at Colombo as one of his "most satisfying".
Posted on 12/15/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
It’s in the eyes. Muttiah Muralitharan may go on to take a thousand Test wickets, but even more special is his gift of turning adversity into generosity of spirit, writes Anand Vasu in the Tehelka Magazine.
Start instead at the village of Kundasale, not far from the hill city of Kandy. It was here that our young Tamil boy went through the formative years that would make him the man he is. The year is 1983 and the civil war between the Tamils and the Sinhalese is at its height. Murali, only 11, was witness to his father Muttiah’s flourishing biscuit factory being burnt down by Sinhalese mobs. Muttiah was the last man out, and emerging from the flames was attacked by men wielding machetes and badly injured. Murali and his family were herded into the cellar of a Muslim friend’s house, and there they sheltered as the mob waited outside, knowing that Tamils were being protected in the house. But the Muslims refused to yield and eventually the mob grew tired of waiting and moved on to find other victims.
... But Muttiah, when confronted with a life in tatters, seeing all he built laid to waste, did not walk away. Instead, with the help of his brother, Murali’s uncle, the biscuit factory was rebuilt and now employs more than 300 people from all communities.
December 13, 2007
Posted on 12/13/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Stephen Brenkley, in his and Angus Fraser's enjoyable tour diary blog at The Independent, tells us of the nicknames the photographers have given to some of the Sri Lanka players.
To while away their time between balls and overs a couple of them have dreamt up a new game: casting the Sri Lankan team as Star Wars figures.
Bizarre certainly, but astonishingly gripping. Since Sri Lanka are a team of good guys any and all comparisons to Darth Vadar have been unnecessary as well as prohibited. Princess Leia is sadly but obviously not represented either.
But here is the rest of the cast list: Luke Skywalker - Mahela Jayawardene; Han Solo - Kumar Sangakkara; Yoda - Muttiah Muralitharan; Obi-Wan Kenobi - Sanath Jayasuriya; Chewbacce - Dilhara Fernando; C-3PO - Michael Vandort; R2-D2 - Chamira Silva. The snappers would welcome other suggestions and are now working on an appropriate movie vehicle for the England team.
December 6, 2007
Posted on 12/06/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
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Muttiah Muralitharan may have put many batsmen in a spin en route to his world record wickets tally, but in the late 80s it was the spelling of his name that caused confusion
© Getty Images
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| Dinesh Weerawansa of the Daily News, the Colombo-based daily, writes about how he cycled all the way to a school ground meet a young Muttiah Muralitharan, to get a clarification on how his name was spelt.
It was a less important inter-school game between Maris Stella College, Negombo and St.Anthony’s College, Katugastota. But I had a person to meet, of course without an appointment. He was a young cricketer who was a member of that St. Anthony’s side.
Having joined the ‘Daily News’ as a cub reporter, I was in-charge of school cricket since 1987.
I occupied the entire inner back page of Tuesday’s paper with my school cricket review, which was sub editored by my dear friend, the late Marianne Decker.
There was an Antonian cricketer who had been going great guns but even the sports reporters did not know the exact way he spells his name. The intention of my ride to Katunayake was to meet the emerging schoolboy cricketer and find how he spells his name and pronounces it.
His first name was spelt it different ways in different newspapers - Some called him Muttiya, Muttiyah, Muttiah, Muttiyaa or Mutiaya. When it came to his surname, it was still worse - Muralidharan, Muralidharam, Murralitharan, Muralitharan or even Muralitharam. On that particular evening after the match, I met this young schoolboy to find out the correct spelling.
Ever since, I used that correct spelling in all my school cricket write-ups. It was this young schoolboy who has now become a household name in Test cricket.
December 5, 2007
Posted on 12/05/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
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Muttiah Muralitharan celebrates his 709th Test wicket to become the world-record holder
© Getty Images
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| Harbhajan Singh, the India offspinner, thinks Muttiah Muralitharan should be appreciated for his genius instead of being questioned over his action, a situation he himself is familiar with. His article in the Guardian has more.
Murali has had to fight allegations about his action more than a few times and each time he has come out clean and come out on top on the field again. I've also had to go through the tunnel of suspicion and have come out unscathed, and even if the sceptics persist, the cameras are not lying. It takes a lot to come out and resume the fight and Murali, ever a fighter, came out on top whenever he was sent to the labs.
One important thing in his favour was the Sri Lankan cricket board's policy of backing him and believing he was right. Murali repaid that faith by winning his country so many matches and you've got to give credit to a guy who's taken so many wickets. Let him play, let us enjoy watching this legend rather than constantly carping about nothing. Just salute him.
December 3, 2007
Posted on 12/03/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Michael Marqusee, writing in the Guardian, feels that anyone who cares for cricket should celebrate Murali's record-breaking achievement, which is the result of his own skill, accuracy, stamina, variety and ingenuity. Despite the euphoria, one will have to put with the negative calls, particularly from Australia, that the record will be remembered for the wrong reasons.
The definition of a throw appears less clear-cut than was supposed. The authorities responded by revising the laws to allow a degree of flex. This has nothing to do with Murali's feats: the law was changed to reflect new research, not to protect Murali. In retrospect it's clear that, far from enjoying preferential treatment, Murali has been singled out unfairly.
Simon Barnes, writing for the Times, too feels that the Australians will never throw in the towel over Shane Warne’s status as second best.
The argument that Murali is less good because he is compromised (mainly by Australian insularity) is simply not admissible.
The Age’s Greg Baum salutes Murali from Australia.
He has climbed the mountain, and as he plants his flag at the peak, it would be churlish to do other than to congratulate him. Warne - give him his due - already has.
November 25, 2007
Posted on 11/25/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Kumar Sangakkara is going back to school next week. “Not many international players can claim their favourite Test venue is their old school pitch,” he writes in the Sunday Telegraph, “but Asgiriya International Stadium is where I learned how to play cricket. This beautiful stadium, ringed by Kandy's green-mantled hills, is full of fond memories.”
Posted on 11/25/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Why does Lasith Malinga bowl with the action he does? What did he learn playing beach cricket as a boy? And why, when others may have given up, did he carry on? Find out, in an interview with him in The Observer.
November 16, 2007
Posted on 11/16/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
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The ground during the 2004 Sri Lanka-Australia Test
© Getty Images
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| The Daily Telegraph’s Tony Francis has been in Galle where the reconstruction of the cricket ground following the devastation of the 2004 tsunami is almost complete.
Only a couple of months ago, the ground on which Sri Lanka entertain England in the third Test next month reminded me of the horse-drawn section of the National Ploughing Championships after two Suffolk Punches had done their work.
And he reports that the venue now has a new indoor cricket centre with funds raised by a woman whose husband died in the disaster.
Julian Ayer was travelling by bus to watch his stepson play for Harrow School at the start of their Sri Lanka tour when the vehicle was submerged on its way to the stadium. Ayer was reported to have helped his wife off the bus but was unable to save himself. His widow was so distressed by the plight of other bereaved families in Sri Lanka's worst affected region that she donated £50,000 to Galle Cricket Club, believing that sport would give destitute youngsters something to cling to.
November 13, 2007
Posted on 11/13/2007 in Australian cricket
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Sri Lanka's Sunday Times makes its point
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| As the row over Cricket Australia’s demands to charge agencies for access to international matches grows, the pressure on the board escalates, although it has, perhaps unsurprisingly, found an ally in the Indian board, an organization which is not averse to grabbing income from anywhere it can.
In Sri Lanka there is widespread anxiety that the public might miss out on a landmark when and if Muttiah Muralitharan breaks Shane Warne’s record of Test wickets. The Sri Lankan board has written to CA and Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times published a silhouette figure with its cricket coverage with a caption: "This space is dedicated to what would have been an action picture of the Test match in progress in Brisbane. The black figure is courtesy of Cricket Australia."
The subject has attracted comment across the globe. In the Gulf News, Gautam Bhattacharyya wrote:
Cricket Australia, one of the most progressive and professional bodies to run the sport, is now being termed as 'greedy.' It's very much a subject of debate, but what is certain is that they have set a rather dangerous precedent now.
In Jamaica’s Gleaner, Tony Becca points out that sports needs the media.
Cricket at all levels has been surviving because of sponsors, for sponsors' presence is key. And if the media, if the newspapers are not present, neither will the sponsor's product or service. Sport has become big business, but it has become big business partly because of the exposure and the coverage it receives from the media - and none more so than cricket.
Greg Baum makes a similar point in The Age:
This, though, is not about marketing. Mostly, cricket shares a mutually convenient relationship with media; cricket sells papers, papers sell cricket. It is true of other sports and other media
The Times of India's Partha Bhaduri takes off on the Indian board's stance.
There’s no denying the fact that such demands could spill over into written content as well, apart from changing the way the Internet functions and is regulated.
November 7, 2007
Posted on 11/07/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Shut your eyes and try to imagine Muttiah Muralitharan steaming in, bowling pace. Given he's taken nearly 700 Test wickets with his off-spin, it's not too easy, is it. And yet he started life as a pace bowler, as revealed in the Courier Mail, which also tells the story of his conversion to the spin which has made him famous, and brought him to the brink of the world record for most Test wickets.
Muttiah Muralitharan can expect a rough ride [in Australia] despite calls for respect, writes Gideon Haigh in the Guardian.
October 26, 2007
Posted on 10/26/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
"Far from smoking the peace pipe with Australian crowds, Muttiah Muralitharan ought to go on the offensive," writes Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Murali can go further in advancing his cause. Sometimes it is not enough to be polite. After all, he is visiting the country where he has suffered his worst experiences, the country where his action has been condemned on the field, the land where his most outspoken critics can be found. Moreover, he has not played Test cricket hereabouts for 12 years and is a few wickets shy of replacing the local champion at the top of the rankings. He is entitled to feel as relaxed as a lobster at lunchtime.
October 22, 2007
Posted on 10/22/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors Ashantha de Mel who has strong political affiliations with the president of the country has used it to his advantage causing great damage to the game in the country, writes Sa'adi Thawfeeq in the Colombo-based Nation.
The Sunday Times also discusses the controversy over Atapattu.
One may argue that Atapattu was originally selected and then he on his own opted to stay out because of his differences with the chief selector Asantha de Mel. But, we are talking about a thirty seven year old man who played his last Test match against India way back in December 2005, where he scored 40 and 16 in a match that Sri Lanka lost by 259 runs at Ahamedabad.
October 11, 2007
Posted on 10/11/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
The handling of the Attapattu affair does not inspire confidence that the authorities are treading this path, says an editorial in the Sri Lanka based Daily News.
Also check out Suni Perera's open letter to the Sri Lankan board in lankaweb.com.
...despite the perks and incentives of cricket at the zenith of competiton there could come a time of crisis for Sri Lanka Cricket if players with a strong sense of integrity decided to be loyal to their axed fellow players and stood by them and refused to participate until there was some kind of redress and damage repair to the situation at hand and one need not look too far as the case of Zimbabwe Cricket stands out!
October 8, 2007
Posted on 10/08/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
Sri Lanka's Sunday Times comes down hard on Sri Lankan selectors' handling of Marvan Atapattu.
While reading the autobiography by former opener Roshan Mahanama or attending the tearful press conference given by allrounder Upul Chandana I felt that with a little more thoughtfulness those cases could have been handled better ... Even Sri Lanka’s most noteworthy No. 3 batsman Asanka Gurusinha left the game in sheer disgust soon after he had played a prominent role in Sri Lanka’s maiden World Cup triumph in 1996.
Read Sa'adi Thawfeeq's interview with an angry Atapattu in Cricinfo.
Meanwhile the Daily Mirror's Maxie Kariyawasam pays tribute to Mahes Rodrigo, a cricketing legend of yesteryear was not honoured at a recently held felicitation ceremony for Sri Lankan legends.
Also read Daminda Wijesuriya's interview with Dimitri Mascarenhas in Sunday Times.
September 30, 2007
Posted on 09/30/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
The Telegraph’s travel section contains a piece about what England fans may find when they travel to Sri Lanka this winter… and a hint as to whether or not Galle will be ready for 18 December. In the same paper, a moving article by Kumar Sangakkara recollects his memories of the tsunami and how proud he is of the resilient Sri Lankans.
August 15, 2007
Posted on 08/15/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
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Muttiah Muralitharan is "comfortable with what Australia is like"
© Getty Images
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Muttiah Muralitharan’s manager believes the bowler will use any harassment he receives on the tour of Australia to perform better, Jon Pierik writes in the Herald Sun.
"He is comfortable with what Australia is like," Muralitharan's manager Kushil Gunasekera said. "He understands the harassment given by spectators will only make him more inspired and motivated.
"It will help him bowl better. He is happy to be taking on that challenge because Australia is a real test. He will come to Australia."
In the Age Chloe Saltau talks to Troy Cooley about how the Australian bowlers should embrace Twenty20.
April 1, 2007
Posted on 04/01/2007 in Sri Lankan cricket
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Sri Lankan cricket thrives on its strong support base at the school level
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There are a variety of reasons for Sri Lankan cricket's excellent health. The players, selectors, administrators, coaches, and above all, the fans, have contributed to it. But there is an unseen factor which needs recognition, namely, Sri Lankan culture, especially the culture of the majority community, the Sinhalese, writes P.K Balachandran, Special Correspondent of the Hindustan Times in Colombo.
"They had a hunger for the game. Playing for the country was something very big for the small town boys. They worked hard also because they had few other preoccupations, unlike the ones from Colombo's elite schools who were into studies and computers"
Read the full piece here.
December 11, 2006
Posted on 12/11/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
The Corridor has a video of Muttiah Muralitharan's controversial dismissal against New Zealand last week.
September 9, 2006
Posted on 09/09/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
While Australia has been pondering where Tom Moody stands in the coaching pecking order, the man himself has been undertaking far more meaningful work - helping provide cheer to a battered nation, feels Alex Brown in the Sydney Morning Herald.
September 1, 2006
Posted on 09/01/2006 in Miscellaneous
In The Times, former Wisden editor Tim de Lisle highlights the fact that cricket's international merry-go-round is not only hard on the players, it's also pretty environmentally unfriendly. He recalled that while editing Wisden Cricket Monthly a few years ago, he commissioned an investigation into the mileage of top players:
"We named the first winner — Australia's Ian Healy, who had done, from memory, about 70,000 miles. Within a few years, the winner (by then Stephen Fleming, of New Zealand) was doing 100,000 miles. International cricket’s total emissions, for a relatively small sport, must be colossal."
He then points out that the English county circuit is strewn with sponsored cars flying up and down the country's motorways. And then there is Asia.
"Open an Indian magazine and the chances are you will see Sachin Tendulkar sharing a little of his personal cachet with a motorbike. And administrators in the subcontinent still think it’s OK to give the man of the match a bike or even a car. Not even the umpires are immune. Fly Emirates, say their shirts, which is demeaning to them and damaging to the planet."
August 25, 2006
Posted on 08/25/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
Arjuna Ranatunga speaks to G Krishnan in The Hindustan Times regarding his stance on The Oval farce and his stint in Sri Lankan politics.
The ICC was wrong in having Hair in its panel. When teams had problems with him, he was kept out. By bringing him back in its panel, the ICC has rehabilitated him of sorts. It is very important for the ICC to get rid of people like Hair. By not doing that, not only teams but also countries get upset with each other.
August 18, 2006
Posted on 08/18/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
S Singh, writing in Mid-Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid, tells the story of Dmitry Ratnayake, forced to return to South Africa midway through a special Sri Lankan tour
May 7, 2006
Posted on 05/07/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
Michael Atherton dissects Chaminda Vaas's mediocre record in England.
It is an anomaly that can be explained partly by the fact that he has not played that much cricket in this country, partly by the absence of the Kookaburra ball, which bowlers use everywhere bar England and India, and partly because bowling in sub-continental conditions has made him far more expert with the old ball than the new. Interestingly, Vaas's record in India, where they use the SG ball which is the closest in design to the English Duke, is also poor.
Posted on 05/07/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
Tom Moody tells Vic Marks about his hectic life at the helm of an international cricket team as the first Test at Lord's approaches.
Former Sri Lankan batsman Aravinda De Silva believes the teenager Chamara Hapugedera is a talent capable of taking anybody's place at the crease.
May 2, 2006
Posted on 05/02/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
If Sri Lanka are to spring a surprise and emerge victorious from their tour of England, then they will need their coach, Tom Moody, to impart the wisdom he has acquired during a decade of service as a player in the shires. This week, he returns to his old stomping ground at New Road to take on England A.
Posted on 05/02/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
It might not be directly about cricket, but as Sri Lanka’s tour of England kicks into life, their players might be forgiven for keeping a close eye on developments back at home. A long absence overseas is never easy at the best of times, but the Independent reports that Sri Lanka is sliding “sliding inexorably back towards civil war”.
"There has been a drastic increase in violence between government forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels since December, culminating in government air strikes on Tiger positions just outside Trincomalee . The air strikes came after the attempted assassination of the Sri Lankan army chief by a suspected Tiger suicide bomber. More than 100 people have died in the last two weeks alone."
April 11, 2006
Posted on 04/11/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
Sanath Jayasuriya's decision to retire from Test cricket was bound to elicit tributes. Ian Chappell remembers that glorious week in Singapore when Jayasuriya "gave cricket fans a glimpse of what it must have been like to watch Sir Donald Bradman bat in the 1930s."
March 25, 2006
Posted on 03/25/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
There's a raging debate going on in Sri Lanka, one about who should captain? Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara have inadvertently entangled themselves in a convoluted scuffle, writes Ganeesha David.
Posted on 03/25/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
For Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lankan left-hand opening batsman, the last 13 months have been very hard work, not only has he had to concentrate on building up his cricket career but also help his family get back on their feet and get over the devastating Tsunami
March 11, 2006
Posted on 03/11/2006 in Sri Lankan cricket
The 127th match between Royal College, Colombo and St Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia, finished today with a victory for the Royals. The encounter - known as the "Battle of the Blues," or the "Big Match" - is 127-years-old and has fielded "many great Prime Ministers, a former President, Ministers and leading citizens of the land" in its history.
There's a feast of information available on the most recent match, including a superb piece by Sripost, a scorecard, some photos and literally dozens of articles about its history.
Of particular interest is Indi's blog. Armed with a camera and a press pass, he provides a fascinating insight into the match and its importance to Colombo:
Colombo is an oven and I’m marinating in beer, coke and arrack at the Royal Thomian match. Boycy got me a press pass and that’s enough to get in. I’m no old boy, but it’s nice to run into so many people I know. Royalists and Thomians are the two elite schools that run Colombo business and society - for better or incestuously retarded worst. There are, however, a lot of good people coming outta there.
We have quite a few articles on previous Royal Thomian encounters at Cricinfo , and Technorati has a list of blogs covering the match.
December 27, 2005
Posted on 12/27/2005 in Sri Lankan cricket
Alex Brown speaks to Muttiah Muralitharan at the end of a tough year.
Muralitharan usually judges himself on wickets, averages and strike-rates, but he's adopted a vastly different method of gauging his success at the end of this year: His charity group has built 220 houses for those who lost everything in the Asian tsunami. And that, more than any 10-wicket haul, is a successful outcome for Muralitharan, who is now revered as much for his charity work in Sri Lanka as his on-field deeds.
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